The makers of Primo beers said they will expand the distribution of the bottled lager this week.

Primo Brewing and Malting Co. said yesterday that it will make the popular brand available in 350 grocery stores, bars and restaurants statewide.

When draft Primo was reintroduced in November 2007, 25 bars and restaurants began to carry the brand.

The bottled version became available in March on a limited basis in selected bars, stores and restaurants.

"Neither Primo nor (distributor) Paradise Beverages could have predicted how much aloha there was for Primo, so our bottles may have been a little hard to find," said Kyle Wortham, senior brand manager at Primo.

"What we thought would be more than enough for our launch sold out in a few days in some stores. In fact, the cases we set aside for our company party were shipped to the market instead."

The bottled version is produced by Primo's owner, Pabst Brewing Co., at its Irwindale, Calif., brewery. A draft version is produced by Keoki Brewing of Kaua'i.

Primo was founded in 1898 by Honolulu Brewing & Malting Co., whose brewmaster, Emil Joseph Waterman, sought to use Hawai'i's high-quality water for brewing.

Primo closed its brewery during the Prohibition era, but later reopened. By the 1950s and 1960s, it had become the state's best-selling beer. The brand's popularity was such that in 1966, retailers had to ration sales to two six-packs per customer.

Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co. bought Primo in 1963 and built an 8.8-acre- brewery in 'Aiea, which at its height was producing 400,000 barrels a year. In 1979, Schlitz moved production to the Mainland and later sold Primo to Stroh Brewery Co. In 1997, Stroh stopped producing Primo.