The current big trend has everyone seeking locally made products. It doesn’t matter whether it’s produce or a craft, sought by locals or tourists — the goal is finding things made right here in Hawaii. Beer is no exception. But what actually makes a beer local?
Hawaii has a great and growing brewing industry. We may be a small state, but our breweries consistently produce internationally award-winning beers, and many can be found only here in Hawaii.
Beer is made of just a few ingredients, and most of them are sourced from all around the world. Hops hail from the Pacific Northwest, New Zealand or Europe; grain comes from Canada, England or continental Europe; and yeast is normally created in a lab. Water, which makes up most of a beer, is usually one of the only ingredients that’s locally sourced.
Access to global ingredients allows brewers to create dozens of styles of beers with a huge range of flavors. This is one of the reasons beer is so exciting and brewing is such a creative process. Brewers are no longer limited by geography; they can select the ingredients that are best suited to the beers they want to create.
In the beer-making world, local beer isn’t necessarily about where the ingredients come from. Instead, it’s about the people who create the beer. The brewers who come up with the recipes and carefully craft the beer are what make them unique and personal. In appreciating a local beer, the story behind the beer is just as interesting and important as the beer itself.
A fantastic and truly unique locally made beer worth trying is Red Sea of Cacao from Big Island Brewhaus. The small brewery and restaurant, located in Kamuela, regularly produces some of Hawaii’s most recognized beers. Red Sea was first brewed Dec. 31, 2012, a collaborative effort between Big Island Brewhaus brewer Daniel Russell and owner Thomas Kerns, and Jim Mills, owner and brewer for Caldera Brewing in Ashland, Ore.
Red Sea of Cacao is an imperial red ale brewed with chocolate, Hawaiian cacao, red sea salt, molasses and pink peppercorns. Its flavor is best described as a salted caramel chocolate bar in a glass.
"The idea was to use local sea salt along with local cacao," said Kerns. "We use pink Hawaiian sea salt (alaea) in the boil. We add Big Island-grown and roasted cacao after fermentation, much like dry hopping with hops. The cacao is roasted on the Big Island by Makua Coffee."
Kerns is known for working with local farmers and integrating locally grown ingredients into many of Big Island Brewhaus’ beers.
Pungent aromas of chocolate dominate the senses upon the first sip and are quickly followed by dark, toasted bread and caramel flavors. Despite its high alcohol content, 8.7 alcohol by volume, this is not a thick beer. Rather, it finishes with a delicate and subtle salinity that keeps the palate dry and invites another sip.
Red Sea of Cacao is a complex beer that is masterfully produced, with each ingredient playing a role in creating a harmonious experience. The ingenuity, passion and precision that create this beer all happen in Hawaii.
And that is what a locally made beer is all about.
Tim Golden shares his obsession with all things craft beer monthly in the Star-Advertiser food section. See his blog, "Beer in Hawaii," at beerinhawaii.com.
