PRESS RELEASE / November 17, 2023 – The U.S. Open Beer Championship, one of the top three beer competitions in the United States, is giving back to The Kokua Project and including the initiative’s Kokua IPAs for evaluation in its annual U.S. Open Cider Championship.
As a part of The Kokua Project, which is led by Maui Brewing Company and inspired by Sierra Nevada’s 2018 Resilience project, more than 700 breweries across the US and internationally have pledged to brew Kokua and donate the beer’s proceeds to Maui relief efforts via the Global Empowerment Mission. Kokua is a Session IPA that delivers a refreshing wave of tropical hop aroma atop a delicate malt base.
“Judging these beers during the U.S. Open is a way to raise awareness around this disaster relief effort, and to celebrate the breweries across the country that are banding together to raise funds for those impacted by the tragic Maui wildfires,” said Dow Scoggins, founder of the U.S. Open Beer & Cider Championships. The U.S. Open donated $3,000 to Maui Beer Company Wildfire Fund as a part of The Kokua Project.
Each brewery that submits a Kokua IPA to the competition donated a $85 entry fee to Maui relief efforts. Kokua IPA was judged in its own category, alongside the wide array of cider entries the annual fall competition is known for. Tasting one beer recipe brewed by many different breweries from across the country is a unique, exciting prospect for judges.
“We are eager to taste and evaluate the Kokua Project beers from venerated breweries all over the country,” said Spencer Mapes, Director of the U.S. Open. “But it’s important to note that they were all brewed with helping hands and open hearts, meaning they are all winners at the end of the day.”
The judges favorite Kokua IPAs include:
Kokua Session IPA
GOLD – Twin Creeks Brewing – Virginia
SILVER – Aspire Brewing – New York
BRONZE – Shovel Town Brewery – Massachusetts
Kokua IPA
GOLD – HighGrain Brewing – Ohio
SILVER – Forbidden Peak Brewery – Alaska
BRONZE – Movement Brewing – California
BRONZE – Buck Wild Brewing – Texas
Beer lovers and those looking to support Maui’s relief efforts can find Kokua in many taprooms across every state. Donate directly to the Maui Beer Company Fire Fund online at mauibrewingco.com/mbcfire.
About the U.S. Open Beer Championship
The U.S. Open Beer Championship was founded in 2009 and judges more beer styles than any other competition in the world. The U.S. Open is also the only major beer competition to allow the gold medal winners of the AHA’s National Homebrew Competition to participate. The U.S. Open judging is held at the U.S. Open Event Center in Oxford, Ohio. The U.S. Open became the first beer competition to be held in its own venue, a 6,000-square-foot Amish pole barn on a small farm. The barn consists of a judging area, a serving area, two 450-square-foot coolers, an office, and a nano brewery. To see “The Barn”, Click here to see a YouTube video of the 15th Anniversary of the U.S. Open Beer Championship.
The Kokua Project is one beer, brewed by many, to support our Maui ‘Ohana who have been affected by the tragic wildfires. More than 700 breweries across the US and internationally have volunteered to brew Kokua and pledged to donate the proceeds to the Global Empowerment Mission, the nonprofit organization that is facilitating the Maui Brewing Company Fire Fund. Kokua, translated as “extending help to others” in the Hawaiian language, is coordinated by Maui Brewing Company and inspired by Sierra Nevada’s Resilience project of 2018. Kokua is a Session IPA that delivers a refreshing wave of tropical hop aroma atop a delicate malt base. Beer lovers and those looking to support Maui’s relief efforts can find Kokua in many taprooms across every state.
