Hawai’i has a long history of beer making. Honolulu Brewery, established in 1854 (now closed), was the first commercial brewery on Oʻahu, followed by Primo Beer in 1901. After a long lull, the craft beer movement made its way back to the Islands in 1994 slowly growing over the years. Oʻahu has a tight craft beer community. From Kalihi to Kāneʻohe, brewers share their support for one another, as well as for local farms and restaurants, by creating collaboration beers. Besides having highly skilled, passionate brewers and a love for connecting with their community, these breweries are also all self-distributors, meaning the only place you will find their beer is on O’ahu.
Here are five to try.
Hana Koa Brewing Co.
Photo: Courtesy of Hana Koa Brewing Co.
“I like to cultivate memories with beers,” said Josh Kopp, head brewer at Hana Koa Brewing Co. His Midnight Pretender—a porter made with koshihikari rice from The Rice Factory in Kakaʻako—takes him back to his street racing days when he was underage, drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes in an Oʻahu parking lot until two in the morning. Once that tap runs dry Kopp will replace it with cortado, a coffee-infused stout he made in collaboration with TRY Coffee. The beer smells and tastes just like its namesake espresso drink with a hit of dark chocolate. My current favorite is Earth To Beer, a sour beer fermented with fragrant basil, lemongrass and lime that is so pure and bright it drinks like a muddled cocktail. Kopp’s go-to is the Rooftop, named after a time in his life when he and now-wife girlfriend and brewery co-founder would hang out on the roof of her apartment and drink Ballast Point Grunion pale ale.
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Since expanding his business, Kopp has acquired a number of tools for quality control and offers lab services for other brewers on island. He has also offered to sell his hops to other brewers at cost and invites them to Washington to visit farms, so they can select the hops together to ship back to O’ahu.
“It’s kinda like if you were the kid in the neighborhood that got the Nintendo first you shouldn’t be a jerk and not let the other kids come over and play,” Kopp explains.
hanakoabrewing.com, @hanakoabrewing
Howzit Brewing
Inside Howzit Brewing. Photo: Sarah Burchard
After a good surf sesh, owner Justin Heikkinen said he likes to pour himself a refreshing Put the Rad in Radler, Howzit’s lemonade slush infused delight. “It’s the gateway to beer,” he said. If the slushie radler is the gateway to beer, the Solar Journey is the gateway to IPA. Its fruity notes and lack of bitterness make it so easy to crush. Heikkinen, born in Seattle where the craft beer scene exploded, spent a good portion of his life in Portland where he became a home brewer. When Phil Pesheck, formerly of Burke-Gilman Brewing Co. in Seattle, became available he quickly snagged him to open Howzit. Beers here are ever-rotating. Heikkinen isn’t interested in having flagship beers. He wants customers to always have a new reason to visit. It will be a sad day for me when the Bonfire Baja runs out. The dark Mexican-style lager reminds me of my beer drinking days in my hometown San Diego. Still excited about the novelty of having a slush machine in a brewery I ordered the Kakaʻako Cold Brew, a coffee-vanilla cream ale, in slush form. Thick like soft serve, I could have eaten it with a spoon, but just like Heikkinen promised, as it began to melt the frozen golden ale turned into a frappuccino-like treat.
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@howzitbrewing
Inu Island Ales
Inu Island Ales presents a unique, modern approach to brewing beer. Head brewer John “Magic” Montes De Oca makes beers that people will crave and keep reaching for, such as the Mango Colada, a coconut hard seltzer that is thick and fruity like a smoothie. The Mo-Waka, a West Coast-style IPA made with Mosaic and Riwaka hops, is another stand-out. The modern techniques and lager yeast he uses amplify the tropical notes in the hops and make it so smooth and well-balanced it tastes like it is in a category all on its own. Montes De Oca champions West Coast-style IPAs believing they have gotten a bad rap for being overly bitter. “The way people make them now with modern hops and techniques lends to a much better drinking experience,” he said. The Coco Fumes stout is akin to a Mexican hot chocolate dessert drink and is meant to be shared as such.
