Posted on: Wednesday, December 17, 2003
QUICK BITES
Kona Brewing Co. comes to Hawai'i Kai
By Wanda Adams
Advertiser Food Editor
The décor combines koa wood, vintage brewing equipment and beer signs, and 'ohi'a wood posts from the Big Island, for a relaxed, old-style Island feel. A notable centerpiece: the "community table" — where you can sit and meet others, sample beers and talk story — built from a large piece of mahogany that washed ashore on Kailua Beach. Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. There will be Island-style entertainment each Sunday evening. Information: www.konabrewingco.com or 394-5662. White cranberry drinks snowballing
In the late 1990s, cranberry products exceeded demand. The Ocean Spray growers cooperative, which controls 80 percent of North American cranberry production, came up with the idea of a "white" drink, made by picking the berries during the narrow two-week window when they are cream-colored and naturally sweeter.
White cranberry juice drinks were created and tested starting in 1998, introduced to the market in 2002 and now are the fastest growing cranberry product. One reason: Young children, who consume a significant portion of the fruit drinks made, prefer the flavor of the berries growers once dismissed as "snowballs."
The drinks may be sweetened with corn syrup, grape juice concentrate or artificial sweeteners and are often combined with other juices, such as peach.
At last O'ahuans don't have to travel to the Big Island to experience the full line of Kona Brewing Co. products: The new Kona Brewing Co. Pub at the Koko Marina Center in Hawai'i Kai opens for business today. The 7,000-square-foot pub extends out over the water at the makai end of the shopping center and offers a 24-tap beer delivery system and indoor and outdoor dining areas serving a full menu of pizzas, pupu, sandwiches, salads and desserts for lunch and dinner. The full line of Kona Brewing Co. ales and lagers will be served, including specialty and seasonal beers and pub exclusives you can't find in bottles.
If you've noticed the proliferation of white cranberry drinks in the supermarket and wondered what was up, here's the story, according to industry sources.
