Crave – food & drink
Kauai Beer Company opened its new tasting room in Lihue, Hawaii a little over a month ago. (You can tell it’s a brand new facility by the clean white walls and ceiling!) It’s currently open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 12-6 p.m. I visited on Saturday and found the wooden bar and barstools populated with true beer aficionados, including more than one homebrewer.
Kauai Beer Company, in fact, grew from a passion for homebrewed beer and a hobby that started 35 years ago in a garage in Poipu. Today, the small craft brewery features German-style beers, perfect for hot, humid Hawaiian days.
I sampled the 4 house beers on tap:
- Helles Swells helles lager – I found this to be a very light beer and slightly sweet—nice for when you want something really light. 5.1% ABV (alcohol by volume), 17 IBUs (International Bitterness Units—a measure of the bitterness of beer).
- Lihue Lager helles lager – Kauai Beer Company describes this as a session beer—crisp and refreshing, with a medium body and pale straw color. I found it to have a fuller flavor than the Helles Swells—definitely a great session beer. 4.4% ABV, 18 IBUs.
- A Hoppy Accident pale lager – This beer, too, was refreshing and had a very unique, tasty flavor. I detected a hint of soft fruit flavor like dried mango, perhaps from the hops or caramel malt. 5.5% ABV, 40 IBUs.
- Black Limousine schwarzbier dark lager – The name Black Limousine implies a smooth, stylish ride and this beer delivers. It’s dark in color but light in body. It has notes of coffee and toffee up front, a fine porter-like flavor, and a roasty finish. This was my favorite beer of the day and definitely growler-worthy! 4.5% ABV, 28 IBUs.
Beer prices:
- 4 oz. sample $2
- 12 oz. glass $4
- 16 oz. pint $5
They also sell growlers for $20 and refills for $15, for a total of $35 your first time. What’s really smart is that the growler is stainless steel—ideal for a destination frequented by tourists. It’s much easier to get a metal growler home than glass.
Kauai Beer Company’s tasting room is located at 4265 Rice Street in Lihue, Hawaii. Their ultimate goal is to open a restaurant in front of the brewery that creates simple, high-flavor dishes that pair well with beer.
Kauai Beer Company
