Beers of Paradise

A week long family vacation in Maui this Spring "forced" me to conduct some much needed research of the beers available in this island paradise.  With my dad beyond willing to go along for the ride, we tested out the taps around town to thoroughly soak in all that was Hawaii beer.

Big Island Brew: Kona Brewing Company
(konabrewingco.com)
I visited this brewery on the Big Island almost ten years ago.  While my taste in beer has greatly matured since then, I was anxious to see what I thought of this brewery now.  Island brewing since 1994, Kona also currently brews in three different locations on the mainland as a member of the Craft Brewing Alliance.  

Fire Rock Pale Ale:  Introduced along with Big Wave Golden Ale as one of their first brews over 18 years ago, this Pale was spot on with color and crispness.  

Longboard Island Lager:  This Lager was my dad's favorite from Kona.  Light and refreshing, it went down nice and easy any time of the day, and I really do mean ANY time of the day!  
Lavaman Red Ale:  Available on tap all throughout Lahaina, I reached for this Red more than any other Kona beer.  Perfectly malty with just enough bitterness to stay true to style, it helped rehydrate me after a taxing day relaxing in the sun.

Pure Hawaiian: Maui Brewing Company
(mauibrewingco.com)
Started eight years ago by Garrett Marrero and his wife Melanie, Maui Brewing Company prides itself on being a true Hawaiian brewery.  Using local ingredients to get that island flavor, MBC has been making a name for itself across the country.  This 25 barrel production facility kegs and cans all their brews on site.    
Mana Wheat:  A pineapple infused wheat beer, this one took me by surprise.  As you all know by now, I am not a wheat beer girl.  This one, however, was beyond delish.  Subtle pineapple flavor showcased the wheat's flavor profile.  I made sure to finish all of the samples of this one.
Coconut Porter:  My dad's favorite, this porter was an easy drinking beer with a ton of flavor.  Using local coconuts and roasting them in house, MBC has been perfecting this flavor addition through the use of a hopback and cold conditioning.  Before I knew it, all of these samples were gone.  I wonder where my dad picked up that habit. 
Big Swell IPA:  A standard I get back home, this IPA is a bit on the lighter side for my taste, but still offers up plenty of hoppy goodness.
Bikini Blonde Lager:  Crisp and refreshing, this was another one of my dad's favorites, though I think that he might have just liked the logo with the blonde in a bikini.     
Root Beer:  With my mom along for the ride, and clearly not a beer drinker, we were able to get her some exclusive MBC Root Beer.  Not available on the mainland quite yet, it is made with Maui sugar cane and Maui vanilla bean.  Superb!
HI Expectations IPA:  The BEST IPA that I have had in awhile.  Available only in the brewpub, and my checked bag since I made sure to fill a HydroFlask prior to leaving, this IPA reminded me of the great IPAs from Oregon.  Deep amber in color with THE perfect amount of hops and malt, I continued to order chalices of this Hawaiian beauty.


Our paradise vacation not only yielded us an envious tan, but also several island beer treasures to share back home.  My advice: forgo those sweet umbrella drinks and get down and dirty with some local brews.  Aloha!

Beer Fitness: 12 Pounds Lost in 4 Weeks WITH Beer

One morning in early March, I looked at my Google calendar.  In exactly four weeks, I was going to be laying on a beach in Maui for Spring Break.  Excited?  Definitely.  I pulled out my summer clothes from the depths of my closet and laid them out.  As I reached for my favorite pair of plaid shorts from 2012, I quickly found out that I couldn't get them on.  My winter months of beer drinking, couch lazing, and fried food eating had taken its toll.  I needed to make a change immediately.  I ran downstairs to my building's gym and got on the treadmill.  Thirty painstakingly long minutes of intervals had me barely able to breathe.  

While at work that day, I charted out what I needed to do: move more, eat better, and give up beer.  The first two I could commit to.  It takes two solid weeks to adopt a habit, and I had four.  But give up beer?  I would have to be crazy.  March is the month of epic brewery birthday parties, brewers' nights, and beer festivals.  Taking beer out of the equation wasn't going to happen.  And so began my experiment: Could I lose weight and tone up while STILL enjoying beer.

