Tiki Archeology - Primo Beer and the Royal Brewery (Image Heavy)

Although not the first brewery in the Islands (that would be the “Honolulu Brewery" which brewed a non-alcoholic beer for most of 1854, followed by the National Brewery Company in Kalihi which produced steam beer from January 1888 until about 1893), the Royal Brewery brewed Primo & Royal beer from 1900 up until 1962.

Established in 1898 as the Honolulu Brewing Company, it was renamed the Honolulu Brewing and Malting Company, Ltd., in 1900 when the Brewery was opened, and what a brewery! With it's 3 story tall corbelled red brick arches & patterned masonry decoration over a steel-framed concrete building it was a butterfly built to last the ages. Although it's New York archetect's name has been lost to time, his work hasn't. In addition to the existing 80-foot structure, the complex also had a two-story bottling house and an ice-making plant.

From The Hawai'i State Historic Preservation Devision:

Honolulu Brewing and Malting Company offered prompt delivery of their Primo Lager, which, by the way, did not have to be "fortified."

The brewery remained in business as Honolulu Brrewing & Malting until 1920, when Prohibition started in the Territory of Hawaii. In 1934 it began operation again as the American Brewing Company. To celebrate Hawaii becoming a state in 1959 Primo decided to issue its beer in a can for the first time. However, shipping material to Hawaii is expensive so the company searched for ways to reduce shipping weight. Instead of the steel cans every other brewer that canned used, American Brewing bought lightweight aluminum cans from a Swiss Company and they purchased foil labels for the cans. The latter saved the company from importing can painting machinery and paints as shipping costs to Hawaii are expensive. Unfortunately for the brewer, and the consumer, the cans were not appropriately designed for holding beer. The special lining did not adequately protect the beer from the metal, resulting in 23,000 cases of spoiled beer. Also, the concave top actually dipped into the beer so when the can was opened the beer would spray out. Worse, an overly enthusiastic (or overly thirsty) customer could accidentally punch their churchkey not only through the lid, but with the soft aluminum top and body, could actually keep going and punch the opener through the can's side at the same time. The cans ended up being recalled and dumped, but the damage was done to the brewery's reputation. The American Brewing Company ended up declaring bankruptcy and the Royal Brewery was closed forever. *

The Schlitz brewing Company took over brewing Primo in 1963 and quickly turned the business around. Brewing of Primo Beer expanded and the brewery went to 24 hour a day operations. In 1966 a new, more modern, brewing facility opened in Pearl City. By the beginning of the 1970s, Primo Beer market share peaked with 70% of the local market. In part this was due to local loyalty since this was "Hawaii's beer", but the tourist trade also helped as the many visitors to the islands wanted to try the local brew. Schlitz started canning Primo Beer again in the early 1970s and came out with several cans that were very popular with the collectors of the time. Canning beer in Hawaii was still expensive, so in 1979 Schlitz moved the canning operation to the mainland. Unfortunately, moving the canning operations only weakened the local support in Hawaii for "their" beer.

In 1983 Strohs Brewing in Detroit purchased Schlitz, including Primo. Strohs brewed Primo in Longview, Texas and they tried to arrest Primo's declining sales, which had dropped from 12,000 cases a month to 1,200. Primo was sold in parts of California and on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Attempts were made to sell it Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado. It was even sold for a time in Japan. Strohs also changed Primo's label, copying a 1904 label. Strohs efforts made some progress, in 1986, they increased back to 12,000 cases a month, but they soon began declining again. Surprisingly, market analysts attributed some of the rise and fall to the color of the bottle used. When Strohs sold Primo in a green bottle, sale rose. When they sold it in a brown bottle, sales fell. Brown bottles are actually better for the beer inside because brown glass protects the beer from light better than green, and light hurts a beer's freshness. However, consumers liked beer in green bottles. Beers such as Heineken are sold in green bottles and consumers saw green as a symbol of quality as opposed to brown.

Stroh's efforts to promote Primo failed and the last batch was brewed in November 1997 and was sold in May, 1998, almost exactly 100 years since it was first brewed in Hawaii.

Other beers brewed in the Royal Brewing Building included Royal Beer & Ale (from 1922 'til 1962), AmBrew Beer (1933 - '38), Paradise Beer ('33 - '40), and

Von Zart Beer ('33 - '42).

The brewery was renovated in 1996, part of a $28 million project that included housing and a Senior Center, but a pervasive odor from termite-treated wood forced the Kakaako Senior and Community Center to leave the site in 1999.

QuickTime VR view of the outside of the Brewery
Hawaiian Beverage Museum (home of Primo & Royal Beer Brewerania)

• (Most of the information in this paragraph was taken from Beer Can Collectors of America. United States Beer Cans (Fenton, Mo.: Beer Can Collectors of America, 2001) 17.)

Ah... the real king of beers and the king of topics.
Good show FF.

Nice job FF - I love that building!

On 2006-05-04 03:57, Primo Kimo wrote:
Ah... the real king of beers

It wasn't a great tasting beer but we were proud to call it our beer back in the day.
It wasn't the color of bottle, but availability and lack of marketing that helped its demise.

We were drinkin it til the bitter end in the late 90's. (Even liked it with the old label, tho da buggah was made on the mainland.)

And it keeps comming back-

Pabst brings Primo brand back
By Jennifer Sudick
[email protected]
Nearly 10 years after running dry, a beer called Primo is back.

Just don't expect it to look or taste the same.

