Imperial Eclipse Stout - Banana Moonpie
FiftyFifty Brewing Co.

500 mL bottle into a snifter

Velvety, dark, chocolatey appearance…sludgy with no head. Banana leads the bouquet, with vanilla and holiday spice in tow, rounded by an undertone of roasted oak. Banana jumps to the front of the palate as well, but the brew quickly reveals a complex profile with notes of raisin, carob, vanilla and cinnamon. Finishes relatively clean for the style, fairly short. After a few sips, it gets a little too easy to throw back as the brew forms a somewhat singular flavor of milky banana-vanilla-spice.

This is a great example of a classic BBA stout, nudging up against the boundaries of a pastry stout, but retaining those earthy, grainy aspects of what we commonly think of as ‘beer’. Absolute knock-out.

Pours deep, golden brown, one Pantone number from black. Beer foams beautifully, in a small bubbled head that lingers and tastes like the beer itself. Aroma is equal parts ripe banana and exotic vanilla, with a hint of cinnamon lingering. The smell alone justifies purchase. Taste is deeply complex with swirling profiles of banana, cinnamon and vanilla with the subtle sweetness of a dancing, green Orion woman on Star Trek. This is no common brew. With this brew in hand, you are forgiven if you believe that you are separate from the rest of beer mortals downing their less than adequate swill. With this brew, you have eclipsed them all. Spare no expense and get this beer.

 

A - Pours a classic oily Black with a Beige head that reduces slowly
S - Charred wood, seaweed and candied sugar.
T - Vanilla up front with some boozy aftertaste. The finish is long and sticky sweet.
M - A little bit thin for an Impy. The carbonation is good.
O - The finish is way too sweet for me and the body a bit too thin.