Greg Koch's 6 Essential West Coast Beers

• As a brewer at the Kona  Brewing Company in Kona it's frustrating to hear poeple say that we're not "craft" anymore because of our relationship with CBA now.  In fact, we are still very much  a "craft" brewery in that we keep at least 15 different beers on tap at our pubs that are only made by us and can't be bought anywhere else, even on the mainland.  Besides a large, always available selection of beers from lagers to barley wines we have an extended barrel aging program and release bi-weekly, one-of-a-kind firkins.  We here all have the passion to make great and unique beer that I think most people in the beer industry have. Owned by a big company or not, our 10,000 BBL brewery is full of beer nuts and making great beer is our "craft".

• "If you are one of those poor, mislead, skittish souls who thinks they are afraid of 'dark beer,' stay in your self-concluded, preconceived-notion corner." Sounds like a great salesman -- a spokesman, if you will, for the toy-beer industry.

• This list is not that good....you've missed out on Mammoth Brewing Co. Golden Trout Pilsner for one...No 2, I'd like to think that Scrimshaw Pilsner from North Coast Brewing Co. is also a Top 6-er....and No. 3 - what about Lagunitas? The make an excellent Pils...of course, you do have Ballast Point - but their best beer is actually the Pale Ale.

• In the late 90's, Budweiser, seeing the potential of craft beer invested in Widmer and bought stake in the company and gave them access to their distribution network. Widmer eventually merged with Redhook in the mid-00's and called themselves the CBA. CBA also purchased a minority stake in Goose Island and Kona. They began to contract brew Kona at Widmer and Redhook's brewery in New Hampshire and then fully bought out Kona last year. Bud, looking to get more in the craft beer market bought out the CBA shares of Goose Island this year and acquired the company. Bud has a 36% share in CBA currently.

• You're correct, except it's the "Craft Brewers Alliance" -- essentially a pretty name for an InBev adjunct. It's sticky territory, and opinions are divided. Mr. Koch has made his opinion clear, and I tend to agree with him, though any statements he's made are his own, and any statements I make in this comment section are also my own (i.e. my opinion, and not necessarily the opinion of LA Weekly). At any rate, Kona's Longboard Lager pairs well with BBQ chicken pizza. Cheers!

• I researched your statement about Widmer being a subsidiary of the InBev owned Anheuser-Busch corporation, I cannot validate the information. I did find that the Kona Brewery brews beers on the mainland in association with the Craft Brewers Association, Inc out of Portland, OR.  The main Brewery is in Kailua-Kona where the recipes are created.  If I am wrong or ALL the websites involved are wrong, let me know. Great article though. Thanks.  

• Nice article!

• Kona isn't craft and it isn't Hawaiian. It's brewed by Widmer, a subsidiary of foreign-owned Anheuser-Busch.

• Maui makes the ONLY HI-brewed beers to hit the mainland US?  Not true.  Kona Brewing Co., brewed on the Big Island, available on the mainland.

• No love for Russian River's Pliny the Elder?

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