YEE: Beertopia @ Kona Brewing Company

Very late review, but I remembered the major and most important details!
Thank you to Emi and the crew for choosing a great venue! I have always wanted to eat at Kona Brewing Company, but never had the right opportunity to go until this event.
Unilocalers were provided three large glasses of beer and a generous amount of tacos, sliders, and spicy ahi won ton chips. We were also given small gifts, such as the sunglasses and hand sanitizers. Yay!
The floor space designated to Unilocal was quite small, but this allowed my plus one and me to mingle with friends old and new. Of course, I loved the photo booth and the props that came along with it. Overall, great job!

Forget beertopia (also because you would loose your sticker if you said it…) — this is just utopia!
Kona Brewing Company (KBC) is a great spot on the water in Hawaii Kai. Being there with my Unilocal pals, free food and beer and fun games and prizes made it even better!
We were given an icebreaker to fill out… the eventual prize for the completed one was a Unilocal pint glass! KBC also had some party favors: I loved the fake wood sunglasses– how cute!
We were able to try a couple of their DELICIOUS menu items, like the haupia dessert and the caprese kabobs. (I actually don’t think that was what they were called but that is basically what they were!) The new Aina beer was delicious and some of the classics were available too! Although there were so many people there, the servers did a great job bringing drinks.
This was the ultimate Elite Event and a great start to 2015. Thanks so much to Emi, Maka, Cathy and Ally!

What a great way to start off the year!
Kona Brewing Company was packed full of Unilocalers enjoying their freshly tapped beer and the tasty morsels hot out of the kitchen! The live music set the mood, and photo booth was busy all night long capturing priceless elite moments.
There isn’t much left to be said that hasn’t been craftily written down in the previous reviews, so I’ll just end by thanking Kona Brewing Company, and Emi, Cathy, Maka and Ally of Team Unilocal Honolulu for such a spectacular event!

The stars were aligned (with Emi’s help, of course). Does it get any better than partying at a YEE in Honolulu?
Emphatic NO!
Greeted by Maka S., we mainlanders were worried about whether we’d fit in. Meeting CM Emi many moons ago, I was ecstatic to get this invite. Seeing her and getting the ingenious icebreaking game from Alli C. really put me at ease. While touring the Kona Brewing Co., we were impressed with the location and the indoor and outdoor seating option. After walking and trying a few of their offerings (ahi tartare, caprice on a stick, and beer sampler), we found a cooler spot on the deck by the water. Here was where we met Terry K. and Dave F., who eased our concerns. She quickly introduced us to the fellow 808 elites and UYE planners/​attendees Ramfiis, Darrell, Li Y. (thanks for your local places list), and, Chris. Loved that there was no mob scene to the food servers and food flowed until we left.
As designated driver, I did not partake on the spirits, but it seemed that everyone enjoyed Kona’s new beer launches. Appreciated that the drink servers were passing out water mugs. Before leaving, we even stopped at the photo booth for our Gilligan’s island reenactment.
As a memento for the evening, my biggest worry was how to pack my pint glass prize into my luggage home. Nice worry to have. Big thanks to Emi and hope to catch another one next trip.

