Longboard Island Lager - Kona Brewing Co.

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.4/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Lightly cloudy lemon yellow-influenced amber with a bleached bone white head that appears to have some substance to it. The cap is reasonably persistant, but leaves only small scraps of lace behind when it eventually deflates. The nose is just okay. I can appreciate soft, muted noble hops with a faint note of untoasted grain.

The flavor is more bold and spicy than anticipated. This ain't no weak-kneed, sissy-boy all-malt lager. Still though, my enthusiasm is limited. There's a decent amount of ingredients, both in terms of malt and hops, which is the biggest selling point as far as I'm concerned. The beer starts out sweet, eventually morphing into gently bitter on the finish. Medium body for the style with no hint of wateriness. It doesn't 'hang 10' or even 'hang 5', but it does manage to 'hang 3'.

Long Board Lager is mildly interesting beer. It deserves points for boldness even if the flavor isn't fantastically impressive. Ke aloha no me ka mahalo kaua.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2004 22:16:56 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.28/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Picked this one up with the rest of the now available lineup the other week and grabbed this one last night as the second one I was going to try. Twelve ounce bottle poured into a pilsner glass and served right out of the fridge.

Appearance - Poured a very carbonated and crystal clear hay colored yellow. A nice three finger head of white fizz then came up over the top, settled quickly and only left behind minimal lace.

Smell - The aroma was very light. Some grains in there, wheat and a touch off bready malts. Some biscuit like aroma as it began to warm up some.

Taste - There was much more of the same in the flavor. Not a bad macro, but the style leaves little room for complexity. Nice grain profile with a touch of wheat. Some nice earthy malt flavors, a touch of light bittering hops towards the finish, but nothing to write home about.

Mouthfeel - A decent feel on this one, as the body was very light and the carbonation profile was well established.

Drinkability - This was one that was very easy to throw down. In fact it went do so quickly I had to go get another to finish dinner, which does not usually happen. So needless to say it's a drinker.

Overall not bad, I am not the biggest fan of the style, but I have to admit this was much better then most. It at least had a slight variation and some flavor to it. An easy choice for a party or beach day. I don't know if I would purchase again, but if I saw it around I would have no issue in having one.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2008 10:35:28 | More by mikesgroove

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle courtesy of schmoopsbeer. Served in a Mikasa pilsner glass.

Pours a bright yellow color. Weirdly bright. Good white head with a bit of lacing on the way down. The nose carries a light amount of grain and some very faint hops. The flavor has mild grain and doesn't have much bready malt, as I've come to expect. It's more the body of a pilsner without the hops. Light body and good carbonation. Pretty good, though nothing too special.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2011 00:16:26 | More by Thorpe429

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.7/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

$1.39 12 oz. single at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia. Packaged on July 3rd, 2008.

Appearance: Pours a clear, golden body with a smallish, white head.

Smell: Aroma smelling of light pale malts, an incredibly light touch of caramel, and distinctive spicy hops. Oh, and a tiny hint of dinner rolls.

Taste: Light pale maltiness with a light, brief sweetness and hint of washed out caramel. Faintest hint of wheat chaff. Spicy, Saaz hops with a light, cleansing bitterness. Finishes quite crisp with a flutter of both carbonation of spicy hop character. Bits of dough in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Light-bodied. Medium-plus carbonation.

Drinkability: Decent. I will say it certainly displays more malt and hop character than your basic macro lager.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2008 02:42:39 | More by ChainGangGuy

brentk56

North Carolina

3.43/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Appearance: Pours a hazy pale golden color with a very modest head that quickly fades without leaving any lace

Smell: Bready, with a distinct Euro-lager grassy hop character

Taste: Bready up front, with a surprising burst of grassy and spicy hop flavors arriving at mid-palate; after the swallow, some of the sweeter malt flavors arrive to balance out the profile; plenty of grainy lager twang on the finish

Mouthfeel: Light bodied with spritzy carbonation

Drinkability: Just not a style I care much for at all, though this beer brings some flavor, that is for sure

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2009 02:19:27 | More by brentk56

UCLABrewN84

California

3.28/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a slightly hazy light yellow with a 1 inch white head that fades to a thin film. Foamy rings occur on the drink down. Smell is of sweet grains and biscuit-like malt. Taste is of sweet grain, biscuit, and slight grassy flavors. Very slight bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp and clean mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty average lager that is neither that good or that bad.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2011 16:43:30 | More by UCLABrewN84

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.93/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

As I contemplated my order upon another bartender's recommendaiton, I thought, "What do Hawaiians really know about beer?" Apparently a little bit. This beer proved quite nice. Though typical in a base pale malt beer, the coler is an improved strong straw with fair head retention and carbonation. Aromas are a nice blend of malt and fruit. Modestly sweet with pilsner grains, an exotic fruit flavor made things interesting (mangos, pineapples, appricots, and kiwi). All the while, retaining a firm creaminess and consistency. The beer fared well even down to my last sip.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2006 19:06:12 | More by BEERchitect

oberon

North Carolina

3.58/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this on tap at a local Italian eatery last night and honestly was pleasently surprised.Came in a standard pint glass a light to medium golden with some chill haze from the glass,a thinner but well retained head atop.Not much in the nose,a little sweetness and grain but really not much goin on.Was taken back a little by the herbal hop smack I got on the palate....really.Herbal with a firm toasty base that did fade after a few drinks but still the hop flavors were a pleasent surprise.Drinkable and firm in the mouth,a nice lager beer with food.

