By Brigid Kane-Smith
For the longest time Florida was thought to not be able to make a decent beer due to our lack of good water. Now, we have 21 different breweries that have won medals at Great American Beer Fest, 12 of them being gold from 9 different breweries! Also, Florida’s brewery scene is expanding at an astounding rate and currently there are now over 120 breweries throughout the state. And I am proud to say that I am a part of this amazing, flourishing industry.
I began my journey as a beer blogger at one of Florida’s most exciting up and coming breweries, Funky Buddha Brewery in Oakland Park. Although the brewery itself is only a year old, actually their 1st Anniversary party is May 31st, they have already made quite a name for themselves. Funky Buddha started as a lounge that sold brewing supplies and happened to brew really good beer in Boca Raton. Beer that was good enough to have the biggest lines at the local beer fests. Now that they are in their shiny new brewery, they have gained a lot of attention around the beer world. They were hailed as one of the top 20 breweries to visit in the country by USA Today in December 2013 and one of the 24 craft breweries every beer lover should know by the Business Insider. Rate Beer Best named Funky Buddha among the top 100 breweries in the world and named their Maple Bacon Coffee Porter and Last Snow Porter among the “Top 5” porters in the world. All this in their first year as a full scale brewery is incredible!
Now, we get to the fun stuff, the beer!! Mmmmmm the beer! My husband started with the Do the Rye Thing, a Rye IPA which had that great spicy flavor from the rye malts that we have grown to love recently. I started with the French Toast Double Brown Ale, an 8% double brown ale that was a heavenly dessert in a glass. The maple syrup and cinnamon on the nose smelled like the most amazing French toast I could ever imagine. The best part about this beer though is that even with how big and sweet the flavor was while drinking the beer, the finish was dry and light making this beer way too easy to drink! It was really impressive how they were able to pack so much flavor into this beer and still have it finish so light and drinkable, especially with it being 8.0% ABV. The other really notable beer that we had was the 7.2% ABV, 80 IBU More Moro Blood Orange IPA. What a beautiful, big, thick, hazy citrus bomb! It is an unfiltered IPA made with enough blood orange juice to fight off scurvy, according to the brewery. I felt like I had just had an amazing breakfast with the French toast and orange beer, which is what the brewers hope for with their food-centric beer concepts.
Overall, this brewery has earned all the hype in my humble opinion. The food flavors that they try to get across with their beer is spot on and so well balanced. They have found a way to make full flavored beers that are extremely drinkable and for being so young, they have found their consistency already. Also, the taproom is absolutely gorgeous and the staff is amazing.
I really look forward to writing more articles and experiencing beer, breweries and fun with you all. If you have any questions or brewery suggestions please let me know, I am so thankful for your time.
Cheers!
Brigid Kane-Smith
Hi! My name is Brigid and I am a craft beer fanatic! I am 30 years old, work at a local brewery here in South Florida and am currently in nursing school. My love affair with beer began in 2011 when I worked at Yard House and I quickly became obsessed. Also, I am married to an amazing man who is equally obsessed with beer and is my partner-in-crime for all of my beer adventures. I am a certified beer server and am undecided about whether to get my Certified Cicerone.
My motto, “I would be a lot thinner if I didn’t drink, but why?”
Find me on Instagram as Hopwench
