A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of visiting the newly opened Side Project Cellar in Maplewood, MO. Since I’ve been dying to get my hands on some of Side Project’s beers, this was quite the exciting day for me. To make it even better, I brought my mom along to convince her just how great craft beer really is (I think it worked).
When we first walked in, we were amazed by all of the reclaimed wood decorating the walls of the bar. It was a Pinterest-lover’s dream. The next thing that caught my eye was the plentiful tap and bottle list, featuring beers from all over the world. The accompanying 24 taps left me with a smile I just couldn’t wipe off of my face. The service we received after we sat down at the bar was exactly the kind of service I expected from this kind of place – attentive and informative. We learned a lot about the operations of the cellar as well as the few SP beer available. You may be asking, why only a few? Since Side Project is so delicious, they have a hard time keeping their own beer in stock. The ladies behind the bar informed us that they usually try to keep 2 of their brews on tap and 2-4 bottles available for on-premise consumption at all times. So pretty much, if you’re looking to try out some Side Project, your best bet is to head right to the cellar.
To start off our tasty expedition, we ordered the two Side Project brews available on tap that day: Grisette and Saison du Ble. Strong notes of lemon and grapefruit drifted from the glass of Grisette and into my nose. My lips were greeted by a snappy flavor that engulfed my mouth soon after. To me, it started off a bit tart but then mellowed into a grapefruit dream. A++. The Saison du Ble was easily just as good. The head was a bigger than with the Grisette and the Saison smelled a lot funkier; like a farm that also grows apples. I noticed a slight bitterness with this brew and lots of apple-licious flavors hanging around as well but when it warmed in my glass, it developed into a sweeter drink with a bit of zip. At this point, I pretty much died of happiness.
For all of you living in or visiting the St. Louis/Maplewood area, I highly recommend taking a trip over to the Side Project Cellar. It is absolutely the place you want to be if you’re interested in drinking some of the best beers in the country. Cheers!
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