Side Project (2018)

So funny how SP can barrel about 50,000 bottles of sour stuff (which I don’t care for), but can only barrel enough stouts for on-site consumption / super secret society (which I’d love to have a to-go bottle of).

 

No kidding. I'd love to see more stouts coming out with the Side Project label.

I was giving this a bit of thought after reading your post and the reasons that immediately popped into my mind is:

A. They can't get the quality malts they use in higher quantities.

B. Their distaste for the secondary market makes them want to limit out-the-door stout production.

Or, and more likely the case based on a podcast I listened to with Corey King:

C. The process it takes to brew a stout is much too labor intensive for him to up the production.

In the same podcast, Corey said everything with the Side Project label is his own work. He also admitted that the well known stouts we know he created at his time at Perennial use very labor intensive, counter-intuitive brew methods, which could be why he doesn't want to or can't take the time to produce more heavy stouts under the Side Project name.

 

Or maybe the fact that it's a clean beer and they are almost entirely focused on sour beers otherwise...? Not sure how their set up is to separate the two, but can be a hell of a hassle and a constant risk when they're both brewed, stored, and/or bottled in the same area.

 

C was the item that I came up with after giving it some thought, even if my knee-jerk reaction is that this has the benefit of simultaneously creating additional hype, the same way selling out of everything instantly does.

I did not know about D. That's very interesting. Thanks for that note, Harrison.

I know that I have not been able to visit SP personally, as my traveling abilities have been very limited for some time, but that said...I do think that it would be nice if they made enough stouts that they always had, say, at least 1 case available say, at least 3 days a week. By my estimate of 3 cases a week at 26oz/bottle for 52 weeks, assuming that each barrel only makes 50gallons, not 53 gallons, that'd be approx 7 barrels a year. Obviously all these numbers are rounded in some way, but figured I'd err on the side of caution. This does seem doable.

That is to say, It'd be nice if no matter what week you visited you essentially always have the option of trying a stout if you can get there early. If there's something always available, I'm inclined to believe it wouldn't be a "I have to line up at least an hour in advance anytime I want to go" sort of thing. This seems like a good option if you don't want to ever put out bottles to go, which I'm fine with given the impending shit-show associated.

 

I think D is a bit of a more in-depth explanation as to why C carries so much weight. They all are total speculation on my point though. The reason could very well be that Cory wants to focus the brand on sours or clean drinking beers, which seem (to me) to be a better beer to sell to the general public. I vaguely recall Cory chatting about sours and his interest in them, but I can't recall any talking points. That podcast is linked below.

It would be nice if they always had a stout available. I feel no compelling reason to drive over and visit right now based on their current offerings. When they had CSV and a Dev variant, I was very tempted and should've taken the opportunity to visit. Of course, it isn't about always attracting others to the honey hive if you're already making enough to keep the lights on and fulfill the dream.

FYI, the podcast I reference is linked here. I'm not a big listener of podcasts, in fact, I rarely listen to them, but I found this one pretty interesting if only do to the fact it gave me a bit more insight into Side Project.

 

Much appreciated, my friend.

Yea, I definitely understand that they don't have a need to attract people (by always having stouts around), but it would be nice, and seems doable. Again, not some unlimited supply, but having some amount several days a week seems like it could be doable. It would just be nice to "Get the beer into as many hands as possible of people that will appreciate it." It seems like this would achieve the philosophy while continuing to reduce the 2nd market ridiculousness associated with an actual BA stout release.

 

during what most folks call "stout season" (colder months I guess? - idk because every day is open season for stouts for me) the chances of getting an on-site stout were very high. BBT & D8 at the same time starting late November. BBT lasted quite a bit longer. then BA CSV became available for on-site consumption and when that got low D8 popped back up for a weekend I think. not too mention that anniversary dates (Nov for the cellar and Dec for the tasting room) are always a golden opportunity for stouts (draft & on-site). plus the maple wood coffee crawl. there's quite a few chances when you think about it. furthermore both locations have almost always had either shared coffee shop vibes or coconut vibes on draft which while not BA'd are better than about 95% of stouts out there right now in either BA or nonBA category.

 

Everybody’s forgetting Apple Brandy Derivation was available for like 10 months.

 

For better or for worse - whether this helps or hurts my argument/preferences - this likely only lasted that long because it wasn't (per reviews) nearly as good as their other BA stouts. I'm not saying that we all shouldn't be lucky to drink a 4.3/4.4 (average) rated BA stout, but there's a mile of difference for me between a 4.3/4.4 (average) and a 4.7/4.8/4.9 (average).

You can find a good local or regional stout rated 4.3/4.4 in most places. It's nearly impossible to find a 4.7/4.8/4.9 one anywhere.

 

Would definitely agree.

I missed some opportunities during this fall/winter. All the above plus Apple Brandy Derivation, although not at one point. At one point I could've driven across the state and landed CSV and Dev 8 in a single visit could I have swallowed the travel costs and risk that they both tapped out and just driven and than drank.

That said, I don't see anything Side Project right now dark and heavy (Tilquin Rullquin Stout 2017 - 7% is the only thing on the 52F taps that sounds heavy and is alone on the heavy beers that I know on the tap list now). I consider stout "season" (worthy of quote marks and italics, i.e. it seems like a myth to me), and yet the cellar/brewery are serving up to match the general consumer season. General consumers pay the bills, but it still gives an air of truth to the Beer_Economicus argument (i.e. year round stout availability). Would love to see more Derivation, Anabasis, Shared's CSB, and whatever else dark and heavy Side Project and Shared have to offer throughout the year and not left solely to the cold, dreary months.

 

mostly because I didn't think it was very good as far as SP standards go

 

Found this in the SP brew house Saturday. Was told it’s Corey’s sons initials and was brewed the day he was born.

 

I’d say their clearly trying to up the amount of BA stout that’s being produced given the picture of the bourbon barrel warehouse that was posted the other day.

 

So to sum up this page so far, "rabble rabble rabble, more stouts! rabble rabble". For the record, Fuzzy was my favorite batch yet, Burk was great(and still available), and AdF was fire. I am hoping and praying that Pitter Patter makes it till Sunday.

For people who are FOMO about his stouts, you should plan ahead make trips out there. His Coffee Crawl stouts this year lasted through the next week. Don't like outrageous stout pricing? Wait for the next Coffee Shop Vibes release. $20 gets you the best coffee stout out there.

 

if coffee shop vibes is available to-go every 6 months or so then I'm happy and everything else they release is just a bonus.

 

I can only like your post once, sorry about that.

 

What are the limits on PP today. Lol

 

Still 2pp and they’re only letting you go through once.

 

2pp and only one time through on PP but we don't give a fuck attitude on fuzzy, BdF etc.? I really don't get it.

 

Sell out or still available?