I felt sorry for those back in Honolulu who were drowning their stress and sorrows in Dos Equis, Heineken, Bud or Miller.
This was four years ago and we don't have our Brickskeller yet, but Shipley's Ale House in the Manoa Marketplace is trying, with a start-up menu of 70 bottled and seven draft brews. These range from the light fruity likes of Pyramid Apricot Ale or Grant's Apple Honey out of the Pacific Northwest, to hearty stouts such as Rasputin Russian Style and Star Black Cherry.
But beer is only half the story. At most pub-type restaurants, the most anyone can hope for is perhaps a decent burger. In the case of this "ale house," good fish and chips are a minimum requirement. These are excellent. The fish, fresh ono ($7.95), is moist and mild, coated in a beer batter that fries to a golden crisp. Companion pub fries are similarly sunny in appearance, enhanced with a sprinkling of minced garlic. Malt vinegar is set on the table if you want it. If not, choose ketchup, tartar or cocktail sauce.
Shipley's doesn't stop there. On the more ambitious end, the restaurant serves a Cedar Plank-Roasted Salmon ($17.95), juicy and subtly smoky, that evokes the tents, camp fires and the great outdoors.
Shipley's is named after its owners, and son David Shipley works as a manager. He was going to school in Santa Barbara, Calif., when he experienced brew mania. "In California there were 350 brew pub-style restaurants and it was nonexistent here.
"We wanted to have people see beer in a new light, to see it more like wine in its complexities and ability to merge with food," he said.
Thus, for fish and chips he recommends Anchor Steam or a Hefe-weissen, which offer a refreshing flavor complimentary to seafood and pastas. For one of Shipley's steaks (Blackened Rib-eye, $17.95; Teriyaki Stout New York, $17.95), Shipley suggests ordering a dark stout.
Other dishes include a Spinach Linguine ($8.95 small; $13.95 large) on the heavy side, topped with a garlic cream sauce with pine nuts, grilled chicken and a touch of nutmeg.
A Case-less Chicken "Sausage" ($13.95) is served as a patty, bursting with the flavor of cumin seed and tarragon.
The sedate atmosphere has changed little from the days of Cafe Brio. Will beer lovers feel comfortable in a room that is neither dark nor smoke-filled? So far, hardcore beer enthusiasts have been the first to respond favorably to Shipley's marriage of beer and cuisine. Will foodies be as welcoming? We'll see.
Where: Manoa Marketplace, 2756 Woodlawn
Prices: $25 to $60 for two with two drinks, beer or wine, apiece
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays, from 3 p.m. weekends
Call: 988-5555
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