Side Project O.W.K. Coming 5/26

From Side Project:

I wanted to brew something for our son, something that was new and unique, but still grounded in Side Project and would warrant the sharing of his initials as its name. I wanted to brew a beer that I could one day share with him and explain what it is about this beer that really exemplifies why I love brewing and blending. We believe that the 2018 vintage of O.W.K. is ready and we are excited to share this beer with you beginning Saturday, May 26th. Bottles will be available for on-site enjoyment only (no bottles of O.W.K. available to take home).

From the label:

O.W.K. is the culmination of our stout production. We intertwined several of our favorite recipes into this massive stout and then aged it for 15 months in 15-year-old Willett Family Estate Bourbon barrels which were hand-selected by our friend Drew Kulsveen of Willett Distillery. Once mature, the 2018 O.W.K. was rested on Ugandan Vanilla Beans, adding layers of milk chocolate, decadent fudge and earthy vanilla to the rich, lucious body of this Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout.

We now have 8 different recipes in which our Derivations, B:B:T and Shared BA Vibes beers are blended from. For O.W.K., I wrote a new recipe that was destined for hand-selected Willett Family Estate barrels.

About 18 months ago, we brewed the new O.W.K. recipe and started aging it in these hand-selected barrels. Several of the barrels made their way into the 2017 vintage of Beer : Barrel : Time, and several of the remaining barrels are still aging for the 2018 vintage of Beer : Barrel : Time. However, just three of the barrels filled on that first brew day, three of the 15-year-old Willett Family Estate Bourbon to be exact, were chosen to represent this, the 2018 Vintage of O.W.K..

After resting for 15 months in the 15-year-old barrels, I decided I wanted an essence of Derivation Blend #2 to live on in the 2018 Vintage of O.W.K.. So, I decided to more than double the vanilla, lending to not only the luxurious vanilla presence, but also the ability of this beer to age for years to come.

As always, we used only the best ingredients we could find to address every aspect of brewing, fermenting and aging this Imperial Stout. In a time where adjuncts are often just flavorings and extracts from a bottle, we spent a large amount of time sourcing and processing natural Ugandan Vanilla Beans for this beer to rest on to add that last layer of authenticity.

Bottles will be available for on-site enjoyment only. There will be a limit of 1 bottle per person per day and bottles will be available at both the Brewery Tasting Room (7458 Manchester Road) and The Side Project Cellar (7373 Marietta Ave.) in Maplewood. This is obviously a special beer for us and we are so excited to be able to share it with you this weekend. Thank you!

Cheers,
Cory and Karen King