What a better way to start off a week of fun in paradise than attending a YEE in Honolulu. Mike C, his +1 and I were excited to attend this event and for me, the first YEE outside of my home area.
We checked in with Unilocal ambassador, Maka A, and the servers offered us a tasting sample of one of Kona Brewing’s new brews. Then we checked in with Alli to claim our Unilocal koozie swag for checking in on your app. Allie had an ice breaker questionnaire where upon completion, you got a Unilocal pint glass. We then met Emi H, Honolulu’s CM in person after communicating via email. Met some great Honolulu Unilocal Elites, especially Terry Y. and Li Y. (
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We were provided with three pints of beer, yes three. As a lover of dark brews, I opted for the porter brewed with coffee. Delicious! The appetizers of a mozzarella and tomato skewers, pulled pork on taro buns, ahi tuna poke on a chip and a coconut chocolate cube were tasty as well. (
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What a great YEE! Thanks Kona Brewing Company and Emi H. for putting on this YEE and allowing us SF Bay Area YEE to partake in it.
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omg where to start… i got my very first elite badge at the beginning of the year and when i saw the first Unilocal Elite Event for the year say BEERTOPIA, i knew this was one of the main reasons why i strived for that elite badge! free beer and food. i mean, what else could you ask for!
since this was my first YEE, i was hella nervous but excited at the same time. while we were waiting in line to check-​in, a waiter came down the line, passing out sample glasses of their new Pipeline Porter and Aina Brown Ale. Maka also made her way through the line, passing out our wristbands and ice breaker papers. reading through the list, the only thing i could sign off of was the YEE virgin lol. but we met Mike C in line and he was able to sign off the DD for the night line for me! we then checked in with Cathy and picked up our Unilocal schwag. Emi then greeted us and explained the Unilocal sticker game. anyone who says the word «Beer» gets their sticker taken away. and the person that collects the most stickers, gets a chance to win an amazing prize!
as we joined the party, right off the bat, people came up to talk to us. i’m shy when i first meet people, so it was a very welcoming party to attend with such amazing Unilocalers! i made a lot of new friends and not to mention, the food was so ono! the sliders on taro bread was my favorite. and who can forget the THREE free drink tickets! because it was a work night, i didn’t want to drink too much, so my plus 1 and i only used 2 of our tickets. the Aina Brown Ale was our favorite. it was also nice running into familiar faces like Nicole K, Debbie L and Jason D! :)
the entertainment was amazing and the photobooth was a lot of fun! this YEE was a great event to kick off the year and has definitely set the bar for any future YEE i can hopefully attend. thank you again to the Unilocal Hawaii team for allowing me to become apart of this wonderful Unilocal Elite family and for the opportunity to attend this fun-​filled event. also thanks to the Kona Brewing Company for providing all the delicious food and beers. the staff were friendly and full of energy. props to all of them for making their way through the crowd and carrying heavy trays of food and beer.
this was a very memorable first YEE for me and i’m definitely looking forward to what else is in store. cheers!
#14 out of 100 Unilocal Reviews in 2015

First off, I would like to thank my DD for getting me to this event and back home safe. You’re the best! I would not have attended this awesome party without your help.
Today’s event featured their Aina Brown Ale from their Makana series. Pupus included spicy ahi on a wonton chip, mozzarella and tomatos, pulled pork sliders, and haupia okinawan sweet potato pie… see my pictures.
While waiting in line during the check in process we were able to sample the pipeline porter or the brown ale. After the checking in we were handed the ice breaker game, which after completion we were given a Unilocal pint glass. I really wanted this, but my plus one wanted it more so I gave it to her.
In addition to the ice breaker game, there was the Unilocal sticker game for the grand prize (a Kona Brewing surfboard). The rule was to simply get your fellow Unilocalers to say the word «beer». If that happens you get to take their sticker.
We got a chance to meet the head brewer Billy Smith. Hats off to him because I love the brewskies that you make.
Live music was way cool and the service was on par.
Thank you Emi, Cathy, Maka, Raelyn, Alli, and Unilocal Hawaii for all your hard work and for a beertopia night. This party was a blast!!!

And here it is… Unilocal review NO. 100 ! What a great way to reach a Unilocaling milestone by Unilocaling a YEE. On the waiting list till 2 days before the Beertopia event at Kona Brewing made me even more excited, knowing that there was an overwhelming response to this event. Finally getting my confirmation I was like «a dog out of quarantine «…So elated was I that we arrived there a bit too early for Emi, Cathy, Maka and the rest of the fantastic crew who were still prepping what was to become a Super YEE… perfect way to kickoff Super Bowl XLIX weekend ! Not wanting to disturb the crew hard at work we diverted ourselves to the Bar and started sampling some of their featured beer on tap like Lavaman Red Ale And Lemongrass Beer. Both were very smooth and tasted great.
Checking our time as we headed back to check in at Beertopia we were greeted by our always beautiful Community Director Emi Hart and briefed on tonight’s activities. This party had all the components for success covered: 1) beautiful waterfront location which really establishes that we are here in Paradise 2) Great business (they make some of my favorite beer) 3) Good food and lots of it 4) Live music 5) Lots of Fun and Prizes 6) Photo booth (a must have at all fun events) and 7) Most importantly the friendliest most energetic bunch of Unilocalers you’ll find anywhere. I met so many wonderful people and I am proud to be a part of this Unilocaling community.
Oddly enough, I’ve never been to this location for Kona Brewing Co. But I’ve been to the one located in Kailua-​Kona and liked it a lot. I have always been a patron of their retail products found in most grocery and liquor stores. Personally, I like this location much better because it represents more of what the Island has to offer in relation to beautiful waterfront views and open spaces. Like Kailua-​Kona the staff here at Koko Marina is very friendly and efficient and did a fantastic job serving and assisting in the Beertopia YEE.
Mahalo to Emi, Cathy, Maka, Raelyn, Kona Brewing Co, and Photo OPs Hawaii for an grand event with lasting friends and impressions!
And thanks also to my buddy John L. for being my + 1 and introducing me to some great people#stillayelpeventrookie@beertopia@konabrewingcompany

