Funky Buddha Homebrew Supply Store

Well, well, well, look who is back....searching for that information I promised I would be sharing with you regarding the local craft beer scene, HUH?!?

As promised.....drum roll please......Opening Sunday; along side of the Wide Awake It's Morning Imperial Release, the Funky Buddha will be opening their Homebrew Supply Store, and Craft Beer Tasting Room.

Have you ever wanted to brew your own beer?  Come on, I know you have!  Well now is your chance.  The crew that brings you your favorite local craft beers will now be supplying your grains, hops, and yeast (you are on your own for water) so that you can begin your own brewing adventure at home.

Located just next door to the Funky Buddha Lounge will be the Funky Buddha Homebrew Supply Store.

Are you apprehensive about starting to homebrew?  Afraid that you can't do it, or will mess it up and be left with a sugary malt mess in the end?  Well if this is the case then you will want to attend the Funky Buddha's Homebrew Classes (more information coming).  Not only will you get to see first hand what to do, but you will also learn some of the tricks of the trade while taking this basically free class.

Finally, have you wanted to come in to the Buddha in the early afternoon just to enjoy one of their signature beers?  Well this dream is going to become a reality quite soon, as the Homebrew Supply store will also operate as a tasting room for some of the Buddha Beers.

As you can see this is some pretty big news for us in the local market.  When asked about the goal of the Homebrew Supply Store, Ryan Sentz of the Funky Buddha, said that he and his staff are looking forward to bringing quality brewing materials, exceptional customer service, and brewing knowledge to the Boca Raton area.

I personally can not wait!

The hours of operation will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday.

Ps.  Happy Birthday Cerveza Chica!  I hope you have a wonderful year ahead of you.  Love you!

Wide Awake It's Morning

No I am not talking about the amazing album by an Indie Band by the name of Bright Eyes.  I am speaking of the Imperial Version of the Funky Buddha's Maple Bacon Coffee Porter.

The Long awaited release will be this Sunday, and it will go hand in hand with some more big brewing news for the local area (have to come back tomorrow to see what that is).

The Beer release will be taking place at the Funky Buddha at 3pm on Sunday June 26, 2011.  Now I have written about some of their beers before and said that they are limited in quantity, this one follow suite.  Only 25 or so gallons of this beer were brewed, and it will go quick.  If you are an imperial snifter member there is one major perk for you (check your email or email me).

Wide Awake It's Morning will not be the only beer on draft Sunday Afternoon.  The Buddha will also have an all-star lineup (in my opinion) of some of their special beers from the past.  Draft list includes Vanilla Espresso Porter, Pineapple Hop Gun, No Crusts (PB&J Brown Ale) and others.  Also a very special keg of Bourbon Oaked Nikolai Vorlauf (Imperial Stout) will be available.  All of these special beers will be available draft only, so get them while you can.

Make sure to come back, here, tomorrow for more breaking news regarding the South Florida beer scene.

Terrapin Take Over Tonight

You can always count on Coffee District in Delray Beach to come up with some great brewery nights.  And tonight is just another.  The beers of Terrapin Beer Company will be on display tonight with some special keggings.  Which you might ask?  Well I shall tell you.

• Wake n Bake Imperial Coffee Stout on Randall with Jittery Joe’s Coffee Beans


• Gamma Ray Wheatwine  (This beer has been discontinued....get it NOW!)


• Rye Pale Ale

There will also be specials on all Terrapin bottles as well.

Florida rep for Terrapin, Mike Wallace, will be out probably with some schwag and to talk beer with all of you.  So come on out and enjoy a pint or two and get ready for the weekend.

Coffee District
325 NE 2nd Ave.
Delray Beach, FL  33444
http://www.mycoffeedistrict.com

*This Blog Was Stolen From MikeLovesBeer.com*

**Thanks Mike**

United We Drink and Wilderness Brewing Co

This week on United We Drink we spoke with Mike and Nate from Wilderness Brewing Co., soon to be located in Kansas City, Missouri.

Mike and Nate shared some of the trials and tribulations that they are going through while working to get the brewery off the ground.  They both have the passion, desire, and drive to make this upstart Nano Brewery work.  Their love for craft beer has been shown through their friendship and dedication to their blog Thank Heaven For Beer, and with the campaign which they launched several weeks ago on a website called kickstart.

