Imperial Eclipse Stout - Grand Cru (2015)
FiftyFifty Brewing Co.

Imperial Eclipse Stout - Grand Cru (2015)Imperial Eclipse Stout - Grand Cru (2015)
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From:
FiftyFifty Brewing Co.
 
California, United States
Style:
American Imperial Stout
ABV:
11.9%
Score:
94
Avg:
4.29 | pDev: 6.99%
Reviews:
20
Ratings:
72
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Aug 30, 2021
Added:
Dec 08, 2015
Wants:
  6
Gots:
  20
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by IKR:
Photo of IKR
Reviewed by IKR from California

4.5/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
2015 Vintage
11.9% ABV

Appearance: Very dark brown bordering on black with a medium-sized dark beige head that gradually faded. A nice looking Imperial Stout

Smell: Brown sugar, prominent Whiskey, and mild roasted malt aromas. Very good smelling beer with the bal-aging elements featuring prominently.

Taste: The bal-aging features prominently in line with the other bal-aged Eclipses. The profile also features roast malts, faint vanilla, brown sugar and tannic oak notes. The tannic oak notes feature prominently in the taste profile. Veiry restrained alcohol presence.

Mouth-feel: On the light side of medium bodied with a moderate level of carbonation.

Overall: Excellent Eclipse variant with the bal-aging notes featuring prominently.

★ 838 characters
Dec 19, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of Roguer
Reviewed by Roguer from Connecticut

4.38/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75
Fantastic head retention. Beautiful beer, even with 6 years of age on it.

Bitter, roasty, and almost aggressive nose. Burnt coffee, dark cacao, toast, red grape, nuts, char, molasses, oak.

Much smoother and delectable on the palate; this has aged phenomenally. The barrel aging comes through damn well, despite the age, and while there's undoubtedly more oak and less whiskey than when fresh, there's still plenty of sweet mash (even presenting a bit like port wine). The base beer is no slouch here either, with rich notes of dark chocolate, tobacco, dark roast coffee, leather, molasses, milk chocolate, nuts.

Thick full body; despite the huge ABV and character, it's a fairly easy beer to sip and savor.

A fantastic beer that really lives up to the Eclipse name and reputation.
Aug 30, 2021
 
Rated: 4.28 by Mikexw from New York

Oct 25, 2020
Photo of SHODriver
Reviewed by SHODriver from North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A: Poured into a snifter to a black beer topped by a dense and slightly rocky finger of tan head which fades slowly to a collar around the edge of the glass with minimal lacing
S: Smells of chocolate and coffee with some nice oak, a little marshmallow, and a hint of vanilla
T: Taste is bitter dark chocolate up front with roasted malts and burnt sugar, marshmallows and a ton of vanilla follow with some hints of coffee and oak. On the swallow there's more sweet vanilla and chocolate with some oak, burnt sugar and charred wood.
M: This beer is on the heavier side with a slightly silky feel on the palate. Carbonation is adequate for the style while the beer has a drying finish from the ABV.
O: Overall this is a fantastic beer. It has some great flavors and a really nice amount of complexity. As far as flavors this blend tends to lean on the sweet side, but it definitely works well as a dessert beer. It almost tastes like a pastry stout before a pastry stout was cool.
Sep 22, 2020
 
Rated: 4.28 by MDDMD from Pennsylvania

Feb 16, 2020
Photo of Phyl21ca
Reviewed by Phyl21ca from Canada (QC)

4.5/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color ale with a large dark brown foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of nice black chocolate notes with some bourbon, vanilla and woody notes. Taste is also a good mix of bourbon, black chocolate and vanilla with some woody notes and a sweet finish. Body is full with nice creamy texture and good carbonation with some warming alcohol notes also perceptible. Super enjoyable BA stout and quality of barrels really shows.
Dec 25, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by jonbonfondle from Minnesota

Oct 22, 2018
Photo of scottfrie
Reviewed by scottfrie from California

4.44/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
22oz bottle into snifter.

A: Pours your standard eclipse color but this bottle had a great thick light brown head after a vigorous pour. Solid sheets of lace down the glass. Looks better than most others I've poured.
S: Mellow booze, sweet sticky caramel/chocolate, mild roast. Raisin. No one thing stands out.
T: Pumpernickel bread toast/spice flavor mixed with chocolate syrup, caramel, and vanilla in the finish; toasted marshmallow, creme brûlée and chocolate fudge in the aftertaste. Subtle kiss of bourbon and mild booze.
M: Thick mouthfeel and chewier carbonatiom than many of the other treatments.
O: Definitely a decadent blend with a perfect balance of sweet and spice. Potent but complex. Drinks well with a thicker richer mouthfeel than I remember. One of the best in recent memory and reminds me of why I originally love this brand.
Jul 18, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by jschott75 from Illinois

