Bars & Breweries

In 2018, the hottest trend for South Florida craft breweries isn’t experimental IPAs, American wild ales, or easy-drinking lagers: it’s serving food.

The bold, opaque Russian imperial stout is on the rise in South Florida. Local breweries such as Funky Buddha, LauderAle, and J. Wakefield are behind their own interpretations.

Constellation Brands, the third largest beer company in the nation, this past Wednesday reportedly terminated dozens of employees on its craft beer sales team, including at Funky Buddha Brewery in Oakland Park, according to a sales representative who was laid off.

Crazy Uncle Mike’s, a brewery and restaurant featuring live music, is coming to Boca Raton. The 9,000-square foot complex will have a full-service kitchen,10-barrel brewhouse, “state-of-the-art” stage, full liquor license, and indoor and outdoor seating for 200. It will also offer highway access, plenty of parking, and a patio that wraps around the entire building.

In South Florida, a number of breweries offer their own version of the IPA. Most recently, some brewers are also developing varieties infused with tropical fruits and flavors to reflect the regional climate. Here are the ten most interesting IPAs from Miami-Dade to Palm Beach County.

Stateside, omakase is often mistakenly interpreted as a tasting menu, often at a sushi restaurant. In Japan, however, omakase can be any experience where the chef decides what to serve based on the patron’s preferences and the ingredients available. Longtime bartender Brett Hart offers his take on the traditional Japanese method of preparing offerings “omakase shimasu,” a phrase that translates roughly to: “I trust you, the chef.” At Saxon, the sushi and cocktail concept accessible at Sweetwater, Hart’s 7-seat omakase offers a dedicated lounge that makes for a personalized, interactive, and intimate experience.

istrunk Market & Brewery, a 40,000-square-foot multi-use facility, is slated to open this fall in FAT Village. Society 8 Hospitality Group’s Steven Dapuzzo says the project will include a food hall, a fully operational brewery, an event space, a meeting space, a recording studio, light-use office space, and warehouse space. “It’s really a lifestyle complex. The plan is for people to be able to work, eat, and play there.”

Last Saturday afternoon at Saltwater Brewery in Delray Beach turned a little sour for some after patrons discovered signs that read “Kava is proof that God hates beer” posted directly in front the establishment just beyond the property line. The phrase appears to be similar to a quote often misattributed…

Everyone loves a good bottomless brunch deal, but if you’re over the usual bloody marys and mimosas, it might be time to try something new. American Craft Kitchen & Aleworks, with two locations in Coral Springs and Boca Raton, will begin offering a new type of bottomless drink option with…

This week, one of South Florida’s original craft beer hangouts will become a new brewery when the Boca Raton-based Funky Buddha Lounge makes the transition to Robot Brewing Co. & Quixotic Lounge.

John Pankauski, owner of West Palm Beach Brewery & Wine Vault, is releasing a beer for Cinco de Mayo that’s a tribute to America’s “Dreamers.”

When most people think of frozen beer, they envision that exploding bottle forgotten in the freezer. But not at 26 Degree Brewing in Pompano Beach.

In the wake of the Stoneman Douglas shooting, South Floridians continue to grapple with the reality of such grim events. While many seek relief through protest and social media, cathartic efforts continue to pop up throughout our community.

For the first time ever, Funky Buddha Brewery will release its award-winning peanut butter and jelly brown ale, No Crusts, in bottles this year as part of a new release schedule. The Oakland-based production brewery will also begin canning its core beers alongside a new lineup that will also include new packaging, a year-round beer, and a year’s worth of limited and seasonal beers hitting statewide distribution for the first time.

On December 15, Mathews Brewing Co. will open the doors to its Lake Worth brewhouse and taproom located just west of the city’s downtown, in the newly recognized Artisanal Industrial District.

Rhythm & Vine, located on a corner in Fort Lauderdale’s developing Flagler Village, is one of Broward’s leading outdoor bar spaces, drawing locals to hang and drink a few well-made cocktails without the fuss.

Invasive Species Brewing has officially invaded South Florida. The 2,800-square-foot facility and taproom, located in Fort Lauderdale, is one of several breweries slated to open in Broward County in the coming year. Following a private friends-and-family debut last weekend, Invasive Species Brewing is now holding temporary business hours from 5 p.m. to midnight this week at its Flagler Village taproom just south of North Flagler Drive.

Invasive Species Brewing secured more than $100,000 in funding from the City of Fort Lauderdale to help with the buildout of its new brewery, which will be located in Flagler Village at 726 NE Second Ave.

L Bar, the upscale cocktail lounge in the lobby of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, offers an alternative to those not looking to wear a sombrero and shake maracas this Cinco de Mayo. In addition to serving its traditional libations, L Bar also has a secret tequila menu…

Later this year, Fort Lauderdale will welcome a new brewery to an industrial complex just south of Sailboat Bend and the Tarpon River. Riverside Market’s founders and Native Brewing’s Adam Fine have partnered with the Restaurant People to form New River Brewing. The project has been a long time coming for Riverside Market husband-and-wife team Julian and Lisa Siegel…

Repour’s Isaac Grillo and Kreepy Tiki Bar & Lounge’s Ayme Harrison are headed north to Palm Beach County. On April 1, the founder of Miami Beach’s popular cocktail bar will join forces with Harrison to open Death or Glory in the former Max’s Social House space (116 NE Sixth Ave.) in downtown Delray Beach.

It’s a fact: People will wait in the pouring rain, the blazing-hot sun, or even the bitter cold for a chance to score a rare bottle or can of their favorite beer on its release day. Recently, more than 1,200 people showed up to J. Wakefield Brewing for its annual February Dragon Fruit Passion Fruit Berliner Weisse bottle release. Fans of the purple-pink beer arrived as early as 4 a.m. to stand in a line that snaked around the block. In mid-March, Cigar City Brewing will throw a grand fete in Tampa to release its Hunahpu’s imperial stout.