Funky Buddha Wide Awake It's Morning

The Stats
Style: American Porter
ABV: 9.5%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.53/5 (Top 250: #108)
- RateBeer: 4.19/5 (Top 50: #38)

"Rise and shine, buttercup - it's time for breakfast. This imperial version of our infamous Maple Bacon Coffee Porter adds some girthy gravity to the the smokey, salty, rich combo of maple syrup, fresh roasted coffee, and bacon."

Pours nearly pitch black with just shades of ruby red and dark brown on the edges. An aggressive pour still only produced (maybe) half a finger of brown head.

Oh, man. That maple syrup is so sweet and in your face, but is also assisted with fresh coffee (iced coffee) and noticeable saltiness. Oddly enough, I'm also getting a freshly-made chocolate doughnut aroma to this too. Pretty much everything screams breakfast.

I must say that out of everything I experienced on the aroma, the salt appears to be the flavor that sticks out the most on the taste. I acquired two bottles of this in a trade and I had the same experience with my first bottle. I thought what I tasted was influenced by what I had eaten right before, but sitting down a second time after a completely different meal, the results are the same and I can safely that this is how the beer is meant to taste. I don't mean that in a bad way whatsoever, so hear me out.

I wouldn't compare the salt in this to the saltiness of a Gose, but instead it is similar to bacon (which is what they were going for) or even the smoked malts of a good Rauchbier. Like the aroma, the syrup is big and sweet. Would I say it is like fresh, Vermont maple syrup? Not exactly. Think more supermarket maple syrup, but not as artificial. The coffee was more like a creamy iced coffee on the aroma, but now has flipped to dark coffee grounds on the taste, which is more similar to a classic porter. Near the finish are more dark roasted malts, black coffee, and dark chocolate bitterness.

Mouthfeel is nice and thick with lingering salt and coffee grounds. At 9.5%, there is no alcohol feeling at all and I am actually moving through my 22oz bomber at a good pace. Drinkability is surprisingly high for such a big beer thanks to the sugary, dessert-like flavors. There's a lot of stickiness thanks to the maple which will leave you smacking your lips after each sip.

Calling itself an imperial version of their Maple Bacon Coffee Porter, this variation from Funky Buddha has tons of flavor that will seem like a big ole glass of breakfast. That being said, since I have had the pleasure of having the standard Maple Bacon Coffee Porter (including the 2016 version I got in a trade along with this beer), I will say that I don't think Wide Awake It's Morning is much of an improvement over the base MBCP. Again, I had the 2016 MBCP within a small time frame of drinking this and I think the standard beer packs just as much flavor into a smaller form. Basically, they smell, taste,and feel the same, so you can't go wrong with either. Whichever one is easier to get is the one you should trade for and I don't think there's a need to dish out big time for this beer if you can get regular MBCP at a cheaper price.

Rating
8.7/10

Funky Buddha Morning Wood

The Stats
Style: American Porter
ABV: 12.00%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.6/5 (Top 250 - #113)
- RateBeer: 4.47/5 (mean)

Way back in January I reviewed Funky Buddha's Maple Bacon Coffee Porter which was a sweet and delicious porter. So, naturally when I heard about an imperial version aged in bourbon barrels, I had to get my hands on it. The standard MBCP came in at 6.40% and this beast is nearly double the abv plus the addition of several months of aging.

Pours pitch black, but you can barely get dark brown on the edges if you tilt it and hold it up to the light. Got less than a finger of light brown head.

The aroma is bursting with maple syrup and coffee. This is truly MBCP cranked up as it is so much more pungent on just the initial whiff.  After that there are subtle vanilla and oak from the barrel, but no real bourbon component.

Bourbon finally shows up on the taste. It's quite sticky, but also sweet and smooth. It's not just the bourbon that sticks either as that maple syrup is so bold just like the standard MBCP. There's a small alcohol taste to this, but a lot of the sweetness helps cut into it. In relation to MBCP, I recall that one having a stronger, salt and smoke character, but I don't get that here as I think the bourbon barrel has neutralized those flavors. I don't necessarily miss them since the abundance of maple syrup makes up for it, but I would have liked that piece if the puzzle too. I'm surprised at the amount of bourbon on the taste considering I got NONE of it on the aroma. It sticks around like crazy and lingers on the finish.

I mean you can call this an Imperial Porter or an Imperial Stout, but it's apples to oranges with this beer. It's thick, viscous, and coats your mouth. I don't care what its classification is, but it feels perfect, especially at 12.00%. It's also very soft and smooth on the tongue. There was the aforementioned alcohol taste, but it's minor and won't at all prevent you from enjoying this.

Morning Wood is nearly twice the abv of Maple Bacon Coffee Porter and it tastes and feels as such. Now, here's my criticism of this beer (Stop booing me!). While I love, LOVE the maple syrup, coffee, and bourbon, I don't think they are working off one another as perfectly as they should. As I drink this, I am saying to myself: "Oh, there's maple.Oh, there's coffee. Oh, there's bourbon". As a total package (not Lex Luger), it falls JUST short of blending everything together in the same way that other world-class barrel-aged beers do. All of that being said, all the flavors present are superb and as basically a Double MPCB with bourbon, this is fantastic.

