Column: Bright spots in a tough year for beer

This hasn’t been the best year for many reasons, but I’m going to try and look at the positive side of things. For the beer world, 2020 has been challenging, with mandated closures, the loss of draft sales and a massive pivot to more at-home consumption. But the creativity and passion that built the craft beer community helped so many breweries survive and make the changes necessary to keep up with a rapidly changing economy. Despite all of the setbacks, a number of really awesome beers were released, new breweries landed in Hawaii and we even saw a brand new brewery open on Oahu.

With two lockdowns that lasted more than four months combined, many breweries had to quickly shift their production focus to packaging. With restaurants and bars limited to takeout for those months, and limited in capacity when they were allowed to reopen, draft sales fell off a cliff.

But out of that adversity we actually got some really incredible things.

Before the pandemic, Beer Lab HI rarely released new beers in cans. They were primarily focused on draft sales, but as those evaporated they knew they had to do something different. Weekly can releases were the result, and I hope it is something that continues. The brewers at Beer Lab HI have been creating fun and exciting new beers almost every week that are released in four-can packs on Fridays. They’ve included an Ube Milk Shake IPA, a sour ale with li hing lemon peel and mango mui, ale brewed with Earl Grey tea and milk sugar, and even a blonde ale brewed with Haw Flakes, the Chinese candy made with hawthorn fruit.

Speaking of cans, Hana Koa Brewing Co. started to can its beers for distribution around Oahu. The brewery had plans to start canning in Year 2 or 3, but due to the pandemic accelerated that process. Based on the results, I don’t think anyone is upset about that. The brewery has put out a number of great beers, from hazy IPAs to bright lagers, available at select shops on Oahu and straight from the brewery.

Bright, colorful labels, with fresh new artwork for each release, add to the can appeal. More fresh local beers available to take home is always a good thing.

We also saw Aloha Beer Co. open an outdoor beer garden in the heart of Kakaako. The beer garden had been in the works, but the team at Aloha used the extra time during the first shutdown to open way ahead of schedule in June. Bright, airy and perfect for an evening out, it’s an awesome addition to the beer scene on Oahu. Freshly baked pizzas have been added to the menu, a great addition.

Another great addition was Broken Boundary Brewery in Kalihi, which opened smack dab in the middle of the shutdown for to-go sales. Resilience and perseverance have kept the brewery going and putting out fantastic beers. A Bread Pudding Ale was a highlight, with super sweet notes of molasses, toffee, caramel and rum-soaked raisins. The brewery also recently opened for dine-in service, with classic street tacos.

Finally, we actually saw a few new breweries come to Hawaii from the mainland, exciting many craft beer fans. East Coasters were delighted with the sight of both Dogfish Head and Cigar City beers on the shelves in Hawaii, and we welcomed the return of Colorado’s Oskar Blues. Now we can conveniently grab a DFH 60 Minute or 90 Minute, or a Cigar City Jai Alai and even an Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale without having to stuff them in our luggage or ask friends to mail them to us.

2020. Not a good year, but we saw some great things come out of adversity. Cheers to a better and brighter 2021.

Tim Golden, a certified cicerone, shares his obsession with all things craft beer on the third week of each month. He is part owner of Village Bottle Shop in Kakaako.