The owners of Sam Choy’s Breakfast, Lunch & Crab on Nimitz Highway plan to open Aloha Beer Co., with beverage and light food service, later this week in the space next door.

The drinking establishment will kick off just in time for Aloha Friday pau hana.

Restaurant co-founder James H.Q. Lee partnered with brewmaster Dave Campbell and commercial real estate professional Steve Sombrero in the new venture, located in 6,000 renovated square feet next to the restaurant, said director of operations Lee Anderson. Aloha Beer Co. employs 25 people.

Aloha Beer Co. will be using the brewing tanks that have been part of Sam Choy’s and will share the Sam Choy’s kitchen. Aloha Beer Co.’s regular hours will be 2 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

"We will have five core beers at any given time, in addition to three Aloha Reserves … but our brewmaster can brew any style of beer, so the sky’s the limit," Anderson said.

While the Nimitz location will help promote the beer, the company’s initial focus was on manufacturing and wholesale distribution.

Aloha Beer made its first delivery last week to Tiki Town, a new eatery at Waikiki’s International Market Place. For its draft beer taps, "they took all three styles available," Anderson said.

The company will expand into bottling within three to four months, Anderson said.

The bottled brews will be sold in six-packs, 24-bottle cases, and individual bottles at bars or restaurants, he said. In those cases, as with its draft beers, it will count on the "extensive network selling channels" of distributor Paradise Beverages Inc.

The company’s leadership is enthusiastic about the future.

"Tourism is coming back, and it’s also at a time that ‘local’ is the cool thing to do," Anderson said.

"Everyone’s about supporting local business, and visitors want to try local products, so we think the timing for our venture is right about perfect."

Aloha Beer Co. has succeeded the former Big Aloha Brewery that Sam Choy opened with James Lee and brewmaster Campbell 15 years ago in conjunction with the restaurant. Campbell has concocted new recipes and formulas for the new operation, Anderson said.

Choy is no longer involved in either Oahu operation as the Lee-Choy partnership split up about two years ago. Choy has since opened a new restaurant, Kai Lanai, in Kona.

Sports Authority to hire for Kaneohe

The Windward Mall Sports Authority store will open in late fall, in time for the holiday shopping season, and will hire about 35 employees this summer, including team leaders, sales floor staff and cashiers. The store chain will accept applications in late July or early August, according to a company representative.

Openings will be posted on the Sports Authority corporate website, as well as the mall website, said marketing manager Alex Kirley.

Sports Authority will be an anchor tenant, filling the footprint of former anchor tenant Borders Books and Music, which filled part of the space once occupied by former anchor tenant JC Penney.

Sports Authority currently has five stores in Hawaii including three on Oahu, one on Maui and one on Hawaii island.

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On the Net:

» www.sportsauthority.com

» www.windwardmall.com

Bacon Bacon Bacon

Hawaii Burger King restaurants have jumped on the bacon-dessert bandwagon with a Bacon Sundae, for a limited time.

BK’s offering is not for the pork-averse, vegetarian or vegan. It contains actual bacon, while the Jack in the Box shakes contained rabbi-approved, plant-based, bacon-flavored syrup.

As reported in TheBuzz in February, bacon has become a pop culture phenomenon and is sort of the anti-eat-healthy poster child, and restaurants have capitalized on this trend.

Denny’s featured a bacon maple sundae last year as part of its Baconalia menu, a clear nod to Bacchanalia, the ancient Roman celebration of wine, versus swine. The sundae weighed in at 810 calories, versus the 773 calories in the bacon-free Jack in the Box shake.

The BK Bacon Sundae has a scant-by-comparison 510 calories, despite its topping of bacon crumbles and half-slice of bacon as garnish.

The limited-time offer was rolled out last week as part of Burger King’s new barbecue-inspired summer menu.

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Reach Erika Engle at 529-4303, erika@staradvertiser.com, or on Twitter as @erikaengle.