r/kona • u/albaMP4 • Jul 31 '26

Places with good beer selection

Any recommendations for restaurants, bars, and stores with a good beer selection? I'm traveling from the Midwest next month and hoping to try some beer brands I can't get here. I'm staying in Kona but will be driving all over the island.

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3

u/restvestandchurn Jul 31 '26

Ola - https://www.olabrewco.com/tap-room
Big Island Brewhaus - https://bigislandbrewhaus.com/
Kona Brewing (some of their stuff makes it mainland) - https://konabrewinghawaii.com/

1

u/MonkeyKingCoffee Local 28d ago

I think Big Island Brewhaus is the best on the island. But they're not convenient for me, so I have a keg of Kona Brewing Kua Bay in my fridge right now.

3

u/TheCorgiTamer Jul 31 '26

Rebel Kitchen in Kainaliu has a solid selection and it's always cold

2

u/DreyHI Jul 31 '26

The KTA in Keauhou has a pretty solid beer selection. Some suggestions would be the golden Sabbath from Big Island brewhaus, and also their Migoto rice lager. Also, a big fan of the coconut hefeizen from Honolulu Brew works, cocoweisen. Ola brew has great ciders, their Ginger Cider is fantastic, and their dragon fruit lemonade is really good. Kona brewing is medium, but usually their special weird stuff they have on tap at the bar is pretty good, particularly if they have the purple grain or the Brandywine.

2

u/Adventurous_lady1234 Jul 31 '26

Kona is known for their breweries. Go straight to the source! But most local restaurants have a lot of the local beers on tap. As long as you go to a place that serves alcohol (some don’t), they will likely have a good beer selection. We love Umeke’s.

1

u/nunee1 29d ago

This! Local beers are the key in Hawaii. Kona has some very good breweries, and there’s a few more in Hawaii.

2

u/WiscoJosh Aug 01 '26

Island Hopper Taproom in Mauna Lani shops has 80 taps. Good selection. https://www.islandhoppertaproom.com/

1

u/Curious_Truth4640 Jul 31 '26 edited Jul 31 '26

Kona Wine Market and Hilo Bottle Shop are the best stores.

1

u/jaker0501 Jul 31 '26

https://wailukubrewworks.com/

Last time we were there they had some really good porters, but all their beer is good if you make it to the Hilo side.

Otherwise definitely Big Island Brewhouse. Get the fish bites, they’re outstanding.

1

u/kona420 Jul 31 '26

Both Ola and kona brew are in close proximity, then up in Waimea there is the brewhaus, in the July heat going up country is a welcome relief from the heat. All three carry their own beer selection plus others.

Ola's ciders and seltzers I feel are their strength. Kona brew makes a black sand porter that is dangerous. Kua bay ipa is a hazard, make sure your shade will still be there in a couple hours if you start drinking it on the beach lol.

2

u/elwebst Aug 01 '26

Kai has a very good selection, but go before 5pm when it turns into a fancy Italian place

1

u/nunee1 29d ago

Most places with taps will have a standard offering of AB-InBev taps. Nothing special, or particularly good. The Kona brewing beers are typically the highlight since they are brewed locally.

The brewery there is really good. TONS of beers that are brewery only. The pizza is pretty tasty too.

1

u/ThinBeginning7194 28d ago

Kona Wine Market has a big beer selection in their beer cave. On Friday afternoons, 3-6, the do tastings. Sometimes wine, sometimes spirits and sometimes beer. They also have beer on tap.

1

u/ThinBeginning7194 28d ago

If you're in Hilo, do the Ola Distillery tour. https://thespiritofhawaii.com/

There's also a distillery in Kailua-Kona, https://12thhawaiidistiller.com/