Barfly: Beer Lab bucks the tide and expands westward

Take a look at Oahu’s craft beer landscape and the first thing you’ll notice is an exponential amount of growth over the last few years.

The second thing? Most of that growth has happened in metro Hono­lulu, with notable exceptions in Kailua (Lanikai Brewing Co.) and Kaneohe (Stewbum & Stonewall/Inu Island Ales).

For Beer Lab HI founder Nicolas Wong, opening his first taproom on University Avenue across from Puck’s Alley three years ago was more about making the transition from homebrewing as a passion project to running a commercial brewery.

Three years later, Wong and his partners, Kevin Teruya and Derek Taguchi, have proved there’s plenty of demand for Beer Lab’s growing lineup. They’ve more than tripled production since opening in March 2016, opened a second bar at Pearlridge Center and moved brewing operations to a new taproom in Waipio.

The decision to head west seemed obvious, Wong said. “Being born and raised here, we thought, ‘Why are we shoving everything so far into Kakaako?’ Yeah, that’s where the money is and everything, but most of us live (elsewhere).”

A ‘CHEERS’ FOR CRAFT BEER FANS

When Beer Lab’s University taproom opened in a space formerly occupied by Bank of Hawaii, Wong and his partners were the only employees. Along with building nearly everything themselves, they also shared the work of brewing.

“I wanted people to enjoy better beer,” Wong explained. “That’s the whole reason we got into homebrewing. We would travel to San Diego or the East Coast, and people were drinking great stuff. But could we get it at home? No. So we decided to make it ourselves.”

Early on, Beer Lab pushed out nothing but IPAs with high alcohol content. While most mass-produced beer clocks in around 4% to 5% alcohol by volume, Beer Lab’s were nearly double that. These days, Teruya and new head brewer Eulerson Pajimula have really expanded the offerings to include a beer for just about any palate. Along with IPAs, you can also usually find a smooth-drinking lager, funky sour or creamy porter on tap.

“University is the OG spot for Beer Lab,” Wong said. “We’ve been here long enough now that most of the people who come here do so because it’s ‘their spot.’ This location has literally become Cheers for them. It’s not a college bar.”

HEADING WEST

Despite their initial success near UH-Manoa, they knew the area around Puck’s Alley was scheduled for redevelopment. So, despite securing a two-year lease extension that will take them into 2021, Wong knew Beer Lab had to look elsewhere.

“The goal was to get the brand, the beer, everything about us, more OK with people who wouldn’t necessarily come to town,” said Wong. “There’s so much potential at Pearlridge.”

Located near the Pearlridge Mauka food court, Beer Lab’s “craft beer garden” opened in November with six taps and about 400 square feet of dedicated space for drinking. Wong said the response so far has been mixed, as customers continue to discover there’s more to beer than Bud Light and Heineken.

“With Pearlridge, we want to teach people that, yeah, craft beer is a thing, but more importantly, you should also be drinking what’s made near you,” said Wong. “People aren’t always going to get it. But we really wanted to try and shift the conversation forward.”

EXPANSION AND EDUCATION

Beer Lab also transitioned production from Manoa to a new brewing facility in Waipio last summer. Teruya and Pajimula now have about 3,000 square feet of space for brewing equipment, with a small area up front for customers to hang out and drink.

“What I’ve found with Waipio is that it’s truly for the people living on the west side of the island,” said Wong. “A lot of people are saying, ‘Thank you for bringing this to Waipio,’ and, ‘Why would I go to town when you’re doing just as cool stuff on this side of the island?’ We’re definitely seeing different people coming to different locations.”

The new brewing facility will allow Beer Lab to continue ramping up production, with a five-year goal of statewide distribution, Wong said.

Wong’s wife, Kailey, quit her day job last year to manage day-to-day operations for all three locations, and he’s recently quit his own job as an engineer at Pearl Harbor to work on more “big-picture” efforts for the company.

“Now, I get to step back a little and guide things more,” he said. “I have so much more work to do here. We want the entire state to drink our beer.”

The Waipio location also doubles as home base for Beer Lab’s new education program, with weekly tours offered along with a series of workshops.

“We’ve been on our fair share of brewery tours, and we decided not to follow the traditional tour experience,” said Wong. “So we’re going to take a beer we have on tap and walk you through the tour with that beer in mind.

“It used to be, honestly, just for our staff to expand their knowledge. But we have 40 seats, and if you want to come join us, we’re happy to teach.”

For details, visit beerlabhi.com/tours-workshops.

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.