Imperial Eclipse Stout - Evan Williams (23 Year)
FiftyFifty Brewing Co.

Check it out, another Eclipse review where the body of the beer is black and the head is between 1/3 and 1/2" deep and brown in color. Aroma indistinguishable from the regulare Evan Williams, smells like you know, bourbon, charred oak, roasted chocolate malt. So far we're looking at a premium upon premium price for the standard fare result.

Taste, yeah, this is good, the standard things I just mentioned in the nose, charred barrel and roasted malt, dab of chocolate feels trip, bourbon, super light vanilla in the mouth feel, its fun to drink, but is it any different than the normal EW? No. I don't think you can differentiate between this and the normal one. Or really any of the standard bourbon barrel ones. If there was really any way I could venture a guess about this one, its just a little stronger in the nose as to the very same things in the normal version of Evan Williams. Like a hint bigger. I dunno, I just wish they would bring the regular EW and EC barrels back, very solid and reliable for about a decade!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A: Poured into a snifter to a black beer topped by a finger of dense tan head that fades quickly to a collar around the edge of the glass leaving minimal lacing.
S: Smells of a lot of oak on the nose with some chocolate and coffee. There's a bit of vanilla and caramel but not much.
T: Taste is oak, dark chocolate and coffee with light caramel and vanilla with hints of nuts. The swallow on this one is more oak, with some more dark chocolate and coffee. Very little vanilla and oak but with the age of the barrel I'm not surprised.
M: This beer is big and thick on the palate with soft carbonation and a drying finish.
O: Overall it's a little too oaky but I'm not surprised. Still very good and an interesting experiment. The flavors and complexity are there but since the barrel was used for so long it doesn't have the same amount of sweet bourbon flavors as other bourbon barrel aged beers.

 

You must let this warm up. It's just awful cold

22oz Dark blue wax with sparkles, poured into an oversized wine glass
Bottled in 2014

A- pours a deep black color with a creamy khaki colored head that retains long after the pour, sticking around forever and leaving some lacing behind

S- lots of bourbon aroma up front, with notes of barrel juice, wet oak, caramel & coconut. Dark roasted malt gives aromas of fudge nut brownies, licorice, dark cherry, light ash & a hint of vanilla and toffee

T- bourbon isn't as prevalent up front, as it is with the aroma. Instead it opens with dark cocoa, brownie & caramel, the bourbon kicks in mid-palate, adding some spicy notes, along with toffee, vanilla and burnt marshmallow. The finish brings out notes of licorice, along with lingers of caramel and cocoa

M- medium body with low carbonation leads to a creamy mouthfeel that turns silky into the finish, with just enough carbonation to keep it creamy, alcohol is quite mellow at this point

O- a nice showcase of the barrel treatment that has held up well over a nearly two years

 

 

 

 

Poured into a matching eclipse snifter, the brew appears black in color with a brown head a finger strong that fades leaving webby lace.

It smells roasty with minerals and earth with a little tangy bourbon element. Wish there was more barrel nuance to the nose on this.

Tastes bitter and charred almost acrid with roast like espresso, bakers cacao and earth. Some mineral element before getting boozy with some sweetness. The barrel is very subtle but provides nuance of raw oak, damp wood and faint caramel/raison.

This is medium in body and modestly carbonated. Its a nice brew but I wouldnt call it my favorite in the eclipse series...in fact, it seems like these newer versions are lacking the depth of barrel flavors and are getting more mineral/metallic/bitter tasting which I dislike.

getting a vinyl/chemical aroma/flavor from this one..... very, very smooth and I love hoe this tastes with a year behind it. even with the funky smell/aroma this is still a great brew. not sure how they do it but this is perpetually/consecutively/always a great brew!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

another solid eclipse from fiddy/fiddy. lots of chocolate and vanilla going on with this one. a little bit of spice, which i assume is from the bourbon barrel, even though ive never had the bourbon. great dessert beer!