As Oahu’s craft beer scene continues to mature, some of the more exciting developments are happening outside metro Honolulu. Take a trip over the Koolau to Kailua for new options definitely worth checking out.
At Three Peaks Island Craft Beer & Gifts, owner Stephen Manser is obsessed with providing the best-tasting growler fills on the island. Choose one of 16 locally produced brews to fill a container brought from home, or purchase one of the growler options offered on-site. An Austrian-made counterpressure system is used to fill growlers, replacing oxygen with carbon dioxide to preserve freshness; Three Peaks is the only Hawaii business using this technology, which cost about $20,000.
“We pride ourselves with delivering quality craft beer to our customers exactly how the brewer intended it,” said Manser, 43, who moved to Hawaii in 1996 to serve with the Marines before settling here permanently to work in information technology. “My goal is to make it convenient for the people on the Windward side, especially Kailua residents, to be able to get in and out and get their beer easily.”
Manser’s business model is based on growler fills. You can pick up beer to go, but forget about buying a pint to drink right away. His liquor license only allows for beer sampling, limited to three 3-ounce pours per paying customer per visit.
“Nobody’s sitting around cursing like a sailor,” Manser said. “You can get in, get your beer and go hang out at the barbecue or with your family.”
Three Peaks’ tap list last week included brews from Oahu-based breweries Aloha Beer Co., Beer Lab HI and Honolulu Beerworks along with Maui’s Kohola Brewery and Maui Brewing Co. Prices are $16 to $23 for a 64-ounce fill, although customers who purchase a growler can get it filled for just $10 ($5 for a 32-ounce fill with purchase of a smaller growler). Also on tap are two Paradise Ciders, along with two flavors of kombucha and nitrogen-infused Hoku cold-brew coffee.
Three Peaks Island Craft Beer & Gifts is at 270 Kuulei Road and is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily and until 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays (closed Wednesdays). Call 261-2337 or visit threepeakshawaii.com.
If you don’t want to wait to drink your craft beer, visit Grace in Growlers at 143 Hekili St. Open from noon to 9 p.m. daily (until 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m. Sundays), this tasting room uses modern technology to serve up to 36 ounces of beer per customer. Growler fills have been available since June, with six taps offering a rotating lineup of beers. Call 975-9317 or visit facebook.com/graceingrowlers.
And while Lanikai Brewing Co. continues to make magic at its brewery overlooking Kawainui Marsh, plans have recently been announced to add a new brewpub less than a block away. The new pub will be at 167 Hamakua Drive in the former Hawaiian Watersports location, while brewing operations will continue at 175 Hamakua Drive.
“We have been wanting to create a dedicated space where people can gather, laugh, discuss and meet new people, all over island-inspired brews,” Lanikai Brewing’s Steve Haumschild said in a statement. “We are extremely excited to announce our new craft pub … opening (this) fall.”
Back in town, the crew at Waikiki Brewing Co. opened a new brewpub in Kakaako Friday. They’ve transformed the former Fresh Cafe space at 831 Queen St. into a state-of-the-art facility with a 20-barrel brewing system that could produce more than 8,000 barrels annually, about five times the capacity of Waikiki Brewing’s original location on Kalakaua Avenue. The new brewpub will have 32 taps at two bars, with indoor and outdoor seating available for approximately 160 people — twice the seating in Waikiki.
According to brewmaster Joe Lorenzen, the Kakaako location will be open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily (until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays), with batches of three of Waikiki Brewing’s flagship beers — Aloha Spirit Blonde, Skinny Jeans IPA and Hana Hou Hefe — expected to be ready to pour this week. Call 591-0387.
Regular readers of this column might remember an interview I did with Cognac Park brand manager Anais Brisson about a year ago when the liquor debuted in Hawaii. I was impressed by the lineup offered by this “grower-producer,” which means Cognac Park contributed some of the grapes used to create its cognac instead of simply purchasing distillate from suppliers. Borderies, in particular, is worth trying for this reason, as it is made only with distillate from a single company-owned vineyard in the Cognac region.
If you missed the opportunity to get familiar with Cognac Park last year, Brisson is due back this month and will host a dinner Aug. 17 at Formaggio Wine Bar, priced at $40. Seating is at 5:30 p.m. and includes small bites from Formaggio alongside tastes of Cognac Park’s VS, VSOP, Borderies, XO, XO Cigar Blend and XO Extra expressions. Call 739-9463 or email JasonF@times-supermarket.com for reservations.
Jason Genegabus has written about the local bar and drink scenes since 2001. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram or email jason@staradvertiser.com.
