Side Project Fuzzy

Tasting Notes

Fuzzy is a peach wild ale, and it leans into that fruit with a soft, jammy peach aroma undercut by a gentle tartness from the mixed fermentation. On the palate, the stone fruit is ripe but not cloying, balanced by light acidity and a hint of oak or Brett funk depending on the batch. The body is medium-light with a dry, clean finish that keeps you coming back. It's a measured beer — the fruit and the funk coexist rather than compete.

About the Brewery

Side Project operates out of Maplewood, Missouri, and has built one of the more serious reputations in American wild and sour ale production. Founded by Cory King, a veteran of Boulevard Brewing, the brewery focuses heavily on barrel-aged and mixed-fermentation work, releasing beers in small quantities that routinely draw significant collector attention. Their lineup spans farmhouse ales, fruit-forward wilds, and barrel-aged stouts, and they're widely regarded as one of the benchmark producers in the Midwest for this style of work.

Food Pairings

The peach-forward acidity here works well with washed-rind or bloomy cheeses like Époisses or Brie, where the funk in both beer and cheese mirrors each other without fighting. Charcuterie — particularly prosciutto or soppressata — benefits from the way the tartness cuts through salt and fat. A simple arugula salad with stone fruit and goat cheese plays directly into the beer's flavor profile. Grilled chicken with peach or apricot glaze is a natural match, amplifying the fruit without overshadowing the fermentation character.

Style Guide

American Wild Ale is a loosely defined category covering beers fermented with non-standard yeast strains — Brettanomyces, lactobacillus, pediococcus, or some combination — often alongside fruit additions or barrel aging. The style draws inspiration from Belgian lambic and farmhouse traditions but claims no strict geographic or procedural rules, giving American brewers wide latitude. What distinguishes it from a straight sour ale is often the Brett character: earthy, leathery, or tropical funk layered over or under the tartness. ABV ranges broadly, but most examples sit in the moderate range, letting acidity and fermentation complexity do the heavy lifting.