Hawaii Beer

               My wife and I took a great trip to Hawaii recently, a place that's been high on our bucket list for a while now:           

I got the vacation started right with an early-morning (hey, the bar was open) Samuel Adams Rebel IPA at a Buffalo Wild Wings in the Atlanta airport as we waited for our flight to depart.

Hawaii has unbelievable beauty and a pretty good amount of craft beer!

My first beer in Hawaii on the island of Maui was this CoCoNut Porter in a can
from Maui Brewing out on the patio of our ocean-view condo.  My wife, Ashlee, opted for a mai-tai.  I bought a six-pack of this since we had a fridge along with a fairly worthless Primo Island Lager (Bombucha) that was actually produced in California.  I now refer to it now as "the PBR of Hawaii."

I love how this glass at Maui Brewing (just around the corner from where we were staying on Maui) says brewed "ON" Maui instead of "in."  It's the little things, you know?  This was their excellent Big Swell IPA that I had with a delicious lunch at their brewpub.  I also had a taste of my wife's choice of the Imperial CoCoNut Porter which was impressive also.   I had a Castaway IPA draught from Kona Brewing the next night at dinner while still on Maui and I've got to give it to Maui Brewing for overall taste and hoppiness when comparing the two.

In the hip little town of Haia on the island of Maui, Gene Simmons of KISS fame, is having a bar built.  I like the name and hope the "brews" are going to be good ones.  Need to come back and find out!

On to The Big Island as my UNTAPPED app indicates here.  We stayed at the beautiful Sheraton Kona Resort the first couple nights we were here and poolside I ordered a Fire Rock Pale Ale from nearby Kona Brewing Company which was pretty good.  I have had it before state-side.  I also had a Big Wave Golden Ale from Kona Brewing while at the ocean-side pool that I really liked.  It was actually hoppier than their IPA I had gotten over on Maui.

Volcanoes National Park selfie.  My giant head is blocking a beautiful sea arch.

On our way out of town, we stopped at the nearby and well-known Kona Brewing Company for lunch.  The food was excellent (a local fresh catch sandwich) and their beer samplers my wife and I had were tasty as well.   I had (from L to R) the Lavaman Red Ale, the Wailua Ale, the Black Sand Porter (my favorite) and the Hula Hefeweizen.

Over on the other side of The Big Island we had an early dinner at The Hilo Burger Joint where it was happy-hour and I got the Mehana Mauna Kea Pale Ale by Hawai'i Nui Brewing located right here in Hilo.  It was very good.  I also had a sip of the Hapa Brown Ale also from Hawai'i Nui that my wife ordered and I really liked it as well.  Too bad we didn't have time to visit this small microbrewery.  Maybe next visit, and there will be another I hope!

This was the "burger" I chose at The Hilo Burger Joint.  It's called a "loco moco bowl" which is a bun-less burger on top of two scoops of rice with an egg (scrambled per my choice) and doused in brown gravy.  It was heavenly and sinful all at the same time!

Really?  You live in Hawaii and you're gonna carry that kind of bad karma around?   It was still pretty funny though.

How can you not love a place where at sunset the breaking waves look like beer?

Holiday Beer

Here's a quick list of what I enjoyed

 over the 2013 Christmas/New Year's holidays:

Good People Brown Ale (Birmingham, AL) - (can) -   I gave a 6-pack Christmas gift to my brother-in-law and he gave me one in return.  Thanks, Andy!

Boulder (CO) Brewing Chocolate Stout draught at The Pharmacy Burger Bar in East Nashville

Blind Faith English IPA bottle from Magic Hat (VT) at home from the MJBC - last of a variety 4-pack

East India Pale Ale  in a can from Brooklyn (NY) Brewing at The Slider House in Nashville (where they only serve canned beer)

At our New Year's Eve party - Kentucky Bourbon Ale (bottle), Einstok Olgerid Iceland White Ale, Shake Chocolate Porter from Boulder (CO) (bottle), Lacto-Matic Milk Stout from Flat 12 Bierworks (IN) - (bottle), Sticky Toffee Pudding Ale from Wells & Young's Brewing (England) - (bottle), Accumulation Winter White IPA from New Belgium (CO)- (bottle)

Lily Flagg Milk Stout from Straight to Ale Brewing in Huntsville, AL, in a bottle at The Flying Saucer in Nashville

Deviant Dale's from Oskar Blue's (CO)  in a pint can also at The Flying Saucer

1/5 - Moo Hoo White Chocolate Stout (Athens, GA) (bomber bottle).  This VERY limited production was a surprise Christmas stocking stuffer for my wife, Ashlee, who loves their regular Moo Hoo.  She was nice enough to share it with me one cold weekend along with some delicious chili she had made. Special thanks to Mike at the Mt. Juliet Beer Company for the hook-up.  Don't worry, Mike, no one reads this blog, so your secret is safe.

1/9 - I had a bottle of Shocktop Chocolate Wheat - Ann./Busch (MO) - (not bad for a mass-produced beer) and Snake Dog IPA from Flying Dog Brewing (MD) while playing poker locally here in Lebanon with a group of 9 other guys who invited me this year to play once a month for a chance to play in the WSOP Main Event.  I was eliminated from chance to play in the 2014 World Series, but came in 3rd in points overall, so not bad for my first year, and I get a small piece of the winner if he happens to cash at the event in July.  Can't wait to give it another whirl this year!