Saint Brewis

A St. Louis Craft Beer Blog

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Side Project Brewing – Balaton

Brewery: Side Project Brewing
Location Maplewood, MO
Style American Wild Ale
 ABV 5.0%
 IBUs n/a

 

Best Quote During Tasting

He spends too much time playing with his wood.

Justin:

Aroma - Tart cherries and black cherries pop out.  It's very oaky and vinous with subtle funk from the brett yeast. The cherry and malts mix together for a nice "cherry pie" aroma.
Score: 11/12
Appearance - It's a gusher!!! Foam came pouring out the top when opened. Once the gushing was done, when poured, the beer is cloudy and the color is close to amber with a hint of purple.
Score: 2/3
Flavor - Tastes like a tart cherry pie. There isn't as much oak and vinous qualities in the flavor that were found in the aroma.  Dry finish with more tartness than brett from the mixture of bacteria and yeast.  Crazy refreshing and drinkable.
Score: 19/20
Mouthfeel - Even with the high carbonation, the medium body gives this one a velvety texture.
Score: 4/5
Overall Impression - The gush was misleading. The beer was phenomenal.  This is everything a sour should be.  Sour, tart, fruity, funky, you name it.  People loathe or love SP for the same reason: the hype.  This beer is one that will keep the hype going because it's crazy good.
Score: 10/10

 

Blake:

 

Aroma - Tart cherries and baking spices give this beer a deep and pleasant aroma. Add in the oak and vanilla from the barrel aging, and this is one fantastic smelling beer. 
Score: 12/12
Appearance - This one couldn't wait to get out of the bottle. It gushed up as soon as opened. It settled down fairly quickly. When poured it had a deep murky brown with a reddish tint, and a tan head.
Score: 2/3
Flavor - It's hard not to drink this beer and think of cherry pie. There is a lot of cherry up front with a nice tartness that doesn't overwhelm all the other flavors coming through. Some of us got some baking spices like nutmeg or cinnamon, which I'm not sure if is just an added flavor from the barrel or an adjunct added into the beer itself. 
Score: 19/20
Mouthfeel - Medium body with fine carbonation that gives the beer a velvety smooth finish.
Score: 4/5
Overall Impression - It's easy to see why Side Project continues to produce the lines they do at their releases. They make fantastic beer, and are highly regarded by beer enthusiasts all over the country. The lines might seem daunting, but usually they tend to be fun events where everyone shares bottles from their cellar before the release. It's well worth the time, to share great beer with great people.
Score: 10/10

 

Balaton Final Score
  • Aroma
  • Appearance
  • Flavor
  • Mouthfeel
  • Overall
4.65
User Rating: 0.0 (3 votes)
Sending
Justin Phelps

Justin Phelps

Co-Founder at Saint Brewis
Justin Phelps is a Certified Cicerone® who was born and raised in St. Louis. His passion for beer goes beyond just drinking it as he is also an award-winning home brewer. While he may be a marketing professional by day, he's a blogger, brewery hopper, and beer enthusiast by night.

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