North Carolina has been the fortunate recipient recently of a number of breweries who have expanded their distribution footprint into the Southeast. Cigar City and Firestone Walker have started sharing their lineup and the next one sharing their bottles, cans, and taps is none other than Funky Buddha Brewery from Oakland Park Florida, just north of Fort Lauderdale. In the Stout world I live in, Funky Buddha is known for their tasty Stouts and Porters:
- Maple Bacon Coffee Porter
- Last Snow
- Last Buffalo in the Park
- Morning Wood
- Nib Smuggler
- Wide Awake It’s Morning
- I’m so Excited, I’m Scared
- The Love Below
- Mexican Coffee
- Snowed In
- Nikolai Vorlauf
…..and a few others that make a guest appearance from time to time! They have a 
great Barrel-Aging program and have a great knack for dialing in their adjuncts to perfection! I’ve been fortunate enough to take most (but not all) of the above and I’ve been very impressed with the entire lineup! I’ve had to trade for most of these and I’m thrilled to know that many of these will find their way to my local bottleshops and taprooms! My guess is that FB will start with sending Maple Bacon Coffee Porter and Last 
Snow up north to us (as well as some of their non-Stout/Porter lineup) and will expand to their Barrel Aged Stouts and Porters depending on sales and volume.
I just enjoyed the 2018 vintage of Maple Bacon 
Coffee Porter and it truly is a memorable beer….the maple aroma lasts for a good while and it’s truly deserving of all of the accolades it has received over the years! The Funky Buddha brew crew appears to have the recipe down just right!
I hope that Funky Buddha makes a splash in North Carolina and puts it’s best foot forward in their market introduction. Tap Takeovers, tastings, and other special events will be critical in the fight for shelf space in what is a very competitive marketplace in North Carolina. Local, 
regional, and national brewers are all vying for our wallets and cellar space and Funky Buddha certainly has the Stout/Porter lineup to grab a healthy share!
Here’s to a successful launch for Funky Buddha in North Carolina! The Stoutwhisperer is looking forward to seeing MBCP and Last Snow on the shelves in North Carolina….but make sure and bring some Morning Wood and Last Buffalo as well!
What breweries are you hoping would expand into your market? Let me know the brewery and where you are at and perhaps we can reach out and see what can be done!
Stoutwhisperer 