The beer painting of the day is of Hawaii’s Primo Island Lager. I was reserved about buying the Primo, so I looked for a single bottle and found one at the W.H.S.E, a.k.a. the Warehouse – a convenience shop halfway to South Point from Kailua. I was pleasantly surprised when I got my first taste of this refreshing beer brewed with cane sugar. The reason it says Bombucha on the bottle is because of the 22 oz bottle size, not because it has anything to do with kombucha, a fermented tea, which I have sampled on the Big Island. I was disappointed to see that Primo’s bottled beer is brewed by Pabst. I hear if you go to the real brewery on Oahu, you can get the non-contract brewed beer.
The flower I painted in the background of this island refresher is a Tibouchina Urvilleana, or commonly called Princess flower, Glory Bush, Lasiandra, Purple Glorybush, or simply Urvilleana. This plant is not native to Hawaii, but was brought over from Brazil. Although this plant is beautiful in Hawaii, it is considered to be a noxious weed. Hard to believe that the beautiful 12-foot plant outside our rental house is actually hurting the ecosystem. I totally get the vibe that Hawaii has a pristine delicate plant and animal balance, but this flower is so pretty I thought it belonged here. It is hard to believe that both this beer and this flower are not really Hawaiian.
A toast to Primo for making a swillable beer readily available in Hawaii. Your marketing is smooth and the beer drinkable. May your brewery in Honolulu increase production so it can cover the island with a true island lager.
You can purchase this painting, or a limited-edition print at my Etsy shop.
View the complete Year of Beer Paintings gallery.
Year of Beer 04.23. Hawaiian Primo Island Lager. Oil on panel, 8″x10″.
Real Art Is Better! 