What Side Project Brewing does

Side Project Brewing is a craft brewery founded in 2013 by Cory King, headquartered in Maplewood, Missouri (St. Louis metropolitan area). The company specializes in artisanal barrel-aged beers, wild ales fermented with native Missouri microflora (wild Brettanomyces and Lactobacillus strains sourced from the founder's family farm), farmhouse saisons, and bourbon barrel-aged imperial stouts. Its production architecture relies on 70hL French Oak Foedres for fermentation and aging, mixed culture fermentation combining wild yeasts with traditional Saison strains, and a systematic barrel-aging program across Bourbon, Port, Wine, and Rye barrels, including numbered blend series such as Derivation (imperial stouts), Coeur de Cuvée (wine barrel-fermented saisons), and Pulling Nails (sour/wild ales).

The company operates three distinct venues in Maplewood, all under one square-mile radius: The Side Project Cellar (a Belgian-inspired beer bar opened in 2014), The Brewery Tasting Room (production facility and tasting room opened in 2016), and Side Project Pizza (a four-seasons patio with food, beer, and drive-thru service opened in 2025). Its go-to-market is exclusively direct-to-consumer — beer is not shipped and must be picked up at the brewery — supported by a Shopify e-commerce storefront and allotment-based scarcity releases. Merchandise (apparel, drinkware, accessories) does ship to the Continental US, Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico.

The revenue model combines one-time beer sales (priced $14–$100 per unit), merchandise sales, on-site food and beverage service across the three venues, and digital gift cards sold in $10–$100 denominations. The company runs La Coterie, a membership program with a waitlist, and hosts recurring events such as Zwanze Day (in partnership with Brasserie Cantillon) and For Friends Launch Party. Customer segments are craft beer enthusiasts and social/experience-oriented consumers seeking limited-release, allocation-driven barrel-aged and wild ales. Headcount is reported at 11–50 employees, and the company is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors or funding rounds.

Name

Side Project Brewing

Legal name

Side Project Brewing

Website

https://sideprojectbrewing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Side Project Brewing is a privately-held craft brewery in Maplewood, Missouri, founded in 2013, specializing in barrel-aged beers, wild ales, and farmhouse saisons using native Missouri microflora, selling exclusively direct-to-consumer through three on-site venues and a Shopify store.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Beer Sales: Direct-to-consumer beer sales through three physical locations and online ordering system. Beer is not shipped; customers must pick up orders at the brewery. Allotments are set by the brewery for limited releases.
2. Merchandise Sales: Apparel, drinkware, accessories, and other branded merchandise sold online with shipping to Continental US, Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico.
3. Food and Beverage Service: On-site food and beverage service at The Brewery Tasting Room, The Side Project Cellar, and Side Project Pizza locations.
4. Digital Gift Cards: Digital gift cards sold in $10, $25, $50, and $100 denominations for online purchases only at sideprojectbrewing.com.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Side Project Brewing produces and sells artisanal craft beer, specializing in barrel-aged imperial stouts, wild ales, farmhouse saisons, and fruited wild ales using native Missouri microflora and French Oak Foedres. Beer is offered exclusively direct-to-consumer through three Maplewood, Missouri venues and an online store with mandatory pickup; the company also operates on-site food and beverage service, a Belgian-inspired beer bar, a pizza patio, branded merchandise, digital gift cards, and the La Coterie membership program.

Product overview

Side Project Brewing is a craft brewery based in Maplewood, Missouri offering artisanal beers including barrel-aged collaborations, rustic saisons, fruited wild ales, bourbon barrel-aged stouts, and wild ales. The company operates three distinct venues: The Brewery (main production facility with tasting room), The Side Project Cellar (Belgian-inspired beer bar), and Side Project Pizza (food and beer patio space). Their product portfolio includes seasonal and limited-release beers like Flim Flam (Barrel Aged Rye Barleywine), Revived (Imperial Stout), Derivation series (Barrel Aged Imperial Stout), Marble Lions (Imperial Stout with Peanut Butter, Bananas, Vanilla), and various farmhouse ales and wild ales. The company also sells merchandise including apparel, accessories, drinkware, and digital gift cards through their e-commerce store.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Side Project Cellar: A Belgian-inspired tasting room offering Side Project beer plus international beer, whiskey, wine, and cider with a European-style patio.
• The Side Project Brewery
• Side Project Pizza
• La Coterie

Products and services

• Flim Flam 2026

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Perennial on LockwoodminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeer collaboration with Perennial on Lockwood resulting in J'Adore MIEL, a wine barrel-fermented Missouri Saison with honey and apricots. A portion was moved to a Missouri Oak Foedre where Meadowfoam Honey and Apricots were added before refermentation.
• BTR WoodworksminorOthersLocal artisan partner who handmakes barrel stave bottle openers from previously used Side Project Derivation barrels.
• Brasserie CantilloncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSide Project Brewing was chosen by Brasserie Cantillon to host Zwanze Day 2026 at The Side Project Cellar. This is a prestigious annual event celebrating Cantillon's wild ales. Side Project previously hosted Zwanze in 2015.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Other Half Brewing: New York craft brewery with a flagship taproom and cult-following limited-release can drops; shares Side Project's DTC, no-wide-distribution, scarcity-and-queue model.
• Russian River Brewing Company: California craft brewery renowned for barrel-aged sours (Supplication, Consecration) and Pliny the Elder IPA. Operates a brewpub plus very limited distribution model with cult-following release culture highly comparable to Side Project.
• Hill Farmstead Brewery: Vermont brewery repeatedly rated among the world's best, with a near-exclusive on-premise and limited-release distribution model and a strong barrel-aged/saison portfolio mirroring Side Project's positioning.
• The Bruery: Orange County, CA craft brewery specializing in barrel-aged and experimental ales with direct-to-consumer (pickup and member) sales through its Reserve and Preservation societies — directly comparable membership/allotment model.
• Brasserie Cantillon: Belgian family lambic brewery whose Zwanze Day Side Project hosts. Cantillon's spontaneous/wild fermentation, foedre aging, and scarcity-driven distribution make it the spiritual benchmark Side Project is emulating.
• Perennial Artisan Ales: St. Louis, Missouri craft brewery (Side Project's collaboration partner on J'Adore MIEL) with a barrel-aged and wild ale program. Hyper-local peer sharing the same St. Louis craft beer market and customer base.
• Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales: Michigan-based craft brewery famous for oak-foedre-aged sour and wild ales with mixed-culture fermentation. Closest direct analog to Side Project's native-microflora, foedre-driven barrel-aging program and limited direct-distribution approach.
• Bottle Logic Brewing: California craft brewery with a strong barrel-aged stout program, taproom focus, and limited-release/allocation model for high-end SKUs — closely aligned with Side Project's Derivation/Marble Lions style releases.

Regional players

• Side Project Brewing — 4 Hands Brewing Co. St. Louis craft brewery operating a large production brewery and taproom; a regional peer competing for the same Missouri craft beer consumer and collaborator pool, though with a much broader, higher-volume distribution model.
• Urban Chestnut Brewing Company: St. Louis-based craft brewery with multiple taprooms and broad regional distribution. Same metro competitor for taproom visits and shelf space, though positioned more as a regional volume craft player than an allocation-only wild-ale specialist.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCdzorQVnb3oRh_hG_Xwwl8g
• Facebookfacebook.com/Side.Project.Brewing
• Instagraminstagram.com/sideprojectbrew
• Xx.com/sideprojectbrew
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/side-project-brewing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Side Project Brewing