Mehana Hawai’i Lager
Hawai'i Nui Brewing / Mehana Brewing Company

Mehana Hawai’i LagerMehana Hawai’i Lager
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From:
Hawai'i Nui Brewing / Mehana Brewing Company
 
Hawaii, United States
Style:
Vienna Lager
ABV:
4.8%
Score:
77
Avg:
3.17 | pDev: 12.93%
Reviews:
21
Ratings:
24
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Dec 06, 2017
Added:
Jul 20, 2005
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.77 by BenHoppy from Michigan

Dec 06, 2017
 
Rated: 3 by cliff1066 from Virginia

Dec 27, 2012
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Reviewed by UCLABrewN84 from California

2.98/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
Purchased at The Wine Corner in Paia, Maui, Hawaii. I picked this one up because I have never seen it in California.

Pours a clear golden color with a 1/2 inch off-white head that settles to a film on the top of the beer. Small dots and streaks of lace form on the glass on the drink down. Smell is of grains and maybe some grassy notes. Taste is pretty much of sweet grains and some mild grass flavors on the finish. This beer has a high level of carbonation with a very crisp and almost caustic mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty average beer all around. Not bad per se but nothing that good either.
Dec 01, 2011
 
Rated: 3 by bpfrush from Wisconsin

Nov 15, 2011
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Reviewed by confer from Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A- Pure gold in color with a with head that fades quick. Hazy but now cloudy.
S- Smells like an orange /lemon mixture with a hint of hops.
T- Lemon in the taste as well, very mellow with no hint of hops in the taste at all.
MO- The best way to describe it is that it is a very okay beer, good for Hawaiian climate.
Jun 03, 2011
Photo of Stinkypuss
Reviewed by Stinkypuss from Pennsylvania

2.9/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3
Mehana Hawaii Lager

Pours a dark straw in color, slightly cloudy, fizzy huge head forms and retention is there. Sweet grains in the aroma, slight notion of hop. Flavor is light and slightly sweet, muted hop bitterness. The mouthfeel is just strange. Super dry, over carbonated over active yeast just going nuts here. It is kind of champagne like, a watered down Duvel with no real discernible flavor. Fizzy simple beer, over carbonated, but not terribly unpleasant.
Apr 20, 2011
Photo of yemenmocha
Reviewed by yemenmocha from Arizona

2.99/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Pours a dull golden color with white head that is nice and creamy. Nose is light with some cereal grain and adjunct lager style notes. Light, sweet cereal grain and malt flavors on the palate with hops to rOund it out. Incredibly easy drinking but not quite watery. Nothing to be excited about.
Jan 29, 2011
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Reviewed by Haybeerman from Colorado

2.74/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
A: Bright, clear amber color. Poured a 1 finger white head with fair retention. Decanted lightly. Laced in thin rings.

S: Very fruity; green apple and banana. Some wet grains (maybe cardboard). Hay faint in the background.

T: More fruity/estery flavor than I was ready for in a lager(?). Bready malt in the middle along with a distinct butterscotch flavor. Little hop charachter.

M: Light to medium body (had a buttery feel). Moderate carbonation. Smooth and coating on the tongue.

D: Maybe I got the wrong beer. Certainly not clean much less crisp. Off flavors detract even more.
Nov 01, 2010
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Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
A light, bone-white head with low retention. Color was medium-amber with NE-quality clarity. Nose had a classic lager sweetness. Mouthfeel was medium with a typical lager sweetness. Finish had a slight sulfur aspect, but it was lager. The more of them that I drink, the less enamored I am. Give me a kolsch or a pilsner, instead.
Dec 24, 2009
Photo of freed
Reviewed by freed from Oregon

2.83/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
I was recently on the big island and did my best to try the various local beers. Sadly, this is the only Mehana offering I tried, but was somewhat disappointed by it. Sure, it pours a nice amberish color and looks like the European lager they describe it as (that's a pretty vague description). The head is lovely, though retreats quickly. Very small tight bubbles that I associate with homebrewed beers.

