Starting off the year by attending a beer festival is the best way for any beer enthusiast to set themselves up for success. The idea of unlimited beer sampling from a stellar brewery, along with over 50 local and regional breweries is heavenly. Add that with a solid time with friends enjoying food and music and you have the Maple Bacon Coffee Porter Festival at Funky Buddha Brewery.

Maple Bacon Coffee Porter sounds like a mouth full right? Well so is the beer! Highly regarded in the beer world for many of their pastry-inspired beers and a Gold Medal winner in the 2016 World Beer Cup for Specialty Beer, Funky Buddha Brewing comes through to begin the new year in Oakland Park, Florida with an extremely fun beer festival for anyone 21 and up to attend.

They named this festival after the Maple Bacon Coffee Porter to celebrate its yearly release. The Maple Bacon Coffee Porter Festival invites over 50 different breweries near and far. Many qualities of this festival raise popularity and excitement every year. One of those qualities is the tap list that features the guest breweries that embrace the breakfast style beer theme or any other style they choose.

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2Toms Brewing Co	Sawyer: NEIPA brewed with Amarillo, Citra, and Mosaic hops El Cucuy: Mole stout brewed with guajillo, ancho and habanero chilies, chocolate and cinnamon
7venth Sun Brewing	My Everything: Blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, vanilla and lactose berliner Image Is Everything: New England IPA brewed with Mosiac and El Dorado hops
18th Street Brewery	Freaky Flow: (collab with Brewski) East Coast-style double IPA Invisible Benefactor: Imperial Stout with peanut butter and chocolate
81 Bay Brewing	Here Plums the Sun: Sour ale brewed with plums, coffee, cinnamon, vanilla and lactose Guzumba: Sweet stout aged on organic Ecuadorian cacao nibs and a Jamaican blend coffee
450 North Brewing	Flapjack Nuggets: Sweet stout brewed with maple syrup, lactose, vanilla and a touch of cinnamon Hazy Nuggets: IPA brewed with galaxy and vic secret hops Sunny Paradise Slushy: Fruited sour conditioned on pineapple, mango, and peach
903 Brewers	Birthday Sasquatch: Whisky barrel aged imperial chocolate milk stout with toasted marshmallow and double fudge BA Birthday Sasquatch: Imperial chocolate milk stout with toasted marshmallow and double fudge
Aardwolf Brewing Company	Space Jam: Strawberry marmalade New England IPA CCCP: Coconut Cream Pie White Russian Imperial Stout
Accomplice Brewery and Ciderworks	Maple Bacon Coffee Cider: Maple syrup, coffee and bacon flavored cider Sneetches Cider: Acai berry cide
Aslin Beer Company	Volcano Sauce: Sour ale made with blackberry, blueberry, vanilla and lactose Pinkies Up: 5x dry hopped IPA made with Citra, Galaxy, Nelson, Mosaic, and Amarillo hops
B Nektar Meadery	Punk Lemonade: Tart apple and lemon character with light raspberry sweetness Core Crusher: Encompassing the apple in its entirety. Notes of earth and barn wood to compliment the dry, refreshing finish
Bangin Banjo Brewing Company	Autumn Serenade: Imperial Stout with maple syrup, cocoa nibs and orange zest Blood Orange Grapefruit Gose: Gose brewed with seasalt and coriander with blood orange and grapefruit added
Barrel of Monks Brewery	Clotho: Tripel ale aged in apple brandy barrels for 1yr. Notes of honey, vanilla, caramel apple, with hints of cracked pepper and oak Chocolate Strawberry Singel: A light belgian singel ale with rich notes of chocolate and light strawberry characte
Bayou Teche Brewing	The Waking Dead: Coffee kolsh Techeticles III: Triple IPA, dry hopped a pair of times
Broski Ciderworks	Passionfruit Cider: Brewed with passionfruit Apple Pie Cider: Brewed with roasted apples, brown sugar, vanilla and spices
Cigar City Brewing	Barrel-Aged Snack Attack: (Funky Buddha & Blue Jacket D.C. collab) imperial porter with FL sea salt, cacao nibs, vanilla, and dry roasted peanuts Margarita Gose: Gose-style ale with orange, lime and salt
