Imperial Eclipse Stout - Garrison Brothers' Bourbon Barrel (2023)
FiftyFifty Brewing Co.

 

Alphabetic order sometimes pushes one to get another review in while you have the big ol' binder book of reviews open to the corresponding letter. Spirit of the Eclipse, let's run the Garrison Bros while we're putting stuff away.

Pours black. Brown head. Perhaps slightly thinner than others, 1/3" depth. Aroma firmly in the predictably consistent dark chocolate, bourbon, charred oak equation that is Eclipse.

I'm noticing newer Eclipse takes on a bit more barrel notes and strength than in years past, neither better nor worse. But here, yes, bourbon plenty evident in the taste. Really enjoy the mouthfeel of making this quite easy to drink relative to its strength. Keep saying dark chocolate, oak, char, toffee. They're still top notch, even with hundreds of competitors since they were at the forefront of the barrel aged stout movement. Viscosity still in the desired range, always avoiding sticky sludge Chicago pour territory. I think this has consistently been a runner up the last few years at the party for me.

3/1/25 - (Bottle - Home) (Chicago, IL) Bottle Notes: Purchased store temperature at Woodman's Kenosha on 7/21/24 for $19.96 including tax. Refrigerated upon returning home before opening this morning. 16.9 oz bottled in 2023, more specifically April 17, 2023 based on social media release day posts. 12.5% ABV, serve in a snifter, enjoy at 50-55 F. 2023 Eclipse Barrel Aged Imperial Stout. Garrison Brothers bourbon Barrel. Imperial Stout aged in Garrison Brothers Texas Straight Small Batch Bourbon Barrels. Proudly brewed and bottled by FiftyFifty Brewing Company in Truckee, California.

Now in its 16th vintage, 2023 Eclipse is our rich Imperial Stout aged to perfection in whiskey and spirit barrels. All Eclipse starts with the same base beer bringing hints of dark chocolate, espresso, and a smooth complexity, with each barrel treatment delivering its own unique character after a minimum of 180 days of aging. Garrison Brothers Bourbon Barrel is aged exclusively in Texas Straight Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey barrels.

Appearance: Poured about 40 % initially into a small snifter, yielding a pitch black base and brief creamy white tan head that leaves a creamy with partially large bubbles around the rim, faint thin lacing in rare spots, and a razor thin cover over most of the base. 4.25

Aroma: Waited 20 minutes to warm, resulting in a very nice blend of a roast malt yield, and chocolate fudge, backed well by a smooth bourbon. Mild plus strength, higher enjoyment. 3.75

Taste: Stronger flavor though consistent with the aroma. A tug of war between the rich chocolate fudge and roast malt base, with a backing caramel, toffee and butterscotch which may derive from the base, whiskey or both. Whiskey turns from smooth to stronger as this warms. Really enjoying. 4.5

Mouthfeel: Drinks too easy for the 12.5% ABV. Creamy rich and decadent full body, negligible carbonation. Leans sweet plus, but within proper range. Toffee roast malt chocolate fudge with a bourbon topping finish. Really decadent. 4.75

Overall: This is a very good BA stout. Really like the base, like the bourbon at times. The luxurious mouthfeel is my primary takeaway. Only dislike was the wax bottles, but worth working through it to reach the contents. Well done as usual with this Eclipse release. 4.5

i cannot positively confirm that i had the 2023 vintage if they did these barrels more than one year, possible its 2024 i suppose, it was on tap at the brewery and not dated on their board, but its really good, rich and bourbon forward, ive always loved this whiskey and i think its uniqueness does shine through the big stout base enough to be recognizable, which is rad, but i also think, after trying a few different iterations of eclipse on this visit, that the base beer might not quite be what it used to be, which ws one of the best in the game, a honey imperial stout like no other, now im not even sure there is honey in it anymore, the roast is not as well integrated, and it lacks that patient slowly unfurling pace i always loved about this, the flavors of this kind of all hit at once, and its a short climax, and then subtle tannins and weird sweet flashes come and go, less refined and distinctive to me overall i think at its core, even if the barrel aspect is exactly what i was hoping it would be in this one. light roast and vanilla up front, barrel char, wet oak, light cinnamon warmth from the whiskey too coming through, bitterness to balance the brown sugar sweetness, a coffee note, toasted coconut to me, and even fudge brownie, excellent fusion of whiskey and malt character. there is some tannic sharpness to this, a thinning feel, some sweet milk chocolate that lingers, and i think a little less complexity than the best versions of this have delivered, some bubbles moving it along, some late bitterness to balance, very good bourbon on the exhale, lots to like here but in my mind these used to hit just a little harder with the wow factor in terms of overall quality, anyone else feeling the same about this series in recent years compared to what it used to be?

2024 Variant. Poured at 53°. Black with ruby edges; dark tan mixed bubbles head; ok cap retention; large island of micro dots; heavy ring; medium minus lacing; thin legs. Nose is bourbon, black licorice; some booze on exhale; chocolate. Entry is bourbon, oak, and dark chocolate; some vanilla as liquid warms; chocolate/bourbon ball candy finish; mildly sweet. Smooth silky feel; medium minus body; not adjuncty; some warmth from 12.4% abv; light carbonation. Overall, a sneaky easy drinking impy stout with little alcohol in the flavor; perhaps a bit thin for abv, but that contributes to the sneaky!; delish.

Sampling a cellar temp 500 ml bottle poured into my snifter. I purchased this at a beer shop in PA and its been in my cellar for about 8 months or so.
The beer pours a brown cola color from the bottle but rests much darker in my glass. A creamy dense khaki colored head of about 2 cm foams up in the glass and remains as a sturdy surface layer on my glass throughout the sampling.
Aroma is some dark chocolate, a bit of anice note, some black coffee and sweet bourbon. I also get a little char note, which mixes with the coffee and makes me think of burn coffee, but not in a bad or offensive level. No hop character and no boozy fusol notes either.
First sip reveals a medium body with very smooth texture and smooth gentle rolling carbonation. Not quite as robust of physical traits as I expected, no coating or sticky feel, but the beer does drink pretty easy for 12.5%.
Flavor is some dark chocolate and a bit of dark fruit and some sweet cherry too. Neither of the fruit characteristics were advertised on the aroma. I also get some bourbon and wooden barrel note and the bourbon lingers a bit after each sip. Never any booziness or heat and hops are totally absent on this beer too.
Im enjoying this beer and the fruit notes work well, I do wish the body was a little thicker, but everything else is a win here.

 

 

 

 

The ebony tap pour is clear and hosts a thin, tan foam ring.
The aroma is of toasted malt, bourbon and the oak influence is noted in the nose and the flavor.
This is a very pleasant bourbon barrel stout that is fully flavored and simple. The flavors persist in the finish.