Funky Buddha Brewery announces expansion plans

We sat down with zen brewmaster Ryan Sentz back in March, discussing his craft brewery — Funky Buddha — and its wealth of great porters (one of our previous Beer of the Month). We also discussed his cool brewery/lounge. Off of North Federal Highway in Boca Raton, Fla., Sentz has carved out his personal nirvana for craft beer, but you probably wouldn’t realize it from the outside. It’s located in a small strip mall, only a blue neon sign that reads Funky Buddha Lounge catches your eye.

But Ouddha Lounge and Brewery transports visitors to a little slice of craft beer paradise, where patrons smoke hookahs, listen to local bands, enjoy excellent eats and imbibe in great craft beers, including some of the best porters around. While all that sounds cool, apparently Sentz and Funky Buddha are ready for expansion. The Funky Buddha team showed up on the Florida’s Funky Buddha Brewery announces expansion plans By the Glass Show to discuss the move. According to Beerpulse.com:

The team hoped to open the new pad in late winter but has moved back its timeline to a late May opening. This week, they are installing equipment for their 30-barrel brewhouse, including four 60-barrel fermentation tanks and running a hot water batch. Hop Gun IPA and Floridian Hefeweizen will be the first two flagships out of the gate. The tasting room will feature 10-15 other Funky Buddha beers, some of which will be brewed off of a 3.5-barrel pilot system.

Packaging will be just kegs to start. Funky Buddha is looking at both bottles and cans but has not yet decided on format. The space is just under 19,000 square feet with a 3,000 square-foot tasting room. They’ll offer things like corn hole, bocce ball, etc. at the new facility. The grand opening is being planned with the city which has a new plaza adjacent to the brewery. Look for an announcement on Facebook in the next week or two.

That’s pretty exciting news. Let’s hope Sentz re-envisions the ambiance of this Boca Raton lounge. We quote our last article with him:

“When I decided to open the Funky Buddha, I wanted a place where I would enjoy going and be comfortable,” said Sentz. “Lots of couches and over-sized chairs with minimal TVs or other outside distractions. I wanted a place where you can actually have a conversation with the people you were with.”