What comes to mind when you think about Hawaii? Luaus? Sandy Beaches? Active volcanoes? Craft beer? The latter may not appear on a Family Feud survey of things commonly associated with Hawaii, but craft beer is an up-and-coming industry in Hawaii and on a recent family vacation to our 50th state, I had the opportunity to visit a craft brewery or two. And one example of a brewery that is growing and changing the Hawaiian landscape is Mehana Brewing, located in Hilo, on the Big Island of Hawaii’s east coast.
Step Right Up
Visiting Mehana Brewing is different from what I am accustomed. With other breweries, you often need an advanced reservation and you need to make sure everything is planned properly, or else you may get turned away, Mehana Brewing is different. You just drive up, park your car in the small lot, and walk right in. Brewery personnel will direct you to the tasting room where you can learn more about the beer, try some samples, ask questions, and even venture into the brewing area for a self- guided tour and pictures if they say it’s okay.
I’ll Try That One, and That One, and….
The tasting room area at Mehana Brewing is small, but they do have a good number of beers for sampling, including products bearing the Mehana label and Hawai’I Nui label:
Mehana Brewing Beers:
- Volcano Red Ale
- Mauna Kea Pale Ale
- Humpback Blonde Ale
- Hawaiian Crow Porter
- Tsunami IPA
Hawai’I Nui Brewing Beers:
- Kauai Golden Ale
- Hapa Brown Ale
- Sunset Amber Ale
- Southern Cross Belgian Double Red Ale
Each of the beers available was good in its own way, but the standouts for me were the Southern Cross Belgian Double Red Ale and Tsunami IPA. The IPA was a good representative of its style and the Belgian Double Red Ale stood out because it was so different. Its flavor combined tastes such as dark fruit, yeast, bubblegum, candy, etc. I haven’t tried anything quite like it before and I was very surprised to learn that it carries an alcohol content of 8.3 percent by volume. The sweetness covers this up quite well.
Did you notice that the above list of beers includes some under Mehana and some under Hawai’I Nui? I wondered about the combination of the two different brand names and a chat with brewery manager Scott Thompson helped to clear things up. Hawai’I Nui actually purchased Mehana a few years back, but the new owners decided to keep the Mehana name, out of respect for the previous owners. Now, both names are used and everything is brewed at this single brewery. I was happy to finally get this straightened out because I couldn’t understand why, when searching online for breweries in Hawaii, I would often see a footnote claiming that Hawai’I Nui was closed. Now, I understand-the original brewery location might be closed, but Hawai’i Nui beer is still going strong.
A Taste of the Big Island
Mehana Brewing is a nice little brewery and a good place to visit in the east coast city of Hilo. Kona Brewing is the best known of Hawaii’s breweries, but there is something to be said for a smaller, more intimate brewing operation like that of Mehana.
Mehana Brewing isn’t very large right now, but Scott Thompson informed me that this could change very soon. Mehana is working toward a distribution deal, one that would greatly expand the product reach and could even bring it to the U.S. mainland. Expansion like this will be great for craft beer fans who would love to try the beer but can’t justify a trip to Hawaii to taste it. Expansion will also be good for visitors because, at the moment, there are no scheduled tours. All you can do is visit the tasting room, sample some beer, and then fill a growler or purchase cans of beer to go. Other than that, any tour you may experience will be self- guided in nature.
Hawaii’s Big Island is an amazing wonderland of active volcanoes, black sand beaches, and excellent surfing but it’s also a place with a growing craft beer scene and Mehana Brewing is at the forefront of this changing beverage culture. I recommend a visit the next time you happen to find yourself on the Big Island. The tasting sessions are complimentary and you are bound to come away with some interesting malt beverage discoveries and a newfound respect for the growing craft beer scene in America’s 50th state.
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