Beyond Craft Beer: Maui Brewing Co. Marks 15 Years with New Cocktails and More

As Hawaii’s first—and now largest—craft brewery, Maui Brewing Co. has always been a leader in all things beer. The brewery has been instrumental in growing the craft beer scene in Hawaii—with nearly 75 percent of its beer produced staying on the islands. And cities like Oahu, home of Maui Brewing Co.’s second outpost, are now heralded as craft beer hotspots.

Going beyond the barrel, the Hale ‘Aina Gold Winner is taking its creativity to another first: launching Hawaii’s first locally made, ready-to-drink canned cocktail line, Kupu Spirits. Following on the brand’s skill in incorporating the flavors of the islands, new cocktails like Whiskey Cola, Whiskey Ginger and a Gin & Tonic blend are infused with local ingredients: island honey, cane sugar, and Hawaii-grown ginger. Also answering the call to the latest health-conscious drink craze, Maui Brewing Co. just launched its new Maui Hard Seltzers, in oh-so-Hawaiian flavors like POG (Passionfruit, Orange, Guava), Citrus and Dragon Fruit.

Now in business 15 years, the island staple decided to celebrate by going back to its roots, releasing a specialty 15th Anniversary Blend: the Barrel-Aged Imperial Ale. To craft the Ale, a variety of hand-selected spirit barrels were filled, aged and masterfully blended with signature Imperial Porter, Imperial Stout, Imperial Brown and Barleywine. And, to continue the anniversary fun, Maui Brewing Co. had a little party to sample its newest craft brew and to celebrate all the company's latest “firsts.” Held at its Oahu location at Waikiki Beachcomber, the event showed Maui Brewing Co.'s influencer appeal, drawing local celebs, including the art-and-culture-focused resort’s Beachcomber Originals—from former Miss Hawaii Emma Wo, leading photographer and surfer Matt Bauer, and of course, the founder of Maui Brewing Co: Garrett Marrero.

And the brand continues to lead the way outside the bottle (and can), too. Recently becoming the first grid-independent brewery in the United States, Maui Brewing Co. is bringing innovation to its brewing methods with a focus on solar—winning first place in the regional brewery category as ‘America’s Favorite Solar Craft Brewery’ in the cool ‘Brews from the Sun’ awards. Heralded for its use of sustainable energy methods, the company incorporates solar power, recaptured CO2, a unique solar thermal system and Tesla battery storage—which truly looks to the future by integrating with solar technology to store excess energy generated during the day for future use.

Whether it’s inside the brewery or out, we’re excited to see how Maui Brewing Co. stays crafty—and what the Aloha State's golden child will lead us to next.

Thirsty? Give the new products a test taste with our all-new Beaches and Brews package.