24th Kona Brewers Festival Winners Announced

March 12, 2019, 3:40 PM HST
* Updated September 8, 10:52 AM

Listen to this Article
4 minutesLoading Audio... Article will play after ad...

SWIPE LEFT OR RIGHT

“My favorite beer is the one that’s currently in my hand,” said Thomas Bleigh, innovation brew master for Craft Brew Alliance out of Portland, Oregon. Bleigh oversees the research and product development for all CBA brands, including Kona Brewery. He and other beer lovers packed the lūʻau grounds in Saturday, March 9, 2019, for the 24th annual Kona Brewers Festival.

This annual sell-out event brought together 36 chefs and 36 brewers who presented their best island-style fare and quality, small-batch beer. Guests were treated to craft beers often unavailable in Hawai‘i paired with food from the island’s best chefs and enjoyed hours of local entertainment.

Judges come from all over the United States to award winners for 28 different styles (see results below).

“Beer is meant to be enjoyed in social contexts,” said Bleigh. “When we are designing beers, we’re always thinking about how they will best intersect with food. It’s a marriage that’s meant to happen. We give wine a lot credit—and for good reason—but we don’t necessarily give it to beer. The Kona Brewers Festival allows beer drinkers to enjoy this pairing experience as well.”

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD

When Bleigh began designing beers, he would envision flavors within binary confines. Now he takes a more laissez-faire, diplomatic approach.

“When I thought of whites, I thought of lagers, and when I thought of reds, I thought of ales,” he said. “Now I like what I like, and I’m going pair things I believe make sense while also considering the role acidity and bitterness play. I believe food and beer pairings are similar. The best pairing is the one you’re impressed with at the moment.”

In addition to offering extensive beer tastings and learning more about the craft of brewing, Kona Brewers Festival is a nonprofit organization raising funds for 20 Hawai‘i Island programs working for environmental and youth causes, as well as cultural preservation and celebration. This year, the festival raised over $100,000 for local nonprofits.

Entertainment included local band Green Machine, as well as the infamous “Trash Fashion Show,” a performance of fashion-trash art and. The fashion show was a reminder of how the community can each manage waste more responsibly and creatively on a daily basis.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD

“This is the event all the brewers want to attend because it mixes business with pleasure in the most real sense,” said Bleigh. “When I’m at a brew festival, it’s amazing to be around people celebrating the same thing. Beer really does a great job of creating community. What’s different about this festival is it’s in paradise, even if it’s only for a few days or a few hours.

One aspect of the festival most brewers agree upon is Kona’s unique mission of giving back to the community. The philanthropic side of the festival is unique and exciting for many and keeps them coming back year after year.

More photos are available here and on Facebook.

Rocket Rod Kailua Kona Homebrew Competition Winners

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD

The Rocket Rod Kailua Kona Homebrew Competition runs through the Kona Brewers Festival. There were 88 entries judged and 137 registered participants, judges and stewards.

Best of Show winner(s) have not been posted yet. Big Island Now will post the results as they become available.

Winning Entries

Table 1: Cats 1, 5 & 6 (8 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style
1st	Stuart Montgomery Co-Brewer: Kevin Allshouse	Diamond Head Lager	1B: American Lager
2nd	Dan Meier	Butterbeer	1C: Cream Ale
3rd	Brian Bosscher Co-Brewer: Jake Parcels	Wailuku Wheat	1D: American Wheat Beer

Table 2: Cats 10B, 11B, 18 & 28 (6 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Shawn Crawford Co-Brewer: Karen Gast	Centuous	18B: American Pale Ale	Kona Coast Barley Boyz
2nd	Matt Shearer Co-Brewer: Steve Pine	Bees Knees Blond Ale	18A: Blonde Ale
3rd	Ian Langevin	Young Blonde	18B: American Pale Ale

Table 3: Cats 29 & 34 (7 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	James Brogan	D’Mango Unchained IPA	29A: Fruit Beer
2nd	Shawn Crawford Co-Brewer: Karen Gast	Time For Passion	29A: Fruit Beer	Kona Coast Barley Boyz
3rd	Harry Scott	Mango Mango	29A: Fruit Beer	Kona Coast Barley Boys

Table 4: Cats 27 & 33 (7 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	James Lane	Maple Brown	27A9: London Brown Ale
2nd	Matt Katakura Co-Brewer: Kyle Katakura	Chanh Muoi(Salted Lemon)	27A1: Gose
3rd	Lee Rodgers	Bourbon Barrel Porter	33B: Specialty Wood-Aged Beer	Kona Coast Barley Boys

Table 5: Spice/Winter Ales (6 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Matt Katakura Co-Brewer: Kyle Katakura	Streakfast Bout	30A: Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer
2nd	Shawn Crawford Co-Brewer: Garen Gast	Raider Waker	30A: Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer	Kona Coast Barley Boyz
3rd	Matt Shearer Co-Brewer: Steve Pine	The Horticulturist Saisin	30A: Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer

Table 6: Porter/Stout (8 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Matt Shearer Co-Brewer: Steve Pine	The Drunk Russian Bourbon Vanilla Stout	20B: American Stout
2nd	Shawn Crawford Co-Brewer: Karen Gast	Smooth Operator	20B: American Stout	Kona Coast Barley Boyz
3rd	Michael Opstrup	Waikiki Black	20B: American Stout

Table 7: Stout/British Strong Ale (8 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Will Carlson	Old Man Stout	16B: Oatmeal Stout
2nd	Nick Wood	Plain Jane Milk Stout	16A: Sweet Stout	Homebrewers On Pacific Shores (HOPS) [HI]
3rd	Dan Meier	Breakfast Stout	16B: Oatmeal Stout

Table 8: Belgians (7 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Sam Finder	Who? Wit! When? Where? Why?	24A: Witbier
2nd	Michael Opstrup	Aloha Ale	24B: Belgian Pale Ale
3rd	Paul Robinson	A Pale Belgian	24B: Belgian Pale Ale	Kona Coast Barley Boys

Table 9: IPA/Strong Ale (8 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	James Brogan	Whiteboard IPA	21A: American IPA
2nd	Steve Rohrmayr	Big Ben IPA	12C: English IPA	West Oahu Brewers Club – Makakilo Brew Crew

Table 10: American Ale (6 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	James Brogan	Winter Warmer Amber Ale	19A: American Amber Ale
2nd	Scot Ahlers	Archaeopteryx Amber Ale	19A: American Amber Ale	HIP Fermenters
3rd	Will Carlson	Lahaina Beach Coffe Brown Ale	19C: American Brown Ale

Table 11: Belgian/Sour (6 entries)

No winners have been entered for this table. Please check back later.

Table 12: Cider/Mead (6 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Nick Wood	Peachy Dreams	C2B: Cider with Other Fruit	Homebrewers On Pacific Shores (HOPS) [HI]
2nd	Shawn Crawford Co-Brewer: Karen Gast	Ciderhouse Rules	C1B: English Cider	Kona Coast Barley Boyz
3rd	Shawn Crawford Co-Brewer: Karen Gast	Apples & Oranges	C2B: Cider with Other Fruit	Kona Coast Barley Boyz

Table 13: Mead (5 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Vanessa Houle Co-Brewer: Devin Magallanes	Evening Sipper 2018-2.0	M3A: Fruit and Spice Mead
2nd	Mike d’Aler Dahler	Dark Meads Matter	M2D: Stone Fruit Mead	Kona Coast Barley Boys
3rd	Fred Housel	Tropical Tahitian Lime Mead	M2E: Melomel	Kona Coast Barley Boyz