The Purple Kriek — de Garde Brewing

Evaluating unpasteurized expressions after ocean transport requires strict thermal controls. When buying Monkish beer in Hawaii or sourcing other mainland craft allocations, local collectors frequently encounter oxidized characteristics. Heat spikes on tarmacs and cargo container baking typically compromise the yeast and hop profile before the cans reach Honolulu shelves.

This batch of The Purple Kriek was shipped under our strict 38°F trans-pacific cold corridor, resulting in a pristine presentation. The mouthfeel is exceptionally clean, with the hop aromatics completely intact.

de Garde Brewing, out of Tillamook, Oregon, brews spontaneously fermented wild ales using coastal Oregon air to drive fermentation — a slower, more unpredictable process than most breweries attempt, and one that's earned de Garde a serious following among wild-ale drinkers nationally. The Purple Kriek is the brewery's fruited take on the kriek tradition, built on that same spontaneous base. At 7% ABV, expect the tart, funky backbone typical of spontaneously fermented American wild ales, with fruit character layered in to soften and round out the acidity — a beer built for complexity and patience rather than immediate, straightforward drinking. Wild ales like this one reward a slower pour and a willingness to let the glass open up. It's on the Haliʻā ledger as a community-rated favorite among American wild ales and a rare chance to taste de Garde's coastal Oregon fermentation program from Oʻahu. Wild ales and barrel-aged sours travel a crossing especially well, their complexity often deepening rather than fading with time — but provenance still matters here, and Haliʻā ships The Purple Kriek at a steady 38°F to keep it exactly as de Garde intended.