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Whether it’s “I’ll have a hefeweissen, please,” or “eh brah, I like one Heineken,” beer brings people together almost no matter what their cultural backgrounds. Whether to exchange critiques on dissertations over a pint (or two) of microbrewed ale or to enjoy some poke with Bud Light on a family Sunday, Hawaii, with its tropical weather and laid-back culture, is a perfect climate for the stuff, with light-tasting beer having a special place on the palletes of its denizens.

But what’s behind our particular beer culture? Who or what has influenced the way it’s evolved over the years? How did some brands become so popular on this island chain in the middle of the Pacific ocean? Hawaii beer genealogy is almost as complex as the histories of the people who call this place home.

Beer papas

Given macrobreweries’ limited resources, it’s no surprise that large beer companies dominate the local market. But that wasn’t always the case. In fact, the dynamic was once flipped—Primo, a once-local brew, used to dominate, while people yearned for the then-harder to find mainland brands like Coors.

Primo

This is the stuff of the old-timers, the water for Hawaii’s watermen. There’s a mythology to the brand that was first brewed in Hawaii in 1897 by Honolulu Brewing & Malting Company, and for generations of Islanders, beer was Primo. To this day, Japanese tourists still inquire about old Primo memorabilia at places such as Pake Zane’s Antiques Alleyway on Kapiolani Boulevard, willing to pay hundreds of dollars for a Primo crystal chandelier and the costly shipping required.

Primo was truly Hawaii’s beer, until Schlitz Brewing Company began cutting corners in the brewing process between 1971 and 1975, causing market share to drop from an astonishing 70 percent to just 20 percent. Though Schlitz discontinued the cheaper practice, Primo never returned to the commanding position it once enjoyed. Primo sales took another nosedive in the ’90s after Stroh Brewery Company (which had acquired Schlitz in 1982) took over the brand. Among the causes for Primo’s demise was the wide sense that the quality, once again, had gone down.

After Pabst Brewing Co. acquired the Primo brand, there was a push to bring the storied brew back to the Islands. In November of 2007, a new Primo draft was introduced to select restaurants, and by June 2008, bottled and draft Primo became available in hundreds of restaurants, bars and stores statewide.

This, however, is not your uncle’s Primo, and it’s only the familiar blue label that’s the same—both recipe and bottle have changed. Then again, it’s doubtful that the Primo drinkers of old can even remember what the original Primo tasted like. The bottled product is now produced in Irwindale, Calif., and the draft version produced by Keoki Brewing Co. (now merged with Mehana under the Hawaii Nui name) in Lihue, Kauai.

Primo Malting & Brewing Co. senior brand manager Kyle Wortham said in a press release that the new recipe was born on the shores of Hawaii, going through several taste tests involving local pupu pairings on the beaches with renowned surfers and divers, such as Keoni Watson. The resulting recipe, created by Phil Markowski and Bob Newman, allegedly has the distinct rich taste of a craft-brewed beer with the smoothness and drinkability of a lighter lager. Primo soon plans to move into the California market.

While one can only guess how long the new Primo will last, its strength currently relies riding on the coattails of nostalgia, as evidenced in the company urging Primo fans to share Primo stories on its Web site. The brand is also staying localized by sponsoring a number of water sports events and local foundations.

Olympia

The late ’60s and early ’70s saw Olympia Beer’s height of popularity in Hawaii. This Washington-brewed beer, affectionately known as “Oly,” with the infamous tagline “It’s the water,” at one point had a healthy percentage of the market share. As to why it faded out, “Competition and lack of marketing is what it boils down to,” said Sal Bruno, a manager for Paradise Beverages, which distributes Oly. In the 1980s, nationwide competition from Budweiser and Miller weakened Olympia’s hold. In Hawaii, Anheuser-Busch did not enjoy being distributed by the same company that housed its competitors, such as Olympia, and eventually began to distribute their products separately under Eagle Distribution Inc. in the 1970s. Anheuser-Busch eventually bought Eagle and currently operates as Anheuser-Busch Sales of Hawaii.

Olympia can still be found in Hawaii, though there is a limited distribution, namely in value-oriented stores such as Don Quijote. It doesn’t have the same luster as it once did, but it still “tastes all right. It’s just not in vogue,” stated Bruno. One thing that has remained the same is that Olympia is still considered a sub-prime beer—a cheaper alternative to the bigger name brands.

