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Tasting Room
167 Hamakua Dr. Kailua, HI 96734 Daily from 11AM to 10PM *Last Call 9:50PM Website www.lanikaibrewing.com |
Lanikai Brewing makes beer centered around locally sourced ingredients, including locally bioprospected yeast. Hawaii Beverage Guide was able to talk to founder, president and brewmaster, Steve Haumschild, to learn more about their brewing operations.
About the Brewery
“I've always loved beer and I've always loved food. For me, wherever I travel, I want to have the local beer with the local food. Prior to where we are now in the beer industry in Hawaii, there really wasn't somebody that was, in my opinion, representing what local beer could be: Authentic Hawaiian beer driven by local agriculture and island-based ingredients unique to Hawaii. We also wanted to create an ecologically sustainable brewery as well. When I was getting my MBA at the University of Hawaii, I actually pitched Lanikai Brewing Company, an ecologically island-inspired craft brewery, as one of my projects.” (Haumschild)
To create a new beer, Lanikai Brewing starts with a specific ingredient they want to highlight, and then considers everything about that ingredient, including its acidity, salinity, flavor contribution, and how it pairs with food. Then, they develop beer styles to highlight that ingredient. Also to note, Lanikai Brewing always brews the beer the same way and if they change the malt and the hop bill, it becomes a different beer.
According to Steve, “We use what's available. In heavier fruit seasons, we're going to have more beers that are influenced by those fruits. We also seek unique and distinct Hawaii-flavors in beer. For example, we made a Li Hing Mango Beer and a Chocolate Haupia Imperial Stout, which is kind of like a liquid Ted’s Pie.”
Steve continued, “As it pertains to terrior, when we run out of a particular ingredient, we just stop making that beer. If it’s lilikoi, we don't go and buy a puree from Central America and make a lilikoi-like beer. We're dedicated to Hawaii agriculture. Within agriculture, there are fluxes within the seasons -- winter mangoes taste distinctly different than the summer mangoes. Our latest batch of honey from the Big Island had a little bit of a smokey taste, which was probably from the volcanic eruption. We embrace those terrior because there's no way you could create anything else using local agricultural products if you're not focused on the terrior at the same time.”
Steve continued, “As it pertains to terrior, when we run out of a particular ingredient, we just stop making that beer. If it’s lilikoi, we don't go and buy a puree from Central America and make a lilikoi-like beer. We're dedicated to Hawaii agriculture. Within agriculture, there are fluxes within the seasons -- winter mangoes taste distinctly different than the summer mangoes. Our latest batch of honey from the Big Island had a little bit of a smokey taste, which was probably from the volcanic eruption. We embrace those terrior because there's no way you could create anything else using local agricultural products if you're not focused on the terrior at the same time.”
Ingredients
Lanikai Brewing sources hops and malts from around the world, as Hawaii grows neither. According to Steve, “Things like grains can influence the base of the beer, like the color. We want to make sure that we're investing in high-quality raw goods because our goal is to make the best beer that can highlight our particular ingredients.”
Water is passed through a series of filters, including coconut-activated charcoal. This helps remove chlorine and insoluble impurities. According to Steve, “I don't think people recognize the quality of tap water in Hawaii. It's phenomenal. It's just as good as any of the bottled water in the world. It’s artisanal and takes 30 years to go through the aquifer.”
Lanikai Brewing uses lab-prep cultures of yeast to make beers as they occasionally drive flavor better than some of the wild yeast. For these commercial strains, they are used for 10 to 15 generations before reordering. What makes Lanikai Brewing’s yeast program unique is their proprietary Wild Yeast Program. This three-year undertaking has created twenty-five to thirty different house strains of yeast; however, beer produced using these strains have only recently been released. This complex process of bioprospecting in places like Volcanoes National Park, and then propagating strains differs from other breweries’ typical wild yeast programs, which are more spontaneous and uncontrolled. This bioprospecting is made possible by Steve’s background as a professional microbiologist and his love for wild yeast. According to Steve, “I’m a huge fan of wild beers. I love that it expresses the terroir of the area. It doesn't represent the biggest section of the beer styles that are out there, but to me, it's the one that's the most romantic because we have the least control over the process. Hawaii's got something like 11 of the world's 14 ecosystems. That made me immediately think: we have nearly every ecosystem in the world, so why can't we capture yeast and bacteria from all of them and then all be Hawaii-based?”
Challenges of Wild Yeast
However, wild yeast propagation has a high failure rate, especially in warm climates due to unwanted microorganisms growing along side and out-competing with the desired strain of yeast. According to Steve, “Initially, when I developed the program, I was failing 90% of the time and just barely getting things, but I kept at it because I knew that eventually I could crack the code and figure it out.”
