Kona Brew Fest back for 23rd year

KAILUA-KONA — Hawaii Island brew connoisseurs need not fly to Munich for Oktoberfest to find a festival celebrating a host of unique beers, ciders and meads.

The 23rd annual Kona Brewers Festival, staged by the nonprofit Ke Kai Ala Foundation after operating for 22 years under the Bill Healy Foundation, is set for next Saturday afternoon from 3-7 p.m.

Kona Brew Fest returns to a one-session format this year, as more than 40 brewers from around the country and 30 chefs from across the island will collaborate to entertain the palates of more than 3,000 attendees expected to flood the luau grounds of the King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel where the festival will be held.

Summer Carrick, a marketing and social media consultant working with the event, said beyond the distinct variety of brews to sample, two characteristics of Kona Brew Fest render it distinct from any other such event in the world.

The first is that it’s a food festival as much as a brew festival, and Carrick says the selection — ranging in the past from varieties of poke to fried avocado to fresh seasoned mango — tops anything she’s previously encountered at a brewers festival. Second, and perhaps more importantly, Kona Brew Fest is run by volunteers and solely profits island-based charities.

“A lot of times, brew fests are marketing events for big breweries, but the Kona Brewers Festival has always been about raising money for island programs,” Carrick said. “I believe that sets the mood and the tone, the vibe for the event.”

“It’s kind of hard to describe what aloha is,” she continued. “But I feel like because everything is done by the people for the people and it has this legacy of that for 23 years … it just feels amazing. It’s not just a big party where people drink too much. It’s this big community celebration, so that feels really, really good.”

Two of the 20 beneficiaries of the event are Friends of NELHA and People’s Advocacy for Trails Hawaii, or PATH.

Friends of NELHA sort merchandise and do inventory for Kona Brew Fest, receiving in return money that allows the organization to offer free tours to local students and educators of the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority, where cutting edge work on renewable energy, sustainable aquaculture and food security happens every day.

“There’s a lot of science in action students can really witness and get a sense of what’s going on and kind of take ownership of that because it’s happening here in Hawaii,” said Candee Ellsworth, executive director of Friends of NELHA. “It also allows them to see what kind of jobs are available in STEM careers. They don’t need to leave Hawaii to find jobs like these, they’re right here in their backyard.”

PATH will hold its 11th “Run For Hops” event Saturday morning from 7:15-9:30 a.m., which features both a 5K and a 10K race. Both races will start and end at BMW of Hawaii on Loloku Street.

Last year’s Run For Hops saw 691 participants, and PATH executive director Tina Clothier said her organization hopes to tip past 700 runners this time around.

“Some of the proceeds from that race go to fund PATH’s bike education program in the schools, and the other part of the proceeds go to fund the other beneficiaries of the Kona Brewers Festival,” Clothier said.

At this point in the registration process, adults can enter the race for $30 and children under 14 can sign up for $20. A family-friendly event, PATH also encourages businesses to put together teams. West Hawaii Concrete, for instance, has a team of more than 100 participants.

Sign-up information can be found on PATH’s website at pathhawaii.org or registration forms can be picked up at Bike Works, Kona Beach and Sports or the Big Island Running Company.

In its near quarter-century of existence, the Kona Brew Fest has put more than $1 million back into the Hawaii Island community.

Kate Jacobson, executive director of the festival, said after expenses she expects the event to top $100,000 for charity again this year.

“It’s really one of the fun (events) in Kona,” Jacobson said. “So many people contribute to the success of the festival, so it has the feeling of a big family reunion.”

Carrick said that while the Kona Brew Fest has been sold out for weeks, there are still tickets moving on the Kona Brew Fest Facebook event page, its official app entitled simply “Kona Brewers Festival,” which is available on Apple iTunes and Google Play, as well as on Craigslist.

“The location, cultural significance and setting (of the event) makes it unique,” Carrick said. “It’s really fun to go and spend a day enjoying some of the beautiful place and space Kona has to offer with local people as well as visitors.”