Serving type: on-tap

04-17-2009 21:00:09 | More by oberon

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The slightly hazy golden body is capped by a bright-white head of creamy foam that holds OK before dropping to a decent collar and whispy surface covering. The nose expresses a dry, grainy malt with some mild earthy and leafy hop notes. The body is firmly medium with a fine carbonation that leaves it gently crisp and then lightly creamy in the mouth. The flavor is surprisingly rich for the style, and loaded with dextrinous maltiness. Some spicy, grassy, and floral hop flavor comes into play and gives it a bit of a honeysuckle flavor when wrapped in its lightly sweet malt; and there's a solid bitterness (@24 BU's) to balance it and lead to a dry and spicy finish! Definitely more than I expected... a true "hand-crafted" brew! It's light enough to enjoy as a "lawnmower beer", but with enough character to make you think "I'll have another"!

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2003 15:27:44 | More by NeroFiddled

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.74/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Kona Longboard Island Lager.
kona Brewing Company, Kona, HI, Portland, OR, Woodinville, WA, Portsmouth, NH. Fresh. Responsible. Always Aloha.

Clear, golden, slim white head.

Clean, cereal malt nose. Lightly hoppy, and dry.

Taste: Clean comes to mind, once more. Light bodied, lean, classic malt profile. Crisp, dry, with a short finish, that leaves the palate, and urges another drink. A well-put-together lager if there ever was one.

Let's read the label: "Waikiki Beach in Honolulu is the birth place of longboard surfing. Kona brewing pays tribute to this iconic place with our longboard island lager, a spirited, crisp and refreshing brew. Longboard is a smooth ride all the way in. Thirst's up!"

If you're looking for a lager, don't pass this one by.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2013 02:29:14 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

3.43/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours a nice gold color with a 1/4" white head that quickly fades to spotty lacing. The aroma is decent. It has a pilsner malt scent that's a bit sweet smelling along with a faint hop aroma. It's dry with some Mexican lager yeast esters. The taste is decent as well. It has a smooth pilsner malt flavor that goes down easy and finishes clean with a lingering dryness. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a medium bodied beer with a little less than adequate carbonation. This is an above average lager when compared to the macros, but that's not saying much.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2008 23:01:49 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

2.98/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a shaker pint. Beer is yellow with a slight haze to it and forms a thick head of white and medium bubbles after an irresponsibly hard pour. Head falls away leaving no lacing on the glass. A thin head remains of small and medium bubbles, carbonation is moderate and steady.

Smell is really off. Its harsh and grainy.

Fortunately the taste is better than the aroma. Its a little bland, nice carbonation on the palate, mild nearly non-existant sweetness on the front of the mouth, some grainy bitterness at the back. Its an OK lager, nothing special or unique, or worth going out of you way for.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2010 01:36:40 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

3.5/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours a slightly hazy light yellow color with a white head. The aroma is heavy on the corn and wheat. Not very appetizing. The flavor is wheat and corn with some grassy and earthy hop notes. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Kona makes some good beers, but this is not one of them.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2010 04:36:20 | More by Mora2000

zeff80

Missouri

3.23/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Poured out a clear, golden color with a white, one-finger head. Highly carbonated and left no lace.

S - It smelled of malt and pineapple.

T - It tasted quite sweet. It was malty and had a hint of pineapple. Some floral notes, as well.

M - It was crisp and sharp. A light-bodied beer.

D - This was a descent beer. My first offering from Kona or Hawaii.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2007 02:20:30 | More by zeff80

metter98

New York

3.38/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: It is clear pale yellow in color and has a thin head. A moderate level of carbonation is visible.
S: There is a moderate aroma of grassy, earthy hops in the nose.
T: There's a good balance between the initial flavor of malts and the hop flavors in the finish. As the beer warmed up, the overall taste became a little sweet.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and both smooth and crisp. There is some dryness in the finish.
D: The beer is relatively easy to drink but nothing really stands out in the taste to make me want to try this again.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2010 12:22:01 | More by metter98

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.53/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours with a frothy pale cream colored head that sits atop a lightly hazy gold colored beer. The aroma is light and hoppily spicy with notes of grass, herbal and a light sweet grain note. The taste has a certainl fullness to it that is not as thin as I was expecting. This beer also has a nice sharp bited in the finish. Overall this is fairly clean, but it has perhaps a hint of DMS and diacetyl, though it is not too noticeable and adds to the flavor of this beer. This definitely has a sweet grain character to it, and I like the fullness in the palate.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2005 02:35:53 | More by Gueuzedude

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.25/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On-tap 4/9/09 at Doherty's East Ave Irish Pub in Pawtucket, RI, served in a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a bright yellow color, with a thin white head that fades quickly and leaves a very little lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of light malts, citrus, some spice and a touch of hops.

