Inside Side Project’s elusive “Library Tasting—and how to maybe catch the next one

On Tuesday, July 1, a lucky handful of beer lovers will gather in Maplewood for Side Project Brewing’s next Library Tasting. They’ll sip through a curated lineup of vintage beers—bottles that haven’t seen the light of day in years. There will be quiet pours, nods of recognition, maybe even a surprise or two from the cellar.

And no, you’re probably not going. Neither am I. Tickets disappeared faster than a splash of Derivation in a warm glass.

But let’s not dwell on what we missed. Let’s talk about what makes these Library Tastings so special, why they’ve become a low-key phenomenon among Side Project fans, and how you might actually—finally—catch the next one.

What is a Library Tasting?

At its core, it’s a guided journey through Side Project’s archive—a tasting of past releases selected for how they’ve aged, mellowed, or developed in the bottle. Inspired by wine-world “library tastings,” these events invite drinkers to slow down and consider what time brings to beer.

“This idea came from the wine world and the intimate library tastings they do with usually higher-end brands,” said Rachel Manning, Events Manager at Side Project. “We have a lot of beer in our catalog and wanted to think of a new and different way to let folks try some of our most revered beers.”

Each event features a tight, thoughtful lineup—sometimes grouped by style, other times highlighting multiple vintages of the same beer. The pours are precise, the mood low-key, the crowd small. There’s no set menu released in advance, and that mystery is part of the charm.

A Growing Series

The Library Tasting debuted in late August 2024, and since then, Side Project has quietly built it into a semi-regular part of their event calendar—never on a fixed schedule, but often enough that fans have learned to start watching the signals.

There’s no master list of future dates. Announcements typically come with little warning—just a blog post or social media teaser a couple of weeks out, followed by a fast-and-furious ticket drop the next day. The whole thing usually sells out in minutes.

The smart move? Follow Side Project on Instagram, sign up for their newsletter, and keep an eye on the blog section of their website. Those are the only real tells. Once tickets hit the online shop, it’s every drinker for themselves.

Because while the beer world is full of releases you can circle on the calendar, the Library Tasting asks for something else: attentiveness, patience, and a little bit of luck.

How to Be Ready Next Time

If you want to be at the next one, treat it like a bottle release from a decade ago:

• Watch Tuesdays, when events tend to be announced.

• Expect tickets to go live the next day around noon Central Time.

• Be logged in early.

• Don’t assume you’ll have time to think about it.

Because the Library Tasting isn’t about hype or scarcity—it’s about memory. And the longer Side Project runs this series, the clearer it becomes: they’re not just sharing beer. They’re sharing time.