Eclipse Futures

Only a single experience data point to offer, but I bought the Elijah Craig variant last year for my 40th birthday. Didn't find the booziness overwhelming, noticeable but balanced by other attributes. Drank it 3 months after bottling and really enjoyed it, as did others that sampled it. So much so that I bought a bottle of the Apple Brandy variant this year.

 

I'm pretty price resilient but Eclipse has just never been worth the money to me. I have never bought from the futures program but the shelf price down here is anywhere from $34 to $40 OTD per bottle. That's the absolute top end of the price spectrum, (even higher than the much maligned Modern Times and most bruery day of the week beers...) for a pretty middle of the pack beer.

Always glad to try a splash and update my opinion if someone else pops one, but I havent brought one home myself for 3 or 4 years.

 

I agree on every aspect and I told
Myself if this beer didn't just knock my socks off I would be done.
Yeah, totally freaking done now. This was the worst beer ever.

 

I think the beers are on point with 1 - 2 years on it. Not worth the store price but have no problem with the futures price.

 

What's the justification for their high prices? I had them at shares, and would never buy at full price. I'd pay $18 for them, but not $30. I got a couple off futures, so figured it would be worth the risk. I could get two Double Barrel Baptist for that much. Now thats a delicious beer.

 

I haven't had any of this years yet, but the futures price is much cheaper than the retail price I see. I have never bought these in store but enjoy them enough to buy the futures. No, it is not the best beer you will have, but its pretty good. I enjoyed last years vanilla, although I didn't care for the coffee as much. My Futures price worked out to under $30 per bottle shipped to my house, which I think is pretty fair.

 

the cherry variant is super solid

 

I drank the Grand Cuvee Rye on Sunday and loved it.

 

Eclipse was one of the granddaddies of barrel aged stouts. Years ago, they were pretty elite. I'm not sure if they've gone down hill or there are so many other top notch offerings. Kind of like the Pliny-effect of bourbon barrel aged stouts. I do feel like they've gotten a little thin over the last couple of years, not the viscous thick stout that I used to love. Is it the beer? or is it me? Who knows, but yeah, it's definitely over priced at the store price point.

 

On top of the vanilla being awful taste-wise, it was extremely thin.

 

It's like when you have the family over and your grandpa uses language that isn't too politically correct, but you have to remember that he's not actually racist, he just comes from a different era where a lot of those "whoa there" statements were common.

Eclipse comes from a time when big BA stouts would cost $30 and they would sell. Those days are long gone and since they haven't adapted, even with a futures program that was never really all that enticing to me, I just pass these up.

 

You know that people still buy big BA stouts at $30+? And Eclipse starts at $22 a bottle...

Sure Eclipse at retail is ridiculous but the price for futures isn't that bad, and there aren't any Eventbrite, BPT or similar fees tacked on.

 

Might not be feasible but it would be nice if they would consider focusing more resources on Masterpiece.

 

Didnt their brewmaster leave two years ago too?

 

I selected a specific part of your statement to quote because its something ive been pondering for a couple years now.

I drink a lot of eclipse. Ive purchsed futures every year for the last 3-4 years and prior to that I bought and traded for every single iteration/treatment they released (including party bottles.)

Part of what ive witnessed and look back upon very well might be the evolution of my own taste/preference but I truly feel like something else is also going on here.

Bottles circa 2010-11 I really enjoyed fresh out the gate and up to 5 years later. The nuance of barrel character was not only identifable and differentiated between treatments but it had that wonderful blend of flavors I look for in a well constructed barrel aged beer. Notes of vanilla, toasted coconut, caramel - all present without those actual adjunct included.

Eclipse the last 3 years seemingly tastes more and more like the base beer and has less focus on the barrels they are aged in. Fresh out the gate they seem green, mineral-laden and need time. The barrel character seems much more subtle and between some treatments hardly differentiated.

With the new release just occuring I went and opened some bottles from last year's release. I was quite disappointed with cognac and the grand cru to the extent that I almost regretted buying futures this year. Both those treatments tasted oxidized which should not be that evident with only a years age.

I remain enthusiastic about trying the apple brandy version but if it and the others suffer from the mineral/green/oxidative character that last couple years has, I will reluctantly be done with eclipse.

 

You mean Todd? He left briefly, and then came back I believe

 

I am certainly an exception to a lot of people here ... but I drink most of my beers alone, not at shares. When I hear people talk solely about opening ba stouts at shares I'm not surprised that they always find the thickest / sweetest beer impressing. I tend to like ba stouts that I can drink 1/2 to a whole bottle of without palate fatigue after 4 oz. For me, the best variants of eclipse hit that mark. I can't speak to all variants this year or last, but the mouthfeel of the best variants works for me: it's solid for the style but not viscous / coating. That idea of intense viscosity (often coupled with a lot of residual sugar) is, if not a modern invention (thank Dark Lord I guess), a relatively new demand across the board. And, to take a few anecdotal non-beer geek data points, not actually preferred by many more "casual" beer drinkers. When I've shared super viscous stuff with people that aren't in the whale hunting mode or obsessed with beer sites ... they've often found them overwhelming, too much ("I couldn't drink more than a few ounces of that!" a complaint which is often what beer share folks consider a benefit), and preferred more drinkable stouts.

Anyway, I drank the Buffalo Trace variant from 16 last night and thought it was excellent. Medium thick creamy body, a lot of vanilla and burnt caramel in the middle, finishing with some charred oak, chocolate and (as mentioned above) a hint of minerality (which I didn't find off-putting in this case ... but could see where it would be unpleasant if more intense and upfront). A lot of bourbon character without any ethanol or heat.

 

envious of you guys enjoying all that eclipse.

 

That vanilla. Disappointed.

 

I've been meaning to respond to this thread - I've been a huge fan of Eclipse and FiftyFifty since about 2011 and am probably a total homer for them, but imo I don't think the quality has fallen off at all. Sure with the big increase in the number of variants over the years, some are gonna be hit or miss...the 2014 High West Single Malt (I think...the super smokey one) is just awful to me. I've never been a big fan of the vanilla variant either.

Having said that, most of the rest I find to be incredibly consistent and reliable. They are absolutely over-priced at retail, but the $20-$22/btl for the Futures program I find to be worth it for 1-2 cases a year. Personally I don't even bother aging them anymore really...I do have a 5yr vertical of Elijah Craig 12 going, but other than that I drink my 15+ or so bottles a year then order some more the following year. And yes, as the poster above mentioned, they are absolutely drinkable for one person in one evening, and my wife loves them too.