Your correspondent is celebrating on old mate’s milestone on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. If travelling for pleasure the objective is always to balance the time between cultural or scenic and the quest for new beers or bars. Sometimes you can blend the two.
Aloha Amber and looking east
Diamond Head dominates the Eastern skyline of Waikiki and is a mandatory item on any Waikiki tour agenda. Recognising our physical limitations and the predicted heat, your correspondent and two companions got on the road early to avoid the crowds and the heat. A tip for the lazy – drive to top carpark and resist requests to park lower down. Your patience will be rewarded.
Looking North East
The views are brilliant. We didn’t avoid the throng and the absolute peak viewing platform is very crowded and there is jostling for the right photo spots. I haven’t done the beerporn thing for a while. I’d forgotten the amusement/jealousy that whipping out a stubbie of beer brings to fellow tourists. Always important to drink a local beverage in these circumstances.
Aloha Amber is brewed by the Aloha Beer Company. It is hard to find out much about this company. They don’t appear to have a cellar door or brewery and their website doesn’t work. The Amber and Aloha Lager are available in the ABC stores which compete with Seven Eleven for ubiquity in Honolulu. The Amber has a good malt profile, but doesn’t have as smooth or warming finish of a great Amber. Not the worst Amber I’ve tasted. Plenty more Hawaiian beer to come.
Diamond Head and Aloha Amber
back of the ferry 