#378 Aloha Beer! Maui Brewing Co

 

I know sod all about beer.  I admit to that all the time, and the reason that I know very little is because I'm not very interested in it.  I know that this is a crime to many a beer fan out there, but it just doesn't float my boat.  I'm happy with a pint of Guinness, in the same way that a beer fan is happy with a £4.50 bottle of wine from Sainsbury's.  

But occasionally a beer crosses my path and I think "I have to try that".  Not because I know it to be something special, that would require me to do some research on beer and that is never going to happen, but because it is quirky.  It is something different and outside of the norm of yet another artisan Scottish/English/American brewer making a high alcohol, overly hopped beer.  And today, four cans of beer came across my path and were different enough that I had to try them.  

Founded in 2005 in Hawaii, the Maui Brewing Co. makes beer from local ingredients.  They are also sustainable, choosing to have their beer in 355ml cans as they believe they are easier to recycle, are lighter, easier to chill and package and eliminate the possibility of light damage.  Plus, they look really colourful and stand out on the shelf which gives this small Hawaiian brewery major brand presence. 

But what are the beers like? Here is what I found out.

Maui Brewing Co Bikini Blonde Lager 4.5%vol £3.00

A lovely bright, clean aroma, some hoppy notes but a lot of creamy, malty aromas.  There is a sweetness coming off that is quite attractive too and a little bit of chocolate.  The palate is creamy, light with some soft bitter notes.  It has a thick texture, but is very clean and leaves you with a nice bitter flavour in your mouth - a bit like licking a stick that has been smeared with a little bit of Mars bar minus the chocolate.  I like it.  87pts

Maui Brewing Co Mana Wheat Beer 5.5%vol £3.20
This is brewed with pineapple juice, and that is the first thing you get from the beer.  A sweet, almost canned pineapple aroma mixed with some rich, dried fruit aromas and a touch of bitter, dried meat.  The palate too has a bit of pineapple, but it is more of the pithy, pineapple skin rather than the sweeter, flesh that you get on the nose.  There is a bit of very ripe banana coming off on the back end with some caramel flavours too, and then some cereal.  It is nice, but not as well balanced as the lager.  85pts

Maui Brewing Co Big Swell IPA 6.2%vol £3.40
Billed as being hoppy, and that is what you get from the nose.  Lots of bitter hops, but with some sweet, caramel and toffee aromas with just a bit of dog biscuit thrown in for good measure.  A bit of herbs too.  The palate is hoppy, lots of herbal, dry, flavours.  A bit of charcoal and then some bitter, lemon pith flavours coming through.  The bitter flavours linger for a while, but then disappear gently leaving you with a flavour not unlike sucking on the end of a pencil.  It is a bit porno, but nice.  86pts

Maui Brewing Co Coconut Porter 5.7%vol £3.70
Brewed with "hand toasted coconut", but I'm missing the coconut on the nose.  I don't know if I was expecting something like Malibu in Guinness, but there isn't any evidence of the coconut.  There is a lovely dark liquorice and treacle aroma, with some dark, Parkin like aromas (a cake made of oatmeal and molasses).  The palate is soft, with dark bitter liquorice elements.  Some dried treacle and a bit of burnt toast coming off as well.  A baked tomato comes through on the back end.  Good and my favourite of the lot. 90pts

These beers are all good, well made beers, and after thinking that they were a bit expensive once they are over in the UK, I realised that they do offer something different, another brewery to add to your list of experiences if you are a beer enthusiast, and they are nice beers that I would try again.  

Maui Brewing Co.