Hawaii - The Beer Thrillers

Tapping into Heritage and Hope on Maui

paulrkan — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 01:22:50 +0000

Lahaina – Royal Capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom

“Our Lahaina!”

“Our Lahaina!” My sister’s text hit me like a shovel to the back of my head. The town was gone. Just gone. Although my sister and I grew up on the island of Oahu, home to Honolulu and Waikiki, we had walked down Front Street of Lāhainā just before the onset of the pandemic. It was my final evening in my home state after visiting every brewery on four different islands as part of my book, Hawai’I Beer: A History of Brewing in Paradise.

We strolled down the streets of the first capital of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi under the shade of a 150 year old Banyan tree the length of a street block, eventually making it to the stonewall as the waves of the Pacific lapped against it. The fire has wiped out the shops where we browsed and the restaurant where we ate dinner. The Banyan tree might survive; the stonewall is now remembered for where people leapt over it to seek refuge in the ocean from the firestorm.

Hundreds of people are still unaccounted for, meaning the death toll will climb above the current number of 114. Over 2000 buildings no longer exist. Those were homes, churches, museums and businesses. Among the businesses that have been lost are breweries.

The beautiful and peaceful view from Maui

“Maui deserved good beer” is what Garrett Marrero, the president and CEO of Maui Brewing Company, said during the interview for my book when I asked why Maui was a good place to start his brewery. He has been one of the strongest community members leading the recovery efforts. His brewery locations all survived. The same cannot be said of Waikiki Brewing Company’s Lāhainā location. Kohola Brewing Company was also completely destroyed. I remember its taproom vividly—the small bar near big warehouse doors is where I chatted with two tourists from Wisconsin about the travels for my book. A cool driftwood coffee table was off to the side. The photos Kohola posted on Instagram of their ruined brewery make me queasy. I can’t bear to remember it that way. And, as a one-time brewery owner, I can empathize with how much of the hard work and love of Kohola’s owners and staff put in to create a special place.

View from Maui Brewing’s patio

Kohola

Kohola Brewing Company

“Kohola” is the Hawaiian word for humpback whale and whales dive deep then inhale as they resurface. I have no doubt that Kohola and Maui as a whole will breathe and resurface.

We can help. For Kohola Brewing Company, they have a link on their Instagram page to support their staff. Maui Brewing Company has started a national, international “Kōkua” brew, a beer with a recipe that Maui Brewing designed and supplied. “Kōkua” is Hawaiian for “extending support and cooperation.” Any brewery can participate. Encouraging your local brewery to participate would be great. Buying the beer when it’s released will likewise help; 100% of the proceeds will go to charities.

For me, I kōkua by supporting the Maui Humane Society and Art Supplies for Lāhainā. As Maui resurfaces, animals and art can help it breathe again. I hope you’ll find some way to kōkua Maui, too. Mahalo nui loa (Thank you very much).

Paul R. Kan

Donate to Maui wildfire relief; get a free book. Paul is offering to send a free copy of his book, Hawai’i Beer: A History of Brewing in Paradise, to anyone who makes a donation of any amount to help Maui relief. It’s on the honor system, and people can e-mail Paul at paulrkan@gmail.com, after they’ve made a donation to provide their address. If you’re looking for a beer-related way to support, Maui Brewing has a relief fund that is soliciting donations.

(Please also read Paul R. Kan’s other article about Hawaii and beer here: From Central PA to the Pacific: A Beer Lover’s Hawaiian Journey An Interview with Alexander B. Gates.)

Paul grew up in Hawai’i and knows its unique culture, traditions, and history. He is the author of Hawai’i Beer: A History of Brewing in Paradise, which the North American Guild of Beer Writers awarded second place for Best New Book of 2021. He currently lives in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Paul R. Kan Articles

The following are articles that Paul R. Kan has written here for The Beer Thrillers:

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Book Review: The Greatest Beer Run Ever (John Chick Donohue and J.T. Molloy)

paulrkan — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 13:53:51 +0000

Paul R. Kan Book Review

Paul R. Kan is back with another book review. He has recently written for us with his story about Alexander Gates moving from Central Pennsylvania to Hawai’i and his craft beer journey. (You can find that article here: From Central PA to the Pacific: A Beer Lover’s Hawaiian Journey An Interview with Alexander B. Gates.) Paul has written two book reviews for the site now (so far), all beer related, you can find them here:

For more information on Paul R. Kan, please check to the end of the article.

Book Review: The Greatest Beer Run Ever

Odds are good that you’ve either bought someone a beer, or someone has bought a beer for you. Odds are still good that you’ve brought beer to a party. Beer has a type of social power that other alcohol doesn’t. When there’s a get together and someone says they’ll bring the beer, they’re a hero. It’s not the same with other types of alcohol. If someone says they’re bringing tequila, it’s like, “so it’s gonna be THAT kind of party.”

In 1967, John “Chick” Donohue used beer’s power to boost the morale of his neighborhood’s friends who were serving in Vietnam during the war. This real-life story started with a bar owner’s outburst in his Manhattan bar one night. Upset by the news coverage of people disparaging the troops fighting the war, the owner exclaimed, “Somebody ought to go over to ‘Nam, track down our boys from the neighborhood, and bring them each a beer!” The outburst turned into a dare that soon became a mission for Chick.

Grabbing as many cans of Pabst and Miller as he could carry, Chick used his merchant marine credentials to hitch a ride on a supply ship heading Vietnam. It would be a spoiler to mention whether Chick found all his friends and gave them a beer. Let’s just say that it was easier to get beer into Vietnam than it was for him to leave and get home. A series of events, often violent, hampered Chick’s ability to find a way to get back to his neighborhood and tell the folks at the bar about how their friends serving in Vietnam were doing.

The book is also about how beer can transcend national divisions. As you read the book, the political divisions over the Vietnam War are clear…but you’ll keep reading because you want to know about the beer run and not the politics.

The book is a page-turner; it can be read in one day. Apple+ has also turned the book into a movie, if you’d prefer watching the story rather than reading it. Whether you read the book or watch the movie the story has an underlying message—using the social power of beer to do something positive. Not all of us would be willing to go to an active war zone with a few beers to hand out to the troops. But, supporting veteran owned breweries or just buying someone a beer when they really need a boost are also ways to use beer for good. Thinking about how to pay it forward with a cold one could potentially turn into your own greatest beer run ever.

Paul R. Kan Biography

For more articles written by Paul R. Kan:

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The clock is ticking on The Battle of the Breweries (2023). The Finals Fatal Four Way is nearing its end (this Sunday – April 16th, 2023 – at 11:59:59 PM EST), so make sure to get your daily votes in.

You can vote here:

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The Battle of the Breweries (2023) – Conference Finals (Results Page)

We have also completed the first two Maps of Breweries – Maine and New Hampshire. You can see those here:

Next up is the Map of Vermont Breweries, I should hopefully have that done by end of Wednesday (fingers crossed).

Today we will start the articles detailing the four breweries left in the Finals Fatal Four Way. Starting with Tattered Flag Brewery and Distillery today, then tomorrow we’ll cover Allusion Brewing Company, and then on Thursday we’ll cover AleCraft Brewing Company, and then on Friday we’ll wrap things up with Mad Chef Brewing. The tournament ends Sunday (April 16th, 2023) at 11:59:59 PM EST.

Thank you everyone for reading and please like, share, follow, subscribe, all that good stuff you see at the end of every YouTube video.

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If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.