I make no claim to expertise on taps, so I was happy to leave coverage of Aloha Beer Co. to others in the newsroom in the know, when it opened back in January. I can speak only for the hungry among us, not the thirsty.

It merited another look once I realized that food is an equal part of its success. Considering the limiting format of a food truck that serves as kitchen here, I wasn’t expecting anything elaborate, but I was pleasantly surprised by the thought process and work behind a menu that many would simply describe as classic brewery fare. It is that, but the same artisanal quality of craft brews goes into food and ingredients that are farm fresh, giving this beer-friendly menu a luxe vibe.

The menu was created by chef/consultant Robert McGee (The Whole Ox Deli, Meatball, Link), with all his hallmarks: salty, smoky, fatty, meat-centric but remarkably ungreasy. Or maybe I’m in denial, and it was healthy heaps of greens and pickles that prevented me from feeling weighed down.

Chef Dave Cruz also added his touch to a sandwich-heavy menu. I’m not much of a sandwich fan — those I’ve had locally have been largely dry, bland and boring. That is not the case here.

But first, you have to get past appearances. The sandwiches are served open-faced, with the main attractions of smoked Pono Pork butt, house-made bratwurst, meatballs and brisket buried under greens. It’s hard to imagine not making a mess when attempting to fold it all together.

Don’t fret; once you crown the stack with its matching slice of baguette, pumpernickel or hoagie bun, it all holds together beautifully. Bite into it and you’ll swoon over moist, tender pork or a recent special of ahi boosted by the flavors of olive tapenade, pickled zucchini and summer squash. Smoked fish ($16) also has the bright touch of garden pickles, with the richness of an avocado schmear. A lot of people are able to fashion a sandwich with stacks of random ingredients, but few achieve the perfect balance of textures and flavors on display here.

The setting is a black building on Queen, near Cooke Street. There are street-front and interior tables, with the Hi Brau Room upstairs for those who want a little more privacy and plusher environs.

You’ll be ordering at the bar, with dishes run out to your table. So, if you’re lazy and not sure how much you’ll be ordering over the course of an evening, sit on the ground floor where the bar is easiest to access. You can run a tab by leaving a credit card with the cashier.

The ambience is convivial, no doubt helped along by the need to sample all the brewery’s creations, such as the Brit-inspired Queen Street Bitter, Red Zeppelin IPA, Kakaako Kommon and San Diego-style Hop Lei IPA. There are also eight draft and 17 bottled selections, in addition to cocktails, wines, fruit juices and teas.

If you want a few grazing items just to go with your drinks, consider charred shishito peppers ($12); a mezze platter of roasted red pepper hummus, pita, feta, tomatoes and cucumbers ($13); olives marinated in citrus and kaffir ($9); and crisp calamari salad with Kula romaine and frisee ($14).

A beef and pork meatball hoagie ($15) and stir-fry of sausage, spiced meatballs, peppers and onions ($14), both sauced with a kim chee marinara, are two of the kitchen’s few nods to Asian fusion. And smoked Pono Pork butt ($15) is the centerpiece of a straightforward sweet-sour Carolina barbecue-inspired sandwich. What stood out most was a bratwurst sandwich ($14) comprising a grilled, spiced Pono Pork sausage served with caramelized onions and topped, unusually, with a scoop of egg salad — its share of minced raw onions and pickles pairs up beautifully with the pork. Even some who claim not to like egg salad became fans of this dish.

To accompany all those sandwiches are steak fries topped by your choice of Japanese curry gravy ($3), Italian sausage ragu ($4) that made it taste more like spaghetti, bacon fondue combining kiawe-smoked bacon and fontina cream sauce ($4) or gyro- style toppings of Niihau lamb gravy with dill yogurt, feta, tomatoes and cucumbers.

Then there are boards, such as a cheese selection graced with marcona almonds, quince paste, Lehua honey and dried fruit ($22); and Lehua honey-brined smoked Pono Pork loin ($24) with fontina fondue and toast. But I found a “board” of grass-fed beef ($29) misleading. Served atop a garlic-grilled baguette with avocado schmear, Ho Farms tomatoes, moringa salsa verde and Kolea Farm greens, I’d call it a sandwich. Maybe its board status comes from being big enough to feed two, or four when paired with other items.

I didn’t see any desserts listed, but had no need of them anyway. Chances are you’ll be content ending your meal with what’s in your glass.

Nadine Kam’s restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Advertiser. Reach her at nkam@staradvertiser.com.