Kona Brewing Company has been named the official beer sponsor of SUP magazine’s SUP Awards, to be held September 22, 2011 in San Clemente, CA. The awards will recognize the best paddlers, films, expeditions and philanthropic efforts in the Standup Paddling (SUP) industry.
Online votes have been pouring in to the SUP magazine awards site since July 2011 and will be counted and the results announced at the awards ceremony held at Casino San Clemente. The historic casino was once the stomping grounds of Hollywood entertainers and is located north of the famous Trestles surf break. Sister publication Surfer Magazine hosted early SURFER Poll awards shows at the casino as well.
This year’s SUP Awards show is the first of its kind and will be held two days before the Rainbow Sandals Gerry Lopez Battle of the Paddle, a race Kona sponsors and also one of the most prestigious races in standup paddling. Kona Brewing also has a number of brand ambassadors nominated for awards, including high profile waterwomen Jenny Kalmbach and Candice Appleby. Kona has also supported SUP film Destination Three Degrees and the philanthropic endeavor Watermans Applied Science Paddle For Humanity at Deerfield Beach, FLA a benefit of SurfAid International, both of which are nominated for SUP awards.
“The inaugural SUP awards night is one event not to be missed,” said Kona Brewing Company president Mattson Davis. “Standup paddling is a way of life for many of us on the Big Island. Not only do races start and end at the marina below our Koko Marina pub on Oahu, but also many of us paddle in Kailua Bay, just a stone’s throw from our Kailua-Kona pub. We’re proud to take an active part in the SUP awards and be represented so well by many Kona ambassadors and great SUP projects.”
About Kona Brewing
Kona Brewing Company was started in the spring of 1994 by father and son team Cameron Healy and Spoon Khalsa, who had a dream to create fresh, local island brews made with spirit, passion and quality. It is a Hawaii-born and Hawaii-based craft brewery that prides itself on brewing the freshest beer of exceptional quality, closest to market. This helps to minimize its carbon footprint by reducing shipping of raw materials, finished beer and wasteful packaging materials. The brewery is headquartered where it began, in Kailua-Kona on Hawaii’s Big Island. It has grown into Hawaii’s largest brewery, has three restaurant sites in Hawaii and beer distribution reaching 28 states and Japan. It is the 13th largest craft brewery in the country. For more information call 808-334-BREW or www.KonaBrewingCo.com.