Lanikai Brewing Co.

Sommelier Audit Deconstruction

Lanikai Brewing Co. calls Kailua home, on the windward side of Oʻahu, and it's built its identity around local ingredients rather than chasing whatever style is trending — a brewery in Kailua worth knowing for its sense of place as much as its beer. An overall score of 4.0 puts it in solid, respectable territory — a well-liked neighborhood brewery that isn't trying to overwhelm you, just to make something distinctly Hawaiʻi and do it consistently. That local-ingredient focus is the throughline across the lineup, and it shows in beers that taste specific to the island rather than interchangeable with a mainland taproom. The Pillbox Porter is the clearest expression of that philosophy — Hawaiian and Tahitian vanilla folded into a dark, comforting base — while Route 70 leans brighter, built around hibiscus and ʻōhiʻa lehua honey in a way that genuinely tastes like the windward side. Both are worth ordering together to see the range. Visitors staying near Kailua or Lanikai Beach should treat this as a natural stop after a beach day. Locals already know it as the neighborhood's answer to what a truly Hawaiʻi-grown beer program should taste like.

From the Tasting Ledger

Beers we've reviewed from Lanikai Brewing Co.

Pillbox Porter

Lanikai Brewing Co. // 8.5/10

Route 70

Lanikai Brewing Co. // 8/10