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Sunshine, scorching heat to kick off the first day of summer today

<p>A good friend of mine, Bob W., is always on the lookout for different beers for me to try. Bob is the guy I wrote about several months ago, the one who only drank Miller Lite. Well, he is now into all kinds of beers and is loving many of them.</p><p>The other day he called me and said he has a beer from Hawaii I must try. I was intrigued since I never drank a beer from the 50th state of the union and didn&#8217;t know there was a brewery there.</p><p>Hawaii.</p><p>The name conjures up visions of palm trees, pineapples, surfing and the Beach Boys. It is hard to equate it with good beer. I have to tell you, I have been to seven different foreign countries and numerous states in the U.S., but I have not had the good fortune to go to Hawaii. This is one place I always wanted to go to. Hopefully I get there some day.</p><p>I tipped back a few in Ireland, in the Hofbrauhaus in Munich, Germany and in desolate bars in the nether regions of Canada. I have had beers from all over the world and all over the country, but nothing from Hawaii.</p><p>I was anxious to try this Hawaiian beer so I met up with Bob and we decided to bust open the beer in the Clubhouse after a round of golf. I know, bringing beer into a bar from the outside is not legal, but this place makes exceptions for the Beer Meister. Once seated at the bar, as a courtesy, I informed the bartender we were going to try a new beer. I must have said this kinda loud because our league members were now poised to find out what the Meister was trying.</p><p>When Bob set the bottle of Pipeline on the bar I noticed the colorful label with a surfer and a huge wave. As I scoured the label for information I noticed this was a Porter.</p><p>What?</p><p>A Porter made in Hawaii?</p><p>I expected a Summer Ale or maybe a citrus flavored American Ale. The state of Hawaii couldn&#8217;t possibly produce a tasty Porter?</p><p>Sight: As I poured my Kona Pipeline Porter, I saw a clear, deep dark brown almost black color that allowed very little light to seep through. The head was an off white color of about two fingers in thickness that lasted for quite some time. It was an impressive looking Porter.</p><p>Aroma: I immediately thought Milky Way candy bar. I smelled chocolate and caramel upfront with coffee in the background. It was heavenly. No need to take another sniff, it&#8217;s time to taste this beer! By the way, I love Milky Way candy bars.</p><p>Taste: With my first sip I tasted more of the coffee flavor up front with heavy back notes of chocolate followed by caramel. It was amazing! You taste coffee, then chocolate and finally caramel together and by themselves. I&#8217;m not sure if this is possible, but that&#8217;s what happened to me. The coffee element of Pipeline is made with real Kona coffee grown in Hawaii. None of the flavors overwhelmed the others since they came one at a time, back to back to back. This was a smooth well blended beer.</p><p>Overall, I enjoyed Kona Pipeline Porter. It looked good, had a heavenly aroma and combined complex flavors for a great taste. The Kona Brewing Company was started by father and son team Cameron Healy and Spoon Khalsa in 1995. Their vision was to make fresh beer instilled with the spirit of the island.</p><p>Along with their brewery on the big island, Kona also brews in Portland, Oregon, Woodinville, Washington, Memphis, Tennessee and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. These breweries use the exact same ingredients used in Hawaii. The water mineral levels are adjusted to match the levels used at the main brewery. All of the mainland breweries must send samples to the headquarters in Kailua-Kona for sensory sampling.</p><p>Kona Brewing Company makes Longboard Island Lager, Big Wave Golden Ale and Wailua Wheat which is brewed with passion fruit. Check out their web site at <a href="http://www.konabrewingco.com" target="_blank">www.konabrewingco.com</a>.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Jim McCabe The Beer Meister </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_james-3.jpg</photo0><caption0>Jim McCabe The Beer Meister </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_kona-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Kona Pipeline Porter is a surprisingly delicious dark beer according to the Beer Meister. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_kona-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Kona Pipeline Porter is a surprisingly delicious dark beer according to the Beer Meister. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>Jim McCabe</p><p>The Beer Meister</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p>The Beer Meister is a new column that will appear twice a month in the Times Leader</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p style="text-align: left;">Jim McCabe is an avid beer enthusiast and the circulation manager for the Times Leader.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

The Beer Meister: Aloha to Kona Pipeline Porter