Copperpoint Brewing Company	Coco for Coxness: Imperial stout brewed with cocoa nibs and fresh coconut. GABF 2018 Gold Medal Winner - Chocolate Beer category Key Lime WTF: Hazy DIPA dry hopped with mosiac and citra lupulin powder. Brewed with locally sourced key lime for a tart finish
Coppertail Brewing	Seasonal Relief: Imperial stout brewed with elderberry and goji berry Guava Pastelitos: Light berliner brewed with guava, raspberry, and vanilla
Crooked Run Brewing	Merrang!: Pastry Berliner inspired by lemon meringue pie, with lemons, Mexican vanilla, milk sugar, and graham crackers Coming to America: Double IPA collab with Proof Brewing solely brewed with African hops
Devour Brewing Co	Neon Daze: Blonde Ale brewed with ocean breeze fruit blend tea. Aged on hibiscus blossom Fruity Loops: Blonde ale aged on Skittles Candy
Due South Brewing	Land, Sea, and Air: Brut IPA with cashmere centennial, ekuanot, mosiac and simco hops Saigon Blonde: Blonde ale with lime, cucumber and jalapeno
Dunedin Brewery	Ritual Madness: Tart belgian dark strong ale aged 10 months in cabernet barrels with oregon red raspberries and brettanomyces (silver medal winner world beer cup) Dram Alter: Saison brewed with organic golden raisins, cinnamon and oak
Florida Avenue Brewing Co	Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout: Bourbon BA Imperial stout with maple, cinnamon and vanilla Neapolitan Berliner Weisse: Berliner brewed with strawberry, chocolate, vanilla and lactose
Florida Keys Brewing Co	Bean Me Up Scotchy: Vanilla bean and scotch infused oatmeal stout B.I.G. Brown Ale: Coconut infused brown ale
Forbidden Root Brewery	Big DAMN Scoop: Fried ice cream golden stout Assembly Required: Sour Mango IPA
Four Quarters Brewing Company	Pickleback: Bourbon barrel aged light sour ale with cucumbers, honeydew and fresh dill Waffle Star: Imperial milk stout with coffee conditioned on bourbon barrel aged maple syrup soaked belgian waffles
Garagiste Meadery	Cilice: Raspberry, cherry and red currant mead fermented on bourbon staves Purple Waffle: Raspberry and blackberry mead with maple syrup
Gulf Stream Brewing Company	Holograms: Imperial DDH DIPA with juicy aroma bomb of persimmon, candied orange, ripe mango and esters of bubblegum Paloma Spritza: Paloma cocktail inspired sour has tons of fresh squeezed grapefruits, lime, and honey, all aged on tequila oak
Invasive Species Brewing	Mosaic Mo Problems: IPA brewed with Mosaic Hops Sour Scoop: (collab with 3 Sons) Neapolitan flavored berlinerweisse Lazer Shark: NEIPA triple dry hopped with SA Southern Passion, African Queen, and AU Vic Secret
Jdubs Brewing Company	Rosemary & Blood Orange Berliner: brewed with large amount of blood orange puree, a touch rosemarry, and pinch of sea salt Macaroon Imperial Stout: sweet and roasty imperial stout brewed with six pounds of coconut per barrel
Kane Brewing Company	Mexican Brunch: Imperial milk porter with coffee, maple, cinnamon, cacao and chilies Secret Mezzanine: Brewed with American Two Row, lots of wheat and a small amount of British caramel and hopped in the whirlpool with Simcoe, Chinook and Mosaic then dry hopped with a bunch of Eureka, Chinook and Simcoe
LauderAle Brewing Company	C Porter: Porter brewed with coconut for a sweet, smooth finish Maple Bush Brown: Brown ale with notes of caramelized nuts, milk chocolate and maple
Lexington Brewery & Distillery	Kentucky Old Fashioned: Imperial amber ale brewed with cherries and orange peel. Aged in KY bourbon barrels for 8 weeks Vanilla Barrel Cream Ale: Imperial cream ale brewed and aged on madagascar vanilla beans. Aged in KY bourbon barrels for 6 weeks
Lone Pine Brewing Company	Oh-J DIPA: A carefully selected arrangement of late-addition hops produce a pure citrus punch Chaga Stout: Balancing citric west coast hops with Chaga from the ME woods. Chaga provides vanilla and earthy spice
Lord Hobo Brewing Company	Museum: Triple IPA with Citra, Mosaic, and Galaxy Boom Sauce: NEIPA featuring six hop varietals and a blend of spelt, oat, and wheat
