Side Project (2018)

I don’t know the process for how they were blended, but Cory confirmed they did use Pinot Noir wine.

 

This is pretty simple. In order to be considered beer, it must be 51% beer by measure of fermentables. This concept has been explored in the past when Black Project started making Mach Limit in 2015. The idea was that there was so much fruit (in that case, wine grapes) in the beer that it was at the legal limit of acceptability.

Cofermenting would be the barley and wheat starches fermenting along side the fructose in a single fermentation vessel with (most likely) a single strain of yeast.. or mixed fermentation if it's using yeast and bacteria.

If 51% of the fermentable sugars came from fruit, it wouldn't be legal to sell. It would no longer be a beer, and, containing grains or grain derivatives, would also not be a wine.

I have been looking at TTB requirements for labeling, and it says that adding non-beverage ingredients must be specified, but an actual beverage is not covered by the statutes that I was able to find.

 

Right, but unfortunately, what seems to me to be an intentionally misleading statement "the remaining 49% is Pinot Noir that was co-fermented with our Missouri Wild Ale" has people here and elsewhere seemingly falsely assuming that actual wine is added to the beer, as opposed to Pinot Noir grape juice being a part of the fermentation.

I'm not sure what Cory's aversion is to stating "juice," as opposed to Levi at FF being less coy about it. Although as @Luscious_Malfoy points out, the 2015 Punchdown description was more forthcoming, while being more concise.

Ultimately, taking the blog post as a whole attempts to illustrate his concept that the "wine" is coming from the fermentation process of adding the grape juice. His fermentation process is creating the "wine" within, but it's overall considered beer because the juice is not more than 50% of the fermentable sugar.

 

I kind of understand.

There are some "juice" products produced from wine grapes that are of very high quality. But it doesn't sound as good to say "Merlot Juice" or "Merlot Concentrate". But for brewing a beer, or mead, or whatever, these products offer the flavor, color, and most importantly, consistency that you are looking for. The process for making wine from grapes requires almost completely different equipment than making beer- and there are many steps along the way you can screw it up.

Again, grape juice products are NOT low quality and they are NOT cheap. But perhaps they are perceived that way. I paid $100 for 10 liters of Temperanillo juice. I've paid $35 for 48 oz of merlot concentrate.

You can make wine with any type of yeast. So it's not wrong to say that you're making wine alongside the beer. But it's more accurate to say your making a beer-wine hybrid.

If I were him, I would be careful about using the word wine too liberally, that could get him in legal trouble with the gov't. Beer and wine are taxed and regulated differently, and a license to make beer does not allow you to also make wine.

 

Yeah, I'm a bit confused. I reread the blog, and to me I don't think he bought "juice", I think he actually bought wine. But of course I'm probably wrong.

 

that’s what i’m getting from the blog post. wine, not juice. i just don’t know what “co-fermented” means. like 51% is his wild ale and the other 49% is a combo of his wild ale + wine...? instead of cuveeing the wild ale and wine at the end of the process..

 

Aside from being intentionally misleading by not specifically stating "juice" or "grapes" in that one single sentence quoted above, I don't see how the blog post is illustrating that external wine was actually used, or that he made wine in-house and blended it with the ale.

To be clear @Luscious_Malfoy & @gibgink , you both think Cory purchased Pinot Noir wine from S & L Vineyards of Lodi, California and blended it with fermenting beer? Again I'd think that's not only dangerous for the brewing process, but also illegal, and probably would taste like garbage, but if home brewers want to test this out, I'd be interested in the results!

I think this needs a few more steps taken by us if Cory isn't going to just come out and clear this up. I think he's already been asked specifically on social media, and not just regarding the ABV.

Looking further into the vineyard he sourced these grapes from, I don't believe they produce any wine whatsoever. It seems pretty likely he just sourced Pinot Noir grapes from them, as their mission seems to primarily supply wineries with grapes, or else the already pressed grape juice.

 

that all makes a lot more sense than actual wine (which i agree would taste like garbage.) however, the way he words it is very misleading and so is the term “beer/wine hybrid.”

 

And a lot of the companies that make grape juice have specialized equipment and processes that make it high quality. Pressing/crushing, Filtration, pasteurization, nitrogen or CO2 systems to keep oxygen out. Vacuum systems to evaporate water out. Grapes are covered in wild bacteria/yeast, so you may or may not want that getting into your brewing process. A lot (almost 100%) of wineries will "sanitize" the must before they ferment it.

 

A case PP

 

Have you tried it yet?

 

Drinking it right now. It’s solid but definitely on the lower end of fruited 375s from this year.

 

Is it a little lower on the tartness spectrum? I remember batch 1 as being good but not as mouth puckering as other 375s

 

East coaster here. Are there any Side Project trading pages - BA, Facebook or otherwise? Looked around a bit and BA looks like possibly the best way to go.

Just had my first SP (La Fosse) so naturally need to find more.

 

Breweries in MO are actually bonded as wineries. In fact (and this may no longer be accurate), once breweries produce a certain volume of beer, they’re legally required to produce cider or wine as well. Dump it, sell it, whatever; just has to be produced.
We have weird laws here, likely a result of ABI’s influence.

 

i only trade on BA so cant comment on the quality / reliability but St. Louis craft burrito i’m told is the FB trading page for St. Louis area beers. you can always try the trading forums here as well.

 

Definitely more tart than La Fosse & Fuzzy

 

Go to stlhops.com trading forum. There is always SP up for grabs.

 

Thanks for the info!

 

I don't think that is correct, have a source?
https://atc.dps.mo.gov/licensing/microbrewery.php