I am no longer a YEE virgin, lol. Yesterday was my first time and I had a blast at Beertopia. Thanks to Unilocal,Emi and the rest of the crew for hosting this event. Also, thanks to the Kona Brewing Company and Photo Ops Hawaii. It was fun getting to know and talking story with the other Unilocalers. The ice breaker worksheet made it so much easier to get to know people. I found a fellow Cowboy fan in Raymond B., yay! I loved the Unilocal photobooth. That was exciting. I just had to hold up the sign, Me So Unilocaly! haha.
The Kona Brewing Company is at the Koko Marina Center. I have been to the center numerous times, just not to the Kona Brewing Company. The place is pretty nice and they have tables where you can sit overlooking the water. It has an easy going, laid back vibe to it, sort of like Duke’s.
They provided finger foods but to me, some of the portions were huge. When I first arrived, the servers were passing around tomatoes and mozzarella drizzled with balsamic vinegar. Then, came the bbq pulled pork on taro roll and soft shell beef taco. For dessert, they had an Okinawan sweet potato and haupia pie. I was beyond stuffed. The food was off the chain. My pick of the night of course was the dessert. The balance of the haupia and sweet potato was perfect. I think I forgot to mention that it was drizzled in chocolate, yes chocolate. :)
The servers were all very friendly. The kept coming by to offer me food. I had to politely decline because I was already stuffed from what I already had. They were all smiles and asked if I needed anything else.

Awesome event hosted by Kona Brewing Company. We got to try their beers made with taro and coffee (dark beers) and their lager. All were excellent.
The soft tacos, taro bun sliders with the pulled pork, spicy ahi on a chip were all excellent.
Thanks to Emi and the Unilocal staff and most importantly, the Kona Brewing Company for making this event happen. Great job!

Shout out to Daniel for bringing me to this event! First YEE, as a sporadic user I definitely can see why people strive for elite status. From the people to the atmosphere, the whole event was on point.
Thanks to Cathy, Maka, Alii, Emi, and Raelyn for helping out with the event. They did an awesome job in making people feel welcomed, with taking pictures and having a fun little ice breaker to get a sweet Unilocal pint cup. There was another fun sticker game where the grand prize was a Kona Longboard!
The picture booth ran by Allen was a blast and we even got 11 people to fit into one frame, quite possibly a world record haha.
We got to try the new Aina Brown Ale from Kona Brewing Co. (props to them for the venue) as a part of the Makana Series release. The Aina is a taro ale and is a drink everyone should try. On top of that there was food aplenty; some favorite are the pulled pork sliders, ahi tartare on a fried wonton wrap, and the okinawan sweet potato haupia.
In the end I met a lot of fun people and that’s what made the event a blast. Definitely looking forward to seeing everyone again soon.

What a Unilocaltastic first YEE to celebrate the New Year and Kona Brewing Co.‘s 21^st Brithday! Before even claiming our Unilocal shwag, Kona Brewing Company’s staff immediately offered us a small glass of their new Aina Brown Ale or Pipeline Porter made with Kona Coffee. Talk about service!
With drink in hand, we continued down the line to the Unilocal table to claim our Unilocal shwag, drink tickets, ice breaker sheets and most importantly, our Unilocal sticker. Being a new Elite, I didn’t know anybody other than my +1 but the ice breaker sheet, Unilocal sticker game for the grand prize win, along with my upgraded pint really helped me break out of my shell and meet so many wonderful new people! Because when you use «game» and «grand prize» in the same sentence, this gal gets competitive and does what she needs to do to get the job done! With that being said, with a lot of help from my Wonderful New Friends, I made top 2 for collecting the most stickers and by correctly answering 2 trivia questions first, won the grand prize! I couldn’t have done it without you guys and you know who you are!
None of this would be possible, if it wasn’t for Emi & her staff for creating such a wonderful and fun atmosphere, where the New could easily commingle with the Superstars. The Honolulu Unilocal Community is seriously the best and I’m very grateful for meeting everyone who makes events like these so special and truly unique.
Shout out to to Kona Brewing Co.‘s staff for their attentiveness. Our glasses were never empty and the trays of food were endless. Their pork sliders paired with their Aina Brown Ale were to die for and we will definitely be back for more! And special thanks to their ambassadors for taking great care of the Unilocal squad and providing the grand prize.
Hope everyone exchanged their Ice Breaker sheet for a Unilocal Pint Glass because a toast is in session! Let’s raise them and give cheers to the Best Unilocal Crew in the World and a Happy 21^st to Kona Brewing Company!
HAPPY COMMINGLING!

