Primo Beer, the popular made-in-Hawai'i brand that was revived locally after a decade-long hiatus, will be available at bars and grocery stores in California and Nevada.

Primo Brewing & Malting Co. said it has experienced tremendous demand since the company re-launched the century-old lager in 2007, prompting the Mainland expansion.

"The reception that the new Primo received in Hawai'i last year was overwhelming and we've heard increasing demand for the beer from California and beyond," said Kyle Wortham, senior brand manager at Primo.

Founded in 1898 by Honolulu Brewing & Malting Co., Primo became the state's best selling beer during the 1950s and 1960s. At its peak, Primo's 'Aiea brewery was producing 400,000 barrels a year.

But the brand was discontinued in 1997 because of declining sales by former owner Stroh Brewery Co.

Current owner, Woodridge, Ill.-based Pabst Brewing Co., has remade the lager as a premium beer but has continued to emphasize its Island ties.

The new version, which uses a blend of 95 percent malt and 5 percent raw Hawaiian cane sugar, was developed with input from well-known big wave surfers such as Shane Dorian and Keoni Watson.

Pabst is producing the bottled version of the beer at its Irwindale, Calif., brewery. A draft version was produced for the local market by Keoki Brewing of Kaua'i.