Molokai Day 2 – Good Beer Hunting

March 1, 2010

tags: hawai'i nui brewing, maui brewing, mehana Brewing, molokai beer, molokai wine'n spirits

by Eric

We fared a little better on day 2 in Molokai. We awoke to clouds, wind and rain that would stick around all day, but no sirens. (Where were the clouds yesterday when we were waiting out the Tsunami warning?) We decided to do what was originally planned for day one and head into Kaunakakai, the only town on the island, to check out their shops and see about planning some adventures. The only problem, it was Sunday and many of the stores were closed. To our fortune Molokai Wine’n Spirits was open. It is a small main street store selling wine, spirits, fine cheeses, gourmet meats, crackers, olives and what we found to be the best beer selection on the island. They had a lot of craft beer on hand; however I bypassed them all, looking for local Hawaiian Beers that we cannot get at home. We stocked up for the week with selections from Maui Brewing Company, Mehana Brewing Company, and Hawai’i Nui Brewing Company.

Beer fridge away from home

After loading the beer in the trunk we made our way north to the other side of the island (it’s only about 10 miles). This was more of a scouting trip than anything else. I wanted to get the lay of the land and an idea how far apart things were. Along the way, most attractions were closed (Museum, Molokai Mule Rides, etc…). We ended up at Paalau State Park, a nice tree shaded park sitting 1700 ft above the ocean, and Kalaupapa Historic Park. If we had only known about his place yesterday. There was a great lookout, and a short trail leading to the spiritual Phallic Rock. Can you guess what it may have looked like?

Our next stop was Coffees of Hawaii, a coffee plantation with gift shop and a small cafe. Surprisingly they were open on Sunday. We perused their gift shop and purchased some fresh coffee for home. We then sat on their covered porch, watching the rain as we enjoyed a cup of coffee and a cookie.

Meandering back towards the condo, we made a stop at a roadside beach after spotting several active whales about a mile out. We took a short walk, following the whales until they were too far out of site. On the walk back the car, the beach was disappearing quickly. Much of the beach we had just walked on was now under water, most likely a fluctuation as part of the Tsunami.

Once back to our home away from home, Wavecrest A-214, I loaded up the fridge and cracked open a cold one. First up was a Mauna Kea Pale Ale from Mehana Brewing in Hilo.

Brewery Description

Mauna Kea Pale Ale is American pale ale. The malts and hops are from the Northwest. This premium ale is dry-hopped for a minimum of 25days. Actual whole hops are used to give the beer a touch of floral aroma and citrus flavor. Medium copper in color with a superbly well-balanced hop flavor, it goes well with chicken, pasta and red meat dishes. It is named for the most majestic mountain on the (Big) island.

It was nice dark amber in color with a thin off-white head. The aroma smelled of sweet malt and floral hops. It was medium bodied and fairly crisp. The flavor was all hops. Starting with floral and finishing with a pine taste. All in all it had a lot more hops than most pale ales, leaning towards an IPA. It was clean and crisp, not remarkable, but very drinkable. (Update: this beer was much better after being chilled a little longer. The following day I enjoyed it much more. It was very reminiscent of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale)

The day was finished by lazing around the condo, watching Brotherhood, and sipping beer, resting up for day three.