ST. LOUIS — Here’s something to cheers to in 2020!
Side Project Brewing, Perennial Artisan Ales and Urban Chestnut Brewing Company were recently honored for their creations by national reviewer Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine.
Side Project Brewing, which is based in Maplewood, brought home one of the biggest honors.
The beer magazine included Side Project’s 2019 version of Beer : Barrel : Time as one of the “Best 20 beers in 2020”.
The beer reviewers said despite the challenges facing the beer and hospitality industry, they were able to receive and taste thousands of beers over the last year. Side Project’s beer was one of “the very best of this unique (and unrepeatable) year,” the magazine wrote.
There’s no way we can top how the folks at Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine described Side Project’s top-ranked beer, so we’ll let them do the talking:
“Like a Frank Gehry building, Side Project’s Beer : Barrel : Time is a definitive statement, bombastic in scale yet unapologetic in its creative vision. The late 2019 vintage follows in the big footprints of the previous two releases, with broad volumes of finely sculpted dark chocolate and espresso, tighter flowing forms of creamy caramel, Nutella, and roasted peanut, and a subtle marshmallow sheen reflecting off the facade. Big barrel notes of vanilla and oak come on strong but gently, with curving edges and a cohesive sureness. Imposing forms juxtapose in ways that would be jarring under a hand less deft.
“The engineering necessary to construct such a year-in, year-out marvel is impressive—a product of blending, it’s built from components of varying recipes and time, barreled and aged for an average of 22 months with a belief in possibility more than express purpose.”
The reviewers also said the St. Louis County brewery has mastered the art of developing spirits-barrel-aged beer and deserves to be mentioned among the best in the world.
“Beer : Barrel : Time not only showcases their own prowess, it deserves a place at the table with the finest artisanal beverages produced anywhere in the world,” the review states.
The full list of 20 best beers is available on Craft Beer & Brewing’s website.
This wasn’t the only honor for Side Projecting Brewing – and they weren’t the only local brewery to be recognized by Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine in 2020.
Side Project, Perennial and Urban Chestnut all landed on the “Best in Beer 2020 Readers’ Choice” lists. The magazine’s readers were asked to submit their favorite breweries when it comes to eight different styles of beer, like saisons, stouts and IPAs.
Here’s where the local breweries landed on the lists:
Favorite stout or porter brewer
8. Side Project Brewing
19. Perennial Artisan Ales
Favorite saison brewer
9. Side Project Brewing
Favorite sour or wild ale brewer
17. Side Project Brewing
Favorite lager brewer
20. Urban Chestnut Brewing Company
These are some of the latest accolades for the three St. Louis area breweries.
All three made it on the list of 50 Best American Breweries of the 2010s, which was created by pop culture digital publication Paste Magazine.
In 2019, Side Project Brewing was named the No. 2 best brewery in the world by RateBeer.com.