Apr 11, 2018
 
Rated: 4.15 by pkalix from California

Feb 25, 2018
 
Rated: 4.21 by mattreitz49 from Florida

Oct 13, 2017
 
Rated: 3.9 by MunsonRoyE from North Carolina

Mar 04, 2017
 
Rated: 4.18 by DVMin98 from North Carolina

Feb 19, 2017
Photo of Stevedore
Reviewed by Stevedore from Oregon

3.74/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
2015 gold wax bottle. Served in a snifter glass. Pours a dark brown body, one finger offwhite head, short retention, bits of lacing. Looks about right for a 50/50 stout. Smell is dark fruit, slight cardboard, milk chocolate, a bit of paint thinner, bourbon. The oxidation seemed immediately apparent to me. Flavour is a bit better though; the oxidative components aren't as strong here. Milk chocolate, light fudge, complex spirit flavours perhaps cognac and bourbon; touch of dark fruit and cherry as well. Light roast, caramel. Mouthfeel is thinner bodied, fairly good carbonation, a bit hot on the finish. Oxidative properties perhaps are attributable to the particular barrels used, perhaps there is sherry in the mix, for example- but it didn't make for a great look on this one.
Feb 12, 2017
Photo of Damian
Reviewed by Damian from Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -18.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5
Drank from a 1 pint, 6 fl oz gold waxed dipped bottle purchased at Craft Beer Cellar, Belmont, MA
Bottle run no.: GC/2 2015
Served in a snifter

The beer poured a somewhat thin, dark brown/black and was topped by a super tight and frothy, two-finger tall crop of tan colored foam. Outstanding retention. The head slowly fell to a lasting bubbly cap. Copious amounts of streaky lacking stuck along the glass.

The aroma initially was pretty unexciting. A crisp, dry yeasty quality was noticeable. Touch of roast. As the head faded, the roasty notes intensified. Somewhat char-like. Big boozy notes came through as well. With time, a bit of oxidation appeared. Wet cardboard for sure. Later in the session, the oxidative notes subsided and the roast and booze took over. Some piney hops appeared as well. Hint of cola spice. Toward the drink's end, the hops really intensified.

Oxidative notes were also apparent in the flavor profile, but they were definitely not as prominent as in the aroma. Loads of roast on the front end. Some sweet chocolate fudge and brown sugar too. Espresso came through in the center. Moderate amount of oxidation on the back end and the finish. There was a big boozy presence and loads of char as well. Bitter, piney hops also came through strong. Like in the nose, the oxidation subsided as the beer sat. The hops however really intensified, dominating with the roast by the session's end.

Terrific mouthfeel. Creamy, viscous and nearly full bodied for the style. The liquid contained a super fine, frothy effervesce. Slick and plush on the palate.

Wow, what a strange beer. I cannot remember the last time I had something that changed so dramatically over the course of the session. While I have enjoyed most of FiftyFifty's Eclipse Stout variants, this beer definitely was not my thing. Even with over a year of age on this bottle, it still drank like a super hoppy and raw rendition of the style.
Jan 30, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by Pearlstreetbrewingco from Florida

Jan 10, 2017
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

4.19/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Mixture of the 2015 Eclipse beers. As usual, black and brown, 1/2" brown head. Aroma, I think this one excels, great mixture of bourbon and rye going on, roast as well. Good stuff.

Taste, hits those good notes, even if muddled about Eclipse. Plenty of bourbon, char, American oak, chocolate, cocao, vanilla, roasted malt. Mouth feel is a smooth experience. Mild sweetness that helps cover the alcohol. Carbonation on point. Getting a super mild amount of dark fruit at the end of this as it has warmed up even more. Would put the overall score higher if these weren't on the high end price wise comparatively to other barrel aged stouts.
Dec 13, 2016
Photo of stakem
Reviewed by stakem from Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
After waiting a year and having a less than stellar experience with the Cognac version I felt I needed to open another bottle from 2015 to see if quality has deteriorated across the board or if I just had a bad bottle.

The brew appears dark brown to black in color with a khaki cap that fades leaving a full wall of spotty lace.

Aroma seems papery with oxidation, milk chocolate, minerals, citrus and roast.

Taste has some neutral spirit booziness, mild wood, coffee-like earth and roastiness. Some caramelized sweetness and a mild green vegetal feel.

Light in body with modest carbonation. Im not sure what has happened with this series I use to love so much but its no longer as good as the eclipse I remember. I now regret buying futures for 2016....hopefully they are better than this.
Dec 13, 2016
 
Rated: 4.11 by rawfish from California

Dec 07, 2016
 
Rated: 4.09 by siege06nd from Virginia

Dec 02, 2016
Imperial Eclipse Stout - Grand Cru (2015) from FiftyFifty Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 94 out of 100 with 72 ratings