Funky Buddha now bottling beer

Funky Buddha announced that bottles of its acclaimed beers will be hitting distribution for the first time on Dec. 10. This anticipated launch will see six-pack, 12-ounce bottles arriving on the shelves of major retailers throughout South Florida just in time for the holiday season.

“The launch of package is a huge leap in our growth as a company and a dramatic step forward for the evolution of craft beer in South Florida,” said KC Sentz, general manager and co-owner of Funky Buddha Brewery. “Our customers have been demanding this for a long time, so the fact that they will finally be able to walk into a store and purchase a six-pack of our beer is an extremely proud moment.”

This launch truly has been a long time in the making. In February, Funky Buddha set out on a $3 million expansion to its Oakland Park facility that included taking on an additional 21,000 square feet of production space, technical upgrades to the infrastructure of the facility and a host of new equipment — including a bottling line from industry leaders CFT and a centrifugal separator from Westfalia Group. This state-of-the-art equipment will ensure the highest level of quality and freshness for Funky Buddha’s beers, all while preserving the bold flavors the brewery has become known for. Simply put: This expansion has cemented the framework for Funky Buddha to create and distribute more than 600,000 cases of beer throughout Florida by the end of 2016.

Now, a little more on these launch beers:

Floridian Hefeweizen (92 rating on RateBeer.com) is a perennial favorite on draft throughout Florida and the best-selling beer in Funky Buddha’s acclaimed line up. This German-style wheat ale is full on flavor yet light on the palate, with the compelling notes of banana, citrus and clove. Available year-round, Floridian Hefeweizen will be packaged in cases of four six-packs.

Hop Gun IPA (95 rating on RateBeer.com) is Funky Buddha’s East Coast-style India Pale Ale, delivering a payload of good ol’ American hops that burst forth with the flavors of grapefruit and pineapple. Smooth caramel and honey malts balance out the complex hop finish — just like any good wingman should. Also available year-round, Hop Gun IPA will be packaged in cases of four six-packs.

Funky Buddha isn’t stopping there. In January, the brewery plans to launch Zen Session IPA (formerly known as Crusher IPA), a light-bodied, 4.5 percent ABV ale brewed with Citra hops for lush citrus aroma and flavor. That month will also see the release of the brewery’s first limited, 12-ounce four-pack, Last Snow Porter. Ranked as the No. 2 porter in the world by the 2014 Rate Beer Best awards, Last Snow is an ode to Florida “winter” brewed with real coffee, white chocolate and coconut.

Moving forward in 2015, seasonal four-pack releases will include favorites Nib Smuggler Chocolate Milk Porter, More Moro Blood Orange IPA, Blueberry Cobbler Ale and Sweet Potato Casserole. Limited 22-ounce “bombers” will also hit distribution in 2015 and include the brewery’s sought-after specialty release and barrel-aged brews, the first of which will be Maple Bacon Coffee Porter, scheduled for release at the brewery on January 10. Package product will be distributed by Brown Distributing of West Palm Beach, with distribution throughout the Orlando, Tampa, and Northern Florida markets by the end of 2015.