Funky Buddha Wants to Be Your Craft Hard Seltzer
Funky Buddha 3 Tropical seltzers
Hard seltzer has become so much a part of American drinking culture, that it's difficult to believe that the beverage only really gained ground in 2016 when White Claw was introduced to the American market. After all, what's not to love about a low-alcohol beverage that's fruity, fizzy, and doesn't feel as heavy as a beer or cider? And, since most hard seltzers are gluten-free and low calorie, there's a reason why the hard seltzer industry, "has the most sustainable growth trajectory across the U.S. alcohol landscape," according to a recent Nielsen study.
Move over, White Claw
Though the lion's share of this over $100 million dollar industry belongs to a few major players like Bud Light, Truly, and White Claw, one small South Florida brewery is looking to push its way into the industry by making a craft version of the beverage. Ryan Sentz, founder of Funky Buddha Brewery in Oakland Park, Florida said he, too, fell in love with hard seltzers. "I'm addicted to carbonation. I stopped drinking soda about 10 years ago, instead, I have a Sodastream seltzer maker at home and one at work.” Sentz said that, although he loved the hard seltzers he tried, he thought his brewery could do better. "My goal was to make something that drank as close to a La Croix sparkling water as possible. A hard seltzer that has a hint of natural fruit instead of flavors that seem cloying. That's what I enjoy drinking."
Although the brewery is known for producing seasonal beers with interesting flavor profiles likes the "Last Snow" a coffee and coconut porter that tastes like a Mounds candy bar and the "Bonita Applebum" a brown ale that mimics an apple pie in a can with its apple, cinnamon, and vanilla notes; the brewery is also known for drinkable core beers like Hop Gun IPA and Floridian hefeweizen. The hard seltzer flavor profiles tap into both schools of Funky Buddha's flavor philosophy, says Sentz. “We've done both big beers that slam you over the head and beers that are low profile. With our hard seltzers, we tried to make something that was drinkable. In my opinion, you can go too heavy-handed with the flavors. I mean, I love orange juice, but I'm not going to drink four glasses. I'd get flavor fatigue. I can drink four of these seltzers while I'm at home by the pool, no problem.”
Funky flavors
While most hard seltzers start with cane sugar, high fructose corn syrup, or malted barley, Sentz uses a blend of pure cane sugar and blue agave to give it a crisper, cleaner taste. Funky Buddha uses natural fruit flavors. The reason why fruit flavoring is used instead of adding fruit to the liquid, says Sentz is for consistency and shelf stability. "Bulk fruit wouldn't give us the same result." Sentz and his team spent a lot of time creating the unique flavor combinations in the hard seltzers. Currently, the seltzers are offered in a variety pack that includes Mango Guava, Key Lime Cherry, Blood Orange, and Grapefruit. The team is currently testing other flavors like Pineapple Coconut and Passionfruit. Says the brewery founder, "We have a more unique flavor strategy with funky combinations that other brands don't have."
Funky Buddha 12 pack
Upon opening the cans, the first thing you're bound to notice is the aroma. the Mango Guava, for instance, has the distinct floral notes of ripe guava. Pop open a can of Grapefruit and it's almost as if you've dug your fingers into the peel of a juicy piece of fruit. The flavor, while subtle, is distinct and true to the fruit without the cloying tastes of corn syrup or artificial flavorings. And, having a brewery at their disposal makes it easy to test new flavors in small batches. A recent trip to the brewery yielded a taste of a test batch of an experimental mango-habanero seltzer that tasted like the fresh mango dusted in spices you find at street fairs and Mexican markets. That profile might never make it to mass production, but others like "Exotic Passionfruit Dragonfruit", Smoothe Puneapple Coconut", "Tangy Kiwi Tangerine", or "Bright Starfruit" might.
The key, says Sentz, is having fun with experimentation. "We've been working with seasonal flavors. Half the fun is being open to new things. We're lucky that we have the space to have fun." If you can't get over to the brewery in Oakland Park, just north of Fort Lauderdale, the hard seltzers are currently available in 12-can variety packs at grocery stores and liquor stores throughout Florida for about $19. The seltzers will be available in 10 states throughout the southeast region of the United States in the next few weeks.
Does Sentz want Funky Buddha's seltzer to overtake White Claw for seltzer dominance? Right now, it's a way to keep his employees working and get a piece of the lucrative $100 million dollars hard seltzer business. Says the brewery founder, "If you absolutely love the major brands out there, this could just be a different experience to try. There's something to supporting local, but only if the product is good." It seems as though the Funky Buddha hard seltzer is, indeed, good. The seltzer is not only gaining popularity but, according to Sentz, stands to outsell even the brewery's most popular beers in 2021. "The response from our seltzers has been incredible and by the end of this year, our premium has seltzer will be our number one selling brand."