Imperial Eclipse Stout - Coffee - FiftyFifty Brewing Co.

Sean9689

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +4.9%

01-22-2013 00:56:17 | More by Sean9689

JoEBoBpr

Missouri

4.36/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured into a tulip from a 22oz bottle.

2012 Vintage
Bottle # 121

Pours a nice dark mahogany color with a nice tan light/cream colored head that is pretty dense. The retention is pretty low but there is some slight stickyness to it.

Aroma of mocha and cocoa notes with some nice fudge notes. There is some slight coffee notes on the background. There is also some good sweet molasses and caramel notes in there. The aroma is very balanced with some slight woody notes. Sweet cocoa notes with some bitter dark chocolate and some mild coffee notes in the aroma.

Flavor starts out pretty awesome! Starts off with nice chocolatey and mocha notes followed by some nice slight strong espresso notes. The body is pretty nice and smooth for a brew that seems to pour pretty light. The body is velvety. There is a nice coffee roast finish and dry bitterness that starts off around the middle of the brew but the bitterness subsides and the roast intermingles with nice slight molasses sweetness. This brew is soo well a balanced the flavor is nearly perfect. It has just enough coffee and woody notes and just enough sweetness to blend in together in a chocolatey roasted mess of deliciousness.

I was pretty impressed with this brew. It is up there as one of the better coffee stouts I've had. Great body that is rich and silky. The coffee notes and sweet chocolatey malt notes marry perfectly.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 01:23:55 | More by JoEBoBpr

BMart

Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +10.7%

05-13-2013 16:32:48 | More by BMart

yourefragile

District of Columbia

3.75/5  rDev -12.6%

05-13-2013 02:34:46 | More by yourefragile

kevindp9

Texas

4.75/5  rDev +10.7%

05-04-2013 05:00:57 | More by kevindp9

SpeedwayJim

New York

4.26/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

22oz. waxed bottle into a Brooklyn Brewery snifter. Shared with schen9303.

Pours a dark, dense black brew with no head. Lacing is layered, thick and patchy with good stick. Thick, oily legs too. Good looking beer.

Nose is big mocha, chocolate, cocoa and roasted malt. A touch of a lactose/cream undertone. Real rich, deep, and delicious. Pretty aromatic too. I like it.

Opens coffee, mocha and chocolate. Cocoa powder, fudge, leather and burnt malt in the middle. End is more coffee and cocoa. Aftertaste of molasses, leather, and mocha. Pretty straightforward but the coffee is big and bold here... something I don't always get out of coffee imperial stouts.

Full bodied with moderate to low carbonation. Oily, thick, and slick in the mouth and goes down smooth. Messy finish with a long, sticky, lingering finish. Great for the style.

I've been very impressed with the beers from the 50/50 Imperial Stout series and Coffee Eclipse is no exception. The flavors here are pretty straightforward but the coffee is big, bold and in your face. Feel is great as always and overall this one is just as advertised. Definitely worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 03:25:39 | More by SpeedwayJim

Alieniloquium

Florida

4.06/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

650 mL bottle poured into an Eclipse snifter. 2012 bottle.

Appearance - Murky black with transparent edges. Not much of a head. Wispy surface.

Smell - Subtler bourbon flavor. The coffee is very raw. Not a strong coffee aroma. "Green"coffee aroma.

Taste - Coffee is sharp but green again. Sharper than the bourbon. The bourbon is smooth and flavorful, but subtle. Dark chocolate flavor. Bourbon lingers and sweetness isn't overpowering.

Mouthfeel - Slick and creamier than the base beer. Medium carbonation. Sweet and barrel booze finish. Bitterness from the coffee.

Overall - The coffee doesn't really add any more than it detracts from the barrel flavor. I didn't have to trade through the roof for this one, thankfully.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 20:43:48 | More by Alieniloquium

kbuzz

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -12.6%

03-24-2013 23:30:47 | More by kbuzz

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Thanks to Shilt for the share.

