Many on Kaua‘i have no idea, but it is right here on this island that the world’s westernmost beer is brewed. And it’s no ordinary beer; Waimea Brewing Company brewmaster Dave Curry has won a few awards with his creations.
Many on Kaua‘i have no idea, but it is right here on this island that the world’s westernmost beer is brewed. And it’s no ordinary beer; Waimea Brewing Company brewmaster Dave Curry has won a few awards with his creations.
Bartender Jennifer Chong pours tap beer with perfect foam. For those close to her it’s hardly a surprise; this pretty girl fills up her own ammunition, a much more difficult task. Her father, lifetime hunter Jeffrey Bryant, taught everything he knows to “daddy’s girl.”
Last year Jennifer caught an all-white sheep with 30-inch horns, on the Big Island. “People wait their whole lives to hunt one like that,” she said. The year before, on Moloka‘i, she took out a huge axis deer with an extra point, also a rarity.
The newly-wed Jennifer brags she’s a better shot than her own husband. Her father has been taking her hunting since she was 12-years-old. Without much modesty, she risks saying she’s better than Bryant. “He’s getting old, so I think I’m getting better now,” she said, laughing as if poking fun at her father, who she says is a really good shot.
Jennifer and her father make their own ammo, painstakingly measuring each grain that goes into the bullets, because factory ammo is not as accurate, she said.
Only a few lucky hunters get to buy Bryant and Jennifer’s perfect bullets. Others, even luckier, trade bullets for things such as pulolo, a Hawaiian delicacy made out of taro and coconut.
“He’s really old-fashioned,” Jennifer said of her father’s habit of bartering things and favors. Someone just painted her father’s whole house, because all his life Bryant has been giving him bullets.
There are many ways of ordering the World’s westernmost beer, but for sure the best one is the sampler; you get to taste all 9 different beers, plus the special brew.
If you go there to drink, don’t forget to bring a sober friend. You’ll need a designated driver for the long ride back.