Collaborations happen organically. Tradition Coffee Roasters in Kailua is one of Montes De Oca’s favorite local roasters. After sharing with the owner that he wanted to make a blonde stout with pandan (a herbaceous tropical plant that grows in Southeast Asia) and coffee he invited Montes De Oca to the roastery and taught him how coffee is made and how he selects and roasts beans. They tasted several coffees together to decide which would work best resulting in a beer that smelled of vanilla cappuccino and grassy, nutty pandan.
inuislandales.com, @inuislandales
Beer Lab HI
Photo: Courtesy of Beer Lab HI
Co-founder Nicolas Wong believes that living on an island means we need to support one another. Beer Lab HI does its part by constantly highlighting local businesses and sourcing Hawai’i-grown ingredients. For a chill beer garden experience visit Beer Lab’s newest location on Beretania Street in Honolulu, which offers 12 picnic tables covered by umbrellas are surrounded by two walls of murals, a modest walk-up bar (which also includes whiskey and wine) and a poke counter with smoked marlin dip, fruit tarts and dog treats. On a warm evening I sampled some new and old brews while music by Red Hot Chili Peppers played in the background: Omakase, seemingly everyone’s go-to, including mine, is a hazy IPA with low bitterness and citrus notes; Chasing Sunrises is a bright and refreshing sour made with passion fruit and the newest release, Green Rivah, is a collaboration with the iconic Rainbow Drive-In that tastes just like the local favorite lemon-lime soda.
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beerlabhi.com, @beerlabhi
Kalihi Beer
Originally Broken Boundaries Brewery, founder and head brewer Chris Cook changed the name to Kalihi Beer to better reflect what was most important to him. “We took on the name Kalihi because we are proud of our community,” he said. “Kalihi is the blue-collar lifeblood of this city, and while Kalihi, like any other community, has its challenges, you’ll find people here with extraordinary determination and ambition who are making a way to succeed despite lacking the resources that some others may have. We are proud to be a part of this, and we wanted our name to reflect that pride.” To connect with Kalihi the brewery hosts events and collaborates with a number of Kalihi nonprofits such as Hoʻoulu ʻĀina, the Kalihi Watershed Management Partnership, Fire Station 31 and The Pōpolo Project. On any given night you can experience live music, local art and conversations about conservation in Kalihi and Kāpalama.
Beers range from the most bitter of IPAs, such as the Hi-Fi, to Cook’s “desert island beer,” Bierfurdeinkin Hefeweizen, which is refreshing and pairs well with food. Cook takes what he knows about traditional brewing and applies them to an audience who is looking for something modern and new. His wildly popular Pop Top Kolsch can be found on draft in some of Oʻahu’s best restaurants, such as Peter Merriman’s Monkeypod Kitchen and natuRe Waikīkī.
kalihibeer.com, @kalihibeer
Tags: beer, Beer Lab, Hana Koa Brewing, Hawaiʻi breweries, Honolulu Brewery, Howzit Brewing, International Beer Day, Inu Island Ales, Kalihi Beer, Oʻahu breweries, Oʻahu restaurants
Tonight: Cloudy. Scattered showers in the evening, then isolated showers after midnight. Lows 59 to 66 near the shore to 48 to 54 at 4000 feet. Southeast winds up to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40 percent.
Monday: Cloudy with isolated showers. Highs 75 to 80 near the shore to around 65 at 4000 feet. East winds up to 10 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.
Monday Night: Cloudy with scattered showers. Lows 59 to 65 near the shore to 48 to 54 at 4000 feet. East winds around 10 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.
Kona
Tonight: Cloudy. Isolated showers in the evening. Lows around 69 near the shore to 45 to 52 near 5000 feet. Light winds. Chance of rain 20 percent.
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Monday: Cloudy. Highs 81 to 86 near the shore to around 67 near 5000 feet. Light winds becoming west up to 10 mph in the afternoon.
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Monday Night: Mostly cloudy. Lows around 69 near the shore to 44 to 51 near 5000 feet. Northwest winds around 10 mph in the evening becoming light.
Waimea
Tonight: Cloudy and breezy. Isolated showers in the evening. Lows 59 to 68 near the shore to 53 to 59 near 3000 feet. East winds up to 10 mph increasing to up to 20 mph after midnight. Chance of rain 20 percent.