MadTree Brewing	Joon: Ale aged in gin barrels with juniper berries and ginger Are You Ready For Some Darkness?: Stout brewed with hemp seeds. Aged in bourbon barrels
Mathews Brewing Co	8 Way Santa: Belgian Tripel Ale aged for 7 months in whiskey barrels Better Than Yours: New England style double vanilla milkshake IPA
MIA Beer Co	Tremenda TIPA: Triple IPA Encanto de Amor: Award winning Berlinerweisse made with raspberries and passionfruit
NOBO Brewing Company	Go Fluff Your Nutter: PB&fluff brown ale Red White & Boom: cinnamon whiskey oak aged imperial stout
Non-Prophet Brewing Co	Strawberry Basil Kombucha Pineapple Turmeric Kombucha
Odd Breed Wild Ales	Stabbing Elbows: Heavily fruited cherry wild ale Artistic Bugs: Strong golden wild ale
Ology Brewing Company	Hop Gradient: DIPA Sprinkle Factor: Guava passionfruit tart milkshake IPA
Orchid Island Brewing	Star Ruby: smooth and juicy double IPA. Dry hopped with Amarillo, Centennial, Citra, Simcoe and locally grown grapefruit zest Mimosa Brut IPA: brewed with 100% Pilsner malt base, Centennial and Citra hops and finished with fresh Glo tangerine juice and zest
Playalinda Brewing Company	Surreptitious: Belgian-style specialty honey ale, made with local honey Key Lime Slice: Fresh, Florida Key Limes give this refreshing blonde ale a terrifically tart twist
Pontoon Brewing	Snozzberries Taste Like Snozzberries: Berliner with strawberry blackberry black currant vanilla and milk sugar Earth Shifter: Imperial stout aged in maple rum and maple bourbon barrels conditioned on maple barrel aged coffee beans Gravity Glaze: BA Imperial Stout aged in Apple Brandy, Vanillla Bourbon, Four Roses and Cinnamon Vanilla Whisky barrels with tongan vanilla and apple pie spiced coffee beans Triple Combustible Pineapple Milkshake IPA: Tripel NE IPA with over 800lbs of pineapple, vanilla and milk sugar
Proof Brewing Co	Grandpa's Goin Nutz: Boubon barrel aged milk chocolare stout with peanut butter and toasted coconut Strawberry Banana Evil Kiss: Traditional Berliner with strawberries, bananas and vanilla
Prosperity Brewers	Mexican Hot Chocolate: Milk stout with sinnamon, vanilla beans, cocoa nibs, and ancho chiles MSRP: Mosiac, Simcoe, Rye Pale Ale
Red Cypress Brewery	Imperial Death Roll Stout: Imperial english sweet milk stout
Robot Brewing Co	Cache Me Outside: Mixed berry berliner Exuberance Upgrade: Sour with coffee, vanilla, lactose and cinnamon
Sailfish Brewing Co	Barrel-Aged Drinkin Thing: Bourbon barrel aged barleywine Cut My Life Into Peaches: Imperial sour ale brewed on TONS of peaches
Saltwater Brewery	Confused in the Morning: Belgian tripel aged on belgian waffles. coffee and maple syrup Hazelnut Mayday: Hazelnut imperial coffee porter
Slim Pickens Cider and Mead	Jealous Punks Can't Stop the Dunks... and Donuts: Donut caramel cinnamon apple cider reminiscent of an apple fritter True FuPick-ens: incredibly righteous cider with a plethora of fruits, spices, and adjuncts
Tarpon River Brewing	Stan Lee: Cacao nibs and vanilla imperial stout Prickly Pear Gose: Kettle sour beer with flavors of a prickly pear margarita
Tomoka Brewing Co	Tom Yum Thai Gose: Brewed and dry-peppered with 4 different types of hot peppers, and coriander, salt, and lemongrass Tart Dark Cherry: Sour ale brewed with tart black cherries
Toppling Goliath Brewing Co	Dragon Fandango: Kettle sour, blended with dragon fruit, mango and passion fruit puree King Sue: Citra hopped double IPA Pseudo Sue: Single hop pale ale with ferocious aromas of grapefruit, citrus, mango and evergreen
Walking Tree Brewery	Barnacled Manatee: English Barleywine Sassy Flamingo: Tart Cherry Sour
Wicked Weed Brewing	Dark Age: Imperial Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout with Coffee Metatropics: Foeder Aged Brett Farmhouse with Pineapple, Mango, Grapefruit, Passion Fruit and Dry Hopped
Wynwood Brewing Company	Mango Passionfruit: Berlinerweisse brewed with mango and passionfruit Barrel-Aged Grand Pops: Whiskey barrel aged imperial porte

