Imperial Eclipse Stout Brewed With Honey (10th Release Edition)
FiftyFifty Brewing Co.

 

 

2016 vintage, green wax for Templeton Rye variant

Here we are at another landmark, beer #700!! I'd just like to say up front that I am again dedicating this beer to my dear friend, Krystal Amber Geraldo, who passed recently. I attended the funeral yesterday, and it only feels right to dedicate this one to her

Turning away from that, I will be honest in saying that I've skipped over the Eclipse series again and again because of the hefty price tag. In the beginning of my craft journey, the banana variant always caught my eye, but I never pulled the trigger on it. Last week when I saw this one, I caved. I'm a sucker for honey, and it was marked down from $30 to $17 so I figured it was worth a shot. Let's see what this one is all about

Pours a opaque dark brown with 2 fingers of espresso colored head that slowly fades to a thin cap and leaves minimal lacing but strong legs

The honey here is definitely present, but functions as a backup aroma, leaning more into barrel driven notes. I'm picking up on aromas of molasses, vanilla, dark chocolate, roasty coffee, spicy whiskey, brown sugar, raw honey, smooth oak, and a touch of date

The honey comes through much stronger in taste, lending a smoothing effect to the entire length of the sip. On the front end of the sip I'm tasting sweet honey, brown sugar, dark caramel, earthy whiskey, milk chocolate, and raisin. The swallow brings notes of toasted coconut, buttery oak, sweet honey, earthy hops, dark chocolate, raisin, smoky malt, and vanilla

A full body pairs with very mild carbonation, resulting in a very thick and slick beer. Finishes slightly sticky with a touch of spice from gentle hops and rye

This is an absolutely delicious beer! So happy I saved it for #700, even though it was only saved for about a week. Unfortunately (ok, fortunately) I think this is gonna send me down the rabbit hole of Eclipse variants! Oh well, I'm quite pleased regardless. I wish you were here with me for this one, Krystal. Rest in peace

 

Had this 2013 brew in 2021--8 years smooth! Almost jet black pour with a nice one-finger mocha head. Honey comes first, giving you a quick sweet hit, before turning to bourbon, wood, and toffee. One of the longest finishes I've enjoyed--you are still tasting this beer a full minute after sipping. Great staying power! Nitpicking, but finish gets shorter upon warming. But still, delicious and beautifully brewed.

10th release edition. Purple wax. Bottle run from 2016, enjoyed 2/3rds of the way through 2020.

This pours a rich, decadent black, thick and viscous with a healthy cap of cocoa colored foam. On the nose the dark chocolate notes dominate, but there’s also hints of dried tobacco and worn leather, and just the faintest whisper of something ... floral? Chocolate and then chocolate on the sip, waves of dark cocoa nibs and just a hint of a barrels bourbon notes. Incredibly smooth and rich. Delicious.

It finally hit a hundred here this summer, and that means it's time to bust out an RIS.
Looks dark and appealing.

Complex aroma with brown sugar, chocolate and red licorice alongside hints of vinegar and pine.

Just as complex flavor-wise with heaps of honey, burnt sugar and chocolate sweetness quickly overtaken by wood, pine, notes of fig and black grape and a swift alcohol heat.

Medium to heavy in body with just the right amount of alcohol punch.

A couple of years definitely did not hurt this beer at all, and now I'm wishing I would've waited a bit longer. Naaaaaaah!

 

22 oz bomber into a snifter.

Won’t go into detail cuz I’ve reviewed so many of these, but for whatever reason, the added honey brings out a ton of anise and molasses flavors. It’s more honey-forward in the nose. Also, letting this age for a couple years has really rounded things out. Upgrading my previous rating.

 

 

Pours an effervescent ebony with a thumb of mocha colored head. Zero head retention & lacing

S: Dark fruit, a touch of honey, & dark chocolate with a little barrel

T: Figs, raisins, a touch booze, leafy hops & barrel dryness up front. Figgyness and dryness as this warms, a kiss of dark chocolate & barrel. Finishes dry with dark fruit & & barrel

MF: Fairly smooth carbonation up front, medium body

Honey presence is strong, along with the barrel brings much dryness, still enough other flavor to balance it out. ABV is noticeable, but enjoyable. Not worth what I paid for this though...

22 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled in late 2016. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1 finger fairly dense and fluffy khaki head with awesome retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice dense spotty foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, honey, caramel, molasses, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, roasted nuts, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of licorice, raisin, prune, fig, date, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oak earthiness. Minimal booze in the aromas as it warms. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malts, honey, bourbon barrels, and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, honey, caramel, molasses, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, roasted nuts, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of licorice, raisin, prune, fig, date, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oak earthiness. Light herbal, grassy, roast, char bitterness; and bourbon/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, honey, caramel, molasses, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, roasted nuts, dark/brown bread/crust, licorice, dark fruit, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, honey, bourbon barrels, and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; with an awesome roast/hop bitter/sweet and bourbon/oak spiciness balance; with no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering hop/roast bitterness and bourbon/oak spiciness. Medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/velvety/bready, and lightly slick/sticky/chalky/tannic mouthfeel that is fantastic. Mild increasing warmth of 11%, with minimal lingering barrel booze after the finish. Overall this is a fantastic barrel aged imperial stout! All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, honey, bourbon barrels, and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the big ABV; with the lightly bitter/tannic/drying finish. Amazing balance of rich malts, honey, and bourbon barrel presence/integration; with balancing earthy hops against sweetness, and restrained fruity yeast complexity. A highly enjoyable offering, and outstanding style example.

Poured from a bomber into a pint glass. Pours pitch black with a light brown head. Smells of coffee and liquor, nice aroma. Tastes of chocolate and slight bourbon. Beer is full bodied and a sipper as expected, but has good carbonation. Overall a very good beer.