Kona Brewing Co. -- FIre Rock Pale Ale

Kona Brewing Company's Fire Rock Pale Ale claims to be a, "crisp, refreshing 'Hawaiian-style' pale ale."

5.9% ABV and 35 IBU's

Review:

This copper colored ale pours from the bottle slightly hazy. The initial head stands 1/2 inch high, but fades to a minimal 1/16 inch. Aromas of crystal malts swirl and combine with hints of passion fruit and pineapple. The taste is surprisingly tart, with a dose of citrus rind character and a sprinkle of unripe fruit. There isn't much in the way of malt character or sweetness. The mouthfeel is full, and seems reminiscent of carbonated fruit juice. 

(Side Note: Kona Brewing Co. is owned in majority by Anheuser-busch, which is owned by INBEV, which is not an American company.)

Overall:

This beer is both hoppier and fruitier than I remember. As I was drinking this, I was thinking it tasted like it had followed the Wailua Wheat through a fermentation vessel and had picked up some of that flavor. I see on their website that this beer is brewed with wheat, which explains the haze and the wheaty character, but what about the unripe fruit? I'm afraid that with a sour front, a tart hop middle, no perceivable malt flavor and such little aroma, I'm not going to give this beer a very good grade. 

Grade: C+

Barrel Man says,

"tastes corrupted."

(This bottle purchased at Whole Foods, Kahala Mall)

Kona Brewing Co. -- Pipeline Porter

 

 Kona Brewing Co.'s Pipeline Porter is made with Cornwell Estate Kona Coffee from the Big Island of Hawaii.

5.3% ABV and 23 IBU's

Review:
In this porter, the aroma boasts notes o coffee, roasted barley, sweet malts, and a bit of cream. The very slight hop note is earthy. Appearance wise, the ale is a dark brown but allows some lighter brown highlights to shine through the sides. The head is slight and the retention is minimal. Unlike many coffee beers, this porter finds a nice balance between the tastes of chocolate and coffee. There is no astringency from the coffee but there is a pleasing tinge from the dark roasted malts. The body of the beer is fairly light for the category, but the hop bite somehow adds to the mouthfeel and lends a perception of body. In the end, it finishes dark and roasty with a dark chocolate note that lingers. 

(Side Note: these are the guys that grow the coffee used in this beer. Personally, I like Ka'o coffee better than Kona.)

Overall Impression:
Lots of taste in this beer. Nothing is too overwhelming, and it may be on the sweeter end of the porter spectrum, but that seems appropriate for a coffee porter.
Is this the best beer bottled by Kona? I'd say: Yes!

Grade: A-



Barrel Man says,
"dark and drinkable."

(bottle purchased at Liquor Collection.)

Kona Brewing Co. -- Koko Brown

Kona Brewing Co.'s Koko Brown ale is the newest in the "Aloha Series" of seasonal offerings.

 It is 5.5% ABV and has a mild 28 IBU's.

Review:
This offering from Kona Brewing pours a dark walnut color and carries very little head. The aroma is dominated by coconut, but somewhere deep in the back of your nasal cavities, you can pull out a dark roast (almost burnt) barley note. The taste, like the aroma, is completely dominated by the coconut flavor. There are toasted coconut notes, sweetened coconut flake notes, and canned coconut milk notes. The malt notes are lost behind this sledgehammer of nuttiness and the only discernible traces of hops arrive late in the taste. The hop bitterness is somewhat earthy but is insufficient in strength to overcome the sweet coconut.

(Side Note: According to the website, this beer is brewed with Cascade, Willamette, Warrior, and Millennium hops. From the taste of this beer, I'd say that Kona must have used one hop cone per barrel... give or take a few.  )

Overall Impression:
-There are two dimensions to this beer-- its color (brown) and COCONUT. 
-If you don't want beer to get in the way of your coconut, try this beer.

Grade: C

Barrel Man says,

"Tastes like

    Malibu Rum."

(This bottle was purchased at Liquor Collection)

Kona Brewing Co. - Big Wave Golden Ale

Kona Brewing Co.'s Big Wave Golden Ale is "a light golden ale with a subtle fruitiness and delicate hop aroma," with "lightly roasted honey malt [that] contributes to the golden hue of this beer and also gives a slight sweetness." 

It weighs in at... what, no info on the label or website?! Sounds like a Anheuser Busch product to me...

Review:
This will be a quick one. No aroma, little head... Taste is lightly sweet at first but finishes with an lightly earthy hop taste. HOWEVER, this beer is dominated by diacetyl. The hops attempt to cover up this brewing flaw, but they fail, and fail badly. This beer has little taste except for one that is a flaw, and has no redeeming qualities.

(Side Note: I know that a Golden Ale isn't supposed to have much flavor. According to most sources, it is the same category as a Blonde Ale. Still, if you want to make a light beer, you've gotta nail down your processes and not have any flaws. This beer is flawed.)

Overall Impression:There is another Hawaiian beer review site online called "Two Beer Queers." They have a 3 point scale: Mean, Shi-go, and Fuckin' Shitty.
This is Fuckin' shitty.

Grade: D-

This beer was purchased at: I don't remember. Who cares!

I wish I could forget the taste of this beer.

I only rated this beer because it is a Hawaii brand.

Kona Brewing Co. Hawaii Kai

Kona Brewing Company, Hawaii Kai

Lets start by getting the record straight: this location is not the brewery, nor do they brew on the premises. As such, I will review this as a pub, not a brew pub, and not a brewery.

Now then, I had a hard time finding this place, it is hidden behind a shopping center. It was the middle of the week, in the middle of the afternoon, in the middle of a downpour of rain. This being the case, I was the only person at the bar. (Though I’m sure this place gets hopping when Led is at the guitar every Sunday.) The service was great and the kind-hearted bartender answered all of my questions. I learned a lot about the beers of Kona, and a little about the brewery.

If you are a beer lover, keep these things in mind:

1.) You must ask your waiter what brews are on tap. The 7 or so listed in the menu are only about half of what they have on tap. There are 24 tap handles with at least 16 beers (2 on nitro).  DO NOT believe the menu!!! 

2.) There is a beer of the week (or was it month…?) which is only $3.

3.) Budweiser is a part owner of this company through the Craft Brewer’s Alliance.

Highlights: Ginger beer, Sun Charged Golden Ale, Dry Side Stout on Nitro

Selection: B

Location: C

Price: B-

Friendliness: A

beer knowledge: B-

Overall Grade: B