Week 1:  A well planned grocery trip stocked me full of healthy options.  For breakfast, I fell quickly in love with Yopa's greek yogurt.  Snacks ended up being pecans, string cheese, and apples.  Ready made salads with chicken made my working lunches doable.  Dinner was the wildcard. I had picked up some chicken for some of my Beer Crockpot concoctions, but other than that, I hadn't planned too far ahead.  I kept track of all my food for that first week on MyNetDiary.com.  
As for exercise, I knew that my routine responded best with full immersion. I started off with walking five miles at the end of my day.  That quickly increased to eight miles, and by the end of my first week, I had worked out six out of the seven days.  I found some time during my day to get in some squats and lunges too.    

Now let's talk about the beer factor.  Every day that I walked, and even that "Freeday Friday" I didn't, I drank beer.  Sometimes it was in the middle of my walk if I just happened to find myself at a neighborhood watering hole.  Other times, it was after the mileage was completed.  Sometimes it was one beer, other times it was three.  During this week, I went to American Brewing's third anniversary party.  IPAs abundant, I enjoyed every last one.  After the first week, I noticed that I slept better, reached for healthier foods more often, and almost became addicted to my daily walk.

Week 2:  It is worth noting that I had some pretty amazing friends come along this journey with me.  Was it because they wanted to lose weight?  Was it because they wanted to get healthy? Was it because they are just as crazy as I am?  Well, I will let them figure out what category they fall into.  Having partners in crime that willing gave up hours on end to traipse around cities at all hours of the night was motivating.  The daily walks continued, and before I knew it, eight miles was the new minimum.  I began tracking my walks on MapMyRun.com.  This gave me exact GPS information on distance, pace, and location.

St. Patrick's Day ended up being during week two.  This included Double Mountain's sixth anniversary party with a 15k St. Paddy's Day dash in Portland, Oregon the following day.  Sufficiently carbo loading on anything but food amply fueled that 15k, as did the unintended eight hour sleep!

Week 3:  I started to incorporate more squats and lunges, as well as weight training during my down time at work.  Nothing fancy, just a simple set of dumbbells made this happen.  The daily walks now became too short if we didn't hit double digits.  One evening, I found myself on a legitimate half marathon jaunt.  I didn't even realize how far we had walked until we reached the bar at the ten mile mark, and still had three to go.  Needless to say, that was a three beer night.
On a day that I had extra time, I would walk around the track across the street from work.  Juggling my main job, along with part time ones, made for some scheduling challenges.  What seemed to be saving me was intentionally planning ahead my meals on Sunday.  This meant that I, along with all the other singles in the neighborhood, spent the late remaining hours of my weekend at the supermarket.  

Week 4:  This was my last week to get in as much as I could, as well as attend a scheduled beer research tasting, a brewer's night, and a beer festival.  My walks this week were all about speed and efficiency.  I used hills, especially the much loved "Mt. Meridian", to get more bang for my buck.  I had a few hours to spare before a brewer's night, so we spent those hightailing it up and down that hill.  On another night, a well planned crockpot meal and Milk Stouts already in the fridge, meant a decent walk could occur before the evening's festivities.  During the morning of my favorite beer fest of the year, Washington Cask Beer Festival, I made sure to get a solid treadmill interval session in.

Let's go back to that morning.  It was the day before I flew out to Maui and thus became the moment of truth.  Had my endless hours and hundreds of miles actually made a difference?  I once again got out those favorite plaid shorts.  Not only did they easily get on, they were too big!  I was now faced with the dilemma of squeezing in a mini shopping trip in order to be well suited for the islands.  Definitely a good problem to have!

Listen up, Beerlovers.  Summer will be here before we know it.  That winter weight will need to hit the road.  But don't fret, it CAN be done.  Eat healthy, get moving, and KEEP your beer!

