Iced Imperial Eclipse Stout - FiftyFifty Brewing Co.

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

4.53/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

For my 2000th review, I'm going to re-review a bottle for the second time. Drank at March Madness during the Marquette beatdown of the team with the best record in the nation (Murray St.) to advance to the sweet 16.

Pours out the dark brown and mild black that all the Eclipse beers have going for them. Thin 1/4" head of tan. Heavier chocolate notes in the aroma, bourbon is nice but not massive and hot on the nose as usual as well.

Taste, very smooth, if this is 13.5% alcohol, you wouldn't ever know it. Still more chocolate, caramel and coconut slips in there at times.

Such a silky mouthfeel, without being challenging at all. Less heat than some beers with half the alcohol. Amazing flavor without becoming a sludgy viscosity stout, nothing in the realm of thin, but just simply great. I came in expecting thick, heat etc. . . but was pleasantly impressed with how it brought out the flavors I liked (chocolate, caramel, bourbon, oak) while keeping the heft, sweet and heat to its usual well reserved place. Found it to be one of my favorite Eclipse beers out there. Would love to see Todd do an Iced Brandy Eclipse one of these days.

So there it is folks, review #2000, redux.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2012 17:56:05 | More by Beerandraiderfan

largadeer

California

4.5/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Jason opened this one after the Eclipse release party, because apparently we weren't drunk enough.

This one looks a touch more viscous than regular Eclipse, with similar color and carbonation.

The nose has a huge and decadent dark chocolate character, while bourbon is more of a background note (think liquor-infused chocolate candies). Alcohol isn't particularly noticeable, and oxidation is minimal. There's a trace of dark fruit.

I was expecting the licorice notes of Totality to be amplified on the palate, but they're actually pretty mild; a big dark chocolate richness has taken over. Bourbon flavors are present but not dominant, lending an integrated caramel undertone. It's a touch more boozy and sweet than regular Eclipse, but not by much; ultimately it's fairly dry and mellow for such a big beer, and should appeal to people that find beers like Bourbon County Stout or Black Tuesday to be too sweet or hot.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this one, but it's quite nice as it turns out. Not as over-the-top as it sounds, but a very balanced sipping beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 20:36:49 | More by largadeer

dsgolovin

California

4.45/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had during Superbowl halftime. Go Niners! Thanks Evan.

A- pitch black with small dissipating head. What lingered looked like bubbles at the bed of a marsh, like you'd have to pop them with your finger.

S- Chocolate, bourbon. Just really nice is all I can say, no burning ethanol smell.

T- I can't believe how smooth this is for how large of a beer it is. No overpowering flavors, just really well rounded. I like this beer much more than the sweet boozy bombs that a lot of barrel-aged stouts are. Sorry, but I don't care for Black Tuesday.

O- Thanks Todd for a great beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2012 08:30:54 | More by dsgolovin

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.45/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Big thanks goes out to aasher for sharing this one during the One Year Anniversary of My Wreck Tasting! Bottle #195 of 209? Served from bottle into a Crooked Stave ‘Crooked Line’ tulip. Poured pitch black with a minimal tan head. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of roasted malt, sweet malt, dark chocolate, dark fruit, caramel, vanilla, wood, sweet alcohol, and raisin. The flavor was of sweet malt, dark fruit, vanilla, wood, sweet alcohol, caramel, and raisin. It had a medium feel on the palate with medium-high carbonation. Overall this was a fairly great brew. The complexity on this brew was nothing short of mind-blowing if I’m honest. There was so much going on upon inspection in both the nose and flavor that I never knew what I was going to get next. What I did know was that it was going to be enjoyable. There was no bite from the alcohol at all as it more blended in with all the other things going on. A really well done brew that I’m happy I got the opportunity to try. Thanks for this one Al!

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2012 11:56:28 | More by thagr81us

RodneyX

Missouri

4.4/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Note: This is a re-review. I was drunk, my friends told me they opened the bottle and handed me a glass full of The Dogfather, which I reviewed in the 3.8's. We opened the real one two weeks later when they finally let me in on the secret.

This beer looks a lot like most of the Eclipse variants. Black with some brown around the edges and no real head, although that is not expected in this. This beer actually looks a bit thicker than some of the other versions, which is nice as I've always foudn them a bit thin. There is a lot of chocolate and cocoa powder in the nose with just a bit of barrel. Taste is very solid with a lot of chocolate, unsweetened cocoa, and a bit of bourbon. There is something quite different and unique about this beer that I quite enjoy, although I can't really put my finger on it, but it tastes quite good. As noted in other reviews the barrel has been minimized in this, I'm guessing due to the icing process. It's a little on the heavy side of medium bodied and has some moderate carbonation, fine for the style. The beer is really good, and doesn't suffer from some of the heat and sweetness that other huge BA stouts do. Easy drinker. I'm not sure it's worth quite what I had to give up for it, damn low bottle count, but this is a fine beer that I'd happily drink more of, although I doubt the chance will come again.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2012 17:29:20 | More by RodneyX

Sean9689

Illinois

4.4/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle, shared with the STL crew and poured in a tulip.

