Kona Big Island Ginger Beer

Brewed by Kona Brewing Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Kailua Kona, Hawaii USA

On tap at Koko Marina. Poured a orange/amber color with a small white head. Aroma of ginger and malt with some citrus notes. Flavor was malty with a faint, not overpowering ginger flavor. Having some bad experiences with ginger beers in the past, I was pleasantly surprised by this one. A great Kona beer.

On tap at Koko Marina. Pours reddish-orange with a white head. Aroma is pretty minimal, perhaps some estery notes. Flavor is bold, but perhaps a bit muddy. I struggled to really locate the ginger flavor, yet my girlfriend said she definitely tasted it. For me, Kona has toned it down to much. Ginger should be, at minimum, spicy, distinctive, and a great complement to hops. I didn’t get that out of this brew.

Tap. Ginger and malt aroma. Amber color with moderate head. Light ginger and barley malt flavor. Nice light beer with an excellent ginger flavor and only a mild burn in the finish.

When I went to the brewery, they only had this beer available as a growler and not at the bar, so I went out on a limb and decided to get a growler. I poured it into a pint glass when I got back home to NY. It has a slightly dark amber color and is a bit darker than I remember it being in Hawaii, so it could have changed in the belly of the plane. The taste is the same as Hawaii though, so it didn’t change that. You can definitely smell the ginger along with a slight malty aroma. The aroma is milder than I expected a ginger beer to be. Ginger dominates the taste, but it is not a sweet ginger taste like I was expected. It is very dry and there is very little hop flavor. The mouthfeel is pleasantly light although it would be a bit better if it was a bit sweeter. Overall, this is a good beer. I wish I had more than a growler to drink now that I’m back in NY and 5000 miles away.

On tap at the brew pub 11/3/06. Brownish copper pour with a small off-white head that would lace. Aroma was fairly mild but definitely evident of ginger. A little dry and bitter, ginger was evident and slightly sweet. Smooth medium body. Nice.

(24Mar2003--draft at brewery) 5.7% ABV, 25 IBU. The skeptic hat goes on whenever I try a spiced beer. Ginger, in particular, is easy to overdo. I was wonderfully surprised by this brew. Pours deep copper with a creamy, lacy head and active carbonation. Ginger dominates the nose, and is a bit overdone here IMO, but nowhere else. However, in flavor, the ginger is in perfect balance with Cascades hops and specialty malts. In summary, a well-made pale ale with some ginger added, though not so crudely as some brewers which might simply add ginger extract! Not bold, but very well made. Nice effort.