Steinlager

First called Steinecker in 1958 and packaged in brown bottles, a 1962 brand refresh of the New Zealand brew oversaw a name change to Steinlager and package change to green bottles. Brewed by Lion Nathan Brewing Company and introduced to the Islands in the 1970s around the same time as Heineken, another green bottle, Steinlager found success in localizing itself, sponsoring canoe and paddle races. The slightly higher alcohol content, at 5 percent, also gave Steinlager an edge over its competitors. Growing demand also brought the brew to the Islands in kegs. Joe Tamon, draft specialist with Desert Isle Beverages and formerly with Paradise, advised the company to use the American-style Sankey kegs in order to accommodate its access to bars.

Even though Hawaii is currently the number one market for Steinlager outside of New Zealand, especially with the introduction of Steinlager Pure in 2007, “Brands are cyclical. 10 years ago Steinlager was a lot more popular than it is now,” Bruno pointed out.

Hinano, a Tahitian lager, also depends on the local popularity of Polynesian beers. While it has nowhere near the success of Steinlager, it is still locally popular enough to be distributed by Anheuser-Busch and sponsors a number of water sporting events.

Budweiser and Bud Light

Budweiser, the flagship brand of Anheuser-Busch, is the most well-known American beer in the world, having been the first brew from what is now known as Anheuser-Busch in 1879. The high level of Japanese tourism in Hawaii is partially responsible for the brand’s popularity, having “a perceived higher value because of its import status” in Japan, said James Baloaloa, director of marketing for Anheuser-Busch Sales of Hawaii.

In recent decades, though, Bud Light has surpassed Budweiser, becoming the number-one selling beer by volume in Hawaii, number one across the board in the U.S. and surpasses Budweiser sales internationally. In Hawaii, Anheuser-Busch beers hold 42 percent of the market share in the malted beverage category, with Bud Light alone making up half of that. Budweiser is now the number-three selling beer in Hawaii.

First introduced to the Islands in 1982, the localization of Bud Light to the Islands included the Hawaiian island chain on certain types of bottles, sponsorship of surfing events and TV spots. While changing the marketing scheme is crucial, the current trend is labeling Bud Light as “island style beer.” Drinkers of Bud Light mostly fall between the ages of 21–34, while Budweiser’s demographic ranges from 21–45, with a skew toward males.

Heineken

Brewed by Heineken International near Rotterdam since 1873, Heineken was introduced to the U.S. mainland in 1880, through the military’s beer distributor. Halted by Prohibition in 1920, 1933 saw Heineken as the first import beer to re-enter the U.S. mainland post-Prohibition, and marked its entry into the Territory of Hawaii market. For the first several decades, Heineken was only imported in bottles.

A re-introduction of Heineken to the Islands in the early 1970s by McKesson Liquor Company was also accompanied by the introduction of Miller Lite. In 1996, Paradise Beverages acquired the Heineken account, and took on an aggressive marketing strategy. The brand really “got its wings in ’98,” said David Lokar, Area Sales Manager of Hawaii for Heineken USA. Heineken’s marketing strategy in Hawaii is the most localized in the United States, followed by New York.

With its embrace of local culture, music and sports, Heineken has been the sponsor for Hot Hawaiian Nights, the Sony Open and the Makaha Sons’ annual bash for the past several years. And “as a full-flavored beer, Heineken is compatible with the local culture. It goes well with poke, et cetera,” said Lokar.

Hawaii is the number one market per capita for Heineken in the U.S., as well as the number one consumer of Heineken Light. Within a few short years, Heineken has skyrocketed to be the number-two selling beer in Hawaii. The younger demographic, ages 21–34, has really embraced the beer, which is richer in taste than lighter beers popular in the state.

The local players

How many times have we heard how valuable it is to stay local? Not only do beer aficionados prefer the richer taste and variety of special beers available from microbreweries, but the closer the origin of the brew to the drinker, the fresher it is—as in the centuries-old tradition of regionalism in brewing. Microbreweries have been coming and going since the mid-1800s. Unfortunately, many end up going, said Wendy Tucciarone, spokeswoman for Kona Brewing Company. However, as with most industries here, having the limited land space that small islands do, lack of funds to accommodate import prices and the non-ideal weather (imagine that) for the likes of barley fields, it’s near impossible to have a 100 percent local brew. To counter the aspects that defy principles of locally produced consumables, an emphasis on sustainability for companies such as Kona and Maui brewing companies is a priority. But despite the challenges, the market for craft beers in Hawaii grows annually and there are a surprising number of microbreweries on the Islands, almost all ready to expand within the Islands, as well as to the mainland and other countries.

