Hawaiians are well known for their resourceful and creative use of the islands’ abundant agricultural resources, creating local food and drink that reflect and respect the “aina” — or land in native Hawaiian.
Hawaiian beer, wine and spirits can take the form of fresh coconut-infused porter, Hawaiian honey mead, wine made from pineapple or grapes grown on fertile volcanic slopes, rum and vodka distilled from local organic sugar cane and pineapple, and many other sips and suds.
For travelers who love exploring the world of tropical drinks, visits to these artisanal, family-run, operations often lead to fascinating, educational tasting experiences.
Ready to explore Hawaiian libations? Here’s our guide to Hawaii’s diverse world of craft beer, organic wine and artisan spirits.
KAUAI
Kauai Beer Company: In the heart of Lihue, this brewery crafts IPAs, malty German-style lagers, a schwarzbier, rice beer, oatmeal pale ale, barleywine and seasonals. The taproom kitchen offers a wide variety of eats — citrus ponzu pork sandwiches, beer-battered chicken or pork belly banh mi with house kimchi, seared local fish tacos and more — to pair with the flagship brews. 4265 Rice St., Lihue; www.kauaibeer.com
Kaua’i Island Brewery & Grill: In a warehouse near the boat docks of tiny Port Allen, the world’s westernmost brewery has adopted a quirky motto, “Last beer before tomorrow,” a nod to its location 2,500 miles from the international dateline. There are more than a dozen beers — IPAs, lagers, a wheat beer and more — on tap, and a food menu that features fresh-off-the-boat seafood, like a seared ahi poke wrap with wasabi aioli and an ale-battered ono served with housemade red papaya chile tartar sauce. There’s a tasting room in Koloa Village, too. 4350 Waialo Road, Port Allen; kauaiislandbrewing.com
Kōloa Rum Company: Crafted from pure Hawaiian cane sugar and rainwater from Kauai’s Mount Waiʻaleʻale, the rainiest spot on earth, this is the rum for that mai tai. The tasting room and gift shop are located on the historic Kilohana plantation, where train tours of former cane fields are popular with island visitors. Free tasting sessions daily. 3-2087 Kaumualii Highway, Lihue; koloarum.com
Nani Moon Meadery: This meadery and tasting room in Kapa’a serves up its exotic honey wines, including Buzz Squared made from local honey and Kona coffee, and sweet and spicy Deviant Beehavior, made with Kauai honey, Hawaiian chile pepper and organic white pineapple. 4-939 Kuhio Highway, Kapa’a; nanimoonmead.com
Hanalei Spirits Distillery: This family-owned and operated craft distillery on the north shore as many Kauai-sourced ingredients as possible to produce rum, gin, vodka and specialty spirits, such as Lilikoicello and Hanalei Alana Orange liqueur. Tasting tours available. 4241 Kahili Makai St., Kilauea; hanaleispirits.com
MAUI
Maui Brewing Company, the largest craft brewer in Hawaii, is known for such popular beers as Bikini Blonde lager, Big Swell IPA and Pau Hana Pilsner. (Ben Davidson Photography)Maui Brewing Company: The largest craft brewer in Hawaii is known for such popular beers as Bikini Blonde Lager, Big Swell IPA and Pau Hana Pilsner. Don’t miss the Coconut Hiwa porter, made with toasted coconut, and Pineapple Mana wheat beer. Maui Brewing has four restaurants, too, where you can sample their beers: two on Maui (in Kihei, where the brewery is located, and in Ka’anapali) and two on Oahu (Kailua and Waikiki). 605 Lipoa Parkway, Kihei; mauibrewingco.com
Maui Brewing Company has four restaurants on the islands, including one in Kihei, where its Maui brewery is based too. (Ben Davidson PhotographyMaui Aleworks: One of the newest breweries on Maui’s beer scene, Maui Aleworks makes rustic, farmhouse ales that pay tribute to the biodiversity of the islands. The vintage/modern taproom located in Maui’s upcountry serves up a variety of brews, including a hazy IPA, imperial stout, brown ale, blonde, lager and several sours. 30 Kupaoa St., Unit 101, Makawao; www.mahaloaleworks.com
Kohola Brewery: A partnership with Hawaii Island’s Kona Brewing, this breezy new Wailea tasting room offers flights and tastes of their pilsners and pales ales, hazy and West Coast IPAs and others. A cafe offers fabulous burgers, sandos and pupus, including poke bowls and a “hurricane” musubi. 112 Wailea Ike Dr., Wailea; www.koholabrewery.com/
Hali’imaile Distilling: The big Quonset huts in this tiny upcountry village are the domain of Maui’s premier distillery, which uses the vast Maui Gold pineapple fields just across the street to create small batches of handcrafted, ultra-premium spirits — Pau Maui vodka, Paniolo Whiskey, Mahina Rum, and Fid St. Hawaiian Gin — using a German-made glass still. Tasting tours available. 883 Haliʻimaile Road, Makawao; haliimailedistilling.com
