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Top Winter Beers In South Florida

Winter is coming. Or so they keep telling us. Down here in South Florida, we may not go through the year's four seasons the way our friends up north do, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy some of the seasons most appetizing pleasures – winter beers. In honor of the season, we're rounding up some of our favorite seasonal beers as well as the breweries where you'll be able to find them.
bluemartini
(Source: Blue Martini)

Maple Bacon Coffee Porter

Funky Buddha Brewery
1201 NE 38th St.
Oakland Park, Florida 33334
(954) 440-0046
www.funkybuddhabrewery.com

No list of South Florida breweries is complete without Funky Buddha Brewery, the big dog of South Florida brewers. Over the last five years, the Oakland Park-based beer-maker has grown from a tiny shop in Boca to one of the hottest breweries in the country, constantly topping itself every season with inventive stuff that kicks your palette into a tailspin. Their flagship holiday brew is the award-winning Maple Bacon Coffee Porter, ranked the #3 Porter in the world by Beeradvocate. As you may have deciphered from its title, this winter favorite is a potent mix of maple syrup, coffee and bacon flavors. Described by the brewery as a complex beer with a multitude of flavors at play, the Maple Bacon Coffee Porter is creamy on feel, with layers of sweet malt, toffee and roast, giving way to waves of smoke, coffee and salted chocolate.

playwright
(Source: Playwright Irish Pub)

The Floridafest

Concrete Beach Brewery
325 NW 24th St.
Miami, Florida 33127
(305) 796-2727
www.concretebeachbrewery.com

Concrete Beach Brewery, located in the heart of the Wynwood Arts District and not too far from the lot popular Wynwood Brewing, describes itself as an artisanal craft beer brewery whose mission is to provide great tasting craft beer inspired by the culture and flavors of Miami. They do this all while supporting the arts and community organizations in the neighborhoods they serve. For their fall-winter beer of the season, the folks at Concrete Breach Brewery have concocted the FloridaFest, an Ocktoberfest-styled Märzen that can be summed up in one phrase: Munich meets Miami. An amber/copper hued brew, the FloridaFest adds a tropical Florida twist to the traditional Ocktoberfest by including coconut to the mix. The result is a light and sweetish malt with a caramel taste that's bookended by the gentle touch of coconut—to give it that final added kick.

bluemartini
(Source: Blue Martini)

Mack In Black

The Mack House
9118 State Rd 84
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33324
(954) 474-5040
www.themackhouse.com

Founded by Fort Lauderdale native Robert K. Gordash, Holy Mackerel Beers have been crafting big bold and flavorful beers since 2006. Although many of the local brewery's beers are now brewed in South Carolina, they are brewed to the specifications and supervision of the team here in Fort Lauderdale. The Mack House, which is the company's Winter Seasonal Brew, is a black-as-the-night colored malt beset with bold cocoa, coffee and fruity aromas—think pomegranate. The beer is a terrific companion for cheeses like brie or blue cheese, jams and even BBQ ribs.

Related: Top Fall Craft Beers In Florida 

(Source: www.miabrewing.com)

Miami Weiss

MIA Brewing
10400 NW 33rd St Suite 150
Doral, FL 33172
(786) 801-1721
www.miabrewing.com

Despite being dubbed by many competitors in South Florida as the New Kid in Town, MIA Brewery has quickly risen up the ranks and established itself as the brewery of choice for anyone living in West Miami-Dade County. The brewery's fancy new pad includes space for a tasting room, an outdoor beer garden and even an area for local live bands to strut their stuff. Since the joint is relatively new, the recommended winter brew is the company's flagship beer, The Miami Weiss (see what they did there?), which is a traditional Hefeweizen that's brewed with wheat, barley and sweet orange peel and produces hints of vanilla, banana and even bubblegum on contact with the palette.

vandyke
(Source: Van Dyke Cafe)

Last Snow Porter

Funky Buddha Brewery
1201 NE 38th St.
Oakland Park, Florida 33334
(954) 440-0046
www.funkybuddhabrewery.com

Two Funky Buddha Brewery beers on the list? This winter-themed winner is ranked as the #2 Porter in the world according to Ratebeer. Billed by the brewery as a special ode to that time in the year in Florida where the needle dips just south of 75 degrees, Last Snow is a rich and creamy beer that's layered with coconut, coffee and even a bit of caramel that makes you ache for the wintery wonderlands you grew up imagining in Bing Cosby songs and Dr. Seuss' specials. Sure it's on the sweeter side, but you can afford a little of that during the holiday season.

Related: Top Wineries In South Florida 

Born and raised in Abu Dhabi to parents of Goan origin, Reuben is a blogger and film critic who found his calling as a cinema aficionado sometime in 1998 after catching Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan." An active voting member of the Florida Film Critics Circle since 2011, Reuben enjoys his free time devouring pop culture and world cuisine, being a soccer nut, a wine-drinking, Mad Men maniac and working as a Senior Advertising Account Executive at an advertising agency in Miami. He holds a bachelor's degree in Advertising and Journalism as well as a certification in Film Studies from Florida International University. He started his website TheFilmFrontier.com in 2012, and his work has also been published in the Miami Herald and Examiner.com among others.

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