Scott Spicola was a former owner and brewer at Ali'i Brewery in Honolulu, Hawaii.  In his time there he created many fantastic beers that cultivated quite the following both at his Brewery and at restaurants around Hawaii.  He was also a good friend of our Head Chef, Arthur Craft; growing up together, going to concerts, hanging out and generally just being the kids that they were.  Scott passed away a little over 4 years ago at the age of 35, as a result Arthur and Scott's family wanted to do something special in his memory.  The Macadamia Nut Brown Ale (available this Friday the 2nd), which was his signature beer at Ali'i, was decided upon to be a fitting tribute, the easiest way to share one of his passions with the rest of us.

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down and chatting briefly with his father, John, about his son and all of the things that Scott enjoyed in life.  Not surprisingly he sounded like an outstanding individual who I know would have made fast friends with all of us here.  He gave me a few short paragraphs about Scott and I thought of ways to try rewrite it.  It just didn't seem fair to alter any of the content or to change the words that his father had written.  So with only a few alterations on the beers he created, the following is the unabridged version describing the type of man Scott was and what the Macadamia Nut Brown Ale we will be offering stands for:

Ali'i  Brewery, Hawaii's Original Microbrewery, began in 1994 on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. They were a very small microbrewery with a capacity for 5000 bbls annually. They soon ran into financial difficulty when they found themselves with four batches of bad beer. The beer was lab tested and had to be thrown out.

Meanwhile, Scott Spicola had been brewing small batches of beer at his residence in Honolulu while attending the University of Hawaii. His reputation around town preceded him and it grew to the point that one day he received a panic call from the owner of Ali'i. Scott was asked to bring four of his home brews to the brewery for a taste test and the rest, as they say, is history.

Scott became the brewmeister and for the next two years developed many successful brews including the Kona Coffee Stout, Waimea Wheat Ale, Pau Hana Porter (which is rated 19 out of 20 points in the "Beer Me! - Hall of Fame"),and his signature Macadamia Nut Brown Ale amongst many others

For those of you who knew Scott, you will appreciate that he also developed and produced a very, very successful Hemp Ale, but had to drink it quickly and cease production when local authorities discovered it. In 1996 Scott, along with a partner, bought the Ali'i Brewing Company. Four years later, due to some unforeseen circumstances, they unfortunately had to shut down the brewery. Although Scott was heartbroken, his beers continued to sell around town at the various restaurants and local pubs until one evening at a favorite hangout for the locals, Anna Bananas, the last drop of Macadamia Nut Brown Ale, was consumed by friends and family and it was finally over.

Scott has since passed away and thanks to his good friend, Arthur Craft, one of the owners of Four Peaks Brewery, and in honor of Scott, Macadamia Nut Brown Ale will be resurrected as a Premium beer starting on April 2nd.

Scott loved many things in life, among them surfing, children and drinking good beer. He loved what in Hawaii is called the Aina. Translated it means life, people, the air we breathe, the land, the ocean. In his memory the Scott Spicola Memorial Fund has made contributions to the only nonprofit organization in Hawaii, known as Accessurf Hawaii, that provides adaptive surfing, swimming, and stand-up paddling to individuals with disabilities.

Through AccesSurf's "Day at The Beach" program, kids and adults with any type of cognitive or physical challenge have the opportunity to explore their own level of abilities by entering the ocean to learn how to surf, swim and snorkel. Currently, the organization has helped people with Spinal Cord Injuries, Traumatic Brain Injury, Visual Impairment, Stroke, Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy, Multiple Sclerosis, Downs Syndrome, Amputees and others. More than 400 volunteers including professional surfers, medical professionals, international celebrities and community members dedicate their time to help participants enjoy the beach and ocean with their families in a barrier free environment.

AccesSurf Hawaii is supported by contributions from individuals, businesses and organizations. For more information on AccesSurf and how you can support our families with disabilities, visit www.accessurfhawaii.org or the Four Peaks Brewery to sample Ali'i Beer. A portion of your Ali'i Beer purchase will be directly donated to AccesSurf to support its programs.

AccesSurf's mission: AccesSurf empowers people with disabilities by providing adaptive surfing instruction and therapeutic educational programs on water recreation and enriches lives by allowing families to access the beach and ocean in a barrier free environment.

Four Peaks will offer Scott Spicola's signature beer with all of the proceeds going to Accessurf Hawaii.

So lets remember that as we toss a few Macadamia Nut Brown Ales back in Scott's memory, we will be remembering the Aina that Scott loved so much, and will be contributing to a fine cause that helps the lives of those disabled, allowing children and adults of all ages to enjoy life, the air we breathe, the land, and most importantly, the ocean, all of which defined Scott's life.