Kona Brewing Co.’s New Hanalei Island IPA With POG is Available For a Limited Time

The new passion-orange-guava-accented ale from Kona Brewing Co. is refreshing and bright—perfect for after-paddling pau hana. Too bad it’s only available at two brewpubs for now (one of which is near us, haha).

September 4, 2016

Don Wallace,

Photo: Courtesy of Kona Brewing Co.

Hot on the heels of last year’s successful Makana Series of four limited-edition craft beers, Hawai‘i’s largest brewer is once again teasing a thirsty nation with a slow, deliciously paced rollout of a new brew. Named in honor of Kaua‘i, the Hanalei Island IPA echoes the laid-back mood and lush cool climate of the Garden Isle’s North Shore.

The fruit profile, we can report, is light and ebullient, playing nice with Azacca and Galaxy hops while the bittering Millennium hops presumably ground any flights of fancy. We tasted in the rigorous HONOLULU laboratory—a series of connected cubicles occupied by brow-furrowed editors and art directors. “This is good!” and “Can we drink this at work?” were among the comments.

For the rest of you (and now us, our supply having been rapidly exhausted), the only way to raise a glass of Hanalei Island IPA is to visit these two Kona Brewing brewpubs, one on O‘ahu and one in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island. The beer is scheduled to progressively roll out to other restaurants and bars throughout the Hawaiian Islands prior to a Mainland debut in 2017.