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2013 Ann Cecil/Photo Resource Hawaii; Marjorie McBride/Alamy Stock Photo; Kauai Island Brewery & Grill

IntervalWorld.com INTERVAL WORLD Summer 2016

and a nut roaster that sells, among other treats, a dozen varieties

of flavored macadamia nuts. We left with an armful of souvenirs:

board shorts that made us look like surfers (even though we’re not),

Hanalei Bay T-shirts (so we could boast of our visit back home),

and a small black-lacquer surfboard with a carved turtle motif.

BEER FLIGHTS IN PORT ALLEN

As beer enthusiasts, we couldn’t visit western Kauai without a stop

at Kauai Island Brewery & Grill — known as the world’s western-

most brewery — in the harbor town of Port Allen. Most of the boat

tours in Kauai are based here, so whether you enjoy sport fishing,

scuba diving, or just want a spectacular view of Napali Coast from

the water, this is where you start. In the midst of all the tour and

dive shops is a large metal building that houses the brewery. Often

guests will dine here after a day out on the water, only to see the

captain and crew of their boat having a post-work beer. Bartender

Nat (the creator of the aforementioned magical mystery sauce)

suggests that if they did a good job, you should buy them a round.

Nat walked us through a beer sampling with several “tasters,”

which are smaller pours (in this case, five ounces) so guests

can try different brews before committing to a pint. I favored

the Westside Wheat, an American-style filtered wheat ale made

with equal parts wheat and malted barley. It paired nicely with

the ahi

poke

, fresh sashimi-style seasoned tuna. Christian, a

hops lover, preferred Captain Cook’s IPA, which he used to wash

down a chili–kalua pork wrap. Nat says the brewery’s most pop-

ular beer is the Lilikoi Ale, a lighter beer with a hint of passion

fruit. The taste is Garden Isle in a glass.

ISLAND-INSPIRED BREWS IN LIHUE

Located on the island’s east side, Lihue is its business center,

home to the main airport where most visitors land. Before our

return to the mainland, we stopped at Kauai Beer Company for

one last pau hana. Jim Guerber, owner, founder, and long-time

home brewer, opened KBC in 2013 with his son Justin. Guerber

has lived on Kauai for more than 20 years and uses Kauai lore in

the names of the beers and even the brewery’s logo, a rooster.

After Hurricane Iniki, the 1992 Category 4 storm that devastated

If you stop for a beer at Kauai Island

Brewery & Grill, be sure to tell

bartender Nat we say “hello.”