Mahalo for supporting Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Enjoy this free story!
When it comes to beer, I tend to stick with familiar brands. But I made an exception for Mucho Aloha, a refreshing option for lager lovers looking for something new. Brewed in California by former Kauai surfer Gabriel Tennberg, Mucho Aloha is inspired by all-day surf sessions, offering a crisp local-style pale ale. Pick it up at Safeway, Whole Foods or select mom-and-pop stores for about $10 for a six pack of 12-ounce cans. Or try it this weekend at the Hawaii On Tap Beer Festival, where Mucho Aloha will be one of the 100-plus featured beers. The festival runs 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday at the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall. Cost: $45; $60 VIP. — Kalani Wilhelm, Liliha
Food, beverages and the Splash Brothers
Now that football season is over, all eyes are trained on basketball’s Golden State Warriors, the best entertainment in sports. The defending NBA champs, led by Splash Brothers Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, are simply a joy to watch, with great ball movement, fantastic teamwork and bull’s-eye shooting. They’re in the midst of a run at the record for most wins in a single season (72) set by Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in the 1995-96 season. The major TV networks occasionally broadcast their games, but for full coverage, head over to Legends Sports Pub, 411 Nahua St., in Waikiki. The bar purchased the Warriors TV package and screens all the team’s games. (You might want to bring some food along; they’re cool with outside food since only hot dogs are served.) Enjoy $3.50 mai tais, available any time. Visit legends-sports-pub.com. — Steven Mark
Deliver joy in sock monkey Easter baskets
From that fine gift emporium — Walmart — comes an Easter basket that will bring smiles all year long. Because what is happier than a sock monkey? By the way, a little history: The sock monkey dates to the Great Depression, when crafters started turning worn-out pairs of a certain type of knitted sock — the Rockford Red Heel — into monkeys, the red heel making a perfect grin. So anyway, Walmart’s baskets also come in superhero and sports themes and sell for $8.88. The sock monkey basket also comes in pink, for a more Easter-y look. — Betty Shimabukuro
Isle artist’s bird paintings enliven T-shirts
Our endemic Hawaiian forest songbirds are so bright and beautiful that, although I rarely get to see them, just the thought of them makes me happy. So I was thrilled when my brother gave me a cotton T-shirt printed with artist/filmmaker Laurie Sumiye’s elegant line drawing of a green amakihi, a type of Hawaiian honeycreeper, sipping from a red ohia lehua flower. And I love her crimson shirt with a yellow-bellied kiwikiu, the endangered Maui parrotbill. I wish our native birds weren’t so threatened with extinction, but wearing their appealing images provides a cheery reminder that some are still here and can be saved. For men, women and kids, $25 to $28, depending on size (they run small); order at lauriesumiye.com. — Mindy Pennybacker
Watermelon juice, the new coconut water
I’ve heard all about the health benefits of coconut water but I just can’t get past the taste. Then I discovered Wtrmln Wtr, cold-pressed watermelon juice, sold in packs of six 12-ounce bottles at Costco ($14.99). The ingredients are simple: watermelon flesh, watermelon rind and organic lemon. It boasts the same level of electrolytes as coconut water plus 90 percent of your daily vitamin C requirement and 14.25 milligrams of antioxidant lycopene. And it brings the taste of summer’s best into the fridge year-round. Also available at Whole Foods for $5.29 per bottle. — Donica Kaneshiro
74
