Categorized | News

Kona Brewing debuts Hawaii’s first organic beer (April 14)

Oceanic Organic Saison

MEDIA RELEASE

Kona Brewing Company’s Oceanic Organic Saison, Hawaii’s first and only certified organic beer, will make its bottle debut at 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 14 at the Kailua-Kona pub.

Guests can sample the organic beer, purchase bottles for the first time, meet the brewers who crafted the beer and local artist Brendan Dunn, who painted the beer’s eye-catching label. Brewers and the artist will be on hand to sign commemorative bottles and discuss their passions for their work.

Kona Brewing Company received certification to brew the organic beer from Hawaii Organic Farmers Association late last year. Guests to Kona Brewing Company’s pubs have been enjoying the brew for several months. Beginning April 14, the beer will be available in 22-ounce bottles for a limited time, while supplies last.

Oceanic Organic Saison is a Belgian style ale that was brewed with all organic malt, fermented with a custom blend of Belgian yeast strains and spiced with an abundance of organic hops, organic coriander and grains of paradise.

The straw-colored unfiltered beer has a crisp, dry, quenching flavor and distinctive spicy aroma with notes of lemon peel, clove, white pepper, coriander and fresh hops complemented by pleasant cellar-like notes. The complex aroma is balanced by rustic hop flavor.

“Oceanic Organic Saison has become one of our most popular pub beers,” said Vice President of Brewery Operations Rich Tucciarone. “It is our most expensive beer to produce, our ‘top shelf’ brew, and while it is challenging to acquire the organic ingredients, it is worth it to create such a unique beer. Beyond the taste, our fans – and the brewers – really love the fact that it’s organic!”

Local artist Brendan Dunn painted the label art for Oceanic Organic Saison. The Hawaiian fish hook, or “makau,” symbolizes power, prosperity and good fortune. Dunn spends his time in Kona and on Lummi Island, Wash., painting images that inspire him. He is the artist in residence at Four Seasons Resort Hualalai.

“Although I enjoy painting everything from portraits to telephone poles, I’m currently focused on painting images of Hawaii and Washington,” Dunn said. “When painting, I look for parts of the world that are magical, mysterious, meaningful, or just plain interesting. I strive to capture the unique attribute of a subject that makes it special, whether it is the way light falls on a flower’s petal, the vibrant green-blue of the water next to a seaside cliff, or the deep wrinkles around an old fisherman’s eyes. In doing so, I hope to prompt a viewer to slow down a bit and absorb something about the world.”

Dunn will be exhibiting a collection of his paintings at the party, and he will donate a percentage of his painting sales to the Donkey Mill Art Center. Kona Brewing Company has created T-shirts that feature the Oceanic Organic Saison artwork, and they also will be for sale.

For more information call 808-334-BREW or visit www.KonaBrewingCo.com

To see more work by Dunn, visit www.brendancoreydunn.blogspot.com

Oceanic Organic Saison brewer Rich Tucciarone and label artist Brendan Dunn show off their work on the day the beer was introduced. (Hawaii 24/7 photo by Karin Stanton)

One Response to “Kona Brewing debuts Hawaii’s first organic beer (April 14)”

  1. That’s great! I’ve had the Longboard Lager and Pipeline Porter, both excellent beers! I’ll be hoping this one ends up in NJ someday!

Trackbacks/Pingbacks


Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

 

Quantcast