Ep 27: Ryan Sentz of Funky Buddha Brewery

Before we get to our guest for this episode, I wanted to take a minute and thank those of you who carve out time to listen to this podcast every few weeks. It is a labor of love for me – and I get to have some great conversations with the fine people in the world of craft beer and beverages, but it is not my day job and it takes time to create this show. 

Recently, the BeerWise Podcast brought home a Gold Crushie – an award for “crushing it” in the field of craft beer marketing. According to the Craft Beer Marketing Awards organization, a gold Crushie is given “To award a 2023 CBMAS Gold Crushie, the judges' panel will be seeking entries that meet or exceed the defined category objectives by using strategy, creativity, and innovative production techniques to achieve a perceived, higher level of uniqueness.”

I am extremely proud to have earned this award from those currently marketing in the beer industry, and excited to keep bringing you the words and stories of the amazing and awesome people in the beverage industry and beyond.

 Speaking of the great people in the beer industry and their stories…  

In this episode, I am joined by Ryan Sentz of Funky Buddha Brewery in Oakland Park, Florida. 

Ryan is the founder and soon-to-be-owner of Funky Buddha Brewery – a brewery that made a name by bringing intense flavors into beer that many could not believe. The beer that introduced many people to the brewery was Maple Bacon Coffee Porter, a beer that did not contain actual bacon, but made many wonder how such flavors were possible. From small beginnings, brewing beer in a lounge in Boca Raton to an expansion that brought the brewery into their current home, a 54,000 sq-ft facility with a 30-barrel brewhouse. 

In 2017, Constellation Brands, the international company who imports Corona and Modelo beer brands, had recently bought Ballast Point Brewing in San Diego and then news broke that Funky Buddha Brewery was being acquired as well. Funky Buddha Brewery remained entrenched in their local community with Ryan and his team still running the brewery with Constellation Brands as the brewery's owner. 

Fast forward to 2023 and Ryan and KC announce that they will be buying back Funky Buddha Brewery from Constellation Brands. Constellation Brands sells their craft breweries and exits the craft beer business, focusing on other brands of beer that they own. 

Ryan and KC re-enter the world of brewery ownership in one of the most competitive times in history for craft beer. This was one of the focuses of our conversation. Ryan was also nice enough to give me his hot take about other news that broke this week – the news that Sapporo, the Japanese brewer who owns San Francisco’s Anchor Brewing, will be cutting back Anchor’s distribution to California only and will be discontinuing Anchor’s storied Christmas beer called Our Special Ale. I wanted his opinion on this topic as someone returning to brewery ownership after a hiatus. 

Here's our conversation. 

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Thanks for joining us in the journey of the BeerWise Podcast, hosted by Mark DeNote – editor of Florida Beer News. 

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