Gordon Biersch was Hawaii’s first brewery restaurant. It opened more than 20 years ago on a prime location, facing the mouth of Honolulu Harbor at the Aloha Tower Marketplace, which at the time was a hopping tourist and entertainment venue.

Aloha Tower, of course, is now mostly occupied by dorms and classrooms for Hawaii Pacific University, so the complex itself is pretty quiet these days. So it’s interesting to see how the brewpub is doing now.

The experience

Biersch wants to impress upon you that the beer you’re getting is made right on site, so before you even enter, you’ll see the tanks and brewing equipment right there through the windows, along with some posters detailing the brewing process.

In the dining area, the decor is attractive and classic, with a lot of fine wood trim and a large bar near the entrance. For happy hour, you’ll want to go outside to the deck, where there’s another bar surrounded by tables, with umbrellas for shade. As the sun goes down and peeks below the umbrella’s edge, heat and the glare off the water can be rather intense at the tables nearest the water, but most seats are well-shaded. Otherwise it’s a pleasant, relaxed experience.

Despite the changes in the complex, Gordon Biersch continues to be a popular watering hole. The restaurant’s website says happy hour is offered Monday through Wednesday. I went on a Monday afternoon and expected it be dead; in fact, there was a decent crowd around the bar — and happy hour is offered Monday through Friday.

There’s occasional live music on a small stage area, but mostly not during happy hour. On Wednesdays, the music starts at 6 p.m., and you can catch some jazz with your happy hour refreshments.

The drinks

Biersch is, of course, known most for its beers, brewed with ingredients imported from Germany and the mainland, and during happy hour all beers are $1 off their normal price, which ranges from $4 for 10 ounces to $13 for 44 ounces.

Though I like a good weizen beer, I decided to get their flight of six beers, served in 8-ounce glasses, getting a taste of their Golden Export, maerzen, IPA, kellerbier, Belgian tripel and stout. All of them had nice characteristics, and one could easily choose them for different reasons: The light Golden Export would be good for a hot, sultry day; the maerzen would be nice with food and in fact is used in Biersch’s sauces; the dark stout had a strong malted, almost chocolatey, flavor.

Biersch also offers cocktails at a $3 discount during happy hour. I had the Lava Rocks, Biersch’s adaptation of the Lava Flow. Our server explained that Biersch, being a brewery, doesn’t have a blender, so they serve it on the rocks. No worries, it tasted fine and went down like water.

The food

Biersch’s happy hour menu is drawn from its regular small plates menu, with items served in both individual or shareable portions. If you’re on your own and want one of their many sliders to take with a small beer, that can be anywhere from $3.25 ($4.25 regular) for the Mini Bratwurst Slider to $4.25 ($4.99 regular) for a Grass-Fed Beef Slider.

We had the shareable serving of Chicken Prosciutto Sliders, $9.50 for three ($11.50 regular), and California Beach Tacos, $10.50 for three ($12.50 regular). The sliders were especially nice, with the chicken and prosciutto blending well and the bun very fluffy. The tacos, which featured a fried cod, was less satisfying, perhaps because the soft taco shells seemed kind of mealy.

At any rate, there’s a lot to try on this happy hour menu, from steamed mussels ($5.25 for a shareable portion, $6.25 regular) to maerzen-glazed chicken wings ($9.99 for a shareable portion during happy hour, $10.99 regular) and flatbreads and pizzas ($6.99 to $11.99, a discount of $3 to $5). Biersch’s food has always had a good reputation, and to have such variety available at happy hour servings and prices is a bonus.

The verdict

The times keep on changing, but a hallowed tradition like Gordon Biersch keeps it going strong. That view seems to magically generate a serenity that makes Biersch an excellent place for an affordable snack and an excellent brew to wash it down.