Tap Handle #569: Kona - Lilikoi Wheat Ale

Tap size:  11.25"
Rarity:  Scarce
Mounting:  standard 3/8" ferrule on 5/16" anchor bolt

The Kona Lilikoi Wheat tap is made of wood and shaped to resemble a propulsion paddle made of Koa on an Hawaiian outrigger canoe. The brewery symbol and "Lilikoi Wheat Ale" appear to be pressed into the surface and painted. It's possible this is woodburned rather than pressed, but I can't say for sure. Normally I would not have pursued this tap on its own, but since it arrived with the Primo King Kamehameha tap, it is now part of the collection. This ale was a year round offering up until 2010, which dates the tap to sometime between then and the mid-1990s, when it was first brewed. The recipe was changed slightly to accommodate bottling, and it moved to a summer seasonal in 2011, re-branded as Wailua Wheat. As a result, it is very scarce; I don't recall seeing another.

For more about Lilikoi Wheat as the re-branded Wailua Wheat, see this post.

For more about Kona, see this post.

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