What Ales You, Kihei

If the brew gods have anything to say about it, south Maui just may yet become a brew lovers paradise. The latest entrant on the brewing scene is Kihei’s “What Ales You” tap-room located in The Triangle. (The Triangle, if you don’t know, is the area adjacent to Foodland in central Kihei, across the street from Kalama Park.) Basically, if you like beer – we’re not talking Budweiser or PBR here – you have to visit this quaint little place. I was a little skeptical at first since I knew the owner had taken over the dumpy space used by “Pita Paradise.” However, the location has been sincerely cleaned up and decked out with modern outdoor décor (no sore butts and this patio!). Inside is a bit more demur with only five small tables and a 13-seat bar, but at least it’s clean, a bonus for any establishment in The Triangle. There are also 3 TV screens above the bar and another off in a corner, just in case you need your sports fix.

I don’t really think people come to a tap-room to watch games; hopefully, they come for the beer. There are eight standing taps and another eight on rotation, all of which are microbrews and diverse enough to satisfy almost any palate. (I say ‘almost’ because there was no porter today, and no ale house is complete without at least one porter, I say. I realize porters aren’t popular nowadays, but still.) Essentially, with 16 beer on tap, this makes “What Ales You” the place to go when Maui Brewing Company is over-crowed (which is often lately) and Monkeypod Kitchen is too overrun with tourists who don’t mind paying Monkeypod’s confiscatory prices. But this tap-room has wine, too! Again, there’s a nice selection here though I sampled little of it, though the sip I had of my friend’s glass was quite buttery. As for liquor, you won’t find any here; better luck next door at Tiki Lounge where the bartending is hit or miss. Food is a bit more scarce at this point for “What Ales You” as they only opened in late June but offer some delicious bratwurst and cheese platter pupus (appetizers). Perhaps they will expand the food menu someday, but I can wait until then. They don’t seem to have much in the way of entertainment right now either, but with all the bars in The Triangle, be that as it may. From 4-6pm you’ll hear music splash over from the Tiki Lounge, anyway.

Finally, I’ll say that the staff was super friendly – Stacey, our server, was really sweet and Bucky is a guy who knows his beer. Working in paradise as I do, I know it’s hard to find decent staff in Maui, so I was really happy with how we were treated, service-wise. I’ll definitely be back. I hope you’ll go, too, because I’d like to see this place succeed.

Open 10am-11pm every day. Happy Hour 3-6, if I remember correctly.

Directions: 1913 South Kihei Road, Kihei, Maui, Hawaii 96753. It is behind “Life’s A Beach” and “Fat Daddy’s Smokehouse,” and next to “Tiki Lounge” in the space that used to be “Pita Paradise.”

 

 

80's Night at Gannon's, Wailea

You would think that given all the information on the Internet, there would more reviews about Maui nightlife. It is true that there isn’t a great deal of nightlife on Maui such as you would find on the Mainland and this is due to the fact that vacationers mainly come to the island for the beaches. Between this fact and the time difference between Hawaii and the rest of the world, Maui is generally a quiet place after 9pm. Not always, though. Outside of the well-known “Triangle” in south Maui’s Kihei – The “Triangle” being a collective of several bars – some Wailea and Makena restaurants occasionally turn themselves into a dance venue. During the summer months, once a month, Gannons in south Maui itself hosts “Gannons After Dark: The 80’s in Wailea.”

First, the facts: Gannon’s is located up a hill on 100 Wailea Golf Club Dr. The cover is $10 a person or $15 a head if you want to reserve a table. There is plenty of free parking. The event begins at 9pm and goes until 1am, which for Maui, might as well be more like 4am. Once inside, you will notice how spacious the venue is as most of the restaurant’s tables have been stored away, leaving a few tables surrounding the dance floor and outside on the lanai (patio). This is a breath of fresh air as it allows you to actually get to the bar without much trouble. On the other hand, there are some tables too close to the dance floor which cuts down on the actual dance floor area; the “dance floor” itself is actually quite small by Mainland standards. The crowd was mostly locals; about 80% by my estimations, with ages ranged from the 20’s to 50’s. The rest of the crowd was comprised largely of vacationing 20-somethings doing the bridal shower thing or looking to get out of their hotel rooms and away from their families. The drink prices are about what you would expect for this ritzier part of the island though surprisingly not all that insane. This is Hawaii after all.

The experience: My group arrived shortly after the party started at 9pm and by the time we walked in the dance floor was already hopping. It appears as though the locals take full advantage of any nightlife down this part of the island and I don’t blame them. We were also surprised to see how many people actually took the time to dress up in their 80’s paraphernalia: You had your aerobic junkies and jocks, preppies, Madonna-wannabes, neon-clad girls, metal-heads, etc. Actually, so many people put some effort into what they were wearing it made the people who weren’t in costume seem silly in comparison even if those people were dressed nicely. (Of course, I’m sure no one goes on vacation expecting to pack an 80’s costume, especially since Hawaii has long maintained a psychological connection to the 70’s.) The crowd was friendly and few people in this setting thought twice about striking up a conversation just for the sake of it. Unfortunately, as the hours and alcohol wore on, a few people did get out of control on the dance floor which was small enough to begin with. As The 80’s in Wailea seems to be a popular event, I would advise Gannons to back the tables away from the dance floor a little more. It just seems odd that given the amount of space available to the venue that they would try to box in the dance floor so much. (However, one suspects a more crowded-in dance floor makes for better photo and video opportunities.) Now that I think more about some of the tables being so close to the dance floor, I would advise against reserving a table as people are simply going to put their drinks down wherever they can find space, whether your table is reserved or not. If you really need to sit down, there were plenty of unreserved tables outside on the lanai.

Meanwhile, the music, supplied by local boys DJ LX and emceed by Jay J, was passable enough despite some early technical glitches. And I personally would have enjoyed the music more if they would have let more songs pay all the way through. It’s just as a musician myself, well, I probably pay too much attention to these things and maybe shouldn’t criticize. But I will definitely give DJ LX credit for mashing up several songs and giving a few of them some much needed backbone with some extra beats and bass. That aside, how much fun this event is doesn’t rely much on the DJ but rather the already high enthusiasm of the patrons going in. All things considered, I can’t wait for the next retro-80’s party at Gannons. I’ll be there; just look for one of the ten guys in zebra-striped pants.

Totally gettin' rad here!