Kona Big Wave Golden Ale

Kona Big Wave Golden Ale. 4.4 % ABV. 21 IBU. Kona Brewing, Kailu Kona, HI.

Clear, bright golden hue, slim white head.

In the nose: Fairly faint. Nothing much here.

In the mouth: Slight bitterness, minor malt, some grainy texture. Light bodied, naturally. Drinkable, of course, but blasé'. Someone's gonna like, though, but that's where I stand.

Big Wave is light golden ale with a subtle fruitiness and delicate hop aroma. A smooth, easy drinking refreshing ale. The lightly roasted honey malt contributes to the golden hue of this beer and also gives a slight sweetness that is balanced out by our special blend of hops.

Kona Lemongrass Luau

Once more I found myself low on beer and short on time, so I visited my nearest store and stalked the aisles. This one does not have the widest variety, so it's becoming harder to stretch out my dollars and find new beers there to try and write about. On the other hand, they do stock more sampler packs than other nearby stores. And as I was scanning them, lo and behold, what do I see but the Craft Beer Explorer Variety Pack. 24 bottles, for the low, low price of $14.99. What? There must be a catch. Tax included, that's only 69 cents a bottle. Incredible! What's the obvious downside?

Well, one of the minuses is that it's from the Craft Brewers Alliance, which is the three breweries who struck distribution deals with, and are partially owned by Anheuser-Busch. They are Kona, Widmer, and Redhook, and while they are not my favorites, they're not actually bad. It's beer and you can drink it.

Minus side? Perhaps I won't like them? Plus side: only sixty-nine cents each! Plus side: the beers included are only available in this variety pack. Minus: what if I HATE them? Plus: C'mon, how could they be that bad? Minus: it's eight bottles of one beer from each brewery. If I don't like them, that's a lot of mediocre beer to go through. Plus side: Oh, well, there's always cooking with beer.

So, I gave the clerk my $16.53 and took the case home. I'm going to start with the one that I might like the least, but, doggone it, I bet someone likes it. And it's called Lemongrass Luau from Kona Brewing Company, in their 808 Series. "Liquid Aloha." Ale brewed with Ginger with Lemongrass & Ginger Added. 5.8% Alc. by Vol.

Appearance: hazy, pale golden coloring, slim white head.

Aroma: Ginger is big here. It's a ginger bomb in the nose, I'd say, if I didn't hate that phrase. Lemongrass lingers just behind. those are the two main culprits, with hardly any contenders.

Taste: Once more, lemongrass and ginger are huge on the palate at first sip. It fades a bit, goes away softly. Mild malt backbone, minor hop bite, nothing gets in the way of the ginger and lemongrass.

It's light, crisp and refreshing, which is exactly what it's supposed to be. The lemon flavor is strongest, but the ginger doesn't stray far from the fore. I've got an inkling that this was intended as a summer special, and I wish I'd bought this earlier in the year and brought it to the beach. Might be something best saved for guests, or a party, or, like I said, cooking. Nothing wrong it, but not the sort of beer I reach for often.

Kona Pipeline Porter

Kona Aloha Series Pipeline Porter, Porter with 100% Hawaiian Kona Coffee.

Solid black appearance, under a small roasted tan head, leaving lace.

Malty nose, minor coffee notes. Not getting much out of it.

Taste: malt-driven, roasty, fullish-bodied….with the coffee at last coming through on the palate. But it doesn't do much. What can I say? It sits in my mouth and I'm left wanting. Wait, it's getting better. More coffee flavor coming through. Porter base is adequate, a little roasty. coffee coming on strong.

Nice. But…

Hey, what do they say? "Pipeline Porter is full-bodied with a rich, smooth dark-roasted malt flavor. A selection of premium hops and 100% Hawaiian Kona coffee complete this limited brew."

It's…okay. It's nice. But I can't love it. I hardly like it. I tried, though.

Kona Koko Brown

Kona Aloha Series Koko Brown Ale. Ale brewed with toasted coconut and natural flavor added.

Clear, russet brown, slim tanned head.

Aroma: sweet juicy coconut hits the nose right from the top. It's the dominant flavor in the nose, and nothing but nothing is getting out from underneath. We know from the start that if you are no lover of coconut, this is one to avoid. If you belong in the set that adores it, get ready to fall in love.

Taste: The toasted cocoanut is still large when it lands on the tongue, small dark malt backs it up handily. Minor bitterness. long, malty finish. Small sweetness. Utterly likable, easily approachable.

What's the neck paper read? "Koko Brown's distinctive nutty aroma and flavor comes from real toasted coconut blended into each brew. One sip of this roasty, smooth, mahogany colored ale and you will feel like you are on a warm, sun-drenched beach in Hawaii. Alohoa?"

If you like coconut in a brown ale, this is where you go. If you don't, stay the hell away.

Kona Longboard Island Lager

Kona Longboard Island Lager.
kona Brewing Company, Kona, HI, Portland, OR, Woodinville, WA, Portsmouth, NH. Fresh. Responsible. Always Aloha.