Kona Brewing Company

Kona Brewing Company is Hawaii’s largest brewery, the 14th largest craft brewing company in America and the top-selling craft beer in the Islands. Created in 1994 by father-and-son team Cameron Healy and Spoon Khalsa, Kona has also been the organizer of the annual Kona Brewers Festival for the past 14 years. There are more than 10 styles of beer available, ranging from the Big Wave Golden Ale to the Da Grind Buzz Kona Coffee Stout, some of which are only available in Kona’s restaurants.

Kona has a sustainability coordinator, overseeing things like using biodegradable cups at festivals to using a whiskey barrel to catch air conditioning systems condensation to water the Kailua-Kona’s restaurant’s landscape.

While Kona’s distribution has expanded to both mainland coasts, in order to minimize the company’s carbon footprint and “under strict guidance, Kona Brewing Company also produces its bottled beer and mainland draft beer in Portland, Oregon, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The beer is distributed in 19 states and Japan, and it will launch in six states in the Northeast and the District of Columbia in 2009,” shared Tucciarone.

Hawaii Nui

A company formed just in January, Hawaii Nui is a merger between two Big Island-based microbreweries, Keoki Brewing (founded in 1998) and Mehana (founded in 1995). Andy Baker, co-founder and vice-president of sales for Hawaii Nui, said the Keoki name is in the process of being phased out, with the Mehana name remaining. There are hopes for some Mehana brands currently only available on the Big Island to be available on other islands.

While the packaging (there is no local bottle manufacturer) and ingredients are imported, all of Mehana’s beers are produced locally, resulting in the freshest beer possible. In terms of locally produced beer, Hawaii Nui is number one in volume. Beer packaged on Monday on the Big Island will be on retail shelves on Oahu by Wednesday.

While there is some export to Japan and plans to expand shipment to the West Coast, “We want to be the resident craft consumer beer of choice,” said Baker, “so we’re going to put a lot of effort into that.”

Maui Brewing Company

Only born in 2005, Maui Brewing Company has quickly risen in the local craft beer world, with its coconut porter already having won 26 awards. The company considers itself to be “the only 100 percent local Hawaiian brewery,” said founder and owner Garrett W. Marrero. This includes the packaging—all cans are produced on Oahu. While choosing to package beer in cans exclusively may seem counter-intuitive, Marrero said “cans are better for beer hands down,” as light and oxygen can’t get in, and carbon dioxide can’t leak out.

As there are no malting houses in Hawaii to malt barley, Maui Brewing’s barley and hops are imported. However, the company is experimenting with growing hops at Kapalua Farms and will start growing in Lahaina soon.

Examples of Maui Brewing’s sustainability practices include making biodiesel from the pub and using photovoltaic panels on the brewery. These practices and others won Maui Brewing a 2008 green business of the year award.

The company exports to Japan and California, and is considering expanding its market to Washington, Arizona—even Scandinavia. “But I won’t sacrifice ethics to do that,” said Marrero, if expansion would compromise the local principles he’s been practicing. Look out for the first Maui Brewers Festival at the end of May.

Big Aloha and Gordon Biersch

Two other local brews worth mentioning are Sam Choy’s Big Aloha line and Gordon Biersch. Only available at Sam Choy’s Breakfast, Lunch & Crab, the Yard House and Murphy’s, Big Aloha offers five brews. And while Gordon Biersch is a chain restaurant, the Honolulu pub and restaurant brews the signature Biersch brews on-site. Not only is this to ensure freshness, but to cut costs of shipping. The draft Biersch brews are only available at the Aloha Tower restaurant, but select brews are bottled and sold in stores throughout the state.

When asked about beers to keep an eye on, Tamon predicted, “Sam Adams is going to kick some ass.” Marrero pointed out that the bottled version of Samuel Adams beers, deliberately “have a bigger label to block out more light,” giving it a quality edge over some other bottled beers. In addition, with the recent acquisition of Anheuser-Busch by the Brazilian-Belgian distributor InBev, Anheuser-Busch’s markets have opened the gates to brews such as Stella Artois and Bass.

The increasing diversity of import beers combined with the continued growth of local craft beers in Hawaii make this the land of small, but plenty. With hopes that Hawaii beer consumers continue to become more conscious of their beer choices and their origins, let the new brews, brew festivals and beer dinners flow.