United Nations of Beer

The Hawaii Beer Book

by Steven LaRue
(Utah)

The Hawai’i Beer Book: Bars, Breweries & Beer Cuisine
Written by Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi
2007
978-0-9796796-2-5
Watermark Publishing
184 pages
Ring Bound
Soft Cover
15.95 Retail

The opening page of the book is a poem called Es Gibt Kein Bier auf Hawaii (“There Is No Beer In Hawaii”); obviously written by a European. Luckily this is not the case now.

I have never been to Hawai’i but if I ever do, I will start with this book and make sure that it is in my luggage when I go.

The first chapter is devoted to the history of beer in general and the history of brewing in Hawai’i. The author has accumulated lots of pictures and labels from now defunct breweries; from the appearance of the first commercial brewery in Honolulu in 1898 until the present ‘Microbrewery Revolution.”

Chapter 2 of The Hawaii Beer Book describes all the current (as of this printing) brewpubs operating in the Islands. At least two pages are devoted to each brewery. There are several really nice pictures of each brewery and the pages have lots of information including founding date, brewer, short description, all locations, web address, draft accounts, awards, special events and a list of all the products offered.

As if several award-winning pubs isn’t enough, Chapter 3 is devoted to homebrewing. There is a short history of homebrewing, a list of items that you will need to make your own beer, several simple extract recipes, brewing websites, brewing clubs, classes and local supply shops.

Drink Fresh Local Beer! Make sure it is properly chilled! Use the right glass! Now Taste Your Beer!

Beer & Food - my favorite section of The Hawaii Beer Book - is devoted entirely to recipes that have beer as an ingredient. There are no specific pairings discussed, but there are some guidelines as to what beer to pair with specific foods. What style of beer goes best with BBQ, curry, dessert? There is also a list of websites devoted to cooking with beer.

Chapter 6 is all filled with all sorts of facts and information about beer; generally known as trivia. The origin of words related to spirits and beer such as “mind your p’s and q’s” and “berserk.” Who knew that these words were associated with beer? There are also some historical firsts and facts and a small section concerning Breweriana.

The last chapter of The Hawaii Beer Book is a list of great Island bars with good draft selections, Island beer events, beer books and magazines, beer newspapers, beer websites, beer clubs, beer podcasts and a glossary of brewing and beer terms.

I like The Hawaii Beer Book. It has lots of pictures. No, really. It is easy to read. There is a ton of information about Hawai’in beer and if you are preparing one of the recipes the book lays flat and won’t fold closed.

My only addition would be a few diary or note-taking pages in the rear. If you live in or are planning a visit to Hawai’i, then this book is a must.

UtahSteve

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