Monday: Cloudy and breezy. Isolated showers in the morning. Highs 72 to 78 near the shore to 67 to 75 near 3000 feet. East winds up to 20 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.
Monday Night: Mostly cloudy. Breezy. Isolated showers in the evening. Lows 59 to 67 near the shore to 52 to 58 near 3000 feet. East winds 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.
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Kohala
Tonight: Cloudy and breezy. Isolated showers in the evening. Lows 59 to 68 near the shore to 53 to 59 near 3000 feet. East winds up to 10 mph increasing to up to 20 mph after midnight. Chance of rain 20 percent.
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Monday: Cloudy and breezy. Isolated showers in the morning. Highs 72 to 78 near the shore to 67 to 75 near 3000 feet. East winds up to 20 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.
Monday Night: Mostly cloudy. Breezy. Isolated showers in the evening. Lows 59 to 67 near the shore to 52 to 58 near 3000 feet. East winds 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.
South Big Island
Tonight: Cloudy. Isolated showers in the evening. Lows around 71 near the shore to around 51 near 5000 feet. Northeast winds up to 15 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.
Monday: Cloudy and breezy. Highs around 83 near the shore to around 64 near 5000 feet. East winds up to 20 mph.
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Monday Night: Mostly cloudy. Breezy. Lows around 70 near the shore to around 50 near 5000 feet. East winds 10 to 20 mph.
Puna
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Tonight: Cloudy. Scattered showers in the evening, then isolated showers after midnight. Lows 59 to 66 near the shore to 48 to 54 at 4000 feet. Southeast winds up to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40 percent.
Monday: Cloudy with isolated showers. Highs 75 to 80 near the shore to around 65 at 4000 feet. East winds up to 10 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.
Monday Night: Cloudy with scattered showers. Lows 59 to 65 near the shore to 48 to 54 at 4000 feet. East winds around 10 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.
Waikoloa
Tonight: Cloudy. Lows around 70 near the shore to 48 to 54 above 4000 feet. Light winds.
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Monday: Cloudy. Highs around 83 near the shore to 65 to 71 above 4000 feet. Light winds becoming northwest up to 15 mph in the afternoon.
Monday Night: Mostly cloudy. Lows around 70 near the shore to 47 to 54 above 4000 feet. North winds 10 to 15 mph shifting to the east after midnight.
Synopsis
The cold front has dissipated into a trough and remains northwest of the Hawaiian Islands this evening. High pressure will build in from the north and allow the trade winds to strengthen from Monday through Wednesday. Brief passing showers will favor windward and mountain areas in the overnight to early morning hours through Wednesday and then over southeastern slopes and island interior sections from Thursday onward. Winds will weaken and veer slightly from a more east-southeast direction from Thursday on into the weekend. Shower activity will remain limited during this time period.
Short term update
The large band of high level cirrus clouds and mid level alto stratus clouds currently over the islands will continue to slowly diminish through Monday. The cold front approaching the islands has stalled and diminished into a trough just northwest of the island of Kauai. Trade winds blow into the region and strengthen into the moderate to locally breezy range from Monday through Wednesday. A slight decrease in wind speeds and a shift from a more east- southeast direction remains in the forecast from Thursday onward as another cold front approaches the islands from the northwest, weakening and lifting the ridge north of the state. Local scale sea breeze winds will develop along terrain sheltered slopes of each island as the large scale winds weaken. Limited shower activity will prevail into next weekend with only brief showers possible. The afternoon forecast looks good. No evening updates.
Previous discussion
Issued at 302 PM HST Sun Mar 1 2026. Expectations for this afternoon remain on track. The boundary upstream of Kauai has made little to no forward progress today, sea breezes have struggled to establish owing to abundant high clouds, and showers southwest of Kauai and Oahu have essentially remained in place while stratiform elements peel off to the northeast. In addition, regenerating showers over Windward Oahu have dissipated in response to backing low-level flow. All told, an uneventful, cloudy, and mostly dry day across the state. Going forward, building heights over the N Central Pacific will maintain strengthening, but progressive high pressure at the surface. This in turn ensures the return of trades tonight which then become breezy during mid-week. Winds diminish slightly by late week as trades veer to ESE in advance of another round of upstream height falls. Typical trade wind weather anticipated throughout this time with showers focused windward and mauka. High clouds gradually clear from west to east Monday into Tuesday before exiting the area altogether by Wednesday.
