Side Project (2018)

Turns out that is from their Instagram www.instagram.com/sideprojectbrew/

 

Interesting, the others were $50.

 

Dang, I just missed it.

 

Might have to due with the extra barrel and extra time aged? Or simply because they know they can get it. People are solo doming bottles of this and not thinking twice about the price

 

No clue on reasons on the price, but right now (and I don't see this changing anytime soon), people will pay.

When I was out there last year, I had no problem dropping $50 for D1 and if I didn't luck out with a nice stranger offering to share D2, I would have paid another $50 for D2. Had I scheduled my trip to St Louis one week later, I would have been there yesterday and had no problem dropping $60 for DBD.

Though, maybe it is different for us out of town folks. The Derivation series is something that I will never try for the simple fact I will not give up what is being asked for it. So buying a bottle for on-site consumption is the only way I would get to try these beers. Being a local, it may be a little tougher to stomach the price.

 

Are they all out already?

 

Double Barrel Derivation will be on site until it sells out. Could be weeks or it could be gone by the weekend. Oh and it's amazing. I would call it the barleywine of Derivations (If that makes sense). Chocolate covered charred raisins with the blackest grapes you ever seen.

 

People are solo doming bottles? Hmm. Not while I was there. I saw people splitting the bottles. 3 and 4 ways in some cases. I find it interesting that people who were not there are making this observation.

C

 

I totally agree. It gives more people a chance to try the beer rather than them selling it to go and people bringing mules on mules. I wish more breweries treated some of their limited stuff this way.

I was planning on going down for the release on Friday and then found out about this. Now I am going down a little earlier. Going to drop way more cash at the cellar which I have no problem doing so. This type of thing brings in people and they spend more which allows the brewery to do more great things. There is no way I'd ever get a chance to try this if it wasn't on site consumption only. Pretty excited to finally try a derivation!

 

Oh okay I only ask as I responded to a guys quote saying "Dang I just missed it" was assuming maybe he went there today or something was all.

 

One group was 'bragging' that they had 7 bottles at their table of 8. My bad. .875 doming bottles. Other people were talking about having a bottle to themselves then splitting another when their friend dropped by.

Unless people are just trying to be internet kings, yes people are drinking entire bottles of this themselves and it doesn't take someone not being there to find out.

 

No, I was recently in St. Louis and stopped at Side Project Cellar, but I was a little too early.

 

I guess the internet doesn't lie. Just the people who post on it

 

Most people in the beer world are going to take as much as they can, so it's up to Side Project to decide how they distribute their bottles, in house or to go. I do agree that a table of 8 with 7 Derivations on the table is stupid as hell. However, Side Project must not think so. If they did, they'd allow a 15% bottle to be consumed with a group of people, not just one. Again, that's up to the business owner. Seems a little crazy that they'd allow that though. I don't know how much beer you guys drink, but I'd be pretty drunk after doming a bottle like that. I wonder how many people are driving home after that.

 

Hopefully not many but there are many options available for people to avoid driving drunk. Taxi, Uber, DD, Metrolink, Bus, and walking all come immediately to mind.

 

Oh yeah, I know there are options. I just hope people are using them! After all...they are driving there...

 

The cool thing about the side project cellar these days is they always have sick bottles on their on-site cellar list...love that about them

 

No kidding. Merci, fuzzy, balaton all on right now! I can't wait to try them. Plus their tap list is killin' it right now.

 

The amount of crying I'm seeing about the release format of this beer is ridiculous. Not here specifically but all over the interwebz

 

are people really that greedy? this allows so many more people to try the beer. even if I wasn't coming down, I would still think this is a great idea. STL traders need their wale bait

 

Woah now, I've given more SP beers away as extras than I've ever traded. Though unfortunately there are some shitty people here who resell their beer or try to trade rape for it. A lot of the complaining seems to be from out of towners who won't have the opportunity to trade for it, but I suspect its more about not being able to have their local hired mules get it for them.

I live about 1 mile from the Side Project Cellar and the only day I can ever go is Saturday (rarely on Fridays) but I never whine about weeknight releases.