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Funky Buddha History

How was a beer as interesting and flavorful as Maple Bacon Coffee Porter created? Kristen Lorow, the brand marketing coordinator at Funky Buddha shared the story of this epic beer and festival to follow.

PD: How did MBCP come about and why did it become a main focus?

Kristen: When Funky Buddha first started back in 2007 we were located in a tiny hookah lounge in Boca Raton and brewing on a small system. (Basically, the size of a large kitchen pot.)

Ryan has a super creative pallet and was creating a lot of these unique and culinary inspired beers. He created an orange creamsicle wheat, a mango habanero blonde ale, and eventually created Maple Bacon Coffee Porter. Ryan wanted to recreate beer that was reminiscent of a diner-style breakfast in a glass, with flavors and aromas of roasted coffee, maple syrup-soaked pancakes and smoky bacon. He bottled this beer and sold it to a few of his regulars, who sold and traded for this beer all over the world-one bottle went as far as Denmark, and another sold on Ebay for over $300!

Within a few weeks Maple Bacon Coffee Porter was rated the #1 rated porter in the world on Ratebeer.com. Soon after, we began receiving invitations to these really exclusive beer festivals and people were so excited to taste our beer they would sprint from the entrance to get in our line-which was consistently one of the longest and wrapping around the building.  Funky Buddha has been growing like crazy ever since. When we moved to our production facility in Oakland Park we wanted to pay homage to the beer that put us on the map and throw a festival in it’s honor.

The festival has evolved and has seen many different formats throughout the years. The first few MBCP fests were open to the public however, the crowds increased exponentially each year so we decided to move it to a ticketed event to make it a little more manageable. The festival has always been a celebration of out of the box, culinary inspired beers.

When inviting the other breweries, are they encouraged to bring breakfast-inspired beers? 

Kristen: We do not request for the breweries to bring breakfast inspired beers, however, guest breweries tend to embrace the theme.

Have you personally seen growth in the festival throughout the years and how does it feel to be a part of that growth?

Kristen: The first year Funky Buddha held MBCP fest I was blown away. For starters, there weren’t any other breweries near us where you could go and drink at the source, but there was also not nearly as many beer festivals, so getting to try so many different beers in one setting was such a unique experience.

Although now, I work the festival rather than attending it’s still a really fun day and it’s amazing to see how many guests come from all over to celebrate with us. The festival has grown in size and attendance throughout the years, and we’re always looking for new and innovative ways to make it better.

Funky Buddha brewery allows this festival to showcase their 2019 Maple Bacon Coffee Porter; afterall, they named the festival after it! There is something to be said about a beer that brings so many loyal craft beer fans together. The innovative brewery also has a trailer of their other beers for everyone to enjoy as well. That’s right! An actual trailer that has Funky Buddha’s MBCP and its variants, barrel-aged, specialty, and last but not least, core beers.