After its last pour in 1998, the brew's name is being revived by Primo Brewing & Malting Co., a division of Woodridge, Ill.-based beer giant Pabst Brewing Co.

http://starbulletin.com/2007/11/29/business/story05.html

I hope it succeeds. I have never had any.
I love the motiff of the Hawaiian royalty.

Great history and photos on Primo. I remember Primo had a brief push into Boston in the late 80's / early 90's then faded away. I remember buying a lot of it. Always wondered about what happened.

I remember they had a logo of a cartoon surfer dude on t-shirts and posters everywhere - he had a painters hat pulled down over his eyes and was doing the the "hang loose" gesture. I just tried to find a photo of it on the net to post here, but could not find it.

Mahalo for the history!

That is hands down my favorite building downtown - and it is across the street from one of my favorite cemeteries! I've always heard that the building had trouble finding tenants due to smell issues - do you know if it occupied now?

I hope it succeeds. I have never had any.
I love the motiff of the Hawaiian royalty.
I remember they had a logo of a cartoon surfer dude on t-shirts and posters everywhere - he had a painters hat pulled down over his eyes and was doing the "hang loose" gesture. I just tried to find a photo of it on the net to post here, but could not find it.

locals don't do
"hang loose."
it's da shaka.
Here's a pic. he is showing numbah one and skaka.

http://cgi.ebay.com/hawaiian-primo-beer-yellow-shirt-vintage-hawaii_W0QQitemZ260183204036QQihZ016QQcategoryZ2001QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

and sad to report, Chris; Primo may not make it. Here are some very good points brought up by a local columnist:

http://starbulletin.com/2007/12/04/features/memminger.html

we will miss da Red Stripe style stubbie bottles.

I remember back in my small kid time, that hours before school started, my mom would wake me, my brothers, and my sisters up and we would go find Primo bottles. We'd bring them home, wash them (cuz they were worth more if they were clean), and stack them up in the carport (we don't have garages in Hawai'i). Then we'd go clean up and go to school. On Saturday, my dad and my uncles would load the cases of empty Primo bottles, the kids, and the poi dogs, into the back of the pickups and we'd go to the Primo factory in Pearl City and wait in the long line with all the other ohana to turn our bottles in for cash. On the way home, we'd take the money, stop at Arakawa and Star Market in Waipahu, get a sack of rice, some fish, poi, and malasadas, and of course, more Primo. Then go home, talk story, and kanikapila. Good times. Happy Primo memories. Hope it makes a good comeback.

On 2007-12-05 13:53, TikiShopPua wrote:
I remember back in my small kid time,....Hope it makes a good comeback.

man o man. dass da old days! We did that too. First time had primo, was 12 years old. (drinking age was lower then in Hawaii)

latest 'development":
Primo Water co. not connected to pabst or keoki, is trying to get primo beer to let go of the name as a trademark.
more here:
http://starbulletin.com/2007/12/05/business/story02.html

Maybe if it goes well, they'll serve it at Kainoa's. Then we can go get L&L or poke from IGA, and then Karaoke at my favorite place back home and drink Primo, yeah?

On 2007-12-05 14:19, TikiShopPua wrote:
Maybe if it goes well, they'll serve it at Kainoa's. Then we can go get L&L or poke from IGA, and then Karaoke at my favorite place back home and drink Primo, yeah?

that would be cheekin skeen time.

I wish they wouldn't do it in da long neck. They otta just replicate da old bottles. dass da charm.
Least they get da 70's label.
here and there we get Oly beer. Kinda reminds ua of da 70's... da buggah cheep.
399. six pack. Or sumpin like 7 bux or so at Holiday mart. I mean Daiei. I mean Don Quijote. (jeez dat place all funny kine now. je'like going to Hong Kong.)

Ahhhh Primo..you make me laugh too much...'nuf a'ready. I goin' shi-shi!

On 2007-12-05 14:33, TikiShopPua wrote:
Ahhhh Primo..you make me laugh too much...'nuf a'ready. I goin' shi-shi!

Just don't tell da drunk blalah under your barstool it's raining.

(note: last nite, I couldn't log in no matter what i tried. so I created a new profile. My old one was Lanikai. New one was primodakine. hanford kindly set me straight, put me back in mah old sliipaz and helped me wit' da kine. li'dat. ovah deah. Cuz he tekkie, I no steh tekkie. azz why hahd, eh!? mahalos, hanford.)

malama ki'i kahiko

[ Edited by: lanikai 2007-12-05 14:49 ]

[ Edited by: lanikai 2007-12-05 15:01 ]

Weren't you Tiki Trader? You didn't get sent to jail?

[ Edited by: GROG 2007-12-05 18:39 ]

This topic has moved me so much that I went out and bought a Primo Hawaiian aloha shirt.

On 2007-12-05 18:34, GROG wrote:
Weren't you Tiki Trader? You didn't get sent to jail?

[ Edited by: GROG 2007-12-05 18:39 ]

grog. you continually try to prove you are an incredible ayyhole. hope you are proud of your station in life. You represent tiki culture so well, you do.

On 2007-11-29 17:58, naugatiki wrote:
And it keeps comming back-

Pabst brings Primo brand back
By Jennifer Sudick
[email protected]
Nearly 10 years after running dry, a beer called Primo is back.

Just don't expect it to look or taste the same.

After its last pour in 1998, the brew's name is being revived by Primo Brewing & Malting Co., a division of Woodridge, Ill.-based beer giant Pabst Brewing Co.

http://starbulletin.com/2007/11/29/business/story05.html

---

ANY MORE news on this return?
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS07118+28-Nov-2007+BW20071128

A couple of awesome new finds:

Commemorative mug

Large plate