Processing Wild Yeast
“Once we capture the particular microflora, we go through a particular process to make sure there's nothing in there that could harm anybody. Then we use sensory [approaches], like taste, to say, "I really like the funk component, but I don't really like the sour component of this." Then, we'll take that same strain and then brew a batch with it that would kill the sour and highlight the funk. We'll go through a multi-step process where we’ll derive the best flavor that we can. After we've used beer-making and science to get the best flavor out of that particular wild strain or population's wild strain, we'll design a beer around those flavors.”
Challenges of Wild Yeast
However, wild yeast propagation has a high failure rate, especially in warm climates due to unwanted microorganisms growing along side and out-competing with the desired strain of yeast. According to Steve, “Initially, when I developed the program, I was failing 90% of the time and just barely getting things, but I kept at it because I knew that eventually I could crack the code and figure it out.”
Processing Wild Yeast
“Once we capture the particular microflora, we go through a particular process to make sure there's nothing in there that could harm anybody. Then we use sensory [approaches], like taste, to say, "I really like the funk component, but I don't really like the sour component of this." Then, we'll take that same strain and then brew a batch with it that would kill the sour and highlight the funk. We'll go through a multi-step process where we’ll derive the best flavor that we can. After we've used beer-making and science to get the best flavor out of that particular wild strain or population's wild strain, we'll design a beer around those flavors.”
Lanikai Brewing selects ingredients based on the availability of produce within Hawaii's various growing seasons. According to Steve, “We initially start with seeing what we can source and what quantity we can get, and then work backwards.”
To obtain their ingredients, Lanikai Brewing forages for approximately 30% of the ingredients and contracts farmers for the remainder. Given that the fruit and flowers will be put into a mash and essentially boiled, they try to utilize the produce that cannot be used for typical grocery purposes. According to Steve, “We're not putting the fruit or the flower on display, so we’re able to retain some value for that farmer by purchasing it from them at a discounted price. In a lot of cases, we'll get a call from a farmer saying, “I have this entire crop; it's about to go bad.” Then we'll buy all of it. We really try to work with our greater community, the agricultural community and the farming communities to drive our beer-making process.”
As Lanikai Brewing obtains all of their special ingredients from Hawaii, they generally cost more than most other brewers. However, according to Steve, “More important to us than price is staying true to Hawaii and supporting our greater community because we need all these farmers to survive, too. We need everybody. Our approach to the market isn't that we're trying to be an international conglomerate; we just want to be truthful to who we are and to be able to continue to brew in the style that we want to brew.”
To obtain their ingredients, Lanikai Brewing forages for approximately 30% of the ingredients and contracts farmers for the remainder. Given that the fruit and flowers will be put into a mash and essentially boiled, they try to utilize the produce that cannot be used for typical grocery purposes. According to Steve, “We're not putting the fruit or the flower on display, so we’re able to retain some value for that farmer by purchasing it from them at a discounted price. In a lot of cases, we'll get a call from a farmer saying, “I have this entire crop; it's about to go bad.” Then we'll buy all of it. We really try to work with our greater community, the agricultural community and the farming communities to drive our beer-making process.”
As Lanikai Brewing obtains all of their special ingredients from Hawaii, they generally cost more than most other brewers. However, according to Steve, “More important to us than price is staying true to Hawaii and supporting our greater community because we need all these farmers to survive, too. We need everybody. Our approach to the market isn't that we're trying to be an international conglomerate; we just want to be truthful to who we are and to be able to continue to brew in the style that we want to brew.”
Production Process
Lanikai attempts to be as sustainable as possible throughout the value chain. This includes thinking about where they source ingredients, how the beer is packaged, and what to do with any waste products, including the repurposing of those waste products. This has made their production efficient enough so that they only have to actually take out the trash once every six to eight weeks.
One of the most unique parts of Lanikai Brewing’s production process is the usage of custom equipment that was co-designed and built by Stout Tanks and Kettles (https://conical-fermenter.com/). This equipment is designed to:
Lanikai Brewing Co. serves as proof of concept by inviting other brewers to visit and work with them to see firsthand how the equipment is used; they can derive flavor essentially the same way as they could with traditional equipment, but in a more efficient and cost-effective manner. Steve’s belief is that if they can be efficient in a state with some of the highest energy costs in the nation, then their method can work anywhere; the proof is in the financial analysis. Between 80-100 of the electric brew systems have been sold worldwide.
One of the most unique parts of Lanikai Brewing’s production process is the usage of custom equipment that was co-designed and built by Stout Tanks and Kettles (https://conical-fermenter.com/). This equipment is designed to:
- Use electricity instead of gas in order for solar energy to be the power source.
- Reduce and recapture waste energy from the beer-making process to decrease the environmental impact starting from the energy level of the production.
- Be cost conscious, as setting up a commercial brewing facility is capital-intensive.