The aroma is surprisingly estery. The nose is so dominated by it that it's hard to pull anything else from it.

The taste is similarly estery. I was really confused, thinking maybe I'd accidentally opened a hefeweisen. The flavor can be excused because there's enough body from a crystal malt or something that it's not an entirely unpleasant beer.

The mouthfeel is rather sweet, but not more than you'd expect from rich lager.

I've given it a pass on drinkability, largely because I'm a homebrewer, have many homebrewing friends, and have had my share of estery beers.
Nov 23, 2009
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Reviewed by Deuane from Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Thanks to Uncle Richard for bringing a bottle of this one back from the Big Island.

A-Bright copper with a medium off white head that reduced to a thin cap and left decent lace.

S-Light fruit, a touch of spicy hops and sweet biscuit/caramel malt.

T-Sweet biscuit with a touch of toasted caramel and a touch of light fruitiness. All flavours are mild withut any being overly prevalent.

M-Medium-light bodied fairly crisp with nice lingering flavours.

D-Wow...since I was expecting a fizzy, yellow macro lager I was rather surprised when out of the bottle comes this Vienna-esque lager. A rather tasty, solid and easy to drink "beer". I could see downing a few of these at my next luau! I wonder how this pairs with poi?
Aug 27, 2009
Photo of JISurfer
Reviewed by JISurfer from Utah

3.8/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Got this brew right before I left Oahu a few weeks ago. I stopped in at the Liquor Collection, which had a nice collection of Hawaiian beers, as well as other great beers. Anyways, this one had a nice look to it. A pretty golden color, with a soild head on top. The head lasted a little bit, but died out to a lacing. Taste was of a lightlt smoked malt, mixed with a slight hint of fruit. I thought this was a good beer. If you get the chance to try it, do so. Other wise, it's nothing to go crazy about, and seek out extensively.
Oct 06, 2008
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Reviewed by Floydster from California

2.73/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5
12 ounce bottle purchased as part of a six pack that was purchased from Aloha Liquor for nine dollars in Maui, drank a couple weeks back, reviewed from notes, poured into a pint glass

A-Light reddish amber color with hints of orange, big one inch creamy white head, left a pillow, decent retention, minimal lacing
S-Various fruity aromas, diacetyl, little bit of hops, bananas, esters, skunkiness, hint of grass, and breadly malt scents
T-Fruity and sweet flavor from the very beginning, then lots of malt that has a chewy texture, fruit is strong is strong in the finish, especially berries somehow, gets heavier as it warms, sweetness intensifies, not much balance
M-Medium bodied, tons of carbonation, buttery, chewy, and semi-sweet mouthfeel
D-Could drink a few bottles and that is about it, kind of heavy on the stomach for what it is, ABV did not seem too high

Not Mehana's best, nor the best lager I have had by any means, my dad seemed to enjoy this one much more than I did, would not drink again, I thought Primo was better than this as far as its style and it is much cheaper, do not recommend this one
Aug 17, 2008
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Reviewed by tavernjef from Minnesota

2.98/5  rDev -6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Nice hazy-like cast of dark honey gold with a touch of bronze to it. Lots of activity within keeps a huge frothy capping of lightly yellowed foam sitting atop with a great density and length. Tons of lacing in huge patchy sheets sticks to the glass well. However, this doesn't look like any lager I know of, yet impressive enough for a high mark.

Aroma is clean and candyish and a good amount of malted doughy sweetness with brown sugar, caramel, and powdered donuts adding to the aroma. Touches of honey and cinnamon add an interesting Belgian like twist to its overall sweet and doughy body.

Simple, clean, and an unlasting, quick, impression of a basic malt profile is really all there is to it. Sorta doughy with a rounded candy touch of caramel and some cereal grains. Bland, boring, and empty with nothing really sticking on the palate other then some sweet malty residue.

Body is just as umimpressive. Bland, empty, unnaturally sweetened in a bit of its mannerism as it quickly drives the malt in and leaves nothing but a leftover caramel thats weak and rawish with uncooked cereal grained malts.

