When Side Project's Blanc de Blancs was first released, bloggers said: For those lucky enough to have gotten a bottle of this extremely limited release, count your blessings. Now that another small batch has come back, we’re thanking our lucky stars.

Side note: Side Project is the brewery that swept the People’s Choice Awards at the prestigious Firestone Walker invitational two years running! I don’t know what the Olympic equivalent of that is, but trust me, it’s freaking huge. Because like the Olympics, the Firestone Invitational is an invited, vetted list of elite breweries at the top of their game. Just being there is grounds for bragging rights, forget two consecutive wins.

But fanboy gushing aside, let’s talk today’s beer: Blanc de Blancs is the #1 rated Bière de Champagne in the World.

With this collector’s dream, Side Project demonstrates why they’ve got the whole wide world in their brewer’s hands. They create a hyper-local version of a beloved European style by mixing locally-sourced yeast culture with Belgian malts. The brewers then age it in Missouri Chardonnay barrels with American-grown Chardonel white grapes.

Craft beer reviewers say the funky flavor “screams farm to us.” The tart, fruity aroma smelled like a freshly-sliced pear dusted with lemon zest. The first taste was playfully smooth, with a sauvignon-blanc tannic zing and velveteen mouthfeel. It was in the tart, dry, boozy finish that the beer’s champagne essence truly shined.

With this “beer of champagne” Side Project’s shining a light on America’s delicious terroir— to the delight of the rest of the world. Well, at least to the people who can get to Missouri for a taste.

Move over, France: Missouri is the world’s new Champagne region. That makes this beer an awesome addition to any wine cellar, much less your barrel aged beer collection.

Rated 4.53 on BeerAdvocate; Rated 4.32 on Untappd

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