A - Pours black, nice creamy mocha-colored head, thin ring, some oily brown residue along the sides of the glass, wisps on top.

S - Chocolate, both milk and dark, light level of roast, some caramel, vanilla, light char and oak. The booze is really subtle and smooth, and for 13.5%, I'm blown away.

T - So.Damn.Smooth. Excellent chocolate sweetness, more milk then dark, vanilla, caramel, oak, roasted malty notes, and a little more char then the nose suggests. The booze comes out and warms you a bit more then it did on the nose, but I really think it needed more of a EC-kick. Finish is chocolate and light booze, just excellent.

M - Medium, rich and smooth, light carbonation, creamy finish.

O - Another impressive Imperial Stout by FiftyFifty. I really was digging how smooth this was and how different this was then any of the other Eclipse variants. Looking forward to the next time I have one of these. Excellent stuff.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2012 00:35:36 | More by Sean9689

FosterJM

California

4.4/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

1169th Review on BA
Bottle to Snifter
22oz

Thanks to Mrhirschybar for sharing

Shared with GuruDel, Jazzpatel, MrHirschybar and BdubleEdubleRUN

App- An interesting mix of ambers and cola brown. Not at all like the others. Only a small 1 finger head formed and was gone but left great cling and lace.

Smell- Big aromatics on this one. A huge roasty note opened this beer with a chocolate note that leant itself to a bit sweet and sticky. Large malt backing notes.

Taste- This was very decadant. The new treatment adds a very creamy smoothness that was rich with what I say a batter like flavor. The stout lent notes of roasted malts with a chocolate cream cake flavor.

Mouth- For as rich as this beer was it had a great feel that was tempered by a light medium body and then a low medium carbonation. Very chocolate cream residual flavors.

Drink- This was very creamy and smooth. The malts and treatment added pockets of flavors and a rich chocolate flavors and made the ABV non existent.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2012 01:56:05 | More by FosterJM

hooliganlife

Missouri

4.38/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

BIG thanks to Sean9689

pour was dark brown or light black. some cocoa head, a bit thick.

light subtle sweetness with a chocolate milk like scent. very smooth. not much barrel aging on the nose.

insanely smooth. a great mix of chocolate and candy with light barrel aged integration. the barrel aging is very subtle but really blends well making this very easy. the alcohol was nearly non existant.

very smooth, mild carbonation. no booze at all.

this was very impressive. didnt quite remind me of the other eclipses, but more chocolate and smoothness.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 01:01:40 | More by hooliganlife

MasterSki

Illinois

4.35/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Thanks to tashbrew for sharing this one. Served in a tasting snifter.

A - Pours with a finger of tan foam settling to a thick collar and thin cap, leaving behind minimal lace. Dark brown body with ruby-brown glints. Looks similar to every other Eclipse, but somewhat impressive considering the higher ABV.

S - I'm immediately struck by how much this tastes like a bigger Totality rather than a bigger Eclipse. There's fairly low barrel and bourbon presence - I guess this makes sense considering the blend used. Plenty of brownie, honey, dark chocolate, light licorice, and surprisingly mild suggestions of alcohol.

T - Taste is quite similar, with massive dark chocolate, mild roast, and plenty of caramel, biscuit, cocoa butter, and low barrel presence. Quite smooth, and eminently drinkable, but I could used a dash more Elijah Craig 18 presence to add depth and complexity.

M - Super creamy and smooth texture, medium-full body, and lower carbonation. Shockingly well-hidden alcohol, with only a touch of warming alcohol on the back end. Very little in the way of roast dryness or barrel tannins.

D - This is very good, although it's more Iced Totality than Iced Eclipse in some ways. Quite delicious, and significantly improves on the thin texture that plagues some Eclipse variants. Best enjoyed in small quantities, but looking forward to trying this again at the Chicago mega-Eclipse showdown.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 20:10:51 | More by MasterSki

HopHead84

California

4.3/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

7/6/2012 and 4/13/2013

Bottle shared by Jason and a bottle from Chris. Thanks!

A: Brown bordering on black with dark red highlights. Small head quickly fades.

S: Cocoa and vanilla. Touch of smoke with strong molasses, anise, and licorice notes. Some booze. Bourbon and oak are faint. A touch of cinnamon, kind of Mexican chocolatesque.

T: Big licorice and roasted notes with a firm anise presence. Light bourbon. Dark chocolate. Strong licorice finish. Mellowed out in 9 months (cold stored though).

M: Full body with medium carbonation. Sticky with warming.