- Be plug-and-play to minimize the size of the repair piece that needs to be shipped, thereby reducing brewing down-time and acknowledging that all equipment needs to be repaired and that all parts need to be replaced.
Lanikai Brewing Co. serves as proof of concept by inviting other brewers to visit and work with them to see firsthand how the equipment is used; they can derive flavor essentially the same way as they could with traditional equipment, but in a more efficient and cost-effective manner. Steve’s belief is that if they can be efficient in a state with some of the highest energy costs in the nation, then their method can work anywhere; the proof is in the financial analysis. Between 80-100 of the electric brew systems have been sold worldwide.
The Beer
Lanikai Brewing has between ten and twenty beers out at any given time. However, given their usage of locally-sourced ingredients that have a limited availability, their year-round offerings were beers that used consistently sourceable ingredients. In regard to their regular beer offerings, Steve said, “We're very lucky that we can get the pikake flowers and create the Moku. Then, I'm a massive fan of porter, and the Hawaiian vanilla goes really great with those darker, roasty porter flavors. The saison just felt right. When we first launched that beer in the market, people weren't really packaging saisons to be purchased on the shelf. That beer style incorporates the ohia lehua honey from the Big Island as well as hibiscus flowers. Saison is the perfect style for it because you get a little crispness and a little tart-dryness. It just worked well and then it's a beaut+iful pink color.”
“Initially, we had that beer listed as 808 imperial IPA. We used our 808 area code. Subsequently, the ABV was 8.08 or 8.1%. However, somebody hit us with a cease and desist. At that time, we were a young company. We could have fought it and won, but ultimately, instead of fighting, I'd rather just take that money and make beer. Then, we rebranded it as Moku and Moku obviously means “island” in Hawaiian. It doesn't specifically reference Mokulua in this case, although a lot of our branding does tie into our community. Moku represents where it (the beer) was derived from.”
Hops and Malts:
“We use a lot of the fruity and flowery “C” hops: Cascades. Citra. Chanook. The malt bill is pretty naked. It's mostly two-row, dextrin and a little bit of other things in there.”
Featured Ingredient: Pikake
To make this beer, a lot of pikake is required to provide the flavor, or in Steve’s words, “You need a ton of it. You need a lot of it, which makes it expensive and difficult.” The inspiration for the pikake was his wife being a hula dancer. “We have tons of flowers all over the house and my wife and I have always really liked the subtle scent of pikake.”
Hops and Malts:
“We use a lot of the fruity and flowery “C” hops: Cascades. Citra. Chanook. The malt bill is pretty naked. It's mostly two-row, dextrin and a little bit of other things in there.”
Featured Ingredient: Pikake
To make this beer, a lot of pikake is required to provide the flavor, or in Steve’s words, “You need a ton of it. You need a lot of it, which makes it expensive and difficult.” The inspiration for the pikake was his wife being a hula dancer. “We have tons of flowers all over the house and my wife and I have always really liked the subtle scent of pikake.”
“Pillbox is the hike that's located behind Lanikai and it just made sense. While we sell in other states and throughout Oahu, this community is where I learned to brew, and where myself and the majority of our staff live. Also, the majority of our customers that visit the brew-pub are local residents. We've always wanted to be a community-based brewery. A lot of our branding ties into the value of our community.”
Hops and Malts
We use a lot of pale malts and a variety of different darker grains from black malts and roasted barleys and different things like that. A lot of people say that it has a coffee flavor to them, though there's no coffee in the beer whatsoever. That was mainly because I can only drink coffee in the morning and I wanted to make sure I can drink this beer at night.
Featured Ingredient: Hawaii AND Tahitian vanilla
“Vanilla is a very complicated organism. Within an actual vanilla, you have vanillin, the active ingredient, but also roughly 250 other compounds that help balance that flavor. Synthetic vanilla is only synthesized vanillin; true vanilla blows your mouth away on how much flavor that's in there.
Hawaii-grown vanilla is cultivated in a high-acid soil. The result is that the vanillin content rises up above those other 250 compounds and you're left with flavors you wouldn't expect out of vanilla (which tend to be a little bit more bold, a little bit more aggressive and a little smoky.)
Tahitian Vanilla is a different genus and species. It's vanilla tahitensis (instead of vanilla planifolia). When it grows in Tahiti, its acid levels are lower and those 250 compounds come up and stick up higher than the vanillin would, and you're left with traditional flavoring like florals, and black cherries. This is what you would expect out of a dessert-like vanilla.
We made a version of that beer with only Hawaiian vanilla and a version with only Tahitian vanilla. It wasn't until we had a particular blend of those two that the beer’s vanilla flavors came through. We're getting a little bit of smokiness and a lot of those aggressive vanilla flavors, but it's being rounded out by the florals of the Tahitian vanillas as well. It wasn't overly sweet and it wasn't in-your-face like you're drinking vanilla ice cream; it still has a lot of dryness. Then, the bittering hops, the dryness hops that we use on the end, help cut that sweetness across your palate. It doesn't sit around and linger.”