Beer Safety 101: Growler On Board

Last year, I came across the coolest invention ever: a car seat for growlers.  Being the first of my friends to get a Growler On Board, I was teased about the necessity of actually needing a way to transport 64oz containers of precious beer.  That teasing quickly turned to envy, when my fellow beer nerds understood that they too needed a BTU (beer transportation unit) of their own.
Spinning in the same beer circles that I do, I met Growler On Board's creator Kevin Johnson at a beerfest last summer.  Over the past several months, I have seen his products EVERYWHERE.  The importance of beer safety was spreading like wild fire, and I needed to find out how this all came about.

TGB:  How did you come up with the idea for Growler On Board?

GOB:  The idea for Growler on Board was conceived on a drive home from Black Raven Brewing in Redmond, WA.  I had filled up a couple growlers and secured them the only way I knew: to wrap them up in a towel and seat belt them in.  The belt didn't hold them on one corner and they tipped over.  Unfortunately, the caps weren't tightened completely and beer leaked out.  First thing I did when I got home was get on the Internet to see if any growler carriers existed that would be good for use in the car.  A few months passed since the spillage incident and my plan to remedy the problem was to get a car seat from my sister when her family came up from Colorado.  Car seats were what they used to transport their growlers, and to be honest, it made too much sense.  I thought that if there wasn't anything being made why don't I develop something?  Through my job and friends, I knew that I had the resources and connections to get a product developed and produced.

TGB:  What was the process for getting your idea to come to life?

GOB:  Well, I thought that making it like a car seat would be too much.  While I was visiting some friends on Lummi Island (near Bellingham, WA), I noticed their daughter's Bumbo seat.  I knew instantly that was the way to make the product.  Because it was made of foam, I knew it would give the cushioned protection needed, as well as keep the growlers insulated.
The next steps in the process fell into place rather quickly.  With the help of an awesome group of friends and coworkers, I was able to get a design completed and find a production facility to make them.  I scraped together money to get a tool cut and some first samples made.  

TGB:  What has been the response to your product?

GOB:  The response has been better than I ever could have expected.  I was nervous when I spent the money to cut a tool and have samples made.  But, I always had the attitude that if it didn't catch on, I would have ten of the coolest and most unique growler carriers.  I was definitely wrong in being nervous.  Response has been great.  Knowledge of our product continues to grow.  We continue to open up new retailers and I think we have shipped one to just about every state.  I need to get one of those RV sticker maps to track that.  We know not everyone that fills growlers will want one, but that is what is pushing us to develop new products to transfer growlers and beer.  

TGB:  As you know Kevin, I am going to ask you what your favorite beer to drink is.

GOB:  I am sure this is a tough question for some.  We all have our "go to" style of beer.  Mine is easy.  Just ask everyone at Black Raven.  I feel like Norm Peterson when I walk in, as it seems like there is a Trickster IPA being poured for me right when I pull into the parking lot.  


When Kevin isn't saddled up to the bar at Black Raven Brewing, you can find him and his products in bottleshops, breweries, and beerfests around the Northwest.  All it takes is one spill of your growler to realize how essential this product is.  Beer Safety 101 people: protect your brew!

 www.growleronboard.com

Peterson Brothers: 1111

Rarely do I feel the need to brag about a great beer place the first time I go.  Usually, I visit the establishment several times, get to know the vibe, and make sure that this is THE place to visit.  That was not the case with 1111.  When I walked through their Tacoma Hilltop doors, I instantly knew that this bar was unique.  Packed seating on any day of the week, even when the sun was out, was enough of a testament that the Peterson Brothers were doing something right.

Plenty of great beer on tap (always a couple IPAs) along with an extensive sandwich menu (rumor has it their Reuben is to die for) has made this my recommendation to friends seeking new places to go.  My favorite?  The grilled cheese with homemade tomato soup.  Seriously, the best grilled cheese around.  Garlic buttered toast with plenty of ooey gooey goodness in between makes this sammie over the top.  Must have?  Be sure to get their freshly made Bacon Clam Chowder available only on Fridays.

www.facebook.com/TheElevenElevenbar