Today is an easy day – we’re not doing much of anything except visiting our old haunts over on the Kihei side of the island. We don’t rush off as usual, just mosey on down and get the tender when we’re ready. It’s still a bit early, so we walk around Lahaina, looking in the different shops. Nothing much to buy here – unless you want cheap t-shirts with all the designs on the front. Nope. We’ll pass.
After about 45 minutes, we grab the car and head out toward Kihei. It feels weird to have the car here overnight, and we wondered what would happen if we couldn’t get back into Lahaina this morning because of rough seas. Would the car company have extra keys to come pick it up? Guess we’d over-night the keys to them from Kona the next day? Fortunately we didn’t have to worry, we were on land, and our car was too.
We hit Kihei a little after 10 and drive over to where we stayed 4 years ago. All looks the same, except for it doesn’t look like John is still renting it – can’t find it on the web, and there doesn’t seem to be much activity. But who knows? We drive past Moose McGillicuddy’s, one of our fav hang outs and onto Makena beach…another of our favorite places!
We hang out on the beach for a while, waiting until the new Maui Brewing Company tasting room is open to reserve a 12:30 tour. We’re going to head over there and eat at the food truck, which the web site said was Three’s Grill. We looked them up and they have great reviews and a really good menu – including Kalua pork, one of our favorites.
We reserve our tour and then head over there. Sadly, though, I didn’t confirm it was Three’s Grill for food, and when we arrive it’s Outrigger Pizza. Ah, really? Crap. But, what are you going to do? There’s a restaurant across the street in the tech buildings, but it is pricey, so we settle for the pizza. We order the Lilihoi pork pizza – what the heck. They guy doesn’t have a pen, so I tell him I’ll gift him one – and give him one of our ubiquitous SunTrust pens (we still have hundreds left – thank you Betty Baldwin!). He in turn gives us $2 off the pizza. Sweet.
We head back into the tasting room to get beer - yes, I’m drinking beer! It’s Mana Wheat, which is a pineapple wheat beer – and it’s delicious. Shockingly so, if I do say so. 
Pizza arrives, and it’s great, even if it is pizza. A little light on the pork, but it will hold us over, and sop up all the beer.
We it outside, enjoying the weather, the food, the beer and the music until it’s time to take the tour.
The tour is really good. Takes about 1/2 hour, and since this is a brand spanking new facility, it is really interesting. Everything is done by computers – all the calculations, the amount of wort used and sent to the tanks, the yeast, everything. The cleaning system is all electronic now, so the brew masters don't have to climb into the tanks to clean them anymore. Fascinating. Plus they are really green, everything is recycled, and reused as much as possible. Ingredients are also local with a few exceptions (one being the coconut that is used in the Coco Porter Ed is in love with now). Overall, a very good tour.
We leave the working brewery and grab our tasters in the tasting room – Pipeline porter – yay, I like that stuff – but also that icky IPA which I won’t drink. Ick. Bikini blonde ale, which is palatable and of course, Ed’s favorite, the coconut porter. All for $5 each for the tour and the 4 tasters. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon.
After a debate on buying a t-shirt (no, the fabric is thin and actually we don’t really like it all that much), we sadly head back to Kaanapoli to turn in our rental car and go back to the ship. We really like it over here and hate to go, but nothing we can do about that now….maybe next year? Or the year after? Hmmmm….
Car dropped, shuttled back to Lahaina, we’re not ready to hit the tender just yet. So, we hit Captain Jack’s – a truly cool bar on the 2nd floor overlooking Front Street. Great bartender, Carrie, who lived in Colorado her whole life, then moved here 8 years ago. We sit and gab, learn about how hard it is for locals to find someplace to live (the place she rents has sold and she and 3 other families who live in the same building have to find a new home, and it is really hard because there are so many vacation rentals now, that no one wants to rent to full time residents), while we listen to music from a guitar player. Nice way to end out our time on Maui.
We drag ourselves away and hop on the bouncy tender for our ride back to the ship….and our sailaway to Kona on the big island.
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