2020 in Review: Best Craft Beers Brewed on O‘ahu Signature brews, one-offs and specials too popular to stop brewing: These are the standouts from a year of local beer. January 6, 2021 Hawai‘i is ranked 49 th in the US for number of beer breweries, a list that shrank last year with the closures of Gordon Biersch, Home of the Brave Brewing Co. and Real Gastropub. According to the Hawaiian Craft Brewers Guild, only 5% of beer consumed in the state is produced here.
This hits close to home for beer lovers like me. I drink a lot of beer. I seek it out and love trying new ones, both good and bad. When I was asked to curate a list of the best O‘ahu beers of 2020, I accepted while realizing this is an entirely subjective undertaking: What one person loves, another may find undrinkable. My tongue drools over IPAs, lagers, stouts and porters, but frowns on sours and insanely sweet adjuncts. Beer is a rainbow of colors, ingredients, flavors and aromas. The fact of the matter is every brewery makes its standouts; each brewer has his or her own passions, style focus and aversions.