Moving to Hilo

[noggins]

So the wife and I got a crazy idea to move to Hawaii now that my job is 100% remote and she can get a job at the university or public library. After looking at houses we'll probably end up buying in the Hilo area around this time next year. I'm just searching for any general feedback or advice on moving to, living in, and most importantly brewing in Hawaii.

It looks like there are a couple homebrew stores on the island, I'm an all grain brewer with a 4 tap keezer so I'm hoping I'll have an easy time stocking up on sacks of grains and bulk hops and getting co2 refills locally?

We're planning on selling most of our stuff and shipping the rest along with our vehicles and all my homebrew equipment. Any comments are welcome from Hilo members, or Hawaii in general. We have a 5 year old and a 6 month old, and I'll admit I'm a bit nervous about the idea of moving to a tiny secluded island after spending the majority of my life in a big city in Texas, but looking forward to the weather and the beaches.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Dan, over in the "I like HBT this time of night" thread is a Hawaiian resident. Not sure which part tho'.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showpost.php?p=7543842&postcount=17081

 

[ScrapRoomBrewer]

Hey Dan -
I live just outside of Hilo. Moved here 7 years ago from northern Colorado. I'd tinkered with brewing before I moved, and a little after I moved here, but I really dove into it about a year ago. Just made the move to all grain.

Moving here will likely be a significant change from SA. This is a small, small town, and very isolated. Shipping can be a nightmare. that said, it's also a great community with a lot of local culture, and a different perspective on life than most of the mainland.

Brew Hawaii is the homebrew shop here in Hilo. Ross is a good guy. But, all his supplies have to come in freight, because it's the only way to keep his prices reasonable. So, you'll have to plan very well and order your grains well in advance. He usually has a good selection of grains and hops on hand, but if there's a run on a certain grain or hop, it'll be 4-6 weeks before he has it back in stock. So your options are to either be very well organized and scheduled, or to be very flexible and find a way to use what he has.

I use Ross' store for most of my fermentables, (I'm trying to work a standing order for 50# of 2-row for each freight shipment), but for the hops I know I'm going to use a lot, I order them online - often requiring a follow-up call to get them to use USPS flat-rate boxes because it's cheaper. I only get any whole leaf hops when I or someone I know is going to the mainland and has room in the suitcase. One lb of whole leaf fills a large flat rate box, whereas you can get 7 lbs of pellets in the same box.

Equipment can be difficult as well. Ross has some things, but not much. He mostly focuses on ingredients. So plan on spending a lot of time scouring the internet for the best price to shipping cost ratio.

The good news is CO2 isn't too difficult. There are a few places you can get refills/tank swaps here in town. Of course, that's only on weekdays, so make sure you have a backup tank. We had a tank go on a Friday night before a big party on Sunday. I ran all around town, all around the island, and was stuck. Nothing I could do. The next week I got a backup tank.

Anyway, I hope this gives you some insight and doesn't sound too negative. This is a great place to live if you like the lifestyle, and brewing here is a lot of fun, and there's a nice growing community of brewers here.

Let me know if you have any other questions!