Overall: This second bottle was a lot better than the one I had in 2012. Very nice.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2013 16:27:14 | More by HopHead84

KevSal

California

4.25/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thought id do new years right by cracking open this guy. Bottle 102 of 120 given out at the eclipse release party.
Iced totality in steel barrels than had eclipse Elijah Craig 18 blended in according to the brewer. Sits around 12 to 15% ABV

22oz bottle poured into 4 snifters

A- Almost no head but a ring of brown bubbles on the rim. Looks a lot like the other eclipse variation, blacked out center with dark brown around the edges. Not as thick as I was expecting

S- great! huge chocolate nose, roasted malts, sweet chocolate. Smells a like a bigger eclipse. (well which is exactly what it is essential). a hint of barrel, not as much as I was hoping though.

T- tons of flavor on this guy, lots of bitter chocolate and many layers of flavor. Doesnt taste like any other variation. Each sip brings something new and different. Very slight burn behind the dark chocolate, should be smooth with a bit of age. Slight barrel in the back, wishing for more.

M- mouthfeel is very good, nice carbonation and almost no alcohol burn as I was expecting.

O- very tasty brew, a bit different than I was expecting. I wish there was more barrel on this guy that's what makes these beers special. Would love to try an iced grand cru for sure. In a few months this guys will be tasting amazing. look forward to trying more usig this method.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 03:41:08 | More by KevSal

illidurit

California

4.23/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle shared at Woodshop 7 at Beachwood BBQ in Long Beach during Ratebeer Summer Gathering 2012. Deathly black with a dark-tan head. Strong and sweet with plenty of chocolate and a blatant honey note in the middle. Finish is actually rather dry and bitter.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2012 07:23:59 | More by illidurit

aasher

Indiana

4.18/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle courtesy of BrewerB, shared with the Charlotte crew. Thanks Brian!

This one pours a full bodied midnight black with a slight off white lacing around the glass. The nose is rich and syrupy. It is sweet and malty with dark roasted malt, molasses, honey, and light whiskey. The flavors too, sweet and rich. There is a load of melted sweet and dark chocolates, honeycomb, molasses, choclate and covered raisins. Luckily this one is full bodied, and thicker than most Eclipses. It is big and rich with nice, well rounded flavors. I was very pleased as.was the tasting group.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2012 03:14:25 | More by aasher

scottfrie

California

4.15/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle number 35 split with Jeff, Chad and Mike.

A: The pour is similar to all the other Eclipses, except the head is almost nonexistent (not that the others were huge). I did get a few spots of soapy lace though.
S: Very roasted smelling with notes of toasted malts, dark chocolate and caramel. I’m not really getting any distinguishing barrel quality to this beer, nor am I getting any bourbon. I wish I did, but at the same time, at least this beer isn’t a hot boozy mess for being 13 plus ABV. I do get a weird winterfresh mint or anise smell that is very faint and probably comes from the totality.
T: Dark chocolate, light anise, caramel and very roasted flavors dominate. I get a hint of marshmallow, vanilla and cocoa in the finish. Again, the Elijah Craig bourbon barrel is pretty much undetectable.
M: This is a very thick beer with a viscous body, but the mouthfeel isn’t ‘buttery’ like I thought the EC 18 and Pappy were. Since EC18 is in this beer, I was expecting that great creamy, greasy, buttery quality to the mouth, but it’s just not there. However, this beer drinks like a beer with half the alcohol. I’m not getting any trace of burn or even warmth. This beer is very very smooth and super easy to drink.
O: This Eclipse is one of the top drinking of the varieties, but I wouldn’t say it’s really any better than the other ones. It’s no worse either if that makes sense. I didn’t think it was all that complex, but I did think it was an amazing stout. The alcohol is hidden so well, and the body is very viscous and thick. It’s also very delicious, just nothing spectacular. I still like some of the more available Eclipse treatments better though, especially since they are more available and taste just as good.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 01:20:23 | More by scottfrie

womencantsail

California

4.15/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The pour is black as you can get with a tan head. Nose is quite sweet. Brown sugar, molasses, and a hint of licorice. Dark fruit notes, graham cracker, and some vanilla. There's a decent roastiness and a little bit of bourbon, too. The flavor is very sweet and sugary. Lots of brown sugar, vanilla, and chocolate. Mild licorice and graham cracker along with bourbon and a hint of oak.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2012 22:35:02 | More by womencantsail

UCLABrewN84

California

4.1/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Tieman for sharing this one at mrbubbler's "end of the world" tasting.

2011 vintage.

Pours an opaque black with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Foamy rings of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, cocoa, vanilla, wood, and alcohol. Taste is much the same with an alcohol kick and a mild roasty bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that is tasty but pretty strong.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 05:18:55 | More by UCLABrewN84

flexabull

California

4.03/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Shared by beerandraiderfan while watching March Madness in Reno, thanks again!

