Imperial Eclipse Stout - Woodford Reserve Bourbon
FiftyFifty Brewing Co.

2021 version in 2023
Look - black and thick with a nice tan head rimming and lacing
Smell - mostly woody slight cocoa
Taste - bakers chocolate, smokey and woody
Feel - medium full body lighter carb
Overall - easy going but still has some good flavors

 

 

 

Bottled 2016, run W/1
Pours a tan foamy semi rich but small head covering with lower retention, a touch of lacing, nice legs, jet black color

Nose big cocoa and dark chocolate, baking spices, with some oxidation notes that bring a bit of a waxy port wine notes and good in general, intense caramelized honey, a lot of sweet honey, caramel and vanilla toasted oak with a little buttery barrel as well, nougat, caramel, fruity character, fair whiskey

Taste brings sweet flavors, more caramelized Briochet honey, with caramel, nougat, a sweet bourbon candy and barrel juice, vanilla oak and vanilla candy, buttery oak barrel, mild roast with cocoa and dark chocolate, touch of anise and fair baking spice, a bit of bitterness, touch spicy note and roasty bitterness, coffee ground notes, fair sticky finish, a touch of alcohol

Mouth is fuller bod, rich chewy thick, med frothy carb, light warming alcohol

Overall pretty nice, great base beer, nice barrel characters, lots of honey surprisingly, smooth and enjoyable, well done

Molasses dark body topped with a thin, khaki colored head, lasting and leaving thin sheets of foam stepping down the glass. Fine, understated smell; oak with a subtle underpinning of bourbon; baker's chocolate. Sweet milk chocolate flavor; hints of cocoa and molasses; coconut; low-key alcohol presence. Heavy body; slick and velvety on the palate; gentle, balanced boozy warmth permeates through the residual sugar feel.

For a six year old bottle of beer, this one has aged beautifully. The flavors and rich and sumptuous, nicely balanced and bringing some nice subtly and complexity to the palate. Just a damn fine beer...

Poured at 47 °F; bottling info on label: BR/2 2015, blue pearl wax.

 

22 oz format.
2018 edition.
Boiler Snifter.

Pours an inky black with a creamy brown-beige head of 1 finger, receding gracefully to a quarter finger and not leaving any lace behind.

Aroma - yep, it's a bourbon barrel stout alright. Tons of dark chocolate, tobacco, coffee, peppermint, and very dry yet intense bourbon barrel.

Flavor is off the charts. Really good stuff. Has a perfect caramel sweetness (think cubed caramels) with hints of tobacco, honey,marzipan or almond flour, dark vinous fruit, some rye spiciness, dark chocolate, and finally a really hot whiskey presence. The WR barrel did wonders for this beer.

Feel is dry right out of the gate, with lots of carbonation, a bit of stickiness though not at the level of other BBA stouts, more dryness, and alcohol heat.

Overall, probably my favorite Eclipse beer so far. It just gets better the more you drink it. As far as the series goes, there were a few stinkers in that pile (I had six), but this was not one of them. Outstanding stuff.

At the insane price point of Eclipse beers (between $22 and $30 in the continental US, $47.99 in Hawaii, no joke), a good deal of them are not worth it. I would snag this one up again if I could find another one in a clearance bucket (what a score - $11.99). This is a solid beer to enjoy on a just-barely-freezing night like tonight. Not $30 good though.

 

2018 edition.
Pours a rich black with reddish highlights at edges with thin brown head - short lived.
Aroma oaky vanilla, bourbon, chocolate malt with notes of caramel/toffee - touch of smokiness.
Tastes of vanilla, bourbon, notes of the oak barrel, sweet caramel-chocolate, dark fruit with the honey kiss, and a little boozy heat.
Medium full mouthfeel - not as viscous as anticipated - warming from the booziness, though drinks less than the 11% ABV - smooth oaky bourbon with chocolate/vanilla sweetness.

Vintage Edition (2014). Bought at Systembolaget in Sweden May 26, 2016.

Black, clear beer with a mocha colored head that leaves lacing on the glass.

This nose! ❤️ Dark chocolate, brown sugar, vanilla, syrup, oak barrels, bourbon, a hint of coffee and cherry, nuts, licorice, umami... I could go on... This is MAGIC! Even after more than 4 years in my beercellar.

