The Hilo brewery that traded as Mehana Brewing, then Hawaiʻi Nui Brewing, and finally Hilo Brewing Company is closed for good. Ron Jeffries, who founded Michigan’s Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, had bought it with his wife Laurie in June 2023. He died unexpectedly in October 2024, and the brewery closed between late 2024 and early 2025. The tasting room on East Kawili Street is gone.
If you came here for a pint near Hilo, go to Wailuku Brew Works, which brews on site in the Shipman Business Park at Keaʻau, two miles south of town off Highway 11. They pour 24 rotating taps, plus sours, meads, wine and cocktails. Open noon to 8pm Monday through Saturday, 11am to 6pm on Sunday, with food trucks most days from about 4:30pm.
What happened to Hilo Brewing Company
The Hilo name only dates to November 2018, when Marcus Bender bought the brewery from the retiring owner and retired the two labels it had traded under before: Mehana Brewing, incorporated in 1995, and Hawaiʻi Nui Brewing, which had bought Mehana in January 2009 and moved everything to Hilo. Ron and Laurie Jeffries took over in June 2023.
The beers went out in cans to supermarkets around the island, and the tasting room on East Kawili Street poured them alongside a shop and regular events. Nothing has been brewed under any of those labels since. The company website is still online, which is how people keep finding it, but nothing on it has changed since 2023.
Other breweries on the Big Island
Big Island Brewhaus and Kona Brewing Company are both a long drive from Hilo, so treat them as stops on a day you’re already crossing the island.
In Waimea
The Big Island Brewhaus in Waimea has been brewing since March 2011 and sits at 2,764 feet, which makes it the highest brewpub in the state. It serves food alongside the beer and is open daily from 11am to 9pm. They don’t take reservations, so plan on waiting at the door if you arrive at dinner time.
In Kona
The Kona Brewing Company pub on Pawai Place is open daily from 11am to 9pm and takes bookings through OpenTable; groups of eight or more should reserve ahead. The brewery next door runs a 60-minute tour daily between 12pm and 5pm, by appointment.