The Florida craft beer scene will soon play host to another event that could rival Hunahpu’s Day at Cigar City Brewing in attracting beer geeks from across the country and around the world to the Sunshine State. On January 11, 2014, Funky Buddha Brewery will release the first ever bottles of its heralded Maple Bacon Coffee Porter.
This sweet porter first gained national attention after its release in April 2011 by the original Funky Buddha Lounge & Brewery in Boca Raton. The interest in the highly rated brew drew the focus of beer geekdom to the tiny brewery in Boca Raton and its other creative food-related brews such as Blueberry Cobbler Ale and No Crusts, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in delicious liquid form. Such a demand grew for Funky Buddha’s beer that earlier this year, founder and head brewer Ryan Sentz opened a much larger production brewery earlier this year in nearby Oakland Park.
The Maple Bacon Coffee Porter release will be January 11, 2014, at Funky Buddha Brewery, 1201 NE 38th St., Oakland Park, FL. 33334. Sales of the 22-oz. bottles will start at 11 a.m. and end at 7 p.m. or when all bottles are sold. The sales will be limited to two bottles, and will be sold on a first come, first served basis.
Local bands and food trucks will be on hand, and the tap room will serve other special releases from Funky Buddha and other Florida breweries. More details will be released as the event nears.
Also, do you know that if you rearrange the letters in “Boca Raton,” where Maple Bacon Coffee Porter was originally brewed, they spell “Baconator”?
Here’s the full news release:
OAKLAND PARK, FL – Get ready, Buddha fans: Maple Bacon Coffee Porter, one of the most highly sought after beers in Florida, will be commercially released in bottles for the first time ever on January 11, 2014. This limited run of 22-ounce bottles will be sold exclusively at Funky Buddha Brewery and be accompanied by a festival atmosphere featuring live music, food trucks, and a host of special release beers on tap.
A true one-of-a-kind beer, Maple Bacon Coffee Porter was initially released as a small batch run at Boca Raton’s Funky Buddha Lounge & Brewery in April of 2011. Since then it has become one of the most heralded porters in the world, earning national acclaim from fans and critics alike. BeerAdvocate.com currently lists MBCP as the #2 rated porter in the world with above 50 user reviews, boasting an overall rating of 99 out of 100. Ratebeer.com also lists the beer as the #1 user rated sweet stout in the world with a perfect 100 out of 100.
“Maple Bacon Coffee Porter was the first beer that really earned us attention outside of our taproom,” says Funky Buddha’s Founder and Head Brewer, Ryan Sentz. “I remember thinking how crazy it was that this little brew pub in Boca Raton was being noticed nationally, and our success is definitely owed in part to that.”
Maple Bacon Coffee Porter’s official release will coincide with a day’s worth of activities at the brewery. Live music from local acts will be scheduled throughout the day in the brewery’s public plaza. Five food trucks – including fan favorites The Rolling Stove and Pescados Unidos – will be serving dishes specially paired with Funky Buddha’s beers. A host of special release brews from both Funky Buddha and other Florida breweries will be available on draft, with very limited beers being tapped throughout the day. Bottle sales will begin at 11 am and run until 7 pm, and will be limited to two per customer; first-come, first-served.
Evoking a complete diner-style breakfast in a glass, Maple Bacon Coffee Porter is a complex beer with a multitude of flavors at work. It pours an opaque, ebony brew with a frothy tan head. Aromas of sticky maple syrup and fresh-brewed coffee creep forth from the glass. The mouth feel is luxuriously creamy, with layers of sweet malt and roast giving way to waves of smoke, coffee, and dark salted chocolate. The finish is sticky, rich, and sweet, with flavors of maple syrup lingering pleasantly on the tongue.
