Imperial Eclipse Bourbon Barrel Cuvee (2022)
FiftyFifty Brewing Co.

long been a fan of the eclipse, this one appears to be a blend from their favorite barrels of this vintage, neat to get to try it on tap, ive had so few of these in that format over the years! deep and dark and whiskey forward, an impressive beer, but not so substantial that its not also still kind of drinkable, at least for what it is. i dont have a good enough whiskey palate to call out any barrels, but that its all high end stuff seems obvious. luxurious layers of vanilla, hazelnut, maple, and honey waft from it, and then across the tongue as i drink it, marrying well with heavy oak, char, warming cocoa and bitter roast and baking chocolate, an espresso note here but its the whiskey richness and elegant malt layers that win out of any kind of bitter intensity at the end, and this is smooth in long in the best way, well refined, not too sugary, and silky smooth, with only moderate alcohol warmth. its got a full body yeah, but its not insanely heavy as these go, and i think that leaves more room for the complex whiskey nuance this leads with, vanilla for sure, but also things like graham cracker, toffee, and bran. i love how balanced this is, how forward the wood also is, and how unique it is compared to other eclipse variants i can recall, although it has admittedly been too long. always a pleasure to interact with these top of the line stouts, so many variants to track down!

 

Pretty sure this one is also known as the Spirit of Eclipse, as it’s the same ABV and it’s described as aged in whiskey distilled from Eclipse Imperial Stout Barrels. Pours dark, mild tan head and lacing. Smell is strong on bourbon barrel, notes of chocolate and coffee. Flavors of all three come through, and they do so with a nice balance. Medium bodied, slight thickness, boozy. Very good.