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Barfly Jason Genegabus |
Beer fest fills void
Willows kicks off annual event
JUDGING from e-mail that I've received lately, the indefinite postponement of this year's Great Diamond Head Beer Fest was a huge disappointment for Oahu beer lovers.For the past three years, hundreds of brews were sampled in a grassy area behind the Waikiki Shell, with food booths from local restaurants and live entertainment.
But it looks like that annual tasting party is pau, replaced on a smaller scale by the Willows' Winter Beer Festival that took place Tuesday.
ACCORDING TO Kyle Nakayama, managing director at the restaurant, the idea wasn't to replace the bigger event at the Shell.
"It wasn't a planned effort," he said Tuesday night. "We've been talking about it for the past year, trying to find the right time."
While other bars and restaurants around town frequently host wine tastings, there aren't as many places for beer drinkers to go for quality brew. It's even harder to find an establishment that pours a wide variety of seasonal beers, which are only released at specific times and usually cost a bit more per bottle.
"There isn't anything out there that's dedicated to seasonal beers," said Nakayama. "With the holidays coming up, we decided to bring all the beer companies in ... (so) people could try them here before they go out to the market and spend their money."
Every year some breweries develop a special recipe for their ales. Above, a couple of the offerings at the Willows' Winter Beer Festival.
Beer was a seasonal beverage by design, and it wasn't until the advent of modern refrigeration technology in the 19th century that breweries were able to continue production year-round.
Most European brewers, however, continued with the practice of releasing selected beers only at certain times. Here in America, brothers Kurt and Rob Widmer began to increase the popularity of seasonals when they opened the Widmer Brothers Brewing Company in 1984.
These days, dozens of breweries around the country offer a wide variety of seasonal brew. At the Willows this week, more than a dozen beers were available for tasting, with names like Pumpkin Ale, Mac Frost, Winter Welcome and Chocolate Bock.
MY FAVORITE of the bunch was Chimay's Grand Reserve, which also happened to be the beer with the highest content of alcohol by volume. At nine percent ABV, this stuff is almost twice as strong as some of the more popular domestics out there.
Some folks who drink Grand Reserve are known to actually store the beer as you would a bottle of wine, keeping it in a cool place and not drinking it for five, 10 or even 15 years.
Another interesting beer was Anchor Brewing's 2004 Christmas Ale. Each year the brewery develops a unique recipe for the ale, with hard-core fans diligently storing a few bottles to open at a later time and compare with other vintages.
Most winter beers are darker in color and tend to be a little bitter. Deschutes Brewery's Jubelale was probably the most bitter of all the beers I tasted Tuesday, even though it wasn't as dark as Samuel Adams' Chocolate Bock or Brew Moon's Kona Coffee Oatmeal Stout.
But don't let that darkness scare you -- one of my favorite local beers is the Keawe Honey Porter from Sam Choy's Big Aloha Brewery. It looks like you're drinking cola instead of beer, but this stuff goes down really smooth with just a touch of sweetness. Definitely worth a try, if you ask me.
WITH A tasty pupu spread of ahi poke, garlic chicken, fried rice, noodles and soybeans, live entertainment by Kalaeloa and tranquil garden surroundings, the Willows delivered for beer fans willing to fork over $25 per ticket.
Didn't get a chance to make it to the restaurant this week? The good news, according to Nakayama, is that the Winter Beer Festival will return in 2005. Also in the works is a beer of the month promotion, featuring lesser-known offerings that also are available on local store shelves.
"I think there aren't enough events like this around town, focusing on quality beer and the finer microbrews," he said.
I'd have to agree with that sentiment. See you at next year's festival!
E-mail Jason Genegabus at jason@starbulletin.com with suggestions of neighborhood bars to visit.