Imperial Eclipse Stout - Old Fitzgerald
FiftyFifty Brewing Co.

Imperial Eclipse Stout - Old FitzgeraldImperial Eclipse Stout - Old Fitzgerald
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From:
FiftyFifty Brewing Co.
 
California, United States
Style:
American Imperial Stout
ABV:
9.5%
Score:
94
Avg:
4.24 | pDev: 8.49%
Reviews:
63
Ratings:
283
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 31, 2021
Added:
Dec 16, 2011
Wants:
  40
Gots:
  86
2007 - No wax
2012 - Blue wax
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by steamboatbrewer:
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Rated by steamboatbrewer from Colorado

4.75/5  rDev +12%

Mar 15, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.25 by nataku00 from California

Jul 31, 2021
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Reviewed by Phyl21ca from Canada (QC)

4.25/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color stout with a medium size dark brown foamy head with OK retention and light lacing. Aroma of deep chocolate notes with some woody bourbon notes and light vanilla notes. Taste is also dominated deep chocolate notes with some light residual sugar notes and some vanilla notes with light woody notes also perceptible. Body is about average with oily texture and good carbonation with some warming alcohol notes detectable. Solid barrel-aged imperial stout with loads of barrel notes.
Oct 19, 2019
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.74/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
I can't remember whether this one or the Jack Daniels one was the first Eclipse I ever had. Picked up another bottle of the 2012 and had it on draft at the party. Short review: slightly less good than your average Eclipse.

All Eclipse beers have the same appearance, dark dark brown, almost black, and another shade of brown head 1/3" - 1/2" deep. This one seemed to have more char and ash to the barrel aroma.

Taste had slightly more bitterness and alcohol noticeable than your average Eclipse. Is it due to the aforementioned char and ashyness to it? It was somewhat similar to the Pappy barrel, in that it actually seemed stronger and holding more alcohol burn to it. Letting the carbonation die off a bit helped temper some of that in the mouthfeel. The toffee notes come out more than the caramel one on this one, the bitter leanings make the sweetness below average for it.

At $23 at the brewery before tax, this just wasn't good enough to justify a more than $1/oz threshold. Would rather bang almost any other variety of Eclipse.
Feb 05, 2019
Photo of SHODriver
Reviewed by SHODriver from North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
A: Poured into a snifter to a black beer topped by a dense finger of light tan head which fades quickly to a collar around the edge of the glass with minimal lacing
S: Smells of creamy milk chocolate with an aroma that reminds me a little of malted milk balls with a little vanilla
T: Taste is rich dark chocolate and espresso up front with a strong roasted malt and charred wood character. Slight vanilla and oak with some wood spice but quite roasty and a hint of smoke on the palate. On the swallow there is some creamy vanilla, dark chocolate, slight caramel, coffee, and roasted malts with some slight lingering oak.
M: This beer has a smooth and creamy feel on the palate with a full body. Carbonation is slightly effervescent but it is not prickly while the beer has a drying finish from the ABV.
O: Overall this is a really nice beer. The flavors are great and while it is starting to show signs of age it isn't extreme. Very smooth and well integrated flavors make this a nice beer to sip and savor.
Nov 28, 2018
 
Rated: 4.21 by hopkrid from Florida

Nov 20, 2018
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Reviewed by Tucquan from Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Had this on 2018-01-26 in Columbia, PA from a 22oz 2012 bottle with the sapphire-blue wax that has been kept cellared at my house for 5 years.

A - Opaque dark brown with a very short tan head and light lace.

S - Umami, medium-dark roasted grain and semi-sweet chocolate

T - Dark chocolate, somewhat-charred grain, molasses, earthy spice, vanilla, oak and light bourbon. Much less umami than the smell. Moderate roasted-bitterness. Not much oxidation; fortunately. Tastes quite nice.

M - Full body and light carbonation. Smooth, creamy and substantial.

O - It's a treat to revisit this beer after all this time. It held up well and I enjoyed it. As I recall, I paid $35 in 2012 for this bottle, which is ridiculous, so I'm glad it was worth the time and money. Don't think I'd part with that much again for 22oz considering all the alternatives on the market, but having visited the brewery and being enthused by this beer, I don't regret my choice.
Jan 26, 2018
 
Rated: 4.13 by Tcsox from Massachusetts

Jan 21, 2018
 
Rated: 4.14 by Bogdawg from Massachusetts

Jan 21, 2018
 
Rated: 3.94 by rab53 from Washington

Apr 01, 2017
 
Rated: 4.88 by StoutLover14 from Illinois

Dec 22, 2016
 
Rated: 4.4 by REVZEB from Illinois

Dec 16, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by brittanylicious from Indiana

Nov 06, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by heysuz from Indiana

Nov 05, 2016
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Reviewed by AppaZappa from North Carolina

4.14/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
2012 bottle poured into a snifter. Pours rich dark brown with feignt and quickly fading head. Smell is vanilla, chocolate, cola, bourbon, oak, bit of raisin. Taste follows suit, but the bourbon and honey shine through here. Mouth is relatively thin for the style and mildly carbonated. All in all a solid and highly drinkable take on the style.
Apr 25, 2016
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Rated by reitzbrewing from Pennsylvania

4.94/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
wow. unbelievable flavors on finish. choc, caramel, raisin. not boozy at all for 9.5%
Mar 13, 2016
Photo of jzeilinger
Reviewed by jzeilinger from Pennsylvania

4.04/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A - Dark. Black. Opaque. = Yep, it's a stout. Micro-thin toffee colored lacing .

S - Cocoa and light toffee.

T - Charred toffee, roasted chocolate sweetness, oak, and some vanilla.

M - Heavy medium body, silky feel, no carbonation, some booze effervescence.

O - Nice barrel aged stout.
Dec 31, 2015
 
Rated: 4.24 by PhineasMcClintock from Massachusetts

Dec 31, 2015
 
Rated: 3.96 by Knapp85 from Pennsylvania

Dec 31, 2015
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Reviewed by kevanb from Illinois

4.23/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25
650ml bottle, 2012 vintage, poured into a FiftyFifty Eclipse snifter.

The beer pours a nice deep jet black color, moderately thick, but not super viscous with a thin finger of khaki head that dissipates quickly leaving only a thin layer of film around the circumference of the glass and a few spots of lace behind. The aroma is quite nice, caramel, chocolate, soft bourbon, sweet oak and charred barrel, vanilla, roasted grain, and light stone fruit, nicely complex, smooth balance with little to no alcohol heat. The flavors are in line, loads of caramel, marshmallow, chocolate, vanilla, quite rich but with nice charred wood, earthy oak, spicy bourbon that brings out some toffee notes and provides nice contrast to the lingering stone fruit. The mouthfeel is typical of many Eclipse beers, a bit lacking of substance and viscosity, the body is a bit thinner though there isn't much in the way of prickly carbonation and it coats well though it hampers the finish which is a tad weak.


Verdict: A very, very nice barrel aged stout that has aged quite gracefully. It's obvious that the Eclipse line of stouts have earned their status and are worthy of praise and this variant definitely holds it own with some of the best. I've long felt that time goes a long way with these beers and this is another solid example of why.
Dec 16, 2015
Imperial Eclipse Stout - Old Fitzgerald from FiftyFifty Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 94 out of 100 with 283 ratings