Belt’s Beer Garden: New Beers Resolutions

Funky Buddha began in Boca Raton, Florida back in 2007 as Funky Buddha Lounge but it wasn’t until 2010 that they began brewing their own beer. In 2011 their Maple Bacon Coffee Porter was born and propelled them into the spotlight. A few years later, after their new found success, they moved to a bigger location in Oakland Park, Florida (about 16 miles south of Boca) where they still operate from today.

My friend gifted me a few cans of their Chant IPA, which is a low-calorie beer that still is big in flavor. Chant is made with Mosaic hops and has just 100 calories and 4.6 grams of carbs per can. The beer can be found year-round, with a six pack of 12-ounce cans costing just $10.

This low-cal, “repeatable IPA” that clocks in at 4.2% ABV, poured a translucent, pale golden straw color. About a finger and a half of bright white head topped the beer and quickly fizzled away, leaving just a thin ring around the edge of the glass before long.

Chant’s aroma is light, inviting, and packed with citrus fruits. Peach, mango, grapefruit and zesty lemon filled the room. I could legitimately smell this beer’s amazing crisp and juicy scent from across my kitchen, it was that powerful! I couldn’t wait to dive in.

There was a little fizzle of carbonation that ran across my tongue first before the beer’s flavors began to appear.

And, while it featured a plethora of citrus, the taste was much more light and subtle than the smell. Which I guess I should’ve expected from an IPA that only contains 100 calories.

It was super crisp and chock full of peach, mango, and lemon notes. The citrus powers through the whole way, with very little interrupting the flow of tropical flavors.

Midway through there was a slight sticky grapefruit rind characteristic and a touch of hoppy bitterness that reminded you this beer was, indeed, an IPA. That grapefruit peel stickiness lingered on for the remainder of the sip and then for an additional few moments after everything else had dissipated.

Outside of that, Chant finished insanely clean and that allowed me to take sip after sip of this lighter IPA.

Overall, this beer was super crushable and probably the lightest IPAs I’ve ever had…all while still remaining flavorful.

It’s the definition of an all day sipper. Chant has a decent alcohol content (similar to a Bud Light), while still having a ton of flavor and remaining light and crisp! This might be my new go-to beer when I want to day drink. It’s truly that good.