Moloka'i brewpub owner experiences gain from pain
By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau
KAUNAKAKAI, Moloka'i — It was a long and difficult haul for Mike Rogers, but downing a tall, frosty glass of his Thirsty Horse Amber makes it all worth it, he says.
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"There are those who say it's impossible to open a business on Moloka'i. That's not true. It's just that it can be very painful,'' Rogers said.
Molokai Brewing Co. opened its doors six months ago after struggling to obtain zoning and its liquor license.
The pain appears to be all behind the man who opened Moloka'i's first brewpub six months ago. The Molokai Brewing Co. is one of the few places on the island where you can get a drink at night — and a meal to go along with it.
It's not exactly a sports bar, but it's the closest thing Moloka'i has to it, with a television showing a baseball game in the bar and a large-screen TV in the main dining room.
"We're still a work in progress,'' said Rogers, who took a moment to catch his breath while serving up his in-house brews with names such as Cast Away IPA, Molokai Pali Ali and Paniolo Porter.
Rogers came to Moloka'i from his native Missouri 12 years ago when girlfriend Renee — now his wife — treated him to two weeks of relaxation. But while Renee was relaxing, Rogers saw opportunity. A former carpenter, truck driver and labor representative, he moved to the Friendly Isle and started a computer business, all the while looking for opportunities. Then in 1994, he was inspired by the opening of the Gordon Biersch brewpub at the Aloha Tower Marketplace in Honolulu.
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He decided to create his own version of a brewpub on land he purchased in Kaunakakai on Kamehameha V Highway.
Mike Rogers said opening a brewpub can be painful.
But getting rezoning and a liquor license turned out to be a nightmare after residents protested the location across the street from Kaunakakai School and next to two churches. Residents sent more than 1,000 letters and petitions to the Maui County Liquor Control Commission.
The brouhaha dragged on for years, sinking Rogers into debt and generating a full head of frustration.
"It wasn't worth the battle. It was blown way out of proportion,'' he said.
He found a place to open a few blocks away, and a liquor license was approved with no protest. Moloka'i's first brewpub finally opened in October and remains the only bar in town, besides those of a few hotels.
Business has been up and down, Rogers said, perhaps more down because of the closing of the Kaluako'i Resort and the community's economic doldrums.
