Beer of the Weekend #120: Longboard Island Lager
In honor of the most exploited state, the second beer of the weekend is Longboard Island Lager, brewed by the Kona Brewing Company of Kona, Hawaii.
Although I didn’t do an official tasting while in the Aloha State, I did drink one new beer: Primo Island Lager. I ordered a bottle with dinner my first night. It was awful — probably on par with Sol as the worst beer I’ve ever had. Before flying back to LA, I drank a Pipeline Porter at Kona’s restaurant/bar at the airport. Tasty stuff, but, otherwise, the only good beer I had while in Hawaii.
Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles. Date on the label is JAN2110. I assume that’s the born-on date. It better be, at least.
Appearance: Poured a slightly hazy straw yellow. One finger of white head developed and dissipated to leave a ring around the edge.
Smell: Faint floral malts with a crisp dash of lemon citrus. It doesn’t have that cheap, adjunct smell, which is a big plus.
Taste: Much like the smell, though still faint. Floral/barnyard malts, a slight nip of hops, and lemon citrus.
Drinkability: Although not complex, it’s very crisp and refreshing. Truly a good brew to have after riding the waves.
Fun facts about LIL:
-Style: BA classifies LIL as an American Pale Lager:
-Price: $7.49/sixer at the BevMo! on Beach.
-Serving temperature: 40-45ºF.
-Alcohol content: 4.6 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: From the Kona website: “Longboard Island Lager typically pairs well with lighter fare but has enough flavor and body to stand up to some heartier foods too. Try some with herb chicken on mixed greens, garlic twists, Greek pizza.”
-IBU: 18
-Gravity: 13º Plato.
-For those of you who don’t live in a Surf City, LIL is named in honor of longboards, the longer surfboards. The underside of the carrier has this to say about the beer’s namesake:
-Duke’s favorite surfboard — perhaps the one he made himself? — was at the Bishop Museum.
Now that’s a longboard.
-LIL’s motto is “Thirst’s up!”
The Quiet Man’s grade: C+.
Although I didn’t do an official tasting while in the Aloha State, I did drink one new beer: Primo Island Lager. I ordered a bottle with dinner my first night. It was awful — probably on par with Sol as the worst beer I’ve ever had. Before flying back to LA, I drank a Pipeline Porter at Kona’s restaurant/bar at the airport. Tasty stuff, but, otherwise, the only good beer I had while in Hawaii.
Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles. Date on the label is JAN2110. I assume that’s the born-on date. It better be, at least.
Appearance: Poured a slightly hazy straw yellow. One finger of white head developed and dissipated to leave a ring around the edge.
Smell: Faint floral malts with a crisp dash of lemon citrus. It doesn’t have that cheap, adjunct smell, which is a big plus.
Taste: Much like the smell, though still faint. Floral/barnyard malts, a slight nip of hops, and lemon citrus.
Drinkability: Although not complex, it’s very crisp and refreshing. Truly a good brew to have after riding the waves.
Fun facts about LIL:
-Style: BA classifies LIL as an American Pale Lager:
Sometimes referred to as “all-malt,” this category of beer refers to lagers brewed without cereal adjuncts (mainly rice or corn). Though often still yellow and fizzy, these beers will display a broader depth of malt flavor and a more complex bitterness vs. their adjunct counterparts.
-Price: $7.49/sixer at the BevMo! on Beach.
-Serving temperature: 40-45ºF.
-Alcohol content: 4.6 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: From the Kona website: “Longboard Island Lager typically pairs well with lighter fare but has enough flavor and body to stand up to some heartier foods too. Try some with herb chicken on mixed greens, garlic twists, Greek pizza.”
-IBU: 18
-Gravity: 13º Plato.
-For those of you who don’t live in a Surf City, LIL is named in honor of longboards, the longer surfboards. The underside of the carrier has this to say about the beer’s namesake:
Thanks to a lengendary [the spelling mistake is theirs] local Hawaiian, Longboards have been a constant feature at Waikki Beach for over 90 years. The great Duke Kahanamoku, father of modern surfing and Olympic Gold Medalist, paddled his hand-shaped, wooden board — a whopping 16 feed long and weighing 114 pounds — out into the surf to ride the waves off Waikiki. This behemoth was dubbed a Longboard and the ancient Polynesian sport of surfing was reborn. Today, in the shadow of Diamond Head, under swaying palm trees, Waikiki Beach is still the spot to learn the tradition of Longboard surfing. Here you can catch set after set of rolling waves until the sun fades below the horizon, and then it’s time for a beer!
Kona Brewing Co. pays tribute to the big board of surfing and this famous Hawaiian beach with our refreshing Longboard Island Lager. This crisp, pale gold lager is made with a few choice malts and aromatic hops brewed in a traditional lager style. Like the last wave of the day your favorite surf break, Longboard is a smooth and easy going brew that you can enjoy time and time again. Thirst’s up!
-Duke’s favorite surfboard — perhaps the one he made himself? — was at the Bishop Museum.
Now that’s a longboard.
-LIL’s motto is “Thirst’s up!”
The Quiet Man’s grade: C+.
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