Windward Oahu breweries make it easy to find quality beer

Still looking for a new year’s resolution in 2018? I’ve got one for you: Drink more local beer! And if you live in Windward Oahu, it’s an easy one to stick with, thanks to the recent openings of Inu Island Ales and Tap & Barrel by Lanikai Brewing Co.

Inu, formerly known as Stewbum & Stonewall Brewing Co., the tiny space with a roll-up door at 46-174 Kahuhipa St. near Windward Mall, was basically a turnkey operation when co-owners Keaka Eckart and Jayson Pizarro took it over a year ago. They enlisted the help of California-based brewmaster Kyle MacDonald, who has spent his time here so far pumping out about 20 different batches of beer, the majority of which have been IPA- and sour-style brews.

MacDonald is typically the face you’ll see at Inu, which means “drink” in Hawaiian, and when he’s not in the middle of making beer you’ll find him encouraging visitors to do just that. The tasting room offers only limited sampling, with the traditional growlers found at other breweries replaced here by a “crowler” system that produces 32-ounce sealed aluminum cans filled to order.

What I appreciate most about MacDonald’s brewing style is his ability to keep flavors in balance. By massaging the ratios of different hops used, he’s been able to create a number of easy-drinking IPAs. Right now you should be able to find his New England-style Hazy IPA on tap, made with Simcoe, Vic Secret and El Dorado hops; the slightly sweeter American-style Island IPA is even more addicting with the addition of pineapple puree along with Mosaic and Galaxy hops. He’s also responsible for pushing me even further into the sour realm, thanks to a series of Inu Island Punch offerings that in recent months have used fruits like guava, peach, mango and lilikoi.

Inu Island Ales will celebrate its official grand opening Jan. 20 with a special beer release. “Inu Fest” will feature the debut of Chikara Mizu, an imperial stout made with Madagascar vanilla beans that clocks in at a whopping 13.5 percent alcohol by volume. Loosely translated as “power water,” the Chikara Mizu bottling is a collaboration between MacDonald and California- based Moksa Brewing Co.’s Derek Gallanosa and is the first in Inu’s Sumo Series lineup of special-release beers. For ticket info, visit facebook.com/inuislandales.

And what about Stewbum & Stonewall? After shutting down the Kaneohe operation last May, founder Darren Garvey is hard at work prepping a new space in China­town at 96 N. King St. After signing a lease on the space and beginning work to install new brewing equipment last month, he expects to be up and running soon.

Follow S&S on Facebook at facebook.com/stewbumstonewall for the latest.

Over in Kailua, the opening of Tap & Barrel by Lanikai Brewing Co. was a brilliant move by owners Steve Haumschild and Al Darling to expand the brand they launched in 2013 with partners Brandon Cody and Dan Frerich.

While the brewing facility can accommodate only a handful of customers at a time in its tasting room, the new space can hold about 100 people at an L-shaped bar and tables all produced from the wood of locally harvested monkeypod trees.

The beers offered here will change from week to week, depending on brewery production schedules, but expect to find core beers like Lanikai’s Moku Imperial IPA and Pillbox Porter regularly available in addition to newer offerings like the HEFEner (the Mac-Daddy) hefeweizen and Rubbah Slippah sour ale. And if it’s still on tap when you visit, be sure to try the Hualani Strawberry Sour, made with fresh fruit harvested from the slopes of Haleakala on Maui.

Tap & Barrel is at 167 Hamakua Drive; prices start at about $3 for a 4-ounce taste, with 12-ounce pours in the $7-$8 range and growler fills ranging from $16-$24 for 64 ounces, although LBC staff will also fill smaller containers upon request. Visit lanikaibrewing.com.

Not a big beer drinker? Head to Buzz’s Original Steak House, 413 Kawailoa Road, and help the restaurant celebrate its 55th year across the street from Kailua Beach Park with a brand new cocktail created in commemoration of the anniversary.

Generations of families, local and visitor alike, have made the trip to what’s known to regulars as “Buzz’s Lanikai” (there’s another Buzz’s in Pearl City) for a pass at the famous salad bar and a round of drinks at the bar. Sure, sitting outside here is nice, but the real fun comes while spending a lazy weekday afternoon at the bar, sipping drinks like the Kailua Passion, Pink Thing and Buzz’s Famous Mai Tai — which all sound pretty tame until you remember how strong the bartenders make them here!

The 55, served in a commemorative ceramic coconut cup, is an all-new recipe, yet it tastes like it’s been on the menu here for years. The familiar flavor of lilikoi is front and center, with healthy pours of Naked Turtle rum and Amaretto Disaronno liqueur providing the alcoholic punch. Finishing the drink with Creole bitters adds fruit and spice aromas reminiscent of Don the Beachcomber’s classic tiki syrup mix of grapefruit and cinnamon, which for me turns this drink into a fun blend of an amaretto sour and a mai tai that’s deceptively easy to drink.

Order The 55 in the souvenir cup for $18; if made in a regular glass, the drink will set you back $10. Call 261-4661 or visit buzzsoriginalsteakhouse.com.

Jason Genegabus has written about the local bar and drink scenes since 2001. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @honolulupulse or email jason@staradvertiser.com.