 

Haha just messin. Hopefully I can share some brews with you at the release!

 

ISO: Side Project extras

 

I knew you were kidding!

 

Having visited SP Cellar and many other taprooms across the country of similar caliber, I don't understand bottling that beer in 750 mL format to serve on-site unless you require a group to serve the bottle. Hill Farmstead requires you to split bottles that size that are 1/3 the ABV. When you know you'll have the crowds for it, why not charge per pour instead of selling the bottles? You could charge $12 for 5 oz pours and get the same amount of profit. There very well could be some liability in knowingly serving a patron the equivalent of 6 drinks at a time. Even if there isn't a potential legal ramification, why do it anyway? If you want to sell full bottles for on-site, why not just make 12 oz bottles or 375 mL bottles? There's a lot I don't understand about the Derivation phenomenon on both sides of the bar.

 

HF has that rule because they are in the middle of nowhere with basically no options besides driving yourself for transport. SP is within walking distance of the train and there are plenty of places around to help out. I think that DB derivation might eventually become off-site, but I feel like maybe C had a change of heart and wanted to serve it on-site. If I had to guess, I would say maybe he heard pre-raffles or pre-sales and wanted to put a stopper on that. He is also releasing it around a major release where a lot of people who would come down and support him anyway (because we had a week notice) will be there for Oude Du Ble. I see a lot of smart moves on his part here because a) people who come down get to try it b) locals had two days before the big release to try it as well. It seems like everyone is happy besides the people who trade for it who, as it so happens, don't regularly support his business.

My thoughts!

Z

 

Oh i would pay it with no second thoughts. Just pointing out something I noticed.

 

Hill Farm is in the middle of freaking no where with no ride options except to drive. There are an abundance of options to avoid driving in STL.

 

The amount of hand-holding some people need to get through life is truly baffling to me. Bring a friend or 2 to share a bottle. Make a friend at the tasting room to share a bottle with. Drink one yourself and find your way home or to a hotel responsibly. Don't go. A myriad of options exist.

 

Order a bottle, drink 12 oz (enough to get a buzz and drive home safely), then go into the bathroom and fill 3 container with 4oz each and ship them to 3 buddies and charge them $20 + actual shipping. You get free beer and 3 of your friends get to try DBD for only $20.

If you're doing the math, you'll notice 1oz is unaccounted for, that's for spillage/liquid you can't get out of the bottle.

 

If you drink enough to have a buzz, you definitely should not be driving.

 

All the whiners over the format must get upset at restaurant wine lists. By the bottle?! How dare you!

 

Enough to get a buzz AND drive home safely. If you think you can't drive home safely then you shouldn't.

 

Thank you Cory for offering on-site consumption of Derivation! Don't really care what others think.

 

My original statement stands. If you have enough alcohol in your system to have a buzz, you have enough alcohol in your system to make it unsafe to drive. Also, often times if you think you are safe to drive, you aren't.

 

I would love to put the Derivation blends in 375mL bottles, but my "clean" (sees absolutely no funky/sour/brett beers) bottler only does 750s. No way I am taking the risk of infecting a batch of Derivation just for the smaller bottles, could only imagine the amount of online backlash that would cause. Ha! Not quite in the financial position to be buying another bottling line right now...

Also, the infamous picture of the 7 bottles on the table at The Cellar, did anyone think that maybe multiple tables of a lot more than 8 people put their bottles together to take that pic? Because they did, I was there .

Really glad that everyone is enjoying DBD, it was a huge undertaking and challenge for me and couldn't be happier with it. 2 yrs and 11 months from brewday to release is a long time!

As always, wish that there was more beer, so more people could try it and that it lasted longer, but if you would have told me 3 yrs ago what the Derivation blends would have become, I still wasn't in the position to brew more. Hope some more of you get a chance to get by The Cellar, meet a stranger or bring a friend to share, and if you drink a touch to much, walk, ride the train, take a cab or grab an Uber for a ride home like the responsible, beer-drinking adult that you are .

Cheers,
Cory King
Side Project Brewing

 

Preach brother, preach!