By Vanessa Wolf

Maui Brewing Co.’s flagship beers. Courtesy photo

On Friday, Oct. 4, from 6 to 10:30 p.m., The Maui Brewing Company is holding “Pint Night for the Birds.”

During those hours, half of the profits from the house beer sold will benefit the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project.

The Project is a research organization whose mission is to develop and implement techniques that recover Maui’s endangered birds. Their main research is centered on the rare and endangered Maui parrotbill, or kiwikiu. This bird is found high in the forests of Haleakala and there are only 500 left in the wild.

The Project focuses their efforts on the most critically endangered of the surviving Maui honeycreepers, the Maui parrotbill (Pseudonestor xanthophrys) and ‘Akohekohe or crested honeycreeper (Palmeria dolei).

The Maui Parrotbill. Photo courtesy MFBRP.

These species and other forest birds such as the Alauahio or Maui Creeper (Paroreomyza montana) and I’iwi (Vestiaria coccinea) are declining on Maui for many reasons including: habitat loss, introduced predators and ungulates such a feral pigs, goats, sheep and cattle, and introduced avian diseases.

The Project says it combines habitat management with ornithological research to understand reasons for declines and to discover ways to help endangered forest bird species recover.

Among their practices, they employ conventional mist-netting, banding, and survey techniques to monitor wild forest bird populations. They also study breeding success in the wild, aim to effectively manage and reduce the impact of non-native invasive species and develop long-term management.

The Maui Brewing Company is a local brewery that has a strong commitment to the local economy and a deep concern for the environment. They locally produce and can their flavorful award winning brews. The brewery also states that they believe in sustainability; thus they host these benefit nights.

In addition to the flagship beers like Coconut Porter and Big Swell IPA, the brew pub is currently pouring Mana Wheat, an American wheat made with Maui Gold Pineapple; Hawaii 90/Wee Heavy, a Scotch ale; Smoked Out, a German smoked lager; Aloha Bak’Tun, a Belgian Stout with Local chocolate and chili; and Barefoot Brew, an amber ale with Hawaiian honey, among others.

The Maui Brewing Company is located at the Kahana Gateway Shopping Center, just north of Lahaina.

We welcome your feedback. Please let us know if you hear of any new restaurants opening or reopening, total menu overhauls, or simply know of a hidden treasure you want to share. Have a restaurant you want reviewed (or re-reviewed)? Drop us a line – Vanessa(@mauinow.com)