Maui Brewing Co. announced yesterday that it has greatly expanded its brewery in Lahaina, adding two 100-barrel tanks and additional equipment only eight months after the facility first opened. Company founders Garrett and Melanie Marrero say the move is in response to strong and growing demand for the island's only microbrews.

"It's awesome to see Hawaii supporting its local beer," Garrett said in a statement. "It feels like we just started yesterday, and we're already adding tanks, doubling our capacity."

The company is also adopting some of Maui's rich plantation history, purchasing equipment from the recently shuttered Maui Land & Pineapple cannery. The brewery bought some of ML&P's equipment at auction.

"I get a kick out of keeping this equipment in use. It's rewarding to keep a bit of our cultural history alive," Garrett said. "The very equipment that was used in canning local Maui pineapple is canning Maui's beer. That's cool!"

Maui Brewing Co. operates a 7-barrel brewpub in Kahana in addition to the main 25-barrel production brewery and canning facility in Lahaina. The company stresses that its beers are 100 percent made in Hawaii, unlike some other labels that claim to be Hawaiian.