Side Project — Grand Cru Vanilla (2025)

Technical Details

Tasting Profile

Grand Cru Vanilla 2025 represents the pinnacle of Side Project’s blending artistry, pouring midnight black with a velvety mocha crown. The nose erupts with lavish vanilla bean, rich chocolate, and warming bourbon, layered over toasted oak and barrel spice. The palate is decadent and resolute: dark fruit and roasted malt give way to swirls of maple, coconut shavings, and cinnamon, while cured vanilla orchid sweetens every corner. Extended barrel aging lends a silky, almost liqueur-like body, with bourbon heat and oak tannin providing structure. The finish lingers on cocoa, charred oak, and lingering vanilla cream.

Food Pairing

Pair with a warm flourless chocolate torte topped with vanilla bean crème anglaise to mirror the beer’s decadent sweetness and barrel char. Alternatively, serve alongside an aged bourbon-washed blue cheese with candied pecans and dark honey, where the salty funk and nutty richness counterbalance the stout’s vanilla, oak, and roasted depth.

About Side Project Brewing

Side Project Brewing was founded in 2013 in Maplewood, Missouri, as an ambitious extension of Perennial Artisan Ales. Created by brewmaster Cory King, the brewery was conceived as a no-compromise venture dedicated to producing extremely limited quantities of experimental and barrel-aged beers. Side Project operates with a singular philosophy: to push the boundaries of brewing without regard to commercial constraints or production schedules, releasing beers only when they reach optimal maturity and quality.

The brewery has earned international recognition for its exceptional barrel-aged stouts, wild ales, and fruited sour beers, with many releases becoming highly sought after by collectors worldwide. Side Project’s meticulous approach involves extensive barrel aging programs, often utilizing premium wine and spirit barrels, and incorporating unique ingredients to create complex, nuanced flavor profiles. Their small-batch production model and unwavering commitment to quality over quantity have established them as one of the most respected names in American craft brewing. The brewery’s reputation is built on consistently delivering beers of extraordinary depth and character, making their limited releases among the most anticipated in the global beer community.