This had a bit of promise at the pour, but as soon as it hits the lips its a mess of unnatural malted sweetness and weak-ended effort.
Mar 18, 2008
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Reviewed by BMan1113VR from California

3.67/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A pleasant but subtle smelling brew. Pours copper with white head with poor lacing. Taste is great, with very little of the watery taste associated with hot weather lagers. Flavor is a darn decent balance of malts with some bitter hops on the finish. Best local Hawaiian beer I have had so far.
Feb 07, 2008
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Reviewed by BeerBelcher from Ohio

2.41/5  rDev -24%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
My Dad spent Christmas on Kauai and all I got was this (mostly) lousy beer. A pretty bad aroma, but a decent flavor, although a bit spicy for a lager.

Appearance was a soapy and slightly dirty looking caramel color. Aroma was mercaptan and pretty much only mercaptan - think a compost pile. Flavor was significantly better, although not great. There is a malted milk ball flavor with significant cloviness and some evidence of hops. Mouthfeel is clean and as a lager should be.

I can't really recommend this, but it is not awful and a bit unique.
Jan 26, 2008
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Reviewed by beerN3RD from Colorado

3.22/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
A light amber colored beer with a thick head. This brew is very clean smeeling and crisp. like breathing clean air or oxygen. Taste was dissapointing, as it taste like a tin can. My mouth felt almost nothing, this is another average beer. ENOUGH SAID!
Jan 02, 2008
Photo of steve86
Reviewed by steve86 from Washington

2.64/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
I got this beer on a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Seattle to Honolulu.

Poured light amber color, brilliantly clear. Nice tight white head of 2 fingers.

Very fruity aroma, and slight diacetyl. Little to no hop aroma. Banana and pear esters dominate. No DMS.

Fruity flavor hits big up front. Munich malt comes through, but the fruit dominates. Some butterscotch in the background. Slight hop flavor, No DMS.

Medium high carbonation was appropriate. Slick on the tongue due to buttery back notes.

Overall, this beer seems to have been fermented warm. It was not very clean, and the fruit and diacetyl were distracting to the point that I wouldn't go for another one.
Oct 31, 2007
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Reviewed by Pegasus from Texas

3/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Appearance: Clear deep golden in color, with just a hint of haze, a small white head, and a few small streams of carbonation.

Aroma: CLean pale malt aroma, faint alcohol, and mild hop notes, and a whiff of honey.

Taste: Rather sweet at the open, with light caramel and pale malt, and a very mild herbal hp presence. Finishes with a lingering sweet caramel note.

Mouth feel: Fairly full, soft and pleasant, with no carbonation felt.

Drinkability/notes: Pleasant, a somewhat offbeat example of the style.

Thanks to HardTarget for sharing this rare example.
Oct 29, 2007
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Reviewed by HardTarget from Texas

3.23/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Bottle Inspection: “Visit our Tasting Room/Gift Shop” begins and ends all useful information. Does note it’s a product of Hawaii, twice on the neck label, four times on the full label.

Aroma: Very different. A fair whiff of a cooked cabbage (Dimethyl sulfide/DMS), but under there seems to be an amber ale characteristic of fruity malt (it sez Lager on the bottle). There’s a very firm yeast character as well. Nothing terrible, but not really in the style expectations.

Appearance: Amber glass shows fair clarity and active carbonation streams that feed a slightly off white half finger head that lasts and laces well.

Flavor: Fruity esters, mildly sweet malt base, and some slightly metallic hops to finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium light body, slightly slick finish.

Overall Impression: I think there is a process issue that is resulting in the DMS veggie characteristic. Covered boil? Slow cooling? It’s mildly distracting, but I could see regular drinkers getting used to it. Also, there are a lot of ale characteristics in this lager, notably the fruity aspect. Again, not a bad taste, just outside of style.
When in Rome, drink what the surfers drink.

(note: I'm not currently in Rome, Hawaii, or any other fun destination).
Jul 17, 2007
Mehana Hawai’i Lager from Hawai'i Nui Brewing / Mehana Brewing Company
Beer rating: 77 out of 100 with 24 ratings