Kona Fire Rock Pale Ale Review

Name: Kona Fire Rock Pale Ale
Style: American Pale Ale (APA)
ABV: 5.9%

Earlier this year, Kona Brewing started distributing to Minnesota and they are the first brewery from Hawaii to be available commercially here. I've had a few of their beers before and thought they were good but I never got a chance to review them. To my knowledge, they are the only major brewery in Hawaii that distributes out of state.

Tonight, I'll be reviewing their Kona Fire Rock Pale Ale. Like most of their lineup, the beers constantly remind you that it's from Hawaii with most of their beers being named after things in Hawaii....and serves as a reminder that I will probably never visit Hawaii in my lifetime...

Kona Fire Rock pours a reasonably clear yellow color with a very slight haze. The head has a very filmy appearance which has pretty good retention with lots of lacing and some mild looking carbonation.

Floral Hops & yeasts are present in the nose along with some pale malts, slight toffeeiness, and mild resin.

The flavor starts out with some noticeable piney, citra, and dry hoppiness before settling into a yeasty and somewhat malty finish. The aftertaste has a light citrus characteristic to it.

The body is more on the lighter side with a very thin watery feel to it. The carbonation is in-between mild and moderate so it gives it a crisp feel.

While it doesn't do anything out of the ordinary as far as APAs go, you really can't go wrong with it at the same time. Kona Fire Rock plays it safe and the end result is a pretty good American Pale Ale.

Kona Fire Rock Pale Ale - 8/10