Maui Brewing Co. tasting

What do you get when you mix Maui Brewing, a free tasting, and the Liquor Collection? A good time!

AND you also get Maui founder Garrett Marrero!

(...the only way to sell beer is to have a beer with the folks you're selling to!)

Garrett, who is obviously in his element when talking about Maui's delicious lineup, is a pleasure to talk to and a font of beer knowledge. While hanging around, I heard a few surprising things that I will now list below:

1.) BREAKING NEWS!!!!  Maui Brewing Co and Port Brewing Co in San Diego are getting together to do a collaboration in the fall! According to Garrett, it will be available in Maui cans and will combine the best of what San Diego and Hawaii have to offer-- just as soon as they figure out exactly what that is. (Port Brewing Co is not available in HI, so this will be a great way for Kama'aina to get an idea of how great Port's award-winning beers are!) VERY EXCITING!

2.) Possibly on the horizon: Maui Brewing is hoping to find a way to work with Roselani ice cream company to make a Coconut Porter ice cream. Obviously, they first have to figure out how to get the alcohol out of the beer in order to get it through the approval process, but this would be an instant classic!

3.) Interesting fact: The pineapple juice used in Maui's Mana Wheat is the same juice used in the making of Pau Vodka, and Tedeschi Vineyard's Pineapple Wine. Imagine that! One juice, three local products! Garret also explained that Maui Brewing Co does not modify the juice, nor do they add extracts in their brewing process. This explains the variation between batches, as both the terroir and the relative sweetness of each pineapple harvest are both expressed in the beer. 

Many mahalos to Liquor Collection, Maui Brewing Co, and Garrett Marrero.

Maui Brewing Co -- Flyin' HI. P. Hay

 

Maui Brewing Company's, Flyin' HI. P. Hay, is an IPA that was brewed in the memory of Glen Hay Falconer, a beer brewer who was close to the guys at Maui. Proceeds will be donated to the Glen Hay Falconer Foundation to provide scholarships to Homebrewers and Brewers who wish to further their knowledge and experience.

6.8% ABV and 68 IBU's

I am happy to report on this new beer from Maui Brewing. It seems that in Hawai'i, brewers put out less seasonal or special brews than on the mainland, so I've been eagerly awaiting this beer since I first heard it mentioned. 

Review:

Appearance- Take a look at the above picture. That is what I would label as a classic IPA color. (They are probably using some Crystal 40L in there.) The head pours to one half inch and the beer is crystal clear.

Aroma: Interestingly, this beer seems to have a very similar nose to the Maui Bikini Blonde. I think that they put Munich Malts in both, which might be what I am picking up on. There is a surprising lack of hop aroma here. Unlike Big Swell, that was dry hopped extensively, this beer may not have had any dry hop at all.

Taste: There are the hops! Thank goodness! West coast hops abound and grapefruit and grass dominate. Without a doubt, the malts take a back seat in this one. This is a very nice IPA. The mouthfeel influences the way the flavor is perceived... see below.

Mouthfeel: Full and creamy. Almost like a dry stout in a lot of ways. I am surprised at how this balances the American hops. Most beers are balanced between hops and malts. This beer is balanced between hops and the creaminess of the carbonation. As there is no widget, I suspect that this beer may have been brewed with an English or Irish yeast, which could explain this phenomena. The only other explanation is that Maui went BIG on the Dextrin malts.

(Side Note: This IPA is brewed with a hop mix  called Falconers Flight, which includes both common IPA hops and some experimental hops. )

Overall:

I am a sucker for new beers. I always feel that I HAVE to try them. Sometimes this leads to buyers remorse. Not this time. This beer is a wonderful and playful example of an American IPA. I've read reviews that said this is English style, but that's  bunk. Despite its lack of dry hopped aroma, this is as American as Chinook Hops... Or maybe this is the newest style of IPA -- The Hawaiian style IPA.

Grade: A

 Barrel Man says,

"Here's to you, Hay."

(This Beer Purchased at Liquor Collection)

Maui Brewing Co. - Bikini Blonde Lager

Maui Brewing Co.'s Bikini Blonde Lager might actually be "what the Sailors really come to shore for..."

 4.5% ABV  and a very light 18 IBU's

Review:
This beautiful golden potion is powerfully aromatic, with the delightful smells of Pilsner and Pale Malt leading the charge through the straits of your nostrils, and into your beer-centered mind. The taste starts sweet, then has a touch of earth, then the hops come out and play. Finally you are left with a delightful sweet/hoppy/husky flavor that reminds you of every ingredient that went into this beer. I have to say that if you have never chewed fresh pale malts, just take a sip of this and you will know what "fresh" really tastes like. The healthy hop level seems a bit higher than the 18 IBUs claimed, but it does not overwhelm-- it just makes this beer lively. It has a clean taste that incorporates the lingering spicy hop on the edge of your tongue and a chalky fullness that sits in the middle. This may be the most complex lager of normal strength made domestically.

(Side Note: This beer is classified as a Munich Helles Lager. This style was invented as the German brewers' slightly more malty answer to the Czech Pilsner. Also, "Helles" means bright.)

