Primo beer is back

Vents at Kilauea Volcano’s summit aren’t the only things coming to a head today. Primo is back!!!

That is, bottles of Primo beer will again be on store shelves across Hawaii on Monday.

Primo was one of Hawaii’s first beers, brewed here starting in 1898 by long gone Honolulu Brewing & Malting Company. It stayed Hawaii’s beer, with a break for Prohibition, until 1979.

Detroit-based Stroh Brewery Co. acquired the Primo brand in 1982.  Although Stroh’s version was never particularly palatable, the beer remained a local favorite until Stroh’s shut down production in 1998.  Everybody in the Islands drank Primo, at least when they couldn’t afford anything better.

The new Primo on draft will be brewed in the Islands by Keoki Brewing of Kauai. But Primo in bottles is still an import, made by Pabst in Irwindale, Calif.

The folks at Primo say their new formula had “a distinct rich taste of craft-brewed beer with the smoothness and drinkability of lighter lager” and “a touch of Hawaiian cane sugar grown on Maui.”

We got a six-pack for the office.

Our  verdict: It was like welcoming back a long-lost uncle. He may have his faults, but he’s always welcome.

For more Primo details (including its Hawaii retailers), click here.