Though homes, businesses and boats were damaged, no lives were lost when The Aloha State was hit by a tsunami generated by the horrific earthquake in Japan on Friday. One of the properties damaged, though, was the King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel, where the Kona Brewer’s Festival was scheduled for Saturday. But organizers of the fest, named one of the Road Trips for Beer Top 10 Winter Beer Festivals, acted quickly to move the event to the nearby Kona Brewery.

The hotel’s website reported “sand in the lobby and water damage on the first floor which affected the restaurant, retail areas, lobby and meeting space.” None of the guest rooms were affected, but the owners offered to relocate any guests to other hotels if they wanted.

The festival, meanwhile, took place as scheduled at the brewery. In addition, organizers earmarked some of the funds for relief efforts.

“We are truly humbled by the forces of nature,” they wrote on the Kona Brewers Festival website.

Kudos to the hotel, the festival and the people of Hawaii, not just for their “the beer must go on” attitude, but more importantly for their willingness to reach out to and help their community.

Here’s a link to some photos of the Kona Brewers Festival