Imperial Eclipse Stout - Buffalo Trace Barrel Blend
FiftyFifty Brewing Co.

Imperial Eclipse Stout - Buffalo Trace Barrel BlendImperial Eclipse Stout - Buffalo Trace Barrel Blend
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From:
FiftyFifty Brewing Co.
 
California, United States
Style:
American Imperial Stout
Ranked #1,595
ABV:
9.5%
Score:
91
Ranked #8,015
Avg:
4.06 | pDev: 10.34%
Reviews:
71
Ratings:
265
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 27, 2022
Added:
Dec 08, 2011
Wants:
  76
Gots:
  99
Yellow wax.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by pkalix:
Photo of pkalix
Reviewed by pkalix from California

4.6/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
you guys are high! Sammy gave it a 2.93? oh please...
same recipe as the others, just a different barrel. great aroma in the glass, bourbon and oak, roasted malts.... vanilla. chocolate. yummmm...
taste is a lot like the others, except for a small difference which I assume is from the different barrels(?). I love this stuff and place it highly on my all-time list of favorites. it's a little expensive but it's a great treat when in the right frame of mind. warming and sweet on a cold December afternoon...
this may not be as good as the others I have tried, and i'm trying to decide if maybe because it was just bottled as opposed to sitting a bit, but I am truly entranced with this brew.
Dec 21, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.4 by Zonian1 from Ohio

Dec 27, 2022
Photo of jlindros
Reviewed by jlindros from Massachusetts

3.96/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
2016 vintage, before BT was all the rage
Pours a darker foamy 1/2 finger head with lower retention, little messy lacing, decent legs, pitch black color

Nose lots of dark chocolate, cocoa, roast, as usual, some baking spices, licorice, little cardboardy oxidation, a bit fudgey cocoa, cookie dough and nougat notes, a bit of vanilla, very light bourbon

Taste brings more rich thick fudgey cocoa, roast, coffee, dark chocolate, a little chocolate ganache, baking spices, touch of anise, vanilla spice and vanilla barrel, buttery oak, light bourbon again, and touch of oxidation, getting a bit more roasty and spicy later, little burnt caramel, spicy hops, med bitterness, sticky sweet finish, candy bar lingering, a bit more bourbon late with mild alcohol

Mouth is fuller bod, thick rich chewy, a touch of warming alcohol, med foamy creamy carb

Overall typical nice base stout, barrel aging itself was nice but the bourbon was too weak, and had very little left, esp something as good as BT, but prob past it's prime at this point
Oct 31, 2022
 
Rated: 4.14 by MDDMD from Pennsylvania

Jan 08, 2022
 
Rated: 3.75 by Nichols33 from Massachusetts

Jan 05, 2022
Photo of BEERchitect
Reviewed by BEERchitect from Kentucky

4.31/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
With the popularity of Buffalo Trace bourbon, the ever varying imperial stout from FiftyFifty takes on a unique Kentucky flare with barrel nuances of caramel, vanilla and oak to assist the wonderfully seared-in sweetness of the stout.

Inky and black, the beer is tar-like as a patient and creamy creme rises from beneath. Roasted malt layers in the nose with savory sweet fragrance and a tingle of oak-soaked booze and caramelized whisky spice. Its taste of black-strap molasses, dark chocolate and espresso come together seamlessly in early and supremely roasty first impression.

As those burnt sugars seep deeply into the tastebuds, they carry the bourbon overtones with it, but leading with hefty malt and cocoa-laced syrups. With hints of grilled berries and spicy licorice, the complexities of ale precede the caramel, vanilla and oak spices of bourbon.

The beer's full and lavish body is spicy and numbing with alcohol. Drying in finish, the roast and oak reveal a tinge of roast-derived astringency to create an aura of campfire ahead of a long and savory linger of burnt toffee and espresso roast.
Dec 20, 2021
 
Rated: 4.1 by dsshuck from Delaware

May 01, 2021
 
Rated: 4.35 by AshBlackstone from Florida

Dec 18, 2020
 
Rated: 4.25 by paulish from New York

Sep 19, 2020
 
Rated: 3 by MrCPMJ from Texas

Jan 27, 2020
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

4.67/5  rDev +15%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
2014 vintage; drank 1/15/16 @ Fountainhead.

Black/brown appearance.

Minimal tan head; minimal lace.

Banana, milk chocolate & cherry notes in the nose.

Medium thick mouthfeel.