Taste: Licorice, dark chocolate, bourbon barrels, oak, tobacco, vanilla, soy sauce and marzipan.
Full body, light carbonation. Powerful, bold, strong ending with a mix of light sweetness and dry, bitter mouthfeel.

Absolutely AMAZING!

 

 

 

 

 

No perceptible barrel character but still a damn good stout!

 

2014 Edition

A: Poured into a snifter to a black beer topped byt a dense finger of light tan head which is a little rocky. The head fades slowly to a collar around the edge of the glass
S: Smells of intense dark chocolate and oak with some vanilla and espresso
T: Taste is bitter dark chocolate up front with some espresso, roasted malt, oak, vanilla, slight green apple, and cocoa. On the finish this one is more dark chocolate and cocoa powder with more oak, vanilla, and espresso.
M: This beer is fairly full and silky on the palate. Carbonation is low but adequate for the style while the beer has a drying finish.
O: Overall this is a really nice beer with some great complexity and flavors. The Woodford barrels definitely added some different notes that aren't found in some of the other offerings and all the additions are for the better. It's hard to pick a favorite for the non adjunct versions but this one definitely stands out as being unique.

2016, 10th Release Edition. Handwritten Bottle Run No. W/1 | 10/6

Pours a deep, dark brown, nearly black. Lots of tan head rising up to about two fingers height. It settles slowly, leaving a large amount of lace as the beer settles into the glass.

Bourbon and dark fruit dominate the nose initially. Undertones of roasted malt, raisin, chocolate, coffee, and honey. That Woodford Barrel backbone is crucial and really present throughout in the aromas.

Again, bourbon barrel character takes over in all the best ways. Much more coffee than on the nose, rye spice backbone. Bitter cacao works perfectly with that honey sweetness and a re-emergence of that raisin and plum dark fruit flavor linger in the finish.

Nice medium bodied stout. Sticky, decent mouth coating and a warm, boozy finish lingers. Mildly spicy Barrel, good carb that froths slightly as it warms.

This is among the best Imperial Stouts I've ever had

Look: Black with an inch thick mocca colored head.

Aroma: roasted malts, chocolate, maybe coffee and bourbon

Flavor: roasted malts, chocolate, vanilla, mild coffee, and a modest flavor of whiskey, no hint of the alcohol despite the 11.90%.

Feel: medium body, surprisingly easy drinking yet flavorful

 

 

 

 

 

 

2016 Vintage
22oz bottle poured into a snifter

A- Pours black in color with a one-finger foamy khaki head that eventually reduces to a ring around the edge

S- plenty of barrel character on the nose; woody wet oak, caramel, vanilla & some subtle spiciness. Beyond the barrel, notes of roasted malt, chocolate and sweet honey, a hint of anise

T- sweet honey is noticed up front, followed by dark roasted malty notes of chocolate, fig & light coffee. The barrel notes come out on the finish, adding soaked barrel, vanilla & caramel on the linger 4.25

M- medium-light body with moderate carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel that continues into a slightly thin finish 3.75

O- nice barrel notes throughout, a touch thin but otherwise very good

 

 

 

 

 

Two year old bottle. Appearance is great-long lasting fluffy foam and lacing. Smell is barrel, sweet roasty malt. Taste is sweet vanilla and some barrel. Very smooth, very flavorful, very easy drinking,.

 

Bottle to snifter.
It poured like motor oil. The appearance was a dark murky black color to have less than a finger's worth of smooth dieing foamy head. That seemed to escape exceptionally quick. Barely any lace.
The aroma was a wonderful blend of sweet wood, milk chocolate, dark grapes, vanilla beans, dark chocolate, raisins, dark sweet bread, sweet espresso and a touch of cigar ash.
The flavor had a stellar blend of the prior aromas - all coming together steadily climbing to a sweet pinnacle and then dropping some of the dryness of that "ashiness" I got in the aroma. The espresso I noted in the aroma seems to have faded a bit. Not much of an aftertaste, somewhat sweet bourbon.
The mouthfeel was medium bodied with a wonderful sipping quality about it. Carbonation felt a bit lower than expected, but I figured that would happen as this is an older bottle. ABV felt just a touch under than what was projected but somehow that didn't bother me either.
Overall, an absolutely wonderful barrel aged imperial stout well worthy of having again preferably in the Winter.

 

Perfect stout for a nice mild cigar (perdomo). Smooth and the bourbon notes are stellar when the beer warms! I'll buy it again if i see it!