The Brewseum has been open since 2014, but somehow this shrine to World War II-era memorabilia and sentiment passed under my radar until this year. That’s a crying shame, because this Kakaako hideaway is an all-American treasure.

In classic can-do style, the owners brew their own tasty beer here — and, in my opinion, even if this was a bare-walled Quonset hut, the brewpub would be worth the search.

The experience

I visited just after Cinco de Mayo, so in an atypical display $5 tequila shots were still available at the Brewseum bar; but what you’ll usually find here is beer, beer and more beer.

If you love the suds, you’ll be drawn to the pub’s counter, where a light board lists the six drafts on offer.

Look up, and the decor is tiki-meets-military museum. A “hula girl” sways in the center of the pub’s logo, and dried-grass skirts line the bar windows.

In the corner, a 1945 Jeep holds down the territory, and patrons are free to climb into it. Blown-up photos of enlistees and officers enjoying a beer (or three) hang above the bar. On the opposite wall, vintage phones can be lifted from their receivers to listen to audio of authentic military reports.

There are a few picnic tables, good for seating after-work friends, and high tables allow for pairs to scout the room. More bar stools line counters along the wall, where you’ll also find those phones.

Home of the Brave Tours operates out of headquarters just next door to the pub, guiding history buffs to World War II sites on Oahu. The magic begins in this building, where the beer is brewed in a back room.

In 2014, Glen Tomlinson, longtime owner-operator of Home of the Brave Tours, partnered up with his brew-happy sons to add beer to the enterprise. It was a stroke of genius.

At 5 p.m. on a Thursday, with happy hour just underway, there were just a handful of people inside. But the quarters are close, model planes rotate around the ceiling overhead, and the staff is super-friendly; you’re unlikely to feel lonely here. (If you crave crowds, check the pub out on a Saturday night; the place was packed last weekend.)

The food

The food here is basic, but it will keep your gullet full as you delight in the beer. There’s free popcorn in a machine by the door, or you can order up a 12-inch cheese or pepperoni pizza for $12, big enough for four to snack on or to satisfy a pair.

Hot pretzels paired with mustard for dipping are $4. Bags of Hawaii-made Carney’s Jerky are $10.

Early in the evening, the joint is family-friendly. Klondike ice cream bars are available at $3 and M&Ms (“included in U.S. soldiers’ rations,” the pub helpfully notes) are $2, if you’ve got a kid or friend with a sweet tooth in tow.

The drink

There are many beer bars in Honolulu nowadays, but the friendly, close quarters and colorful surroundings of the Brewseum accentuate the flavors of a pint or a flight of samples here. Or maybe it’s the free popcorn? Either way, the results are positive.

The Brewseum’s own 442 Go for Broke Red IPA takes the lead. I’m an IPA loyalist, through and through, and this pub’s home brew promises to draw me back often with its hoppy tang, pleasant red tinge and lulling 6.9 percent alcohol rating.

In April, the Brewseum tapped its latest beer, Charlie Brown Ale. I’ll need to go back for this one when it’s available next.

One of the coolest things here is the opportunity to try a flight of five beers on tap, served inside a propeller — 3-D printed, no less — at $15. I tried the Go For Broke IPA, Coronado Brewing Company’s Blue Bridge Coffee Stout, a Lagunitas Pilsner (no match for the IPA, to my taste), Ballast Point’s Habanero Sculpin IPA, spiked with fiery pepper flavor, and another winner, Ballast Point’s Watermelon Dorado, with a refreshing taste and a wicked 10 percent alcohol-powered kick.

A wide variety of bottled beers and cider are also offered. (Dream come true!) I counted 17 types on the counter, from Coors and Corona to Angry Orchard cider, Guinness, the Portland, Ore., Breakside Brewery’s Passionfruit Sour Ale and a Belching Beaver stout out of Vista, Calif. If you just gotta drink wine, there’s a house red or a pinot grigio out of California for $7, along with Bogle varietals for $7-$8, and a Heron cabernet at $9 for a glass.

The verdict

Beer-lovers, do your duty and march yourselves on over to the Brewseum, where you can salute the gumption of this entrepreneurial, suds-loving family enterprise. This place is a lot of fun, and the refreshments satisfy.