Banana, cherry, lactose sugar & milk chocolate flavors up front; mild booze heat emerged as this warmed.

Incredibly delicious.
Mar 09, 2019
Photo of Thomas_Wikman
Reviewed by Thomas_Wikman from Texas

4.24/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
This is a truly enjoyable and complex Imperial Stout.

Look: black with a half inch mocca colored head

Aroma: chocolate, dark fruits, honey

Flavor: It is pretty good, dark fruits, raisins, some honey, chocolate and coffee, a bit sweet and no booziness.

Feel: full bodied, creamy
Dec 25, 2018
 
Rated: 4.08 by Hop_God from California

Dec 04, 2018
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
impressive pickup, by my dad of all people, 2014 vintage, and at this stage as good as just about any in this wildly enjoyable series of beers, identified only by their wax color. i have always loved how much honey comes through in the base beer, regardless of barrel treatment, its floral and sweet and seems to give life to the dark malts. cocoa and dark chocolate in this one, faint smoke and oxidation too at this point, some bitterness set against the honey, and a wonderful richness without ever being too sugary. the buffalo trace barrels are nice, a pretty classic bourbon complexion added here to the aroma and flavor, but more than anything i get the barrel char itself, high carbon, earthy, black, seemingly darker than any one element in the base beer itself. oak and vanilla of course too, which go real well with the honey, but the barrel in this one, as in many of these, seems to stand in service to the base beer, not override any flaw or take away from its well refined nuances. i love the bourbon with the base beer, i think its about perfectly aged at this point, and while i can get a little bit of booziness as it warms, its supremely drinkable for what it is, so smooth and mellow, even elegant. i love this series, and this one is amazing. thanks dad!
Aug 26, 2018
Photo of stakem
Reviewed by stakem from Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Dipping into my cellar for this one. 2011 bottling, at consumption time puts this at a little over 6 years in the bottle.

Bomber into a snifter appears black in color with a khaki head that fades leaving stringy lace.

Aroma of earth, charred grain, coffee, licorice and slight mineral aspect.

Taste is seemingly straight honey sweetness at first that gives way to fruity raison-like alcohol, slight oak and a touch of mineral component.

Medium in body with modest carbonation. This is much more sweet feeling than most other eclipse iterations are. Crazy drinkable.

Ive said it before and ill continue to proclaim it - Eclipse is either an amazing candidate for 5 years of aging or these older bottlings were infinitely better than the garbage they have been releasing lately.
Mar 30, 2018
Photo of kevanb
Reviewed by kevanb from Illinois

4.06/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4
650ml bottle, 2014 vintage - yellow wax, poured into a FiftyFifty Eclipse snifter glass.

The beer pours a deep jet black color, thick and viscous with a taut tan head, very good retention and incredible lace. The aroma is pleasant, strong oakiness, lightly charred, smooth bourbon, baker's chocolate, light vanilla, rich grains and some caramel. The flavors echo the nose well, bittersweet chocolate, plenty of charred oak, light bourbon, caramel and toffee with a bit of spice and vanilla and rich grain. The mouthfeel is great, thick and heavy full body, coating and creamy with a soft and warm finish.

Verdict: A very nice Eclipse variant from FiftyFifty. Aged very well, nice and mellow barrel character, distinctly Buffalo Trace and with nice grains and chocolate. Not the most vibrant or intense variant, but the balance is nice and it's very approachable.
Mar 14, 2018
Photo of SomethingClever
Reviewed by SomethingClever from Ohio

3.37/5  rDev -17%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
22 oz bottle poured into snifter.

A: Started out with a khaki inch of head that was creamy looking, but it departed quickly. Body is what is to be expected inky blackness with a little light escaping around the edges.

S: Lots of straight up bourbon, oak, a little leather and some licorice. A little roasted malts mingled in there as well.

T: Very soft no alcohol taste the taste is light chocolate, caramel, a little vanilla a little bit of a nut taste as well.

M: Thin, a touch high in the carbonation as well.

O: This was pretty average to be honest, I had high expectations going in but still it's a lot less of a beer than I thought it would be. Exceptionally thin and very basic and one dimensional.
Feb 18, 2018
 
Rated: 4.25 by teamwiggum from Wisconsin

Jan 07, 2018
 
Rated: 3.69 by Gambyt20 from Illinois

Dec 11, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by Mantooth from North Carolina

Nov 13, 2017
Imperial Eclipse Stout - Buffalo Trace Barrel Blend from FiftyFifty Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 91 out of 100 with 265 ratings