Side Project Brewing Blanc de Blancs
What the brewers say
“This beer started as a Biere de Champagne malt bill that was fermented in Chardonnay barrels with Missouri-grown Chardonnel grapes. The native microflora on the grapes provide the sour depth and funky complexity.”
What our panel thought
Aroma: “Moderate tartness with grape notes, lemon, and a nice lactic tartness on the nose. Brett aroma of goat and horse blanket.”
Flavor: “Sweet, tart, lactic, and bold. This beer has a strong mouth-puckering lemon tartness that hits in the front and some Brett flavor with slight malt undertones—could be vanilla or oak barrel. The grape notes follow through and sit behind the tartness in this beer. High carbonation adds to the alcohol warmth in the finish.”
Overall: “This is a very complex sour that is different every time I take a sip—sometimes grape, sometimes oak, sometimes high tartness— with a moderate lactic sour note throughout. All the flavors with the grapes, sweetness, and tartness make this beer bold and tasty. It’s exquisite.”
