We enjoyed our two hours at Kona Brewing Co. & Brew Pub in Hawai'i Kai. And I'll tell you why in a bit.

First, a couple of words of warning: If you plan to stop by the restaurant/bar to chill with a cold microbrew and listen to the live local music that's featured most nights, make a reservation, arrive early, or do both.

My partner in Night Stuff and I didn't. So we found ourselves facing a standing-room-only crowd, there for the smooth, traditional Hawaiian sounds of Aaron J. Sala, a first-time Na Hoku Hanohano music award winner this year.

None of this was Kona Brewing's fault. The staff was apologetic about the wait, and we were seated at a table on the pub's large torch-lit lanai, overlooking a darkened Koko Marina and lovely quarter moon.

We couldn't exactly see Sala perform, but we could hear him. And that turned out to be OK.

There are worse things one could do than spend a trade-wind-rich summer night under a cloudless sky, imbibing microbrews, noshing tasty food and enjoying conversation. And for that, Kona Brewing Co. gets things right.

A mixed-age crowd of locals and visitors, filling the restaurant's airy, wood-accented, Island contemporary interiors, seemed to agree.

Having a fresh microbrew or two or three on a visit to Kona Brewing Co. is de rigueur. Brewed at the restaurant's flagship Kailua, Kona, location and flown to Honolulu, the nine or more permanent, seasonal and guest brews on the menu make for some tough decision-making.

Noticing samplers of four six-ounce glasses of brew were available (for a reasonable $7.50), I asked our server Kevin to choose a selection for me. He came up with a mix that didn't disappoint. My favorites: the wonderfully fragrant liliko'i wheat ale with a surprisingly bold body and light passionfruit flavor, and full-bodied Castaway IPA (for India Pale Ale) boasting a great-with-any-kind-of-food bite and strong malt flavor.

I was even surprised at how much I enjoyed my Night Stuff partner's alcohol-free mug of gingerade ($4), a refreshing aromatic combination of organic Big Island lemon, ginger and honey with a sweet-and-sour taste and throat-tingling finish.

Kona Brewing Co.'s new chef Dan York plans to revamp the menu soon. But the current one offers a good selection of entrees, salads, sandwiches and other items. We went straight for the sizable pupu and pizza sections of the menu. The KB'cilla Po'okela ($10) wouldn't disappoint anyone hungry for a warm, crisp quesadilla generously stuffed with house-made kalua pig, cheeses and spicy chilies. And we'd kill for a take-home bottle of the sesame vinaigrette dip that gave the fresh-cooked, aioli-tossed 'ahi chunks in our Mauna Loa Volcano Rolls ($11) a zesty kick.

Everything went great with my brew sampler and — as my Night Stuff partner assured me — the gingerade.

The lanai grew more hushed as the dinner crowd began exiting, lending the music of Sala and friends that much more clarity for us. "Hana hou!" the still-sizable crowd inside screamed as Sala finished his already extended set 'round 9:20 p.m.

Did I mention arriving early?

Reach Derek Paiva at dpaiva@honoluluadvertiser.com.