MauiWine: A beautiful winding road on the slopes of Mount Haleakala leads to one of the island’s most popular upcountry attractions: MauiWine Vineyards at the historic Rose Ranch. Watch the winemaking process in the property’s historic ranch buildings, then enjoy a free tasting tour — offered three times a day — in the 1870s-era Kings Cottage. MauiWine makes white, rosé and red wines, as well as its popular pineapple wines such as Maui Blanc, sweet Maui Splash and Hula o Maui sparkling wine. 14815 Piilani Highway, Kula; mauiwine.com
MauiWine and its vineyards lie on the Hawaiian slopes of Haleakala on Maui. (Ben Davidson Photography)Ocean Organic Farm and Distillery: This small, family-run distillery makes vodka with desalinated deep-ocean mineral water and organic sugar cane grown on an 80-acre farm on the slopes of Haleakala. Ocean Vodka is charmingly bottled in small blue globes reminiscent of Japanese glass fishing floats. Tasting tours include a history of sugar cane farming in the islands and a peek at the 30+ strains of sugar cane growing on their grounds. There is a cafe onsite, too. 4051 Omaopio Road, Kula; oceanvodka.com
OAHU
Aloha Beer Company: Located in the popular Kakaʻako area of Honolulu, this brewery makes IPAs, ales, porters and lagers, some featuring unique tropical flavors. They also offer tropically-infused cocktails in their Hi Brau cocktail lounge above the taproom. Tours and tastings available. 700 Queen St., Honolulu; alohabeer.com
KoHana Rum: Made with a Hawaiian sugarcane variety — Ko — hand-harvested directly from its own sugar cane farm in central Oahu, KōHana Agricole rum ages for two years in oak barrels before finishing in koa wood barrels. Tasting tours daily. 92-1700 Kunia Drive, Waipahu; kohanarum.com
KōHana Agricole rum is made with sugar cane harvested by hand from the distillery’s sugar cane farm in central Oahu. (Ben Davidson Photography)Koʻolau Distillery: Located on the windward side of the island, this distillery uses artesian water and locally-sourced corn to craft its Old Pali Road Whiskey, Tradewind Gin, Kalā Vodka and Mahealani Moonshine. Tasting tours available. 905 Kapaa Quarry Place, Building 50, Kailua; koolaudistillery.com
Hawaiian Shochu Company: This distillery, Hawaii’s only shochu producer, uses California-grown rice, Hawaii-grown sweet potato, water and a fermented grain product called koji to produce about 5,000 bottles annually. Free tasting tours are available seasonally. 66-542 Haleiwa Road (enter on Paalaa Road), Haleiwa; hishochu.com
Hawaii Honey & Mead: Oahu’s only craft meadery uses Hawaiian honey and tropical fruits to make a mead that is crisp, fruity and lightly carbonated. Tasting tours available. 930 Palm Place, Wahiawa; manoahoney.com
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Kona Brewing Company: A stalwart of the Hawaiian brewing scene, Kona Brewing is back to brewing its beer on the island, including golden and blonde ales, lagers, a porter, a red ale, a hefeweizen and IPAs. There’s a taproom, too, in Hawaii Kai on Oahu. Tasting tours are available at the brewery location at 74-5612 Pawai Place, Kailua-Kona; konabrewinghawaii.com.
Big Island Brewhaus: Producing award-winning craft beers in a 10-barrel brewery, the selection includes lagers, pilsners, porters, stouts, bocks, crème ales, Belgians, pale ales and IPAs. An onsite restaurant serves up tasty burgers and sandwiches with an island touch. 64-1066 Mamalahoa Highway, Waimea/Kamuela; bigislandbrewhaus.com
Wailuku Brew Works: This homespun brewery makes craft beer and mead, all on tap in its taproom. It’s a great stop before or after visiting Hilo and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Shipman Business Park, 16-205 William Place, Keaau; wailukubrewworks.com
12th Hawaii Distillery: The first distillery to open in Kona since the 1950s distills spirits using pure, raw Hawaiian honey sourced from a local beekeeper. Although the fermentation process removes most of the sweetness, honey creates the exceptional flavor and aromatic complexity unique to every bottle they produce. 74-5467 Kaiwi St., Unit 1-4, Kailua-Kona; 12thhawaiidistiller.com
Kuleana Rum Works: This distillery at the Queen’s Marketplace at the Waikoloa Beach Resort makes its signature Hawaiian Rum Agricole with heirloom sugarcane grown on their 44-acre farm on the Kohala coast. Tasting tours available. 69-201 Waikoloa Beach Drive, Suite 805, Waikoloa; kuleana.com
Ola Brew Company: Look for small batch beer, hard seltzers, hard juices and hard teas with island flavors including ginger, hibiscus lavender, and lemongrass. There’s a taproom in Hilo, as well. 74-5598 Luhia St., Kailua-Kona; olabrewco.com
Volcano Winery: This winery grows grapes in the mineral-rich volcanic soil of Hawaii Island and infuses them with exotic fruit such as starfruit, guava, lilikoi and papaya. Tastings tours available. 35 Pii Mauna Drive, Volcano; volcanowinery.com
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