Imperial Eclipse Stout - Manhattan Cherry Rye
FiftyFifty Brewing Co.

 

 

 

2021-06-13
500ml bottle served in a tulip. No date, just the 2020 vintage. Not 100% sure, but I think this is one of the beers I brought back from Bend in March.

Pours thick, black, viscous, still, just the tiniest ring of head. Smell is boozy, chocolate and charred oak, maybe the rye gets across a little bit. Definitely some anise, maybe some coffee, and maybe just a hint of cherry.

Taste is HUGE anise, clear maraschino cherry, rye whisky and oak, slow and surprising bitter finish. I'm getting something that I want to call hoppy/green bitterness but suspect might actually be the vermouth...herbal, maybe slightly medicinal.

Mouthfeel is gratifyingly thick and chewy, fairly sticky. Overall, very good beer.

Looks like I'm up to December 2019 in writing up the reviews.

Pours dark, almost black, just like every Eclipse has for a decade plus now, 1/3" brown head. The aroma hits the cherry note alongside the whiskey, oak and roasted malt.

Taste is still pushing a plenty noticeable amount of cherry, but with that rye like whiskey sweetness. I guess this one went through like 4 different barrels (whiskey, bourbon, brandy and vermouth) but the whiskey seems like the most prominent one I'm getting taste and mouth feel wise. Good and smooth, this stays within Eclipse's lane of being a barrel forward beer even when they start flirting more and more with adjuncts.

I'm not sure what they were charging for this one (had it at the party) but I fear the various barrels might push the cost up. Its definitely pretty good but is it something you should track down and pay the already high end of the market price for it? Probably not, but if you see someone opening one, definitely try and get a pour.

 

 

 

 

2019 Vintage
500ml bottle

Appearance: Very dark brown bordering on black with a generous sized foamy beige head that gradually faded. Like most of the recent variants I've had the head stayed was long lasting. A decent nose.

Smell: Moderate whiskey and fruit notes (I believe it's the cherry brandy), mild vermouth and mild brown sugar aromas.

Taste: The cherry brandy that was a hint in the nose comes through in the taste profile, along with mild whiskey notes, moderate roast malt notes, moderate vermouth notes and some drying tannic oak notes. The beer finishes fairly dry, a long way from being a pastry stout though there is some brown sugar sweetness that stays in the finish. The beer has a nice unique taste profile.

Mouth-feel: On the lighter side of medium bodied with a medium level of carbonation. Not the thickest Imperial Stout but not too thin.

Overall: A good beer that has a unique and tasty flavor profile. I've said it before but it's still true, Fifty Fifty's use of different barrels to make Eclipse results in very different Imperial Stouts that are very different. The combination of barrels used in this one resulted in a nice beer.