Maui Brewing Co. Tasting

When I was in Hawaii last year, I was thrilled to get the chance to visit Kona Brewing Company on the Big Island. I was familiar with their beers because many stores in Virginia sold their bottles. After taking a tour of their brewery, I learned that the bottled beers I had been getting on the East Coast were actually brewed at Red Hook in Seattle, another brewery I've had the privilege of visiting! Everything brewed at Kona doesn't leave Hawaii. Anyways, as you probably saw, the title of this blog is Maui Brewing Co. Tasting, not Kona. Unfortunately I was not familiar with Maui Brewing Co. when I was in Hawaii so I did not get the chance to tour their brewery or try any of their beers over there. I recently found their beers at a couple stores in Virginia so they must have just started to reach the east coast. I got a 4 pack of CoCoNut PoRteR and then individual cans of 3 of their other beers: Big Swell IPA, Bikini Blonde Lager, and Mana Wheat. Gary and I decided it would be fun to do a tasting of the 4 beers at once so that's what we did. I used 3 tasting glasses we have from our annual Beer, Bourbon and BBQ event we attend and then one Red Hook tasting glass I got on my tour there.

I was very impressed with these beers. I'm not going to say they're the best beers I've ever had, because they aren't, but they are very good. I love that these beers come in cans, I love the names, and I love the look of each can. Also after visiting their website, I love their turtle logo. I definitely want some swag with that logo on it. Below are my reviews on each of the beers, enjoy! The beer stats and descriptions are straight from Maui Brewing Co.

First up is the Bikini Blonde Lager. The look of this beer screams Hawaii with the girl in the grass skirt and lei on the can. I love the tagline under the name "What the sailors really come to shore for..."

Beer Stats: 
ABV: 5.1%
IBU: 18
Hops: Liberty, Sterling and Hersbrucker

Maui Description: Our filtered Munich Helles Lager brewed with floral hops and Pilsner and Munich malts. This is the closest thing to an American lager from Maui Brewing Co. but not skimpy of flavor. Bold, smooth and refreshing!

My Review:  I'm glad this is the first beer I tried out of the four. This wasn't the best but it was still pretty good. By trying it first, I was able to appreciate it for what it was. It made sense to try this one first anyways due to the tasting spectrum. There are no super specific defining qualities, but it is a nice, smooth beer, perfect for a day on the beach!

Next up was the Mana Wheat. This can has a man in a beach hat holding a ukulele with the tagline "Where's my ukulele?"

Beer Stats:
ABV: 5.5%
IBU: 18
Hops: Hersbrucker

Maui Description: An unfiltered, freshly handcrafted American-style wheat ale infused with Maui Gold Pineapple. Our crisp and refreshing wheat ale is lightly hopped to allow the fruity sweetness of the pineapple to shine. The yeast stays in suspension making the ale traditionally cloudy. 

My Review: When I first tried this beer, I knew there was something special about it. I happened to miss the whole "brewed with pineapple" part on the can. After a sip, I was like mmmmmm but couldn't quite put my finger on what it was. After reading the can, I realized that the pineapple was that extra something. This was probably my favorite out of the 4. It just went down so easy. I think the description from the website above is perfect: crisp and refreshing.

The CoCoNut PoRteR was the one beer I was able to get a 4 pack of instead of individual cans. I love the image on this can, a hand gripping a coconut mug spilling over with the tasty porter. The tagline for this gem is "...Like hot chicks on the beach."

Beer Stats:
ABV: 6.0 %
IBU: 30
Hops: Cascade, Columbus

Maui Description: Our CoCoNut PorTeR is a fresh handcrafted robust porter brewed with six varieties of malted barley, hops, and hand-toasted coconut. It begins with a malty-toasted coconut aroma followed by a rich, silky feel with tastes of dark malt, chocolate and hints of coffee. It then finishes with flavors of toasted coconut and hoppy spice to balance the finish.

My Review: Based on the description above, I think this might be a beer that Maui Brewing Co. is quite proud of. They seemed to spend the most time describing this one on their website. I do admit, it is quite a fantastic beer. I think for the most part, everything they describe above is true. It has a coconut aroma and a smooth finish.

Finally we tried the Big Swell IPA. This is another can that simply oozes with a Hawaii feel to it. From the name to the gorgeous picture of a surfer in front of a sunset with a palm tree and a giant wave. The tagline isn't too "Hawaiian" but it has to do with the style of beer, it reads "Big, Hoppy, Bold, Smooth and Hoppy...Did We Mention Hoppy?"

Beer Stats:
ABV: 6.8%
IBU: 50+
Hops: Columbus, Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe, Falconer's Flight, & Citra

Maui Description: Our India Pale Ale brewed with four different kinds of Northwestern hops and malted barley...dry hopped to perfection. Its flavor begins smooth and malty and is followed with a big burst of hop flavor. 

My Review: Being a big fan of hoppy beers, I was excited to try this one and it did not disappoint. It's definitely not one of the best hoppy beers I have tasted but I thought it was decent. It certainly had a nice hoppy flavor to it, you'd hope so considering they used 4 different types!

All in all I was very pleased with Maui Brewing Co. I would definitely get their beers again and I'd love to try their Flyin' Hi.P.Hay which is a special release can as well as all their Pub Beers on tap! Out of the 3 islands I visited in Hawaii, Maui was definitely my favorite and I would love to visit there again so maybe I'll get to the brewery out there one day. Gary tried all of these beers with me and he is better with the move official beer reviews so I will see if I can get him to guest blog about his tasting experience. Stay tuned!