Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – Hitting the beach with the bare essentials – surfboard and beer of course – just got a whole lot easier with Kona Brewing Company’s light, easy-to- carry 6- and 12-packs.
The 12-ounce aluminum cans of Longboard Island Lager (4.6% ABV, 18 IBU) are currently available in select states and will expand to additional ones early next year. Big Wave Golden Ale (4.4% ABV, 21 IBU) is being introduced for the first time.
Big Wave Golden Ale offers a tropical aroma and flavor. Its caramel malt and special blend of hops provides a quenching finish. Big Wave’s lighter body is ideal to enjoy with seafood, poultry, salads and light pasta dishes. The ale is made with Pale 2 Row Premium and Caramel 20. Hops include Millennium, Galaxy and Citra.
Longboard Island Lager is fermented and aged for weeks at cold temperatures to yield its exceptionally smooth flavor. A delicate, slightly spicy hop aroma complements its malty body. Longboard pairs well with grilled chicken on mixed greens, garlic twists, Greek pizza and turkey pesto sandwiches. The malt is Pale 2 Row Premium and the hops include Millennium, Hallertauer, Mt. Hood and Sterling.
In October, both beers were awarded top prizes during the 19th Annual Great International Beer & Cider Competition Awards. Big Wave won first place prize in the Light Ale-Golden Category and Longboard earned second place in the Lager-Helles Category. Longboard also took home the silver medal in the “Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest” category during the 2015 Great American Beer Festival.
About Kona Brewing
“Living the ‘Liquid Aloha’ lifestyle at the beach or just hanging out with friends may be a little easier now since the cans are lighter to carry and don’t break,” said Sandi Shriver, head of Kona Brewing Co.’s brewery operations. “In addition, we always strive to be as sustainable as possible so for our 6-pack can holders we used 96 percent recycled plastic.”
In 2013, Kona Brewing Company began producing Longboard Island Lager in 24-ounce cans and in Hang 10 Pint packs (16-ounce cans in packs of 10). A year prior, Kona rolled out the lager in 6-pack can cases.
Kona Brewing Company was started in Kailua-Kona on Hawaii’s Big Island in the spring of 1994 by father and son team Cameron Healy and Spoon Khalsa, who had a dream to create fresh, local island brews made with spirit, passion and quality. Today, Kona is Hawaii’s largest and favorite craft brewery, known for top-selling flagship beers Longboard Island Lager and Big Wave Golden Ale and award-winning innovative small-batch beers available across the Islands. The Hawaii born and Hawaii-based craft brewery prides itself on brewing the freshest beer of exceptional quality, closest to market. This helps to minimize its carbon footprint by reducing shipping of raw materials, finished beer and packaging materials.
Kona Brewing has become one of the top craft beer brands in the world, while remaining steadfastly committed to its home market through a strong focus on innovation, sustainability and community outreach. In 2014, the company achieved a milestone in its home state, selling more than 1 million cases in the Islands for the first time in its history. In early 2015, Kona Brewing announced that is investing approximately $15 million to build a new 30,000-sqaure- foot state-of-the-art brewery in Hawaii capable of producing 100,000 barrels (BBLs) per year. The new brewery will be up and running in 2017.
For more information, call 808-334-BREW or visit www.KonaBrewingCo.com.