Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 39, Number 12, 1 December 2022 — HANA KOA BREWING CO. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HANA KOA BREWING CO.

Hana Koa Brewing Co. President Josh Kopp checks on the progress of his beer at his 10,000 sf brewery and tap room in Honolulu. - Photo: Abe McAulton

Josh Kopp landed his first brewing job in 2014 as a packaging technician for E.J. Phair Brewing Company in Pittsburg, California, 60 miles north of San Jose where he was living at the time. For three months, he drove that 120-mile round trip five days a week to work full shifts before he finally found an apartment that was closer. "Basically, I was a grunt, but the long drive was worth it," said Kopp, who was born and raised in East O'ahu. "It was an amazing, rewarding experience; I never would have learned what I did in a classroom. I woke up every workday hungry for knowledge. It was exhilarating!" Prior to moving to California in 2009 to attend the University of the Paeihe in Stockton, Kopp had volunteered at Aloha Beer when it was located on Nimitz Highway next to what is now Liliha Bakery (it's now in Kaka'ako, Waikīkī and downtown Honolulu). He credits brewmeister Dave Campbell with igniting his interest in brewing. "I started homebrewing in college when I found out you didn't have to be 21 to buy the ingredients, whieh, in addi-

tion to water, are malt, hops and yeast," Kopp said. "Before I got the E.J. Phair job, I moved in with a friend in San Jose and worked at a Starbucks downtown. I networked as mueh as I could to get into the beer industry and even passed out business cards that said, Aspiring Craft Brewer. " Through it all, Kopp yearned to return to Hawai'i and start his own business. In the summer of 2016, an ideal 10,000-square-foot space heeame available in Kaka'ako, and he; his father; his wife, Chrissie Pinney; and his broth-er-in-law decided to launeh Hana Koa Brewing Co. there. Construction on a brewery and taproom began in December 2018, about a year after Kopp and Pinney relocated to O'ahu. Hana Koa opened its doors in November 2019. Unusual ingredients included in Kopp's creations include Fruity Pebbles, Teddy Grahams and Purve doughnuts. Kopp's current favorite is Party Boy Pils made with Pilsner malt from Germany, hops from Germany and New Zealand, and rice from The Rice Factory across the street. He's looking forward to experimenting with kalo, breadfruit and hanana. "I love learning through beer," Kopp said. "1here's a lot of history behind brewing techniques, reasons why certain beers eame to exist and what they're like now. 1here are things only other brewers will understand. Brewing is a blend of art and science; often it's knowing what to do, when to do it and what will taste good based on instinct instead of quantifiable data. And, frankly, it's also being able to juggle a hundred things at onee without burning down the building."

HANA KOA BREWING CO.

ADDRESS: 962 Kawaiaha'o Street, Kaka'ako, O'ahu PHONE: (808) 591-2337 WEBSITE: www.hanakoabrewing.com NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 52 NUMBER OF BARRELS PRODUCED IN 2021:1,200 NUMBER OF BEERS: 3flagship beers (Unbreakable Blonde, Party Boy Pils, Rooftop Pale Ale) and 12 to 16 rotating beers OTHER PLACES TO FIND THEM: Cans at bottle shops and draft beer at bars and restaurants throughout O'ahu ALSO OF NOTE: The company collaborates with businesses and nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizationsto create new "eommu-nity-driven" beers onee a month. Businesses appreciate the publicity that's generated. Nonprofits receive a percentage ofthe profitsfrom sales of "their" beer.