Brew La La
I have a confession: Although I write this column, I cannot remember the last time I had more than a sip of beer. I’m simply not a beer drinker. At least, that’s what I thought as I browsed through Brew’d Craft Pub’s beer-heavy menu. I had no choice; I was going to have to drink beer.
But beer can be for everyone, including the non-beer drinkers like myself, according to Adam Golish, bar manager at Brew’d. As I sat sifting through page upon page of pale ales and dark stouts, Golish recommended I try a beer cocktail.
I took his advice and went with the Belgian Drop (pictured above), a mix of double vanilla vodka, fresh orange juice, fresh lemon juice and a Belgian Witbier. The concoction had just a faint beer taste. Overall, the Belgian Drop was like drinking an Orange Dreamsicle with a small bite at the end.
I was pleasantly surprised and moved on to the next one: a Brew’d Stout Float, with a peanut butter stout and Guinness-flavored gelato. I dislike the taste of actual Guinness, but this was like eating the dark beer with two cups of sugar, and I loved it. The peanut butter stout itself was hard to stomach, but it balanced nicely with the gelato flavors.
If you have a sweet tooth, I also recommend trying the pub’s original dessert: Beeramisu. The ingredients are the same as a traditional tiramisu, with ladyfingers, mascarpone and cocoa. The only catch is that the ladyfingers are soaked in a stout to give it a distinct flavor — the stout is never the same, so the Beeramisu has a different taste every time you eat it. For my Beer-amisu, the North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout gave the ladyfingers muskiness, and it was very moist. A definite must-try!
The Beeramisu is not the only menu item that’s constantly changing. In fact, most draft beers on the menu are switched out within a week.
“Everything here is rotation; my 19 taps are always rotating,” explains Golish. “I’m always bringing in what’s new, what’s exclusive, what’s seasonal.”
Because of this system, popularity is measured by a specific taste rather than a specific beer. Currently, sour beers and IPAs are all the rage.
To all the beer drinkers out there who have yet to try Brew’d, head over to the Waialae Avenue pub now and make it a weekly visit to try the unique flavors before they run out.
And as I learned, even if you don’t enjoy beer, there’s something for you.
baumsammi@gmail.com
