My tale of Maui Brewing Company begins, strangely enough, at the Kohola Brewery. When I was researching breweries for our Maui trip, Maui brewing came to mind first and foremost. Maui is, of course, the biggest brewer on the Island of Maui, though perhaps less well known than Kona on Oahu. Maui has quickly become a force to be reckoned with all the same, growing from small beginnings in 2005 to projected sales of $20 Million and a capacity of 40,000 barrels today.

But back to Kohola. We were sitting at the bar and mentioned that we were headed to the Maui brewpub next. The locals and the bartender agreed we needed to hit the main production facility in Kihei, but that was 20+ miles away, and we had a luau to attend that night. By happy circumstance, our hotel on Ka’anapali beach was in between both Kohola and the original Maui brewpub, with each roughly equidistant to either side.

We took Lyft from Kohola to Maui Brewing, which is ensconced in a shopping center at what our drive told us was basically the last of development for a while. When you walk in the pub you are greeted by a sales kiosk where shirts and glasses and signs are sold (I bought one of each). The dining area is directly past that with the bar to your left and brewing equipment visible above it all. Maui moved main production away years ago and I suspect the equipment is mainly for show; they have grown so fast they had to move it again to Kihei several years ago.

We arrived around 3PM local time and I ordered a sampler and food to hold us over until the luau. The wife got an Ahi Poke Fish Taco which she devoured with much aplomb, and we split an order of house made kettle chips with an amazing savory Maui onion dip thick and chunky with strings of fresh onion. Each was $7. Barbara also enjoyed a house made root beer.

I had already enjoyed several Maui beers on tap and in cans in the preceding days. Maui beers are ubiquitous on the island and I saw them in bars, restaurants, convenience stores, parties and, later that night, would drink Bikini Blonde at the Luau. Here, I started with a sampler of four beers for $10. Pints were available for $7.

The last of the four beers in my sampler here was Maui Haleakala Sunryes, a rye IPA. The beer is named for the Haleakala (House of the Sun) volcano on Maui that soars over 10,000 feet above sea level and is a popular spot to view spectacular sunrises. Maui Haleakala Sunryes has an alcohol content of 5.7% by volume with an impressive 78 IBUs.

My glass of Maui Haleakala Sunryes arrived a deep russet color with a thick creamy head and spicy Rye and grassy Hop nose. Taking a sip, there is more of the same in the palate with a long dry grassy bitter finish. A very nice rye IPA indeed!

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