One of my favorite phone apps is TapHunter, which keeps me updated with the draft options at some of Honolulu’s top craft beer bars. Created by a San Diego-based company of the same name, it’s free to download and available via Apple App Store and Google Play.
GROWLER USA HONOLULU
449 Kapahulu Ave., Suite 105
Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily (open until midnight Fridays and Saturdays)
600-5869
808ne.ws/growler-usa
The mobile version offers the same info available online at taphunter.com. Just a dozen bars are currently listed in Honolulu by the app, but that’s OK — if you’re into good beer, these are representative of the establishments you’d want to be drinking at anyway.
I wish more bars would explore their options with Tap-Hunter, however, because the company has worked since 2009 on inventory management software solutions to help increase revenue while also providing valuable information to customers via their phones. And it doesn’t just need to be about the beer; Chinatown’s Proof Public House, for example, lists nearly 100 different spirits available for customers. There are also categories for bottled and canned beers, wine and even cocktails.
The app was also a constant reminder that I hadn’t paid a return visit to Growler USA Honolulu on Kapahulu Avenue since it opened last summer. Local entrepreneur Bill Muneno opened the fifth franchise of the national brand in Hawaii after transitioning from a career in sales with Coca-Cola. After watching his staff make updates to their beer list for months, I finally went back a few times in recent weeks.
Growler USA offers, as its name implies, take-home options for beer drinkers along with a more traditional brewpub experience. Bring in your own clean receptacle and they’ll fill and seal it for you to take home, or buy one from the bar and save 30 percent when filling it that day; prices range from $15 to $65 depending on the size and type of growler.
You enter the front doors here to a beautiful sight: more than 100 taps hooked up and ready to serve not just beer but also hard ciders and sodas along with wine by the glass. (No hard liquor is served.) There’s plenty of room to move around, with lots of dining room-style seating to go with about 20 bar stools that provide the best view of Growler USA’s seven large digital screens that display the current tap list.
The most enjoyable way to experience a bar like Growler USA is to take small sips. You can order a full pint of nearly anything on the menu, but I prefer to take the tasting route and go for smaller 5-ounce pours. Yes, the smaller servings will cost a bit more overall, but that keeps me from overindulging while retaining the ability to try multiple types of beer.
Most people I drink with also know I love to support local breweries, so it’s a joy to see Growler USA dedicate more than a few taps to those brands. While many in the craft beer community look forward to Maui Brewing Co. opening its first brewpub in Waikiki, there are seven different types of Maui Brewing beer already on tap at Growler USA, including the tasty Pog IPA and Wild Hog Stout. Other local breweries represented in the lineup include Waikiki Brewing, Kona Brewing, Mehana, Honolulu Beerworks, Big Island Brewhaus and Aloha Beer Co.
Prices range from about $3 for a 5-ounce pour and $6 to $9 for a pint. Growler fills can run as cheap as $9.99 for a 32-ounce fill of Kona Brewing’s Kona Kua Bay IPA, to $26.49 for a 60-ounce fill of New Belgium’s Fruit Fly passion fruit citra sour ale. If it gets a little overwhelming, just take a deep breath and ask your bartender for a few sample tastes — they’ll gladly provide 1-ounce pours of the beers you’re interested in and answer any questions you might have.
WITH THIS week’s column, “Barfly” wraps up its run in the pages of TGIF. You’ll soon be able to find me on a monthly basis in Crave, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s food and drink magazine, which appears every Wednesday in the paper. Until then, follow @honolulupulse on Twitter and Instagram for updates. Cheers!
Jason Genegabus covers all things alcohol-related for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and has written about the local bar scene since 2001. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram or email jason@staradvertiser.com.