THE Marianas once again has its own locally produced craft beer thanks to Napu Brewing, a locally owned company.
The company is launching its craft beer on Saturday during the grand opening of Tapped Out on the first floor of Hotel One, next to CommonWealth Cannabis Co. on Micro Beach Road in Garapan at 6 p.m.
Owned by businessmen Perry Inos Jr. and Michael Sheu, Napu Brewing started brewing a month ago and will serve its first batch of handcrafted beer at Tapped Out.
“After visiting a Korean beer and wine convention, we decided to produce handcrafted beer in the Marianas for our local community,” Inos said.
If the beer becomes a “hit” in the CNMI, they will look into the possibility of exporting it as a Marianas brand.
“We want to be recognized as a brewing company in the Marianas. We are brewing for our local community and hopefully, if other countries can distribute their own brand, we could also do that someday,” Inos said.
A new bar, Tapped Out will be the “home” of the eloquent flavors of their handcrafted beer, he added.
“We already have handcrafted beer. Now we want a place to savor its flavors with friends and family. We want the community to be able to commune and bond together while they enjoy a drink or two,” Inos said.
Tapped Out evokes the ambience of a German beerhouse with dark brown bar stools, and tables framed with black iron.
Yellow light bulbs hung low from a high ceiling create a relaxed atmosphere perfect for casual talks and soft conversations.
“This place is not like your ordinary bar,” Inos said. “It’s a place to get to know the people you’re with. It could also be a place for couples or even families.”
Displayed behind the counter are vases of wheat to remind customers that what they are drinking are made of authentic ingredients: wheat or malt with hops brewed and fermented to perfection.
Tapped Out also has an open garden extension where people can drink their beer and order food from the menu while enjoying the fresh air.
Beer and food make for a good pairing. Tapped Out, in partnership with the experienced chefs and kitchen crews of Angry Penne, designed the menu to complement the flavors of the handcrafted beer. Savories, such as meatball hero, Cubano, smoked brisket, BLT and pulled mushrooms, fries, beef kelaguen, wings, smoked meat platter, and pizza with a smorgasbord of toppings to choose from including cheese, pepperoni, chicken ranch, veggie and meat lovers offer beer aficionados a fairly large selection of flavors to mix and match with their favored brew.
“We want our customers to leave this place full and happy,” Inos said. “We are not just going to be remembered because of our beer but also for the food, the ambience, and the totality of the dining experience.”
Supporting the Marianas
Sheu and Inos said the best way to help the CNMI in these tough economic times is to provide jobs.
“We opened this business to create job opportunities,” Sheu said.
He said he and Inos believe that the ultimate purpose of investing is to help the community.
“That is our purpose. There are a lot of people who have lost their jobs and we are giving them an opportunity to be part of our company,” Sheu said.
“It is also our goal to train local staff who can brew and serve beer professionally,” he added.
“And because this is a Marianas produced beer, we also want to bring it to our neighboring Pacific Islands,” Inos said.
