A new book tracks the history of beer in Hawai‘i Credit Arcadia Publishing "Hawai‘i Beer: A History of Brewing in Paradise" is a new book released Monday about the history of beer in the islands, all the way back to 1778. Author Paul Kan grew up on the windward side of O‘ahu and now owns a brewery in Pennsylvania. Kan said there isn't much literature about beer in the islands, so he decided to dig in himself. He shares his findings about the first beer on the islands, the popularity of Heineken, and a local brewery's relationship with NASA.