Rating
9.2/10

Funky Buddha Last Snow

The Stats
Style: American Porter
ABV: 6.40%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.47/5
- RateBeer: 4.04/5

Hey, in Florida, even the Summer months feel like the Winter. Porters may be a cold-weather brew, but Florida doesn't have the luxury of watching the mercury drop to single digits, so you gotta make the most of the situation. Last Snow is Funky Buddha's homage to the fleeting winter temperatures and it has all the makings of a delectable dessert beer as it is made with coconut and coffee.

Pours pitch black for the most part. I had to hold it up to the light just right to get shades of ruby red and dark brown. I got two fingers of a beige/light brown head.

As soon as I popped the cap I got wave after wave of roasted coffee. When I stuck my nose in, I was floored by massive amounts of coconut and plenty of chocolate. It's basically a Mounds bar.

With all of that coconut and chocolate on the aroma, I have to say that the robust, base porter is what sticks out for me. Intensely rich, dark coffee and roasted malts come to me first. Only after that does the toasted coconut make itself known. Again comparing this to a Mounds or Almond Joy, the coconut has a sugary tinge to it like candy. While there was some delicious dark coffee up front, the finish is more comparable to bitter coffee grounds which linger on the back of my tongue.

Mouthfeel is dead-on for the style and abv. It's not thick enough to be a stout, and it's not thinning or watery. No alcohol detected and it is quite robust and full for a standard porter.

Last Snow was an intense combination of in-your-face coconut and coffee. The flavors popped more on the aroma than on the taste, but this was still a delicious flavored porter reminiscent of a Mounds or Almond Joy. It is very similar to the Wormtown Norm in that regard, but either beer will give you the same result.

Rating
9.3/10

Funky Buddha Blueberry Cobbler

The Stats
Style: Fruit/Vegetable Beer
ABV: 5.40%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 3.76/5
- RateBeer: 3.47/5

Funky Buddha is no stranger to testing the waters with their uniquely flavored beers, so why not make a blueberry cobbler ale? The "fruit/vegetable" ales aren't really my thing, but I think Funky Buddha can make one that will satisfy me. I got this an an extra in a trade, so big thanks to Sean for the bottle.

Pours a deep, dark orange with noticeable carbonation. Almost no head to speak of, but what was there was off-white.

Wow, that's a lot more cinnamon than I had anticipated on the aroma. It most certainly smells like sugary crust with vanilla and subdued blueberries. It smells like dessert and I like it.

The blueberries have a bigger presence on the taste. As opposed to the aroma where they were subdued and in the back, they are now at the forefront and are very juicy. On each sip I am getting this buttery, bready, graham cracker crust and on the transition and finish it is all cinnamon all the time. Not getting any vanilla, but I am surprised at how big the blueberries are on the taste when they were so subtle on the aroma.

Mouthfeel is light, but never what I would call watery or thin. While light at just 5.40%, this really isn't classified as "sessionable", but the amount of flavors and sweetness make it taste bigger than it is.

Blueberry Cobbler comes pretty much exactly as advertised, but it executes so well. If you want a nice change of pace for an after dinner beer instead of a stout with vanilla or chocolate, then this will substitute nicely.

Rating
8.1/10

Funky Buddha Maple Bacon Coffee Porter

The Stats
Style: American Porter
ABV: 6.40%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.5/5 (#91 on the Top 250)
- RateBeer: 4.07/5

Once a year Funky Buddha Brewery (another on my hit list) has a special release for one of their most highly acclaimed beers. This past month they had the MBCP Fest which was an all day event featuring music, food, and close to 50 different beers on draught. Those lucky enough to be there got their share of MBCP. I wasn't there, but I was able to work out some trades using my persistence, charm, and rugged good looks.

Pours pitch black with a miniscule amount of ruby red on the edges if I hold it up to the light. Got a finger of a tan head that disappeared quickly.

The first sniff is all coffee. Rich, roasted coffee. When I inhale deep, it's a blast of sugary maple syrup. I wouldn't call the malts roasted, but it has a smokey smell which is even a little bit salty.

There's a nice chocolatey taste initially, but it comes with the aforementioned salt. Behind that is even a hint of toffee. There's not a whole lot in terms of actual bacon, but the "B" in MBCP is represented by smokiness and salt. The coffee is pretty subdued on the taste, but the maple syrup is here all throughout from start to finish, especially the finish, where it lingers for a few joyous seconds. At first the salt was a bit overpowering, but as the beer warmed up, maple syrup became more prominent and helped take away some of the saltiness.

There's no carbonation to speak of which makes it feel like flat Pepsi. While not as heavy as expected, it does spread flavor all over the tongue and feels just like a 6.40% porter should. Maple lingers in a pleasant way and after each sip, this finishes sticky and sweet much like fresh maple syrup.

Maple Bacon Coffee Porter was almost held back by some overpowering saltiness, but luckily maple syrup and some chocolate swooped in to balance that out. The coffee was stronger on the aroma than on the taste, but most of us will come into MBCP wanting maple syrup. If that's your thing, then this delivers big. This beer is salty, sweet, sticky (I know what you're thinking) and is reminiscent of a morning breakfast. A great dessert beer, and if socially acceptable, a great breakfast beer.

Rating
9.1/10