Kona Longboard Lager

Brewed by Kona Brewing Company
Style: Premium Lager
Kailua Kona, Hawaii USA

12 ounce bottle with cool Hawaiian label. Nice gold color. It has a lightly bitter, solid, rich flavor with hints of yeast and fruit. Nice aftertaste. This is a superior lager, and like a fine lager should, it would probably go down well in most situations. A pleasant surprise! When I first got it, I was expecting something like Corona - Hawaiian beer, cute label, must be a marketing gimmick, I said to myself. But no - this is the real kahuna.

Bottle. Golden colour with a white head. Light malty aroma with grainy notes. Malty taste with detectable hops.

Aroma is a light malt scent. Color is a bright yellow with a slight haze and very good carbonation that produces a thin loose head. Taste is sharp. Starting with a light body it goes down with a sharp feel then a bitter malt flavor that is very corn like. Its not a smooth beer like they say, though it may be a little refreshing. Its also not as smooth as you would expect a Lager to be. I don’t feel its a good beer and not something I would get again.

I had purchased several Kona beers recently, to either trade or away or to consume. I’ve always enjoyed their Pipeline porter, but this was a nice suprise as well. There was some corn in the aroma, but not over done. Light earthy malts, a nice pleasant sweetness too. Mouthfeel had a nice creamyness for a lager, not overy harsh in any way. Appearance is suprisingly darker than normal, with a nice amber hue and a soft white head. Taste was suprisingly sweet for a lager and quite welcome. A nice hoppy profile tied this all together very nice. One of the better lagers I’ve run across for sure.

This is a nice, refreshing, but tasty & slightly different lager. It is light gold with a thin white head that lingers. The aroma is grain, dust, lemon and mildly of yeast. The taste at 1st is an odd battle of sweet and bitter elements that don’t blend, but then they settle down into a smooth, pleasant balance. It is sweet and bitter, with a light, lasting flavour that is slightly different and hard to pin down, having some grain, lemon, and something I can only call algae. It has a crisp, light finish and faint grain aftertaste. All round, it is tasty but very mild and refreshing. Teh palate is a bit oily.

On tap. Poured a medium golden color with a very small sized white head. Aromas and tastes of corn, biscuity and some malty sweetness. Thin body.

Bottle: Translucent golden, moderate foamy white head, spotty lacing, very light carbonation.   Straw, grass, and hay on the nose.   Pale bready flavor, straw and hay accompany.   Fairly clean, and a bit hefty too.   Or rather should I say not thin as most lagers are.   Otherwise body and mouthfeel are moderate.   Semi-sweet finish, grassy, hay, straw... all that.   Fairly decent for something I was expecting to be rather boring.   Great hot weather lager.   Clean, a bit heftier than most, and just downright pleasant to drink.

This is a good drinkable beer. Taste like Yuengling but with more flavor and done Hawaiian style. If you are ever in the islands, give it a try and/or visit the Kona Brewery.