New beers, breweries enliven Oahu suds scene

It’s an exciting time to be a beer lover on Oahu. New breweries are opening, and some of our established favorites are expanding at a rapid pace. That means more great beer for us that is made here on Oahu by local workers. So if you’re picking up some beer for the weekend, grab something local.

For Waikiki Brewing Co. it has been a busy last few months. This summer the brewery opened a second location on Queen Street in Kakaako with a much larger brewery than its original space in Waikiki (which is still open and brewing).

The new Kakaako production brewery and tap room will allow Waikiki to produce more beer for wider statewide distribution. A few weeks ago two new beers were released in cans, the flagship Skinny Jeans IPA, a West Coast-style IPA with a light body and assertive bitterness and bright citrusy finish; along with Aloha Spirit Blonde Ale, an easy-drinking light ale. The two join the previously canned Hana Hou Hefe and are available across the state in supermarkets and other stores.

To cap off a busy summer, the company recently won a silver medal for its Black Strap Molasses Porter at this year’s Great American Beer Festival. This is no small feat, as the festival hosts the biggest and most competitive beer competition in the world. Black Strap Molasses Porter placed second among 97 entries in the robust-porter category. This is Waikiki’s first Great American Beer Festival medal.

Honolulu Beerworks, just down the street in Kakaako, has been quietly working on a large brewery expansion and canning line. The brewery has taken over the entire building, adding new tanks that will allow for the production of more beers, increasing the supply of freshly canned beer on Oahu.

Earlier this month the brewery released its first four beers in cans with snazzy label art from local artist Kai‘ili Kaulukukui. Pub favorites Kewalos Cream, Pia Mahi‘ai Honey Citrus Saison, CocoWeizen Coconut Hefeweizen and Hop Island IPA are now available in six-packs from the brewery as well as in select stores and shops around Oahu.

This is a huge step forward for the 4-year-old brewery, which started out with only 15 employees and now has a staff of over 35 and plans to more than double the volume of its first year. For local beer drinkers, the release of these cans means more fresh local beer options to enjoy anywhere.

Inu Island Ales is the newest kid on the block. The brand-new brewery is launching this weekend in the former Stewbum & Stonewall space in Kaneohe (Stewbum is building a new brewery in China­town, to open in late 2018). Inu (“drink” or “to drink” in Hawaiian) plans on getting the most out of the tiny brewery it purchased this summer by focusing on making popular IPA styles and tart, fruited, sour beers.

Due to the small batch sizes, each beer will be very limited and released in 16-ounce cans (four- packs) and via growler or crowler (32-ounce) fills at the brewery.

Unlike most brewpubs, Inu plans to make each release something new and different, rarely coming back to the same beer twice. The first Inu beers drop this weekend — the best way to keep track of new releases is by following Inu on Facebook or Instagram.

Tim Golden, a certified cicerone, shares his obsession with all things craft beer monthly. See his blog, “Beer in Hawaii,” at beerinhawaii.com.