Side Project Single Double Triple Barrel-Aged Barleywine | Missouri

Technical Details

Tasting Profile

Side Project Brewing’s Single Double Triple is a monument to patience and barrel mastery from the cult Maplewood, Missouri producer. In the glass, it pours an opaque mahogany-black with burgundy-tinged edges and a thin, persistent tan head that leaves delicate legs along the sides of the snifter. The nose is immediately commanding: waves of caramel, dark molasses, ripe raisins, warming bourbon oak, and a whisper of dried fig build with every passing minute. A subtle Amburana spice lifts the bouquet with a distinctive cinnamon-cedar note unique to Brazilian wood finishing.

On the palate, the mouthfeel is full and luxuriously viscous, coating every surface with a sweetness that never tips into cloying territory. Layers of toffee, bittersweet chocolate, dark stone fruit, and vanilla emerge in sequence, underpinned by the slow burn of deep spirit-barrel integration. The finish is extraordinarily long, warming, and complex — a testament to the multi-year, multi-barrel approach that defines Side Project’s most ambitious releases. Cellaring for three to five years will reward collectors with even greater integration and tertiary depth.

Food Pairing

The Side Project single double triple barrel-aged barleywine pairs beautifully with an aged Comté or Gruyère, whose nutty crystalline character mirrors the beer’s caramel and bourbon depth. Equally compelling alongside a slow-braised short rib glazed with dark cherry reduction, where the beer’s molasses backbone and warming oak complement the richness of the meat with remarkable precision.

Side Project Single Barrel, Double Barrel, Triple Barrel-Aged M.J.K. Barleywine