Funky Buddha Brewery Tour

Nestled in the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Oakland Park, Funky Buddha Brewery has carved out an impressive niche for itself in the swiftly expanding Florida craft beer scene. During a recent trip to South Beach, I caught up with Funky Buddha’s Brand Director John Linn to discuss some of his favorite brews as well as future plans for this favorite of discerning Floridians.

Despite the brewery only being open a few minutes, people were already starting to file in to the stylish and glistening tap room to sample the brewery’s 25+ taps and extensive back catalog of limited releases. Life at a destination brewery has its ups and downs, but for the most part, John is happy with how much the brewery has grown and how strong the support has been locally and nationwide.

The stylish, glistening tap room features 25+ taps and an extensive back catalog of limited releases.

Funky Buddha opened in 2010 as a small brewpub in Boca Raton founded by head brewer Ryan Sentz. Immediately, demand was high as Ryan churned out high-quality, interesting brews at a brisk pace. Demand for Funky Buddha’s beers couldn’t be sustained in such a small space, so Ryan and his brother K.C., along with John and his wife Giani (who joined the company soon after its founding) relocated to Oakland Park in June of 2013.

The city wanted to make downtown Oakland Park into a “culinary destination,” according to John, and luckily, a brewery tends to attract discerning palates of all stripes. Funky Buddha were in the right place at the right time to join a burgeoning scene full of gastronomic getaways.