What a great way to start off the year for the Unilocal Elite Squad! This was the perfect venue to browse and mingle with all the new Unilocal Elites as well as some of the more seasoned Elites.
We were met by the ever welcoming Unilocal staff as well as the Kona Brewing Company’s public relations staff and their brewmaster as we entered. We were offered samples of their porter and brown ales as we entered the restaurant. I especially liked talking with the brewmaster, Bill. He was very interested in what types of brew we enjoyed and what we liked about them. It was evident that we were really welcomed in this great establishment on the bay in Hawaii Kai.
The food was plentiful and beautifully presented. Beef tacos, ahi poke, and pulled pork sliders for starters and haupia chocolate squares to finish. Their waitstaff were really on top of their game handling the 100+ Unilocalers who attended this really great kickoff to the Unilocal 2015 season.
My hat’s off to the Unilocal staff for getting so many new Elites to attend. The icebreaker worked so well during this event. I met probably more new Unilocalers here than at any other event.
Great venue, great food, great beer, great hosts, and great people with whom to enjoy it all! It’s nice to Unilocal Elite!

There couldn’t have been a more perfect YEE to start the year — more beer than anyone could drink (people had lots of leftover drink tickets at the end of the night — when does that happen?!), food, friends and fun!
Kona Brewing Company was very generous, allowing the Unilocalers to take over the main area of the restaurant to party and keeping the free beer and delicious appetizers flowing throughout the night. I tasted the beef taco and the haupia dessert. Both were definitely items I’d order the next time I visit.
I’m not the biggest beer fan, (you may have found out from the fun ice-​breaker game) but I did really enjoy their Porter! It tasted like an alcoholic iced coffee, right up my alley!
My buddies generously allowed me to win in the «don’t say beer» sticker game, but unfortunately my Unilocal trivia game was not on point! I promise to read up and study more for the next opportunity to win A KONA LONGBOARD (the literal surfboard!!). Sorry friends — If I would have won it, you all could have used it anytime … unlike the Turtle Bay vacation I won. LOL.
After having a blast with all my Unilocal friends old and new, we were blessed with parting gifts of sweet Kona Brew shades and a Unilocal pint glass!
Thanks Pua P for letting me be your guest! Thank you Emi, Maka, Cathy and all the other Unilocal helpers for a fun trip to Beertopia!

Being a «Beer Aficionado» (wink wink), this elite event was right up my alley. I already love Kona Brewing’s beer selection, so pairing that up with good food and great people was a winning combination!
The event started off at the door with a quick sampling of their delicious «Pipeline Porter» and «Aina Brown Ale» (new release) beers, and right into an ice breaker, finding new friends with specific backgrounds and experiences (i.e. «someone who shares the same zodiac sign as you»). Got to meet a new Unilocaler, and an Elite that was experiencing his first event.
The food bites they had were good, with the spicy ahi/​tobiko on top of a wonton chip being just the kind of food I wanted that night… especially with beer. All in all, I enjoyed this event, and thank both Kona Brewing and Unilocal Hawaii, for putting on another great event!

First YEE of the year! And with my +1 who had his very own elite name tag… Todd S. Now I may end up being the +1 for events!
I will say that at first I was thinking… omg sooo far for a Unilocal event. However, the wanting to go outweighed the distance. There were a ton of people but the entry line moved fast and we met Austin and Ashley in line. It was their first event, how exciting!
Idk if it was me or not but it was super hot up in there. Probably because of all the new Unilocal elites! There were a ton of new faces and a bunch of familiar ones too. It was nice to meet some new people and catch up with others.
There was an icebreaker so you can meet new Unilocal elites. Find someone who matches a description on your paper and have them sign it. Once completed, you got a prize. Of course Todd and I finished it and took home two new shiny pint size Unilocal glasses… yay!
It was great to help Kona Brewing Company celebrate their 21^st birthday and there were free drink tickets to sample some beer too! We tried the Pipeline Porter which was made with Kona coffee. I wish I had ice cream. And we also go to try one of their new beers the Aina Brown Ale which was made with taro. Both, pretty good beers. I’m not a beer drinker, but I could appreciate them. There were some yummy pupus too… Kalua pig sliders on taro buns, spicy ahi poke with tobiko on won ton chips, pork tacos, mozzarella with tomato and basil sticks and a chocolate haupia taro square dessert. The mozzarella was definitely the easiest to eat while talking, holding a beer, signing the icebreaker sheet and smiling.
And of course @photoopshawaii was there with some fun props. How many people can you fit in a photo booth? You had to be there to see. Or look at the photos when they are uploaded to this event page.
Then of course there was the sticker game for the grand prize, a Kona Brewing surfboard. The taboo word was beer. I didn’t get a sticker so I didn’t play but it was fun watching everyone else. Congrats on the two finalists and to the winner for answering the most Unilocal trivia!
New friends… add me so we can share Unilocal experiences together. Hawaii truly does have the best Unilocal community. Thank you Unilocal Hawaii, Emi H, Cathy T and Maka M (EMC) and the interns Raelyn B, and Alli C. for all your hard work, for a beertopia night. Kampai!