Check out their video which was made for their Kickstart Campaign, here ------> Wilderness Brewing Co.

As we discussed on the latest episode of UWD, every dollar counts.  Their kickstart video has seen over 10,000 views so far, and if every person that watched the video donated (or pledged) just $1.00 then they would be a 1/4 of the way to their goal of $40,000.

So this week give Wilderness Brewing Co. a watch, and remember to download the new episode of United We Drink from the iTunes store.  It is FREE!!!!

Cheers!

~Ferm

Funky Buddha No Name Abbey Style Ale

On Thursday June 16th, the Funky Buddha in Boca Raton will be releasing their latest beer.  "BareFoot Buddha" or at least that is what it is named so far.

This time around it is a collaboration beer with some future local Belgium style brewers from Boca Raton.

While I personally have not had this beer yet, there are two glowing reviews on BeerAdvocate.com.  while it hasnt hit my palate yet, I was there for the brew day, and can say that I am very much so looking forward to the release of this beer.

Coming in around 9% ABV this treat will sure to please your sweet tooth.

The release starts at 5pm Thursday with Buddha Happy Hour which goes till 7pm.

The past few weeks have been fun, with lots of the local South Florida Beer Family meeting up and sharing stories.  This week wont be any different.

Ohh yeah and this is a limited release so like many of the other amazing one off beers which have been released in the past...once it's gone....well you get the idea.  Get there soon!

Cheers!

Single Chair Ale

Single Chair Ale
Magic Hat Brewing Company
Burlington, VT
5.00% ABV
Style: American Pale Ale

C: Clear
H: Gold
N: Some what bland, hint of lemon and malt

The Ferm: Pale Ale this is not.....Refreshing it is......

Well Single Chair is one of the Magic Hat Beers I have been dying to get around to try since I visited the brewery back in 2008. Unfortunately this was one of the beers that was draft only at that time. Well now it is part of the summer sampler from Magic Hat. I believe that they released this beer at the right season, simply because this is a light and refreshing ale.

Pale Ale not so much....honestly could be the base for #9, this beer has similar characteristics in the body and taste. While the beer doesn't have any apricot it still is sweet and has a nice refreshing bite to it.

Very good drinkable beer, just not what I expected when I read the label that said Pale Ale. Very good summer beer.

Score: 2.954852366

Billy's Chilies Beer

Billy's Chilies Beer
Twisted Pine Brewing Company
Boulder, Colorado
5.1% ABV
Style: Chili Beer

C: Clear
H: Golden Yellow
N: Smells like raw peppers

The Ferm: Well another new brewery available on local shelves in the area is Twisted Pine Brewing from Colorado. While browsing through the shelves of my local Total Wine and More, Billy's Chilies sorta jumped out at me. I personally have only had one Chili/Spice Beer before, which was Founders Spite. This is a very different style of beer.

The beer pours Golden Yellow and Clear. I am not going to lie, it looked very similar to a standard American Lager. The nose wasn't anything crazy, it just smelled like fresh/ripe peppers. The odor of the beer carried over to the flavor, as there was nothing but heat available on the attack. The pepper flavor then lingered on a bit. Sadly, that's all I that got from this beer. Chili Heat dominates everything with the beer.

Personally I would have liked to have some flavor of the actual base beer. The base beer just seems very bland and boring. Regardless, this is a chili beer, lots of heat and very small amount of complex flavors.

While I would happily cook, with this beer I don't think I would buy more than one to drink.

Score: 3.22

No Crust and Happy Anniversary

No Crust
The Funky Buddha Brewing Company
Boca Raton, FL
6.00% ABV
Style: Brown Ale

C:  Clear but Dark
H: Brownish/Red in color
N: Ughh Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich

The Ferm: Well I wasn't planning on reviewing this beer today, but I had to tell you all about it as soon as possible.

No Crust was released last night at the Funky Buddha in Boca Raton, FL. This is exactly what a Peanut Butter and Jelly Beer should taste like. The nose leads to strong peanut butter with a slight hint of fruit. The taste has a nice attack of Jelly then then followed by the attack of the peanuts. Unlike other beer that I have had with "peanut" flavoring, this beer doesn't lay around and linger on your palate. A true treat. GET TO THE BUDDHA NOW TO GET PINT OF THIS BEER! IT'S WORTH IT!!!!
Score:5.0 (I wouldn't change a thing about this beer)

Speaking of the Funky Buddha (No Crust Still On TAP!!!!)....Tonight is the Anniversary of a favorite blog of mine. Over 2 years ago I was budding on to the local beer scene and looking for more information. A simple Google Search brought me to a site that literally changed my life. MikeLovesBeer.com is that site. That site is what lead myself and a good buddy to start this site.