Overall Impression: This beer is quickly becoming my favorite lager. You can pick it up at Tamuras for the best price I've seen anywhere.
If you are in the islands and you want a nice beer to take to the beach, this is your beer. Just remember to bring plastic cups to keep the 5-0 away. --And don't give me crap about plastic cups --this beer comes in a can. To me it is always acceptable to drink canned beer from a plastic cup.

Grade: A-

(Can purchased at Tamura's)

Whole Foods Market, Kahala Mall

My fellow O'ahuans-- I have found one of the seven wonders of the island: a grocery store with a great beer selection. That's right-- this place has things in stock other than the standard wall of Bud in 6, 12, 18, 20, and 24 packs. Not only that, but they have prices that are competitive with, and sometimes better than, those other supermarket chains!

(Side note: Their Poke was highly rated in Metromix)

Highlights: Good selection of Rogue beers, Maui Brewing Co.,Mehana, Hawaii Nui,  Mikkeller, BrewDog, Sierra Nevada, Mad River Brewing Co, Anchor, Nogne O beers (including the varieties brewed with sake yeast) Sam Adams Infinium, Ballast Point Victory at Sea and Sculpin IPA.

Missing: Stuff not distributed to Hawaii. That's about it.

Selection: 9/10 (always leave room for improvement--like getting Pliny, for example.)
Location: 7/10
Price: 9/10
Friendliness: 9/10
Beer Knowledge: Troy, their beer purchaser-- 10/10
Over all grade: A

Maui Brewing Co., Big Swell IPA

 

Maui Brewing Co.'s "Big Swell IPA"  is a "Handcrafted India Pale Ale brewed with four different kinds of Northwestern hops and malted barley... dry-hopped to perfection." 

This baby sports a 6.2%ABV and 65 IBU's.

Review:
The can cracks open... immediately I smell quite a bouquet of citrusy hops.  Niiiiiccce! This is very obviously an American IPA. Holding the glass up to the light, it is a pale golden color. The picture above makes it look darker than it is in reality. The first flavors you taste after the first sip are sweet and malty, but these are paired with a nice grain texture that makes it obvious to you that this was made from an unrefined ingredient, and not some B.S. corn sugar adjunct. The body is nice, at a level that reminds you you're drinking something thicker than water, but not too thick. The flavor progression goes from sweet to sour to earthy/husky, to hoppy... then the hops just linger.

(Side note: Similar to Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale, the hops in this beer include "Chinook" hops, which are noted for their rustic taste and sharp bittering quality. I love this hop, but it isn't for everyone.)

Overall Impression:
This is a great example of an American IPA. The care taken to ensure balance, texture, body, flavor, and aroma is obvious. This beer is so tasty, and has so many enjoyable "beery" flavors, that unless you simply don't like IPA's, you have to say this is pretty good.  When a company goes the extra mile and puts this much hops into  dry hopping just to get the proper aroma, you know that they aren't being stingy with their beer.

Grade:  A

This beer purchased at The Liquor Collection

Safeway, Manoa

Manoa's Safeway is an interesting spot for beer. They divide their beverage isle into three sections. Closest to the door is the wine cooler / fruity crap section. Then you have the beers that are microbrews, craft brews, and beers with color. In the section farthest from the door, you have a wall of blue (Bud Light), Red (Bud), and Silver(Coors light). 

As they are a supermarket, I can't blame them for having a beer selection that is 2/3 useless... that's just the name of the game. I can however blame them for watering down their craft brew section with things like "shock top" (owned by AB), and "blue moon" (owned by Coors).

Highlights: Mehana Pale Ale, and  Maui Brewing Co., both at good prices! 

Lowlights: Third section. (see above)

Missing: Specialty beers other than local brews. 

Selection: 6/10
Location: 6/10
Price: 8/10
Friendliness: 7/10
Beer Knowledge: 5/10

Grade: C+

Maui Brewing Co.'s Coconut Porter

Maui Brewing Co.'s "CoCoNut PorTeR" (that's how they type it on the can) is a "robust porter brewed with six varieties of malted barley, hops, and hand-toasted coconut." It weighs in at a solid 5.7% ABV and 30 IBU's.

Review:
This beer seems to follow the BJCP guidelines for the style of Robust Porter very closely in all ways except the area of flavor, where there seems to be a lack of black patent or roasted grain character. In that way, it is closer to a Brown Porter, which I find understandable since the brewer probably wanted to highlight the coconut flavor, which may have been masked by any amount of intense roast flavors. I did, however, note a slight chicory flavor, which I found pleasing. As you drink the beer, the flavor is dominated by sweetness that lingers until the moment you swallow. At this time the dry finish takes over and readies you for your next sip. Within this style there can be a slight astringency from the roasted malts. My tasters (in a blind tasting) said that there was a slight metallic taste. I too could taste this, but I couldn't tell if it was from the aluminum can, or from the roasted astringency.
(Side note: although I do not know why this beer is “like hot chicks on the beach,” I do know that the 1814 on the design relates to the London beer flood of 1814, a tragic but interesting event.)
Overall Impression: Fits the style. Carbonation reminds me of a soda more than a beer. Slightly sweet for my taste. 

Grade: B (for me) / B+ (for coconut lovers)