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Opening tonight: Honolulu’s newest brewpub

By Catherine Toth Fox • April 11, 2014 • Musings

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Geoff Seideman has come a long way from brewing craft beers at home.

Tonight he flings open the doors to his latest venture — and Honolulu’s newest brewpub, Honolulu Beerworks, in Kakaako.

This laid-back, warehouse-style pub on Cooke Street will feature 12 beers on tap, all brewed in-house. It sprawls over 3,200 square feet, with an additional 800-square-foot beer garden outside.

Consider this Honolulu’s New Favorite Pau Hana Spot.

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With both a culinary and construction background, Seideman spent more than six months gutting and building out the space. “I built out everything except the stuff that can kill you,” he said, laughing.

He enlisted the help from veteran brewmaster Dave Campbell, who has spent nearly three decades in the business, most recently at Aloha Beer, to handle day-to-day brewing.

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That’s Seideman on the left and Campbell in the middle.

On Tuesday the media was invited to check out the new pub and sample the craft beers on tap, including the crisp Kakaako Kolsch, the earthy It’s Not Bitter Ale, and the Pia Mahiai Saison made with Big Island citrus, lemongrass and honey.

“The whole neighborhood here is seeking out special, unusual, bolder flavors,” Campbell said. “What we’re doing, it’s a lot more fun than what we might be doing at a chain brewing or family-dining brewpub. We’re able to get a lot more creative here … It’s a little more adventure, a little more passion, a little more soul.”

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Here’s the menu, which will change every two weeks or so.

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Here’s what the tasting glasses look like. Just $2.

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Here’s Lisa Yamada, editorial director of FLUX Hawaii, and Martha Cheng, food editor at HONOLULU Magazine, sampling some of the Honolulu Beerworks’ brews.

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A sampling of brews and ingredients.

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Seideman shows us the hops he uses.

Though the pub opens today, it will feature a limited, pupu-style menu. The food portion of the business will be rolled out in phases, Seideman said, with compatible fare such as briskets and ribs eventually hitting the menu.

You can sit at the bar with a view of the back room and its fermenters — or you can head outside to one of the picnic tables set up in the beer garden. Or you can pick up a keg — likely in the $75 range — for your own pau hana.

“It’s just the beginning,” Campbell said. “And we look forward to the neighborhood growing up around us.”

Honolulu Beerworks at 328 Cooke St. opens today. Hours are 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. nightly. (It will be closed April 13)

beerbrew pubcraft beersDave CampbellGeoff SeidemanHawaiiHonolulu BeerworksKakaakolocally owned brewpubpau hana
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Catherine Toth Fox

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6 Comments

  • Reply Annoddah Dave April 11, 2014 at 7:00 am

    CAT: Beer back in Kaka’ako! In the shadow of the Royal Brewery on Queen Street.

    • Reply Catherine Toth April 11, 2014 at 7:44 am

      Whoa, that’s waaaay back! I forgot about that place!

  • Reply Annoddah Dave April 11, 2014 at 2:22 pm

    CAT: Had to look this up because I am not a beer aficionado..

    ABV = Alcohol By Volume (higher number means more buzz)

    IBU = International Bittering Unit (higher the number the more bitter the brew)

    IPA = India Pale Ale (an indication of how much hops is in the brew, more hops lighter color)

    • Reply Catherine Toth April 15, 2014 at 8:35 am

      LOL! I had to look it up, too! (Not IPA, though.)

  • Reply Dennis April 14, 2014 at 6:22 am

    Yeah! Another place to spend some time with a great brew! I’ll be there!

    • Reply Catherine Toth April 15, 2014 at 8:34 am

      Did you go? I was wondering how the first night went…

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About Me

About Me
Born and raised on O‘ahu, Hawaiʻi, Catherine Toth Fox has been chronicling her adventures in her blog, The Cat Dish, for more than a decade. She worked as a newspaper reporter in Hawai‘i for 10 years and continues to freelance—in between teaching journalism, hitting the surf and eating everything in sight—for national and local print and online publications. She’s currently the editor of HAWAIʻI Magazine.

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