Taking A New Approach at Side Project Invitational 2022
The Full Pint not only returned to the biannual Side Project Invitational this past weekend, but also returned to attending a beer event after a two-year hiatus. Looking back at February 2020, a week after attending the first Side Project Invitational, the entire world shut down. Craft beer culture, which for us included beer fests, beer tasting rooms, bottle shares, beer collabs, and beer events, all came to a screeching halt.
While going through all the emotions that came with the COVID-19 lockdown and quarantine, came a bit of reflection on the beer culture we love, but one that perhaps we were a little too deep into. Previously, looking at the tap lineup of the Side Project Invitational would be met with a flippant scoff that we were sure to try “all the beer” and a 12-hour day of tasting and drinking beers of all strengths was a given. Heck, we’re The Full Pint and it’s what we do. Given the two years off of approaching beer festivals and fun out-of-state events with that mindset, it gave us a chance to recalibrate and change how we enjoy beer events, beer festivals and the company of others in a setting of “all you can drink smorgasbord.” Instead of conceding I was sure to be toasty after hour one of four because I had to try as many beers on my wish list, I set out to enjoy my surroundings, observe the crowd, engage in better conversation, and try a few beers I really wanted, and to honestly dump beers that weren’t enjoyable after a first small sip. Nobody has ever forced me to finish a beer, but the old “finish your plate” mentality is deeply engrained in me.
I was ready for my first beer event after two years with a fresh approach of thoughtfulness and gratitude. I won’t be the typical beer fest zombie trying to tick everything all the way up until last call, I will enjoy being at my first festival in two years, and one hosted by one of the best breweries in the world.
Onto the fest!
The first few things that stood out is that Side Project dubbed the 2020 festival as “Festival of barrel-aged stouts and barleywines.” This year was dubbed “Festival of oak aged beers.” This allowed for brewers to bring their best wood-aged beer whether it be a sweet strong ale or a sour ale. Also of note, we learned from one of the attending brewers is that Cory King, co-founder/brewer of Side Project, only required attendees to bring one beer. This made for a focused tap list and, from an attendee’s perspective, made it easier to chart your course. With that said, many brewers brought their main, advertised offering and a few surprise goodies as well.
The festival was held at The Majorette like the last one, however the layout was slightly altered. The prior event had the main floor with a ring of brewers and then an upper level with more participating brewers. This year, half the participating brewers were in a pavilion in the back parking lot of the venue. That part still caused those to be cautious when drinking and climbing steps, but also helped mix things up from sampling inside and outside. The weather was perfect for drinking double-digit beer, not getting over 60F.
Side Project Brewing has a very loyal fanbase, one that is laser-focused on the special barrel aged strong stouts they make. You may have heard of beers such as Anabasis, Derivation, OWK, BBT and so on. These beers are worth more than any precious metal or currency you can think of. With the crazy lineup of brewers, Side Project still commanded the longest lines, which were both inside and outside the venue.
Perhaps other fest goers also had a moment of reflection from festivals in the past, as I wasn’t seeing people spent after the first hour or two. I’m not saying out of 300+ attendees that nobody overdid it, I’m saying I didn’t see the row of dudes sitting up against the wall with stout dribbling down their face.
One of the loose rules Side Project implements is that the attending breweries have a notable representative pouring for at least the first hour, so that attendees can make a meaningful connection with the brewery. Compared to the last festival, many of the brewers stayed at their table for the duration of the fest with only small breaks to sample and mingle. I thought that was a very nice touch.
Beer highlights of the day were Holy Mountain Hand of Glory, Private Press Electric Roads b2, Moksa Brewing Elijah’s Creed, Monkish TXXTH, Phase Three Blend 2022, Sante Adairius West Ashley Cuvée and Side Project Derivation 12.
Also, I must note that I am forever a kid at heart, and asked Christian from 3 Fonteinen to “blend” both Zenne Y Frontera beers for me, and it was magical.
The four hours flew by, hungry attendees were served by some good food trucks with little-to-no lines. Again, there wasn’t a row of slumped over attendees and barely any dropped glasses; it was as smooth as it could possibly be. There were some attending brewers that may not have gotten as much love as they deserved, I’m not sure how that can be addressed. All the brewers that were invited have a personal connection/relationship to Cory regardless of whether they are making the most buzzworthy beers at the moment. On that note, it was my pleasure to meet Alan Sprints, owner of legendary Hair of the Dog. Alan announced his retirement and subsequent closure of his iconic brewery a few months ago, and it was amazing to get to meet him in person knowing these opportunities will be rare.
For full disclosure, The Full Pint was invited as a media guest, something we are grateful and proud of. If all goes well, we’d love the chance to check this out again in 2024, as Side Project has informed us this is a biannual endeavor.