Well Happy Anniversary Mike, and thanks for everything that you have done for the local beer scene.

Everyone come out to the MikeLovesBeer.com 3rd Anniversary Party tonight at the Funky Buddha from 8pm to Close. Raise a glass, Wild Cicerone Style, and toast to a good blog, and a great friend!  It will be a REAL BEER EVENT!

Cheers!

Cisco Grey Lady

Grey Lady
Cisco Brewers Inc.
Nantucket, Massachusetts
4.50% ABV
Style: Witbier

C: Hazy
H: Straw Yellow
N: Orange, Vanilla, Hints of Clove (Very Yeasty)

The Ferm: New Beer in South Florida, that I am happy to find is Grey Lady from Cisco Brewers. While in Total Wine in Boca Raton last weekend I found several 12 oz bottles of this northeastern gem on the shelf. This was not my first run in with this Witbier from Mass.
About a year ago a fraternity brother sent me a box filled with stuff from Mass. and while I was looking for things like Pretty Things, Portsmouth, and Clown Shoes. It was Dopey (yep my pledge class was named after the 7 dwarfs...pretty dumb' huh??!) that said I needed to try this beer from a smaller brewery called Grey Lady. Fittingly The Cerveza Chica and I were going to see David Gray later in the week, and figured we should share the 22oz bomber before the show. We were both hooked, and btw the concert was great!
While I have had the beer a few times since, it remains a solid Wit that is full of flavor, but not overpowering. Grey Lady is clean and refreshing on a summer day, but also has a nice relaxing appeal to it after a long say in the office. At only 4.5% ABV you should be able to handle a few of these without having to worry about getting hammered in the middle of the day. I wouldn't say that this is an introductory Wit, but it is pretty close. It is not as sweet as others, and has a somewhat dry finish....again a great characteristic for a summer beer (IMO).
If you see this on shelves grab one, two, or HELL a whole sixer. Kick back and enjoy....

Score: 3.91

Avery India Pale Ale

Avery India Pale Ale
Avery Brewing Company
Boulder, Colorado
6.50% ABV
Style: American IPA

C: Pretty Clear
H: Burnt Orange
N: Piney Hops, Citrus Lemon and Orange, Hint of Caramel

The Ferm: Well a few days ago on Twitter I announced that I would start reviewing beers that are available to purchase in the local market. This was off of a suggestion from a regular reader. See I do pay attention to your suggestions.  I will refuse to use the readers real name, but thanks for the suggestion Prince Adam!
So recently we have seen more beer in cans, several new beers being offered from Avery Brewing Company. The IPA will be the first that I review in the task to touch the all for you.
While I typically drink craft beer from a glass, I will review the canned beer, well naturally....from the can. At first crack the beer gives off a nice piney odor and hints of citrus from the hops. The drink-ability of this beer from the can is actually fantastic. Being able to crack open an IPA on the beach makes it priceless. My favorite from the canned line that just hit South Florida....well not really, but it is a close second.
Score: 3.90

Dogfish Head Festina Peche 2011

Dogfish Head Festina Peche 2011
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Milton, DE
4.50% ABV
Style: Berliner Weissbier

C: Clear
H: Golden yellow with a slight hue of orange
N: Mildly Tart with a hint of citrus and peach

The Ferm: OK, no women reviewing this one. It's my turn to tell you about Festina Peche (review: Festina Peche 2010), if you don't like it then.....POOP ON YOU!
Summer comes one time a year and sadly this beer comes around once a year as well. If there is a beer that was built for beach life, I would have to say this is it. The beer is clear and light, hint of citrus and peach.....ohh yeah and it is only 4.5% ABV!
I have one suggestion for Dogfish Head though, one word.....CANS. Please can this beer and sell it year round. This would be my go to beer.
Again not the best beer I have had in the style, but for the reason that I look forward to this release every year.....

Score: 5.0