INhonolulu Magazine Issue #16 - April 2014 | Page 32

From page 31
Waikīkī, with locals driving in
from the slopes of Mount Hualālei
(sometimes from even further
afield) to work in the service and
tourist industry jobs of Kailua.
But once you drive out of the
town (either south toward Captain Cook, or north toward Kohala), with so little traffic on the
highways thoughts of Honolulu
blow right out the window. In
fact, if it wasn’t for the beautiful Hawai‘i waters and striking
Pāhoehoe and ‘A‘ā-covered landscape that dominates the Kona
region, driving along Hawai‘i’s
highways feels more like driving
on the mainland—a feeling that
only increased when we traversed
across the rolling, high meadows
of Mount Kohala (an area sometimes referred to as “Little Ireland”) on our last day.
The brew festival, first created
as a celebration of Kona Brewing
Company and its island-themed
beers, has grown in the 19 years
since its creation to include some
40 breweries from around the
country participating in a weeklong celebration that includes a
beer-pairing dinner, a benefit art
auction, a cruise and the Run for
Hops race that takes place the
morning before the main event:
the public tasting.
Since its creation, the festival
has raised more than $650,000
for a variety of charitable organizations, all while promoting craft
brewing in Hawai‘i and encouraging professional collaboration
between brewers, chefs and distributors. On top of this, the festival has achieved a zero-waste net
footprint, protecting Hawai‘i’s environment at the same time that it
gives a boost to its small businessPage 32

es and home-brewers.
Amateur brewers ourselves,
Rob and I were particularly interested in picking the brains of as
many brewers and owners as possible. While two great Hawai‘i island bands kept the music playing
and a steady crowd of beer-drinkers dancing, we did our best to
meet as many industry experts as
we could.
One of the brewers we met was
Geoffrey Seideman, the owner and
brewer of Honolulu Beerworks, a
brand new company that produced
some of its first official batch