I jotted down some quick notes about Wailua Wheat from Kona Brewing a couple of months ago, and now I’m giving it the full treatment. This ale is 5.4% alcohol by volume, and is brewed with passion fruit. While drinking it I was reflecting on the passion fruit character and it occurred to me, I don’t think I’ve ever eaten "straight" passion fruit; I’ve probably only consumed it as a component of something else.

Generally, I don’t think there’s going to be any middle ground with this beer; you’ll either like it or you won’t. Myself, I think it’s pretty good for a fruit beer and decent overall; it tastes good in hot weather.

Appearance: Orange-blossom yellow, with a brief yet crisp white head. When I held it up to the sunlight, it appeared hazy, pale-straw yellow.

Smell: Sourish fruit is prominent. Floral, a bit of citrus. Hibiscus?

Taste: Wheaty and fruity—a sharp and tangy fruit that’s distinctive. Raw wheat, sour in a lactic-but-not-lactic way—like a sour cherry but lighter. Kind of a sour fruit juice character over the wheat malt, maybe.

Mouthfeel: Light and crisp and a bit puckery-sour. Refreshing, you want to keep taking drinks (especially if it’s hot out).

Overall: Works for me.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores 80 out of 100, with 88% approval. On RateBeer, it scores 2.96 out of 5 and is in their 42nd percentile.