Pours a thick and dark brown color, a bit still, with a small tan head.

Aromas are of cola, chocolates, coconut, and hints of bourbon.

Flavor is not as pronounced as the nose suggested. Light cola, brown sugars, chocolate, coconut, and slight warm boozy bourbon flavors. Tasty though.

Mouthfeel is smooth, but a bit thin, and not quite as thick and chewy as I tend to like this style to be.

Overall, a very well made Imperial Stout, I did prefer the other Eclipse I tasted. (EC 18)

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2012 16:36:43 | More by flexabull

Arbitrator

California

4.03/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Chilled bottle into a glass. I got this at the Eclipse 2011 party.

A: Pours pitch black with a tan head.

S: Even if you hadn't told me this involved Elijah Craig 18 Eclipse, I'd be able to guess it from the nose. It has the sweet chocolate-brownie and licorice aromas of Totality, amped up to a level that supports notes of coconut, caramel, oak, and vanilla. If you ever complained that the base beer didn't shine through enough in other Eclipse variations, you will be happier with this one.

T: If anything, this is more Iced Totality than Iced Eclipse. The base beer lends milk chocolate (brownie), licorice, and mild roast to the experience. The EC 18 Eclipse brings its signature bourbon-coconut-vanilla melange to the flavor profile. The result is a nice mixture, though the barrels are almost an afterthought.

M: Smooth in texture with a medium-plus body. Carbonation is on the lower end of medium. No booziness; even some EC 18s I've had have been a little boozy, so for something to be higher in ABV than those and yet smoother on the palate is impressive.

O: I was hoping this would be heavier, but that's just my expectation (and not necessarily a reasonable one). I wonder why they didn't go for 100% iced EC 18 Eclipse instead of the blend that they chose. It might be interesting to barrel age iced Totality instead of doing it all after the fact. Good beer, but I thought my better bottles of EC 18 Eclipse exceeded this by a fair margin.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2012 01:48:17 | More by Arbitrator

SpeedwayJim

New York

3.85/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Brought this to a tasting 12/8. 5oz pour into a Bruery snifter. Reviewed from notes.

Pours a rich mocha head with little retention. Pitch black color with spotty and sparse lace but thick, oily legs. Luscious.

Nose is fudge, mocha, chocolate, molasses with some light booze overtones. Very robust, aromatic, and deep.

Opens roasted malt bitterness combined with chocolate, fudge, cocoa powder and molasses sweetness. Dark coffee towards the middle and end. Mounds of smoke. Roasted malt in the finish and aftertaste. Decent, but definitely not even close to the best of the bunch.

Medium bodied with low carbonation. Oily and slick in the mouth and surprisingly a bit thin. Messy finish with a lingering aftertaste. A bit abrasive in the carbonation also. Still decent but a bit of a letdown.

Given the rarity of this bottle and the fact that it was given out as a gift to Eclipse Release party attendees, I'm a little disappointed by this one. Body is surprisingly thin and the icing just really didn't impart a whole lot into this beer. Still solid but definitely not worth the hype.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2012 23:07:57 | More by SpeedwayJim

oline73

Maryland

3.85/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured from the bottle into a tasting snifter.

This beer pours a dark mahogany color with almost no head. The smell is rather sweet with a mild bourbon note. I'm also getting dark chocolate and some dark fruit. I didn't think the taste was particularly special. I would have liked to have more barrel show up here. Sweet roasted malt teams up with the bourbon and some dark fruit. I would say it was pleasant, but not particularly special. The finish is roasty and still a bit sweet. There wasn't much carbonation in this beer. Definitely wish there was more barrel in the taste, but I still enjoyed it and it was a treat to try.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 04:08:50 | More by oline73

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

3.79/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Thanks to Chance for sharing!

The beer is dark brown with very minimal head. The aroma has a big oak presence, even tannic. Roast and chocolate. While the increased abv is well hidden, the beer really runs together with most of the rest of the beers in the series. Bourbon presence is certainly the, but not as bold as I was hoping. Slightly sweet. A bit bland. Low carbonation, almost still. Highly anticipated, this was exciting to try, but not among my favorites of the series.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 01:12:30 | More by Huhzubendah

Khazadum

Illinois

3.7/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Good appearance, nice creamy cereal colored edges. Decent retention, and lacing.

Has this light spicy nature on the back end. Opens grainy. Low barrel, bitter, little bit of Brown sugar.

Wow that spiciness comes out. Roasted and molasses sweetness mixes with juniper. An odd hop chatacter. It's vegetal... Odd. Lingering. Heat of sweet alcohol. Cherries and dark fruits.

Medium bodied, fluid. Some creaminess. Hmmm. Lingering tannins. Good carbonation. This beer let me down.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2012 21:48:19 | More by Khazadum