Kona Wailua Wheat

In my mind, Kona has always had a knack for brewing beers that truly resonate with people. Many craft breweries will experiment with different ingredients and proportions, but often their creativity gets the better of them (and their product is an odd combination of discordant ingredients, like Budweiser’s Clamato mixture), or their additions simply don’t jive with the signature taste of their beer (like Bridgeport’s typical bitterness weighing too much into the roasted coffee of their Cafe Negro porter). Kona, however, matches the right flavors within its recipes, creating beers that highlight certain components without creating an odd clash of ingredients.

Kona’s Pipeline Porter is one good example of this (and, on a side note, all Kona beers feature names that hint at its Hawaiian locale). The 17-year-old brewery also makes the Wailua Wheat, a spring-summer seasonal that boasts passion fruit in a wheat ale recipe that is as light as it is refreshing. The proportion of citrus is just enough to direct the beer, while not being so dominant as to render the malts or hops irrelevant or incongruous. It is a great coordination of flavors, and, given its fruit qualities, definitely a useful “starter” beer for those who haven’t yet acquired a taste for brew.

Kona’s other main selections, namely its Longboard Lager, Fire Rock Pale Ale, and aforementioned Pipeline Porter, all boast a similarly pleasing background of flavors to suit the prominent ingredient(s) in each. Common descriptions of Kona include “crisp,” “refreshing,” and “balanced.” The Longboard Lager, though bottom-fermenting as opposed to Kona’s ale offerings, strikes some as caramel-rich, or biscuit-y, or a bit fruit-noted. Whatever the observation, though, it is a successful flavor profile that lends itself to supporting the other beers. When you add citrus and hops (a workable fruity and bitter combination), you get the popular Fire Rock, and when you infuse coffee and caramel malts, you get the espresso goodness of the Pipeline Porter.

The Wailua Wheat, however, has the makings of a real hit. The scent right out of the bottle reveals that you are about to try something more palatable and conducive to tropical island daydreaming than most. Matched with fish or chicken (something light that lends itself to citrus-y adornments), it can serve as an enjoyable sweet and wheat-y compliment to the meat. It almost serves as its own dessert. Its 5.4 percent alcohol content also ensures that you can have a few before your taste standards start to drop off.

Reviews sometimes differ on this Kona selection. Some find the passion fruit to be too dominant, some find the wheat to overtake the fruit, some find it too hoppy, and still others think it is too bland altogether. I take that as a sign that Kona has made something pleasant and appreciated. Though people may differ on their criticisms, they still appreciate the great balance and flavor profile used here. Consistently good ratings, and in finding new ways to put it down, they are really affirming its overall strength.

I say pick one up and picture yourself on Waikiki.