Imperial Eclipse Stout - Rye Cuvee (2017)
FiftyFifty Brewing Co.

 

A: Poured into a snifter to a black beer topped by a dense and rocky finger and a half of light tan head which fades slowly to a collar around the edge of the glass with minimal lacing
S: Smells of hints of dark chocolate with some baking spices, spicy rye notes, and oak.
T:Taste is smooth and slightly spicy up front with some baking spices coming in along with some dark chocolate. Hints of vanilla and caramel sweetness with a touch of oak. On the swallow there's more spicy rye notes, vanilla, caramel, roasted malts, and dark chocolate with some lingering rye like flavor.
M: This beer has a mouthfeel which is on the heavier side of medium with a slightly silky feel on the palate. Carbonation is low but adequate for the style while the beer has a drying finish due to the ABV.
O: Overall this is another really well done iteration of Eclipse. Really nice barrel notes and I really dig the spice notes that the rye brings to the party. Really good complexity as well and really shows what can be done with some well metered barrel influence.

Eclipse has been on the market for some time. I have never tried the line, but found a can of Rye Cuvee in Milwaukee and gave it a shot. The rye is sharp and cuts into the stout. There are no adjuncts here, just straight to the point; rye and roasted. It is very well done and just on the verge of too boozy.

IG: @firesidewithphil

 

 

A: The beer is jet black in color. It poured with a quarter finger high dense tan colored head that gradually died down, leaving a short head covering the surface and some lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: Moderate aromas of rye whiskey and chocolate are present in the nose.
T: The taste starts off with moderate to strong flavors of rye whiskey and has strong notes of chocolate and roasted malts with hints of honey. There is a light amount of bitterness.
M: It feels medium- to full-bodied and smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: I really enjoyed the taste of this beer as it had a lot of complexities but was quite drinkable considering its strength.

Serving type: bottle

Solid sweet taste to this stout with solid aging in rye barrels. One can actually taste the rye in this. Light level of carbonation in this beer. solid.

On tap at Albany Ale and Oyster in Albany, NY.

This one has a sweeter aroma profile than some of the other Eclipses, with molasses, brown sugar, and milk chocolate, with some light roast and some oak.

I expected this to be drier, due to the mix of rye barrels. To my surprise, it's much sweeter with a more varied malt character than the usual Eclipse experience. I get molasses and brown sugar, maybe even a little bit of maple, with the expected chocolate/coffee thing, and a bit of oak. As it warms up a bit, I do get some light rye spice.

This is medium bodied, slightly syrupy, with a light and soft level of carbonation.

It's possibly a little too sweet, but it's definitely unique amongst Eclipse variants.

Pours black with a finger and a half of dark caramel foam. Head retention is good even after a year of age in the bottle. Aroma is roasty, toasty, nutty malts with thick rye, molasses, oats, caramel, and honey. It smells dense, heavy, and rich. Flavor profile is roasty, toasty, earthy, nutty malts and rye, barley, molasses, and caramel. Sweetness is much higher in the aroma vs. the flavor profile. Mouth feel is thick and dense, with a nearing chewy texture. Overall, a heavy, dense stout with some quality rye in the mix. Big and heavy, with a decadent texture.

Served in a teku from a 22oz bottle.

Its a rare day when there is still an Eclipse out there that I haven't reviewed. I believe this is the first rye blend they've ever done. In general, I found the rye barrel to have the slightest sweeter aspect compared to your average Eclipse. Anyways, from notes of the last party: Pours a standard black color of Eclipse with 1/3" dark brown head with above average retention. The aroma is similar to most of the others, you know the drill, roasted malt, whiskey nose and an older wetter oak impact. Nothing "rye" discernible in the nose.

Taste is easy as she goes and still lightly sweeter than the rest, still imparting plenty of whiskey along the way without the hotness of a lesser beer at this strength. It doesn't create a paradigm shift or synergy, its pretty standard. You still get the wet wood and light tobacco notes, light chocolate and roast, but with the slightest sweet spot to it different from the other run of the mill Eclipse beers.

The price structure does not make this a bottle to purchase. Starting to see Eclipse shelf turds go the discounted route, but even then, still just on the high end of the spectrum for this kind of beer in this day and age.

one of the most delicious, most intriguing, and most expensive series of beers in the entire landscape. i think the base stout is incredible, each time i have one of these, new or aged, i always am impressed with how prominent the honey is, how natural and forward, especially considering such dark malts in its base, it has amazing balance between the earthy bitter roast and the sweet, floral, even delicate honey, and thats all even before the barrels enter the equation. i have had several rye editions in the past, i have to assume this means a blend of barrels, which is cool, more of a well rounded oak and rye profile here, not generic per se, but complete and somewhat stereotypical. this one seems to have a little more barrel maturity than others, maybe aged longer, at least parts odd the blend maybe. more oak up front than i remember in many of the others, and with the spice of the rye specifically offset by some of that. its so huge in my mouth, every corner covered with the sweet, rich, dark brew, as much body as you could imagine, not a trace of booze to cut it at all, and it just kind of lingers forever, less sweet than some of the bourbon ones, i like the earthy rye, its obvious. i also like the nuances of milk chocolate, rum raisin, and wet cigar tobacco. it warms up amazingly well too. there is the honey again at the end with the barrel, almost cocktail-esque, really warming and wintery even without much of an alcohol presence. this doesnt seem in need of any more age either, its right on just a year or so in. i have had a fair few of these now, and this one is a standout! itd be amazing to line these all up and have some buddies over and drink them all in the same night...

 

 

 

 

 

I was not sure about this beer, the last one I drank was disappointing. The beer was needing depth and character. I peeled the wax label off the beer and cracked the lid. I heard a nice hiss from the bottle. The beer is 55 degrees and served in a tulip glass. The beer formed a two finger creamy medium tan head. The head has excellent retention and left thick lacing on the glass as it dissipated. The beer is dark brown to black with an SRM 37. Carbonation bubbles are visible on the sides of the glass. Overall the beer presents beautifully.

Bourbon, orange, rye, dark roasted malts, dark chocolate, espresso, alcohol, bready, yeast, wood, earthiness, and molasses for the aromas.

Rich dark chocolate, rye, wood, vanilla, earthiness, molasses, espresso, bready, alcohol, yeast, earthy, char, and dark roasted malt for the taste.

The mouthfeel of the beer is chewy and creamy.

The body of the beer is full, the carbonation is medium, and the finish is long.

This beer is far better than the last Eclipse beer I drank. The beer has a depth to it that forces the drinker to take note. The alcohol is hidden and is devious. I enjoy sipping this beer wish I had another bottle.