T: The taste is fruity up front with flavors of citrus and spices. The malt character is very thin and the hops presence is very mild. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Smooth and crisp, light body, medium carbonation, finish is clean.

D: Tasty, goes down very easily, not filling at all, mild kick, good representation of style, this is a decent lighter beer to drink for a while but there are several others that I would choose first.

Serving type: on-tap

04-10-2009 15:55:17 | More by TheManiacalOne

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This poured out as a very pale looking yellow color. It has a white fizzy head on top. The a very minimal lacing and moderate retention. The smell of the beer is grainy with a very subtle hop aroma. The taste is light, grainy, malty, slightly spicy. The mouthfeel of the beer is light bodied, decent carbonation, a little watery though. Overall this beer is very drinkable, it's lighter than most lagers. It's not bad.

Serving type: can

09-08-2012 19:40:55 | More by Knapp85

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.6/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottling date of 12-29-05. Purchased in NM. (Hollman AFB Class 6)

Pours straw colored with a 2" white head & an effevervescent body. Some lacing and head retention

Smell: Slight citric hoppiness & frutty smells ups front, then a little alcohol as it warms

Taste: Sweet malt, some grainyness. Finishes sweet & crisp

MF: Medium body & good carbonation

Pretty drinkable, a little more fruitiness would help. Not a bad lager, tastes like I remember from 95-01 when I lived. A decent drinker, nothing special

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2006 05:47:44 | More by russpowell

Halcyondays

California

3.93/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. single bottle,

A: Pours a slightly hazy yellow, small white head with good retention, limited lacing.

S: Full of white bread, sourdough, some white grape juice.

T: Bready malt predominately, grape, with crisp grassy hops. Simple, but tasty.

M: Light, smooth and crisp - what you look for in a pale lager, medium carbonation.

D: A very good light lager from Kona. Lots of flavour, but light enough to be easily sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2008 01:56:33 | More by Halcyondays

Gavage

New Jersey

2.85/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: served in a pint glass looking dull yellow in color with a short 1/4" head. No lcaing develops.

Smell: absolutely nothing can be picked up by the nose.

Taste: mild malt level matched with some soft citrus and hint of bitterness. Bland and boring.

Mouthfeel: smooth all alround. Where's the crispness for a lager ? Light in body.

Drinkability: nothing to reach for here. I thought a simple lager would provide a light crisp refreshing beer, but this just didn't fit the bill. Go elsewhere...

Serving type: on-tap

03-19-2006 22:57:06 | More by Gavage

jwc215

New Jersey

3.13/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottled on Aug. 29, 06.

Pours light golden yellow with a head that becomes a lasting patch.

The smell is very mild. Clean, but not very aromatic. Some floral notes upon heavy snifting.

Sweet graininess meet some vague, floral hops. Something standard Euro-lager-ish about it (without any Euro-skunk). Like the smell, clean, but not much going on.

Light-bodied, but not too watery. A slight oily slickness mixed with crisp carbonation.

It's not bad, but not good either- very mild, boring even. An average lager, that's all.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2007 19:40:52 | More by jwc215

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.4/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A pint at the Tiki-themed bar at our Waikiki beachside hotel.

This beer appears a very pale golden straw colour, with one finger of thin foamy white head, which leaves a tight spray of lace around the glass as it hastily subsides.

It smells of weak grainy malt, and equally faint earthy grassy hops. The taste is somewhat acrid grainy malt, and earthy, leafy, kind of peppery hops.

The bubbles are a bit peppy, but fall in line quickly enough, the body medium-light in weight, and adequately smooth. It finishes off-dry, the grain performing its simple task to completion.

Straightforward, and goes down, no questions asked. As long as the sun shines, this stuff will reign, benevolently.

Serving type: on-tap

05-10-2012 07:39:57 | More by biboergosum

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A 12 oz bottle from Liquid Solutions.

A: The lager pours a vibrant golden yellow color that showcases a moderate-sized bubbly head. There is little retention.

S: The beer has a crisp grainy biscuit malt aroma and a slight edge of hops.

T: The lager has a smooth malt roundedness, showcasing cereal and some grassy grains. From first sip, the malt body is strong and chewy. From time to time it allows some slightly bitter hops to emerge from the flavor profile.

M: The mouthfeel is very pleasing, grainy with a good depth.

D: The lager is very drinkable, smooth with a somewhat thin finish.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2007 20:41:34 | More by akorsak

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.33/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked up a single bottle from the Party Source in Syracuse, NY. The grumpy man there said the Kona beers just came in from New Hampshire. A quick check of the bottle confirms the beer was brewed in Portsmouth, NH.

The beer appears clear gold with a short white head that leaves no lacing. There's a little DMS in the aroma, but the flavor is very clean with just a very light caramel note over toasted bread. I'm sure this would be a fine beer on the beach, otherwise it's still a nice step up from your average cheap, macro lager.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2009 02:13:35 | More by tempest