A flight of beer at Maui Brewing Company in Kihei, Hawaii.

For many, cracking open an ice cold beer in Hawaii is the pinnacle of relaxation. And while the team at Maui Brewing Company embraces the relaxing nature of their home state, they haven’t grown into a budding craft beer powerhouse by taking days off.  “We’ve been fortunate to experience a lot of fantastic growth,” said Scott Metzger, Maui Brewing Company’s president and chief operating officer, on a recent afternoon at Maui Brewing’s flagship taproom in Kihei. Metzger is a craft beer veteran who joined the Maui Brewing team last year. 

Seated on a Maui hilltop with views of the ocean and mountain ranges, the brewery is less of a storefront and more of a campus. While visiting the headquarters, you can taste the offerings at the taproom, grab a T-shirt or pint glass at the gift shop, or tour the brewery itself, which produces 65,000 barrels of beer per year. The scale of the operation makes clear that this is not a run-of-the-mill neighborhood brewpub. And it’s about to get much larger.

Maui Brewing Company's restaurant patio in Kihei, Hawaii.

Earlier this year, Maui Brewing purchased San Diego-based Modern Times Beer for $15.3 million. Modern Times had become available after experiencing pandemic-related financial difficulties, including closing its Oakland taproom in February. Still, when the deal closes, Maui Brewing will have added five more flagship beers, four taprooms and a popular craft coffee bean line.  Maui Brewing plans to keep Modern Times’ name and branding for all existing products. With the Modern Times brand in tow, Maui will get to try new things, like perhaps a barrel-aged stout, that wouldn’t have fit with Maui’s beachside aesthetic.

Maui Brewing Company founder Garrett Marrero was born and raised in San Diego but came to Hawaii for a vacation and never left. While he loved the islands, Marrero, a craft beer enthusiast, was aware of the lack of local beer options. 

“Hawaii, when it comes to beers, was largely more known for green bottles and things like that,” said Metzger, referencing Hawaii’s infatuation with Heineken.

Just 26 years old at the time, Marrero was young and brash enough to believe he was the man to fill the void. 

“At that time no bank would even talk to us. Well, they talked to us, but they laughed at us usually,” said Marrero in a 2017 interview with CNBC.

Undeterred, Marrero and then-girlfriend Melanie Oxley were able to raise enough money from their families and a loan to open the company’s first brewpub in Lahaina in 2005.  Despite its humble island roots, Maui Brewing is hardly an underdog in the craft beer world. The brewery has expanded exponentially over the past two decades. In 2017, Marrero and Oxley were named the National Small Business Persons of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The company currently boasts four taprooms, two on Oahu and two on Maui, and brews beer out of a facility in Denver to service the continental U.S.  Even before the Modern Times deal, Maui Brewing was already the 43rd largest craft brewery in the country. To put that figure in perspective, the Brewers Association listed more than 9,000 American breweries in operation in 2021.

A half-empty pint of Bikini Blonde Ale at Maui Brewing Company in Kihei, Hawaii.

The brewery helped pave the way for what has become a thriving craft beer scene in Hawaii. When it opened in 2005, Maui Brewing was one of only a few breweries in the state, including Kona Brewing, but today Hawaii features more than 20 breweries, according to RateBeer. Metzger believes the brewery’s island home is key to its success as a business. “[Maui] is either everyone's favorite vacation they've ever been on or the dream vacation they have yet to take, OK,” said Metzger. “So our ability to deliver Maui in a glass to people all across the world is a major advantage.” Maui features eight year-round can releases as well a rotating lineup of specialty brews. The Bikini Blonde Lager is one of Maui's most popular offerings, but customers should also try the Pau Hana Pilsner, which is hoppy and crisp while still being light and easy enough to drink on a hot Hawaii day. If you don’t have to drive, the Double Overhead Double IPA is a treat, but packs a punch with an 8.5% ABV. The company has also expanded beyond beer in recent years. Maui Hard Seltzer was launched in 2020 to capitalize on the beverage’s craze, and the company also owns and operates Kupu Spirits, which makes island-influenced hard liquors and canned cocktails. 

Along with more than 20 drinks on tap, Maui's flagship Kihei taproom features a full restaurant serving traditional pub fare with a Hawaii influence. The meat in the pork sliders is made in the traditional Kalua style, and the fish and chips, a staple of any self-respecting tavern, uses locally caught fish.

The fish and chips at Maui Brewing Company in Kihei, Hawaii.

As the company expands, Metzger is keen to avoid the traps that can come for businesses that stray too far from what made them successful.

“[We’re] not chasing trends, not trying to grow too fast in a way that can't be sustained,” said Metzger.  And Maui Brewing vows to never waver from its allegiance to its home island.   “We always make a point to take care of our backyard, first and foremost,” said Metzger. “[Maui] is our home. These are our neighbors. They're what matters most.” 

Gabe Lehman is a Homepage Editor with SFGATE and can be reached at Gabriel.Lehman@sfgate.com.