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Aviation
A weakening stationary boundary will allow for abundant high clouds and relatively light land/sea breezes to prevail across most TAF sites. This front will also allow for disorganized showers across Kauai and Oahu tonight, however confidence was on the lower end based on weather model guidance, so made use of VCSH and PROB30 where rain chances were felt to be the highest. MVFR conditions may prevail under shower activity, otherwise VFR is expected across most sites for the period. AIRMET Tango remains in effect across the islands due to upper- level turbulence from FL200-400 due to this front, with conditions expected to improve into tomorrow as this system continues to weaken. Patchy mountain obscuration may occur due to the presence of this front, however observations and webcams suggest that the threat is not widespread enough to warrant an AIRMET at this time. Light icing is also possible in cloud layer 120-180.
Marine
Issued at 302 PM HST Sun Mar 1 2026. A dissipated front will linger into Monday just northwest of the area. Fresh to locally strong easterly trades will build in by Tuesday as surface ridge strengthens to the north. Winds will maintain strength but veer east southeast towards the end of the week as another system approaches from the west. Surf along north and west-facing shores will be above seasonal average as a northwest swell (310 degrees) is expected to impact through Monday. Surf should remain small though the week with a small northwest bump expected next weekend. Surf along exposed east-facing shores will be a bit elevated due to a short-to medium-period northeast (40 degrees) swell, then decline Tuesday. However, period and choppy conditions are expected to return by Tuesday as fresh trade winds redevelop and expand upstream of the state. Surf along south-facing shores will remain near the seasonal average into March.
HFO Watches/Warnings/Advisories
None.
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(BIVN) – YAS Fest, aka the Youth Art Series Festival, is returning to Kalākaua Park in Downtown Hilo.
The East Hawaiʻi Cultural Center is hosting the event on Saturday, March 14th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. “Keiki and their families will be treated to an exciting array of performances, craft and information booths, and art activities,” a press release promoted.
From event organizers:
YAS Fest brings together local organizations dedicated to providing arts opportunities to keiki and teens from around Hawaiʻi Island. By spotlighting their activities, YAS Fest celebrates the importance of arts education for everyone.
Booths include the Hilo High School Art Club, Hawaiʻi Handweavers’ Hui, Friends of the Palace Theatre, and over a dozen more.
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Headlining the performers is HAAStile (a teen rock band from Hawaiʻi Academy of Arts and Sciences, directed by Trever Veilleux). Audiences will also enjoy performances by Big Wave Dance Academy, Aloha Teen Theatre, N2 Dance, Hawaii’s Volcano Circus, Prince Dance Institute, and Kona Dance and Performing Arts.
YAS Fest is made possible by support from County Council District 2 and Coldwell Banker Island Properties. EHCC also thanks KTA Super Stores, Kelsey Ito, and Lō‘ihi Studios for their contributions.
Says YAS Fest organizer Kellie Miyazu, who is EHCC’s Youth Education Director, “Last year we had around 300 visitors to the first YAS Fest. There was a lot of nice feedback from visitors, and also from the organizations who were able to network with each other and the community. We’re expecting an even more successful festival this year.”
Visitors are also encouraged to stop by the EHCC patio across the street to learn more about EHCC’s vision for the year and how community support helps keep EHCC’s unique gallery and keiki programs accessible to all.
For more information, visit EHCC online at ehcc.org, call 961-5711, or visit EHCC at 141 Kalakaua Street. Current gallery and office hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, and Friday noon to 6 p.m.
A boy was killed after being struck by a vehicle today in Hawaii Kai, police said.
At about 11:02 a.m., a 37-year-old woman “was attempting to travel northbound” on Kukuau Place when the vehicle hit a boy who was in the road in front of the vehicle, according to a Honolulu Police Department’s Traffic Division news release. The child was taken to a hospital in critical conition where he was pronounced dead.
The driver remained at the scene and was uninjured, police said.
HPD did not release the boy’s age or say whether speed, drugs or alcohol were possible factors in the collision.
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This was Oahu’s ninth fatality in 2026, compared with 15 at the same time last year.
