Side Project Brewing M.J.K. (2024)

M.J.K. (2024)

 

Side Project Brewing in Maplewood, Missouri, United States 🇺🇸

  Barley Wine - Barley Special
Score
8.33
ABV: 20.0% IBU: - Ticks: 5
Double and triple barrel-aged barleywine finished for 31 to 32 months in Willett Family Estate Bourbon and Brazilian Amburana barrels.
 

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8.4
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 8.5 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9.5

Bottle pour at the brewery. Pours black, with some tan bubbles. The nose is coconut, creme de cocoa, cloves, butter toffee, and syrup. Sweet and sugary, and quite pleasantly boozy. Very heavy, slick, and sticky. Beautiful, aggressive, and brandy-esque.

Tried from Bottle at Side Project Brewing on 18 Apr 2025 at 17:27


9.8
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 10 | Flavor - 10 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 10

Bottle pour at Omnipollos Kyrka and at Side Project Cellar. Dark dark brown with no head. Loads of caramel and dried fruit, incredibly layered, touch of chocolate, hint of cinnamon, great bourbon, oily, hints of alcohol, warming.

Tried from Bottle at Omnipollos Kyrka on 10 Dec 2024 at 18:47


8.9
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9.5

Rated at The Side Project Cellar. Heavy, intense with barrel notes, sweetness, syrup, spicy woodiness, chocolate sauce and complex vinous notes, hints of spices, toffee and caramel. Heavy but tasty.

Tried on 12 Nov 2024 at 16:37


9.9
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 10 | Flavor - 10 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 9.5

Multiple bottle pours at SP Cellar during Stout Week 2024. Dark-amber with deep maroon and dark mahogany highlights. Clear. No head. Rich, rich amburana in the nose is just spectacular and unique. I was talking with someone while drinking this about the amburana and describing how, while it has the same spicy intensity of vanilla, it somehow seems more natural since it's more naturally infused in to the beer via the wood and isn't technically an adjunct. Spicy, floral but also earthy. Kind of like Matsutake, though without the sweaty gym sock portion of that. A bit less intense than the Derivation Grand Cru, I thought, with rich raisin, fig and toffee, followed by milk chocolate and spicy bourbon. In the mouth it's sweet, rich as possible, with toffee, spicy bourbon, cinnamon-and-earthy amburana and more elegant bourbon character on the finish. Definitely on the sweeter side at this point, but it was literally just released. Can forgive that, given that this beer is meant for some aging, so the extra malt intensity should help it go a bit longer and evolve better (not to mention help balance the high abv and rich barrel character). A touch of alcohol still, but not sharp/hot. It seems highly likely that this is going to evolve to be as good or, gasp, better than the 2021 version.

Tried from Bottle on 21 Feb 2024 at 15:35


9.6
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 10 | Flavor - 10 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 9.5

Bottle at SP Cellar. Pours a dark brown with no head. The aroma is intense cinnamon and amburana, dark fruit, toffee, oak. Slick body, cinnamon, fudge, toffee, raisin, fig, date, oak, alcohol present but so balanced, enjoyed this.

Tried from Bottle on 15 Feb 2024 at 04:00