Volcano Wine and Kona Beer

When Justin and I go on a trip, be it to Europe or our neighboring state of Michigan, we like to drink in the local flavor, literally. It is always an ambition of ours to taste wine from the local wineries and drink beer from local breweries when we travel, and in Hawaii we did a little bit of both.

On our second drive around the big island, we swung into the Volcano Winery in Volcano, Hawaii, no more than a couple miles down the road from Volcanos National Park. We had fun sipping and tasting their wine made from grapes and fruit grown just out the back door, but were not impressed with the flavor, packaging, or prices ($16 a bottle!). Call us cheap, but generally when we buy wine straight from the house it was made, bottles are somewhere between $6 and $12.

Back at the hotel, we ran to the grocery store in the shopping center next to our hotel and snagged a mixed 6-pack of Kona Brewing Company beer that included 2 Fire Rock Pale Ales, 2 Big Wave Golden Ales, and 2 Longboard Lagers. Unfortunately, I can not comment on the taste, since I am not a fan of beer, but the speed at which Justin was draining them leads me to believe that he either thoroughly enjoyed them or was having a bad day, which, let's be honest, can anyone have a bad day when they are on vacation in Hawaii? I didn't think so.

Just like any other graphic designer, I am a sucker for nicely designed beer/wine/alcohol packaging and Kona Brewing Company's packaging is a case in point.

I especially loved their bottle caps because on the flip side was a hawaiian word and it's english translation. While Justin was drinking, I learned that ipo is lover, aloha is hello and goodbye, pupu is appetizer, wikiwiki is quick, and keiki is child.