Double Overhead — Maui Brewing Co.

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 Double Overhead 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.

Double Overhead is Maui Brewing Co.'s double IPA, a big, hop-forward beer from Hawaiʻi's largest independent brewery, built at 8.5% ABV to deliver real intensity — more resin, more bitterness, more alcohol warmth than a standard IPA offers. Expect a golden-to-amber pour, a pine-and-citrus-forward aroma, and a firm, assertive bitterness that lingers into a dry finish, with the higher ABV showing up as gentle heat rather than sweetness. This is a beer built for hop lovers who want the full-strength version of the style. A 7.8 out of 10 places Double Overhead as a dependable, well-made double IPA on the Haliʻā ledger — earning its spot as the counterpoint to the hazier, juicier double IPAs in this lineup, a beer that plants its flag firmly in classic, resinous hop territory instead. Maui Brewing Co.'s scale as Hawaiʻi's largest independent brewery means Double Overhead reaches more shelves and more drinkers than almost any other beer in this box, making it a fitting benchmark for what mainstream Hawaiʻi craft beer tastes like at full strength — a reminder that the islands' biggest brewery still brews serious, hop-driven beer at its core.