YEE!!! What a great event to kick off the 2015 year! Great job to Emi H., Cathy T., Maka M., Raelyn B. and Alii C. for hosting this awesome event for the Elite’s and their +1’s! Also, special thanks to Kona Brewing Company in Hawaii Kai for having us at their venue trying their tasty food and amazing beers.
Patrick N. was my +1 for this event and it was his very first Unilocal event. He said he had a blast and looks forward to contributing to Unilocal with reviews and check in’s. It was great seeing so many old faces and meeting a few new faces as well. The table next to ours were full of guests from the Bay Area who come annually for the Pro Bowl. It was a great honor to have them at the event.
We enjoyed a night full of spicy ahi on crispy won ton wrappers, beef tacos, caprese skewers, pulled pork sliders and a Haupia dessert. This was on top of 3 pints of beer. We had the choice of the Pipeline Porter, Aina Brown and Longboard. The night went by so fast with an ice breaker game and a photo booth. Awesome event and congrats to all the 2015 Elites!

At the end of the night with a step out the door it was over. The end of an awesome event at Kona Brewing Company to start off the new year.
I was fortunate enough to be bruddah Ramfis B. +1 for this event. We were also lucky enough to score one of the last tables in the place because this place got packed!
The grinds were ono! Pulled pork sliders, spicey ahi on top of won ton, soft beef tacos and for desert haupia chocolate something. The last two were my favorite. Take it all down with some Aina Brown Ale that was gracing our table all night.
If you filled out your form given to you when you entered you scored a Unilocal pint glass at the end of the night.
It was so good to see so many familiar faces and to meet new Unilocalers from my friends list at the same time. Good friends, good times spent with wonderful people.
Thank you to our CM Emi H, Cathy T and Maka M and the interns for putting together another great Unilocal event and Kona Brewing Company for opening their doors to us and Mark our waiter for taking good care of our table tonight.

Wow, the YEE: Beertopia @ Kona Brewing Company was another amazing Hawaii Unilocal Elite event! Entry was fast and painless due to pre-​written name tags, efficient staff, and even food & beer served while in line. At final check in, we were given 3 tickets to sample 3 full size serving of different beers. Wow! I don’t drink beer but my +1 loves the stuff!
We’re usually instructed to eat before coming so I had a full dinner but I was pleasantly surprised by how much food was served. Pulled pork sandwiches, beef tacos, lomi ahi nacho, tomato & cheese on a stick, and a haupia dessert. Time flew by quickly as we were given an ice-​breaker meet-​other-​Yelpers games and sticker challenge which led up to the final super trivia for the awesome grand prize surfboard!
The event ended too quickly but with a wonderful parting gift — a Unilocal beer glass! Thank you Unilocal staff for all your hard work in organizing such a fantastic event.
30^th review in 30 days of 2015!

What a way to start the year with this Unilocal Elite Event (YEE)!
100 plus of Elites and their +1’s got together for a fun evening at Kona Brewing Company. As we checked in we got our cool Unilocal schwag and ice breaker worksheet where we manuvered throughout the restaurant. Made a whole bunch of new friends and saw the usual old faces.
I lost my Unilocal sticker easily as I forgot the magic word of «beer» too easily. It was a hot topic of tonight’s YEE.
We nibbled on delicious bites and washed it down with local brewed beer. And we had so much fun at the photo booth!
Thanks Unilocal Hawaii, Emi and her fab crew Cathy T., Maka K., Raelyn B, and Alli C. for a wonderful night. Also I cannot forget David T. as I was his +1 for tonight’s event.
P. S. As we left and turned in our completed ice-​breaker, we got the new Unilocal pint glass!
NOTE: I had several Yeeps approach me tonight during the ice-​breaker with «So you’re the famous (or more like infamous) Paul C.!» Gosh, is this island that small?