During the winter break, we closed down the brewery, turned off the cell phones and reflected on the year from our respective corners of the world. Nick headed for Northern California to take on the Steelhead. Chris went back to his homeland of Texas where he rekindled his fondness for red meat. Kelly toured the breweries of the Pacific Northwest, finding a deep love for the Horse Brass and Rogue.
Chad and I took our kids and headed for the tropics, Kauai. Golden tans, bleach blonde highlights, and daily naps were in our dreams. Our reality was filled with black hairy tongue, lost contact lens, mouse poop, jock itch, bug bites and rain, rain, rain. Oh, and I forgot wind. Lots of wind.
But there was beer. Which, in most cases, makes anything better. Except when the beer is served with mouse poop. That brewery shall remain nameless.
Chad took a quick liking for Maui Brewing IPA in a can. He admired it as an IPA with balance. Not your traditional Cascade/Amarillo Hop intensity, but good balance. We got the sampler the first night on Kauai. I was very fond of guzzling the Maui Blonde, also from a can, upon returning from morning runs with my sister. Light and crisp, a perfect beach beer. The third beer in the sampler, Coconut Porter, was definitely interesting. While not necessarily my favorite, I applaud the creativity and use of local flavor.
Kona Brewing, another good Hawaiian beer. We had Longboard Lager on tap at a local pizza place. Again, Hawaiian brewers succeed at creating the pefect non-Budweiser, beach beer. It is light, non-descript, but very drinkable. It has that great microbrew character despite its style similarity to the mass produced giants.
On our sunniest day we conquered the NaPali Coast, well at least the first stretch of it.
Aloha and Cheers!