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MBCP & Variants	Maple Bacon Coffee Porter 2019 Free Range Kopi Luwak Maple Bacon Coffee Porter Variant Jamaican Blue Mountain Maple Bacon Coffee Porter Variant
Barrel-Aged	Louisville Bourbon Barrel-Aged Morning Wood Variant High West Barrel-Aged Mint Julep Bourbon Barrel-Aged Old Fashioned Last Buffalo in the Park Saint Toddy Rum Barrel-Aged Batida Rum Barrel-Aged El Jefe's Coquito Rum Barrel-Aged Pina Colada Chardonnay Barrel-Aged Dreamers of Dreams Chardonnay Barrel-Aged Undefeated Saison Chardonnay Barrel-Aged Tripel Lindy Tequila & Rum Barrel-Aged Black Goblin
Specialty	Indian Moonson Malabar Nikolai Vorlauf Jamaican Blue Mountain Snowed In I’m So Excited, I’m So Scared Chocwork Orange Wide Awake It’s Morning Nib Smuggler Last Snow French Toast Save Some Room For Later Sweet Potato Casserole No Crusts Fire in the Hole Cosmic Journey Grapefruit Miami Miracle Double Lateral IPA Miami Miracle Double Lateral IPA Melon Ballin’ Day Walker Raspberry Floridian Sticky Treats Sticky Nuts Dragon Fruit Berliner Key Lime Pie
Core	Floridian Hop Gun Crusher Eternal Summer Pineapple Beach Tripel Lindy Vibin Hazy Daze El Camino Gloves Of

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With a plethora of beers and four hours to try them all, I would say that VIP to the MBCP festival is well worth it. VIP attendees do get an extra hour of time before general admission begins. I still managed to put my taster cup to work by trying tons of brews. Looking for the standout beers was tough because they all sounded intriguing; however a few managed to create decent sized lines of people anxiously waiting to try.

Pontoon Brewing out of Atlanta, Georgia had one of those lines that made you double look because it was so long. That comes at no surprise when they were pouring beers like their decadent Berliner, an Imperial Stout with delicious maple flavors, a Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout aged in Apple Brandy, and a triple New England IPA that had over 800 pounds of pineapple, vanilla and milk sugar. So, if these beers sound like they were worth the wait, they definitely were!

The chance to try beer from breweries I don’t usually have access to is incredible. The MBCP festival presented the opportunity for us Floridians to get a taste of what Vermont has to pour. Four Quarters had a wonderful lineup of beer that I kept lining up for one after the other. They poured two sour ales, an imperial stout, and a DIPA that sparkled- literally!

How else did people get funky that day you ask? Well the DJ had no problem getting the crowd to show their moves. Needless to say, things became intense when bacon and hot dogs became involved.

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“When all else fails, there is music. When that fails you, there is beer.” – James Hauenstein

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Hot dog vs bacon#MBCPfest pic.twitter.com/KybBWDewr9

— Funky Buddha Brewery (@funkybuddhabrew) January 12, 2019

MBCP festival has a relaxing, laid back vibe. For the locals, it is always a fun surprise to see what your favorite brewery will bring to the table. Mathews Brewery in Lake Worth was happy to pour a taster of their Belgian Tripel Ale and New England style double vanilla milkshake IPA. I can see their enthusiasm for craft beer; I also found their passion for music is shared at their brewery, with frequent concerts that attract many people.

JDub’s Brewing Company in Sarasota had an incredible lineup of a blood orange Berliner and a macaroon imperial stout with a future lineup of awesome bands that would help celebrate their five year anniversary this March. It is great to hear news like this from the different breweries at the festival; Funky Buddha did an awesome job at selecting them.

I thoroughly enjoyed all of the beers I was able to try; however the most excitement was for the infamous beer everyone came for. This year, Funky Buddha brewed an exceptional porter that left us speechless. This bottle release was the type of release that no matter how many you purchased, you would say to yourself, “I should have got more.” Fortunately, bottles are distributed throughout the state until they are sold out.

This 6.4% ABV Porter pours a deep black with expressive coffee they brew locally. You will get your breakfast fix in this beer; there’s a subtle bacon smoke that meets a distinct, rich syrup flavor. Needless to say, Maple Bacon Coffee Porter is easy on the palate. So, get ready to immerse yourself in the creamy layers of breakfast heaven.

If you are in Florida, the MBCP festival is definitely worth checking out! The town of Oakland Park has truly embraced Funky Buddha; and that shows in the ease of the event from start to finish. Nearby parking, ride share accessibility, and local law enforcement makes getting in and out of the event stress free. If you can’t make it to the festival, join Funky Buddha any other time in their tap room. Also be sure to enjoy the unique beers they pour as well as their craft kitchen; it’s conveniently located in the brewery to get your food fix too.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bsobh75lckS/

Feature image from Funky Buddha Brewing

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