Pau Hana Patrol: Beer and food are in step at Maui Brewing Co. Waikiki

Maui Brewing Co. Waikiki, which opened early in 2017, is alive with family, friends and a fun vibe. It’s huge and there’s loads of beer on tap, making for a great pau hana location.

Getting here in the first place means braving traffic, parking and the buzzing throngs of Waikiki. Once I step through the door, though, I’m at ease.

THE EXPERIENCE

A staff member greets guests at street level, giving diners the option to take the stairs or an elevator up to the restaurant. It’s refreshing to be promptly acknowledged and catered to.

There are a variety of seating options both indoors and out on the large, covered patio. There’s also live music, table shuffleboard and room for large groups. Indoors, the central attraction is the long bar with a row of red pipes that run across the ceiling and into the bar.

The decor celebrates island life, with a giant room-length mural of Hawaii, and a room divider made from netted rope separating the dining tables from the bar area. Patrons appeared to be a mix of residents and visitors, with several families.

THE FOOD

“The happy hour menu has our top sellers from regular service,” notes executive sous-chef Max Ramirez, “and it’s all full-size. Nothing is shrunk down.”

We find ourselves enjoying the simplest dishes the most, like a chunky hill of nachos ($8, $16 regular) covered in cheese, red Oaxacan salsa and green tomatillo salsa, a scattering of sweet and spicy rounds of red Fresno chilies, topped with freshly made guacamole, sour cream and cilantro. The fresh chilies were hotter than expected.

Half the happy hour menu is devoted to pizzas, which are crafted from Bikini Blonde dough and house-made sauce. The Silversmith ($10, $16.50 regular) with its garlicy cheese sauce crumbs and macadamia nut will delight vegetarians, while the non-veg diners prefer The Brewmaster ($10, $19.50 regular), with sausage and pepperoni, bell peppers and olives on a red sauce.

Our server recommended the chicken wings ($8, $16 regular). They came with either a huli sauce, which includes a tzatziki dip, or classic buffalo with ranch dip. The wings were delicately seasoned so the nuanced flavor came through.

Maui Brewing also has daily specials, and that night it was Baja Shrimp Tacos ($22), four tacos of shrimp fried in beer batter with serrano pepper hot sauce.

THE DRINK

Nearly 30 beers all brewed on Maui are on tap, and more are available in cans. During happy hour, they’re $2 off. Cocktails are discounted $3 and are quite popular.

The Double Overhead IPA ($9 regular) is made with double rose hops and double malt, adding a bitter bite to this fuller flavored version of IPA. A second IPA, the Big Swell ($6.75) is brewed with five different hops and dry-hopped with mosaic hop, which extracts a citrus flavor that I found lighter than the Double Overhead.

“There are hundreds of styles of hops. From mosaic, you get a very crushable grapefruit flavor,” said assistant general manager Shawn Shelton.

Where the beers feel like pau hana time, the cocktails feel like vacation time. Berries N’ Basil Mojito ($12.50) and Lei’d Lychee ($12.50) are both delicious and beautifully presented. The first is made with strawberry rum and puree of fresh strawberries, sprigs of basil and a pinch of black pepper. The latter is a mix of Maui Pau Vodka, lychee liqueur and pineapple juice, frothy with a zesty lychee fragrance.

Other drink options are also often available.

THE VERDICT

The island style food and the drinks complement each other wonderfully, the setting is pleasant, and every drink received two thumbs up. I’d be willing to venture through end-of-day traffic, even in Waikiki, to visit Maui Brewing Co. again.