Hops and Malts
We use a lot of pale malts and a variety of different darker grains from black malts and roasted barleys and different things like that. A lot of people say that it has a coffee flavor to them, though there's no coffee in the beer whatsoever. That was mainly because I can only drink coffee in the morning and I wanted to make sure I can drink this beer at night.
Featured Ingredient: Hawaii AND Tahitian vanilla
“Vanilla is a very complicated organism. Within an actual vanilla, you have vanillin, the active ingredient, but also roughly 250 other compounds that help balance that flavor. Synthetic vanilla is only synthesized vanillin; true vanilla blows your mouth away on how much flavor that's in there.
Hawaii-grown vanilla is cultivated in a high-acid soil. The result is that the vanillin content rises up above those other 250 compounds and you're left with flavors you wouldn't expect out of vanilla (which tend to be a little bit more bold, a little bit more aggressive and a little smoky.)
Tahitian Vanilla is a different genus and species. It's vanilla tahitensis (instead of vanilla planifolia). When it grows in Tahiti, its acid levels are lower and those 250 compounds come up and stick up higher than the vanillin would, and you're left with traditional flavoring like florals, and black cherries. This is what you would expect out of a dessert-like vanilla.
We made a version of that beer with only Hawaiian vanilla and a version with only Tahitian vanilla. It wasn't until we had a particular blend of those two that the beer’s vanilla flavors came through. We're getting a little bit of smokiness and a lot of those aggressive vanilla flavors, but it's being rounded out by the florals of the Tahitian vanillas as well. It wasn't overly sweet and it wasn't in-your-face like you're drinking vanilla ice cream; it still has a lot of dryness. Then, the bittering hops, the dryness hops that we use on the end, help cut that sweetness across your palate. It doesn't sit around and linger.”
According to Steve, “Route 70 is the infamous bus that goes around Lanikai. It's a bus route. Again, it kind of just ties us into our community. That beer ended up being 7%. 7.0. Route 70 is seven, zero.”
The saison style was chosen because it compliments the hibiscus. According to Steve, “Saisons were generally used in Wallonian times for farm workers who had them as sustenance for lunch. Farm workers would bury a beer in the corner of the farm somewhere and they'd work all day. For lunch, they'd have beer and bread. Saisons were generally fermented warmer, so they became dryer. As for me, growing up-- I come from multi-generations of farmers and have been in farms my entire life. Between that and then just recognizing one day (while we were picking hibiscus flowers and a lot of saisons) that farmhouse beers would only use ingredients (like in this case the hibiscus) grown on their farms. To me, it was just the logical choice for that beer. The saison having that very dry, yet ample residual sweetness brings out hints of honey flavor. More importantly, it really allowed the hibiscus tartness to shine.
The clove notes of the saisons are from the French yeast. Depending on the temperatures that you ferment them at, you'll get esters and phenols, which can produce that pepper and clove-like flavor. We ferment this beer at a slightly warmer temperature than most of our beers, so we get the hints of that pepper clove.”
Feature Ingredient: Hibiscus
The hibiscus used in the Route 70 is sourced locally from purveyors. According to Steve, “Hibiscus grows everywhere. There are 100 species of it. Most of them are diuretics. There are only a few actual genus and species of hibiscus that you can make into food, and ultimately, beer is food. We use one of those.”
The saison style was chosen because it compliments the hibiscus. According to Steve, “Saisons were generally used in Wallonian times for farm workers who had them as sustenance for lunch. Farm workers would bury a beer in the corner of the farm somewhere and they'd work all day. For lunch, they'd have beer and bread. Saisons were generally fermented warmer, so they became dryer. As for me, growing up-- I come from multi-generations of farmers and have been in farms my entire life. Between that and then just recognizing one day (while we were picking hibiscus flowers and a lot of saisons) that farmhouse beers would only use ingredients (like in this case the hibiscus) grown on their farms. To me, it was just the logical choice for that beer. The saison having that very dry, yet ample residual sweetness brings out hints of honey flavor. More importantly, it really allowed the hibiscus tartness to shine.
The clove notes of the saisons are from the French yeast. Depending on the temperatures that you ferment them at, you'll get esters and phenols, which can produce that pepper and clove-like flavor. We ferment this beer at a slightly warmer temperature than most of our beers, so we get the hints of that pepper clove.”
Feature Ingredient: Hibiscus
The hibiscus used in the Route 70 is sourced locally from purveyors. According to Steve, “Hibiscus grows everywhere. There are 100 species of it. Most of them are diuretics. There are only a few actual genus and species of hibiscus that you can make into food, and ultimately, beer is food. We use one of those.”
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