New craft brewery joins Kakaako lineup

Another craft brewery is being developed in Kakaako, adding to the half-dozen or so establishments in the rapidly growing neighborhood.

Hana Koa Brewing Co. is opening by year’s end at Hawaii Opera Theatre’s former warehouse at 962 Kawaiahao St. The property is owned by Guss &Kopp Development, which is led by Altres executives Barron Guss and Kerry Kopp. They filed a $1.9 million building permit to renovate the warehouse. The brewery is owned by Kopp’s son Joshua. A hearing for a brewpub license is scheduled today before the Liquor Commission.

With more residential towers set for Kakaako, demand for locally-made beer is growing.

Hana Koa joins Honolulu Beerworks, Waikiki Brewing Co., Aloha Beer Co., Home of the Brave Brewing Co. and Real a Gastropub, which is opening a brewpub and distillery at Keauhou Lane this year. That’s in addition to other nearby beer-focused establishments, including Village Bottle Shop and Tasting Room in Kakaako, Gordon Biersch at Aloha Tower Marketplace and Shirokiya’s $1 beer garden at Ala Moana Center.

“There is unsatiated demand for additional beer pubs, especially things like craft beers, which have been increasing in volume. Oftentimes the growth has been more rapid than draft beers,” said Mike Hamasu, Colliers International director of consulting and research, estimating a demand for “millions of dollars of additional beer sales” in the Kakaako area. “It seems more hip and chic than the typical draft. Locally made craft beers would appeal to those millennials and tourists that are looking for a new experience. That’s the cool thing about it because you’re drinking something that was made here.”

Guss and Kopp bought the warehouse property from Hawaii Opera Theatre for $1.7 million in 2015.

“Kerry Kopp and Barron Guss have been good stewards of the block in that they have been quietly improving the area for the better of that community,” said Christine Camp, president and CEO of the Avalon Group, which brokered the deal. “The brewery should liven up that edge of Kakaako and should be a fun place for the residents and those who work in the area.”