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Barfly Jason Genegabus |
New beer is toast
of charityFor most folks, drinking a beer is a decidedly selfish experience. We drink to relax, to feel more comfortable interacting with others.
But starting this week, local residents will be able to help save the endangered sea turtle just by knocking back a bottle or two of a new brew that's arriving at select Oahu liquor-serving establishments.
Honu Beer, the brainchild of Portland Brewing Co. head brewer Brett Porter, is a unique entry into the microbrew market. It is possibly the first socially responsible beer to be sold in the United States -- for every case that's sold, 50 cents will be donated to the World Turtle Trust, a Hawaii-based nonprofit unit that works with turtle conservation groups worldwide.
It seemed like a no-brainer for Porter, who originally got the idea while spending time at his family's condo on Maui in 1999.
"My father was telling me about this colony of sea turtles that lived out beyond the reef," he said. "I went out there with my brothers, and like everyone who's seen them, I was flabbergasted by how cool ... and how gentle they were."
FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STAR-BULLETIN.COM
Ann Marie Manzulli, George O'Hanlon, Ming Koshi and Roz Rapozo enjoyed Honu Beer at the kickoff party in the Esprit Nightclub in the Sheraton Waikiki Monday.
FOUR YEARS passed before he was able to act on the concept, but in 2003, Porter established the Honu Brewing Co. as a subsidiary of Portland Brewing and got to work on formulating the new beer.
"It was brewed for this market," Porter said while hosting a kickoff party at the Sheraton Waikiki on Monday. "This was something new for us. It's unlike any other beer that's brewed in the United States right now -- getting that pale color with 100 percent malt is impossible without some special brewing techniques that we had to develop."
Also developed was a unique way of labeling the beer. An image of a sea turtle is printed on the reverse side of the back label, making it look like the animal is swimming through the golden ale. Porter says the creative labeling will not only highlight the environmentally conscious aspect of the beer, but also showcase it as a viable alternative to other light beers that currently dominate the local market.
Fifty cents from every case sold goes to the World Turtle Trust, a Hawaii-based nonprofit unit that works for turtle conservation.
BUT WHAT about the taste? Although more research needs to be done by this columnist (I only got to try two bottles before having to leave), I can say that Honu Beer tastes like a darker beer than its pale color would have you believe. Honu Brewing's use of 100 percent pale malted barley with no additional types of grain or corn syrup added help to set this beer apart from the likes of Bud Light, Coors Light or Michelob Ultra.
The important question, however, is how much will it cost to pick up a six-pack of the stuff? According to Paradise Beverages, the company distributing the beer locally, expect a regular price around $7.49 per six-pack. Introductory specials will bring the price down a bit to start, giving local residents a chance to try the brew.
Honu Beer's initial shipment of 1,400 cases was quickly snapped up by local retailers, raising $700 for the World Turtle Trust. It may not seem like a lot, but WTT spokesperson John Lindelow hopes to see "tens of thousands of dollars per year" going to programs in India, Africa, Panama and the Caribbean in addition to Hawaii if the beer becomes popular.
And that would suit Porter just fine. "We wanted this not to just be a token gesture," he said. "We wanted to do some good work for the World Turtle Trust."
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Barfly appears every Friday in Star-Bulletin Weekend.
E-mail Jason Genegabus at jason@starbulletin.com with suggestions of neighborhood bars to visit.
