Kona Brewing Co. marked the official opening of its new, state-of-the-art brewery Monday in Kailua-Kona.
The 30,000-square-foot brewery located off Pawai Place in the Old Kona Industrial Area will produce 100,000 barrels of Liquid Aloha annually — 10 times the current production capacity of its original brewery that opened over a quarter-century ago at the end of the same road. All that beer will stay in-state, sold either in kegs or cans.
“If you can brew beer anywhere in the world, why not here in Kona?” mused Kona Brewing Co. President Billy Smith during a tour of the high-tech, sustainable and environmentally friendly facility.
According to Smith, the new facility boasts 1,211 solar panels, which will provide about half the power needed to run the brewery, a water recovery system, methane gas reclamation to power generators and a CO2 capture system.
“We are a very unique brewery, especially out here in the middle of the Pacific,” said Smith. “And we are committed to zero waste.”
Also new to the facility is a canning operation that can output 220 cans of the Kona brews per minute. Smith said the canning process used will keep beer fresher for in-state consumption. Beer in glass bottles will continue to be manufactured on the mainland.
As designed, the new brewery, which cost over $20 million, can produce eight to nine different beers at a time ranging from standards like Longboard and Big Wave to backyard batches only available in the tasting room and Brewpub. On Monday, the tasting room featured a special brew, “Purple Grain,” a unique ale brewed with Grains of Paradise and French Lavender.
The team has been brewing batches of beer at the new brewery in March 2021 after moving from its original facility adjacent to the Brewpub and Growler Shack. Tours began being offered in late 2021, though Monday’s blessing marked the official opening of the brewery. Tours, available for $20 and include tasting can be booked at konabrewinghawaii.com
Since the early days back in 1994 when Kona Brewing Co. founders Cameron Healy and son, Spoon Khalsa began tinkering with barley, hops, yeast and the bounty of unique flavors Hawaii has to offer, revitalizing the state’s commercial beer industry, the venture has grown exponentially, with Kona Brewing Co. brews now recognized and consumed worldwide. Their first batch was brewed on Feb. 14, 1995.
Brewery Operations Manager Ryan McVeigh, who’s worked for Kona Brewing Co. since 2005, said the brewery currently employs 17 individuals, with additional opportunities for Kona workers.
“Each batch is tested for quality control from start-to-finish in our new state-of-the-art lab,” said McVeigh.
The 27th annual Kona Brewers Festival, hosted by The Ke Kai Ala Foundation, is set for 2 to 7 p.m. March 12. Tickets are $200 and available online at konabrewersfestival.com.
The festival raises funds for a host of Hawaii Island programs working for the environment, culture and youth. Financial gifts from festival proceeds are made to selected nonprofit programs, who in turn staff the festival each year. Over the years, the festival has raised more than $1.3 million.
The event will follow the 14th annual Run for Hops that gets underway at 7:30 a.m.