Clear, golden, slim white head.

Clean, cereal malt nose. Lightly hoppy, and dry.

Taste: Clean comes to mind, once more. Light bodied, lean, classic malt profile. Crisp, dry, with a short finish, that leaves the palate, and urges another drink. A well-put-together lager if there ever was one.

Let's read the label: "Waikiki Beach in Honolulu is the birth place of longboard surfing. Kona brewing pays tribute to this iconic place with our longboard island lager, a spirited, crisp and refreshing brew. Longboard is a smooth ride all the way in. Thirst's up!"

If you're looking for a lager, don't pass this one by.

Kona Fire Rock Pale Ale

The flow of out of state beers continues to pour into Minnesota, even as it ebbs. Avery will pull out, and Kona pulls in. Aloha, Hawaiian beers. I had my first taste of Kona's Fire Rock Pale Ale from a trade way back in March, 2005, and it would be my only taste of Hawaii until Dave A. got those Maui beers for me not too long ago.
I received four sample bottles from Brandon S. recently, and thought I'd crack the one I'd already tried first. Here are those nearly eight year old notes (which still ring true today):


Clear tangerine countenance, suitable creamy froth holds it down.
Citric aroma, with toasty, caramel-apple tones, but overall, bitter notes and orange/lemon flavors dominate.
Smooth and crisp, with a prevailing hoppy bite. Nicely fruity, quite quenching. Bright berrries join other fruity associations.
Medium bodied, but a bit too watery and thin, with a soft, fading finish, that pleases the palate plenty before it leaves, letting the tongue rest briefly on the warm, round, appealing taste.

Very easy drinker, but could stand to have a bit more depth.

Maui Big Swell IPA

Maui Brewing Big Swell IPA. "Big, hoppy, bold, smooth, and hoppy…did we mention hoppy?" ALC 6.8% by VOL.

Hazy, bright golden hue, Small tight ring of white foam, leaves some lace.

Aroma: pungent and hoppy, plenty of pine and citrus, lemon and orange ahoy! Plenty of bitter, with a hint of sour, and a touch, just a touch, of the sweet. Wonderful complexity.

Taste: Mmmm. Yeah. Boom, there it is. Citrus zest all over the palate, but never too much, not too bitter, not too strong. Hangs on the palate long, slight astringency, but, yeah, smooth, drinkable, and delicious. So nice. Medium-bodied. Tasty tango of bitter and sweet. Downable, indeed, full of hoppitude and hoppiness. Nice stuff.

Thanks to Dave A. for the can.

Maui Brewing Flyin'HI P. Hay. IPA

Maui Brewing Company.  Flyin' HI P. Hay. Okay, it took me awhile to get it, but now I get it. Or do I? The HI is for Hawaii, but P. Hay? I'll get it eventually. Maybe the label will help?is 

"This brew is dedicated to Glen Hay Falconer, my best friend and mentor, "…etc., etc., blah, blah, blah.

Brewed exclusively with Falconer's Flight hops, and…the finest malts, etc. Proceeds go to a scholarships for brewers in Mr. Falconer's name. 

Certified Made on Maui. Live to the fullest.  Brew to the fullest.

Well, let's get into it. My first Maui Brewing beer, one of three cans brought back from "the big island" by Dave Anderson. 

Right off, I love the smell of this. But, let's look at it, first.

Beautiful, l ... well, I lost complete track of this one. Complete goofing off on behalf of my computer, that I couldn't control. The cursor whizzes all over the screen, and randomly deleted what I tried to write. At least 3 reviews I tried to do met this fate. Some lasted longer than others, but frustration grew too great. 

So, I wasn't able to take decent notes on this excellent IPA. But put it into the win column for this brewery. And their regular IPA is still yet to be cracked open. 

Funny, I really thought I could remember my notes mentally and transcribe them later. Not 10 days later, that sure doesn't work. 

Now, to see if the other two I couldn't finish got far enough.

Maui Brewing Coconut Porter

Maui Brewing Company, Certified Made on Maui, CoCo Nut Porter. "…Like Hot Chicks on the Beach." What? Huh? Just gonna ignore that, not touch it, let it go. 

"Porter brewed with hand-toasted coconut."

Dark brown, nearly black, fully opaque, with a full, flush dotted head of creamy tanned foam, leaving lots of lace. Looks good. 

Aroma: there it is, freshly toasted coconut, straddled over a …I'm not sure. We get lots of coconut, though. Beautiful. 

Taste: nicely hopped, lightly roasty, full-bodied. Cocoa and coffee linger below, and show themselves briefly, outside flashes of more coconut. A very tasty porter, robust enough, with a coconut flavor that never quits, but mellows a bit. Like hot chicks on the beach. I have a feeling you can use this phrase to end a sentence, they way they end fortune cookies with "…in bed." Maybe they do, perhaps it's a quaint local Maui-ism. "Hand toasted coconut…like hot chicks on the beach!"

Anyway. Nothing too "wow" about this one, but it's nice and I thank DA for it. Just like hot chicks on the beach.