Kick back at isle brewery
SAM CHOY'S BIG ALOHA BREWERY
Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays;
6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays through Sundays
Location: 580 N. Nimitz Highway
(inside Sam Choy's Breakfast, Lunch and Crab House)
Phone: 545-7979
MOST OF the time the Barfly is all about searching out the spots with cheap beer and ono-kine pupus. But sometimes you need to remember to buy Hawaii, and what better way to support our local economy than downing a few pints of Hawaii-brewed beer?
Sam Choy's Big Aloha Brewery is one of only two places on Oahu where someone can drink a beer that's been made on the premises -- no packaging it in a bottle or can, no shipping the beer through different time zones to get it here and no worries about getting a skunky beer. Everything served at the Big Aloha Brewery ultimately travels just a few feet from the brewing tanks near the bar area to the taps, promising nothing but the freshest beer possible.
Make no mistake, a trip to the Big Aloha Brewery isn't for those on a budget. Pints go for $4.50 each, although a smaller 10-ounce glass is available for $3.25. If it's your first time visiting the brewery, try the beer sampler ($6.75). You'll get a taste of all six beers on tap without having to dish out the cash for a full glass of each brew.
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STAR-BULLETIN.COM
Kehau Parker offers Sam Choy's beer sampler. From left, Green Bottle Lager, Kakaako Cream Ale, Ehu Ale, Hefe-Weizen, Steamship Lager and Kiawe Honey Porter.
And along with the Kakaako Cream Ale, Green Bottle Lager, Ehu Ale, Hefe-Weizen, Steamship Lager and Kiawe Honey Porter, brewmaster Dave Campbell also produces a variety of seasonal beers that are served for a limited time each year. Right now a fresh batch of India Pale Ale is on tap, a rich amber-colored beer that goes down without any bitterness. If I wasn't enjoying my Kakaako Cream Ale so much, I would have switched to the India Pale Ale after our bartender gave us a sample.
Since the Big Aloha Brewery is located inside Sam Choy's Breakfast, Lunch and Crab House, there are a lot of different food choices available. Once you've ventured back to the far left corner of the restaurant where the bar is located, sit down at one of the six barstools and ask for a pupu menu. Choices range from Sam's Famous Fried Rice ($3.95), flash-fried poke ($8.95) and golden fried oysters ($9.25) to the slightly more expensive Island Coconut Shrimp ($11.95) and BBQ Baby Back Ribs ($12.95). We were also told that it was okay to order off the restaurant's lunch or dinner menus and eat at the bar, too.
It's too bad the offerings from the Big Aloha Brewery aren't available anywhere else on Oahu other than the Nimitz Highway and Kapahulu Avenue restaurants that share Sam Choy's name. After countless nights of guzzling Bud Light and Heineken, it was nice to sit down with a quality microbrew and enjoy the body and flavor of a beer brewed with no additives or preservatives other than a heaping serving of aloha.
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STAR-BULLETIN.COM
Stacey Warshauer, left, and Lynda Bordi toast each other over their beer sampler. The two are visiting from San Jose, Calif.
How much for a Bud Light?
As Tony Soprano would say, "Fuggedaboutit." The only beers available at Sam Choy's Big Aloha Brewery are the ones brewmaster Dave Campbell makes himself. Grab a pint for $4.50, or try a beer sampler for $6.75. Hard liquor is also available, with prices ranging from $4.50 to upward of $8.
Get things to do?
One of the only drawbacks of the Big Aloha Brewery bar is the fact that it's located inside Sam Choy's Breakfast, Lunch and Crab House. Other than a pair of televisions above the bar, there's nothing much to do besides drink and talk story with the bartender on duty.
What about the grinds?
The Barfly didn't want to spend a lot of money, so we stuck to the more reasonably-priced Spicy Chili Garlic Tater Tots ($3.95) and Sam's Favorite Burger with cheese ($8.25). The chili-flake-covered and garlic-topped tater tots weren't too spicy, but still had enough bite to keep us reaching for our beers. The burger was pretty good too.
And the help?
Our bartender, Glen, looked pretty lonely on the night the Barfly visited. We were the only customers at the bar the entire evening, so Glen had a chance to kick back and talk a bit between filling orders for the main restaurant area. Our food also came out quickly, and our glasses were promptly refilled when they were emptied.
Barfly appears every Friday in Star-Bulletin Weekend.
E-mail Jason Genegabus at jason@starbulletin.com with suggestions of neighborhood bars to visit.
