E-Malt.com News article: USA: Primo beer back to Hawaii in bottles

Bottled Primo beer is making its way back to Hawaii starting March 24, Pacific Business News reported March 20.

The Primo Brewing & Malting Co. announced that local stores, supermarkets, bars and restaurants will offer the new bottled beer, which keeps most of the 1960s look of the old Primo bottles. Primo will also have a new taste, which the company described as "more satisfying ... for today's beer drinkers."

Primo beer was first brewed in Hawaii in 1898 by Honolulu Brewing & Malting Co. and is now a part of Pabst Brewing Co. A local favorite, Primo was nonetheless squeezed by big Mainland brands like Budweiser and production stopped in 1997.

Pabst relaunched Primo draft beer in December, making it the first time Primo has been available to Hawaii residents in almost 10 years.

The beer features cane sugar grown on Maui.

The company also announced it will donate a portion of the proceeds of each case of Primo to the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation. The new bottled Primo is produced and bottled in Irwindale, Calif. and distributed in Hawaii by Paradise Beverages. Primo draft is produced by Keoki Brewing of Lihue.


21 March, 2008