Van Winkle BBT 2023
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Introducing Van Winkle BBT 2023
For a brewery who focuses exclusively on barrel aging, it is no secret that we place a very high level of importance on our Oak. Everything from the Missouri Oak Foedres we source from our friends at Foeder Crafters to our vast selection of whiskey and bourbon barrels from our favorite distilleries, Oak is the final touch to every Side Project beer.
Since we have made great relationships with our friends at distilleries and barrel brokers who help distilleries sell barrels, we have been afforded a lot of opportunities to procure barrels exactly how we like them – the exact barrels we want, and sometimes, barrels we didn’t even know we were looking for.
Most folks reading this are familiar with the famous bourbons of the Pappy Van Winkle family from Sazerac. Years before we even started Side Project, PVW barrel-aged beers were almost mythical. After having great outcomes with Weller barrels (same mash bill as PVW), I hoped to one day put one of our beers in these barrels.
In September 2020, a great barrel broker friend of ours offered us the chance to buy twenty 10-year-old Van Winkle barrels. Luckily, we had my favorite recipe already fermenting away, O.W.K. This batch hit all its numbers and was then racked to our first Van Winkle barrels – this beer represents a blend of the first BBT from single-source distillery barrels.
These barrels found their way into Beer : Barrel : Time 2022, OWK 2023 and 8 Candles. The heart of the blend was chosen last fall for this 10-year anniversary beer – Van Winkle BBT 2023.
We haven’t been able to source any more of these barrels since that day, so I cannot say if we will ever be able to produce this beer again. I can say that by aging this recipe in these single-source barrels, the beer produced its own personality, much like a Rye BBT and I wanted to showcase this special beer for our decade of existence.
This beer is more than worthy of the BBT nomenclature, and I am excited to not only share this beer with you, but also that it may be the first Van Winkle barrel-aged beer some of you have tried.
Van Winkle BBT 2023 will release in a public, online package on Wed, Feb. 15th, at 2pm CST.
This package will include:
- 375mL: Van Winkle BBT 2023
- 750mL: Saison du Fermier Blend #6
- 750mL: Saison du Blé Blend #13
- 750mL: Loam Vidal Blanc 2022 Harvest
Those first two beers need no introduction other than it has been too long since the last blend of SDF, and I am excited to have back our Barrel-Fermented Saison in new-to-us French Oak Chardonnay barrels. This rich, round Saison has that classic mouthfeel and added heft only found in SDF. It was bottled in early November and bottle-conditioned with our house Missouri Brettanomyces blend, and it is now ready to share with you. Saison du Fermier will also be available à la carte if you want a single bottle of this white label.
Saison du Blé returns and is as light, billowy and fluffy as ever. We have been playing with slight adjustments to the carbonation levels, our length of aging and our conditioning yeast blend to ensure this beer remains the favorite white label for many of you. The vibrant color and soft palate will be very welcoming as we move into the spring months.
Loam Vidal Blanc 2022 Harvest is another beer with the grapes from our friends at Noboleis Vineyards. Like Loam last year – I loved that beer! – we used a softer base beer to then referment with wine grapes to produce a delicate beer which can still allow the grapes to shine. Vidal Blanc, my favorite Missouri White Grape for funky beers – was picked and refermented with a blend of soft, Missouri Saisons for this first-time beer. It is lovely, delicate, bright, and very easy to drink. I am confident you will enjoy it as much as you did Loam from last year.
VWBBT2023 packages will go LIVE on our site Wed, Feb. 15th, at 2:00pm CST. Pick ups will begin Friday, Feb. 17th, in our Brewery Tasting Room Only. You or your proxy have three weeks from Friday, Feb. 17th, to pick up this order. All orders are fulfilled at the Brewery Tasting Room (7458 Manchester Ave.) during Open Hours: Friday – Sunday 1-8pm and Monday 3-8pm.
- You must be 21 years old to purchase this package.
- You are only allowed to purchase one package per person.
- Purchases are non-refundable and non-transferable.
I couldn’t be more excited for this new release! We will have the pickups at the Brewery happening during part of The SP Cellar Stout Week, so those of you who come to pick up can also visit The Cellar and enjoy some of our other massive representations of what Barrel-Aged Stout is to us.
Cheers!