Dark black pour with a small tan head that retained as a ringlet; some oily streaks left on the glass. Aroma of dark roasty malts, cocoa, coffee overshadowing the bourbon. I actually think the coffee detracted from the taste in this beer, in that it clashed a bit with the bourbon. Fairly roasty taste, between the dark malts and the coffee, with a bit of astringency coming from the latter, bourbon and oak, notes of cocoa and vanilla bean. Body was on the heavier side of medium, carbonation was low, mouthfeel could've been smoother. My verdict remains in place...coffee didn't help this beer. It didn't kill it, it was still good, but probably my least favorite of the varieties.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 21:37:58 | More by Rifugium

orangesol

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev -0.9%

03-24-2013 16:34:15 | More by orangesol

AutumnBeerLove

Massachusetts

4.75/5  rDev +10.7%

03-15-2013 17:43:03 | More by AutumnBeerLove

mendvicdog

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev -0.9%

03-10-2013 16:55:49 | More by mendvicdog

oline73

Maryland

4/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured from the bottle into a tasting snifter.

Pours a dark mahogany color with a layer of off white/light tan head. The smell is the best part of this beer. Smooth, fresh coffee hits the nose hard, it's very nice. I'm also getting mild bourbon, dark fruit, and some caramel. The taste was a bit of a let down after smelling this beer. It was a good coffee stout and I enjoyed it, but I can't say I thought it lived up to the hype. There was a touch of bitterness in the finish. The bourbon was there, but I would have liked it to be a bit stronger. This was more of a refined coffee stout than I expected. I enjoyed this beer, but it didn't knock my socks off.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 04:03:06 | More by oline73

duceswild

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev -12.6%

03-09-2013 20:50:40 | More by duceswild

Beerontwowheels

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev -0.9%

03-09-2013 14:56:08 | More by Beerontwowheels

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.3/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Shared by Oline73. Thanks Steve.

The beer appears dark brown with a thick tan head. The aroma brings a huge dose of coffee. Additional notes of roast and chocolate, but coffee takes center stage. Oak presence asserts itself much more in the flavor than in the aroma. A bit tannic with bold coffee. Very tasty. What a treat.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 00:51:07 | More by Huhzubendah

ehammond1

California

4.2/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle (2012)

Thanks for opening this with me, DarthKostrizer!

Black in body with a thin ring of dark brown foam atop. This already looks a touch thicker than other Eclipse variants. Slightly oily sheen. Leaves the glass oily and spotted with dots of stick.

The coffee aroma is very well integrated into the base, delicious aroma of Eclipse: chocolate, smooth, integrated bourbon, a bit of vanilla, and a wave of cold-pressed coffee. Very nice.

The flavor is similar to the aroma. This is not a coffee-bomb of a barrel-aged stout, like BCBCS, for example. The coffee is present, but only complementary, as opposed to boldly in-your-face. Nice layers of chocolate, some roast, bourbon and oak, and a bit of vanilla push up against the added coffee element. Very drinkable.

Medium bodied with low carbonation. Very nice, and definitely thicker than most of the other Eclipse variants I've tried.

A wonderful nightcap.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 23:09:27 | More by ehammond1

Gobzilla

California

4/5  rDev -6.8%

03-02-2013 20:06:29 | More by Gobzilla

largadeer

California

4.5/5  rDev +4.9%

02-26-2013 02:13:15 | More by largadeer

scottfrie

California

4.38/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bottle consumed Dec 2012. Thanks Chad.

A: Normal eclipse look (raisin to near black with a small head). Looks fairly thick and delicious. Spotty lace.
S: Rich coffee beans and dark chocolate fill my nose. One of the more potent smelling coffee beers I've had, probably due to its freshness. I detect hints of vanilla mixed in with the coffee ground scent as well.
T: Big chocolate fudge sickle taste mixed with super rich and extremely bitter coffee grounds. One of the more richer and smoother of the Eclipse treatments. Vanilla comes through more as toasted marshmallow along with flavors of oak, raisins and buttery EC 12. The bourbon is not strong, but its balancing, smoothing, presence is felt. The aftertaste is very bitter and lingers with chocolate and coffee long after the swallow.
M: Medium-full body but a medium-thin mouthfeel. Carbonation is normal. Could be slightly thicker but this beer is very smooth and creamy and drinks very well. No warming alcohol detected.
O: Drinks like a rich coffee stout. Bourbon doesn't stand out but where it lacks the coffee steps in. One of the more flavorful, unique, and delicious Eclipses made yet.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2013 01:18:59 | More by scottfrie

jeonseh

Indiana

3.83/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Shared by leftyhyzer at NWI tasting

A - Dark coffee brown with lighter chocolate accents. Small mocha colored head

S - Dark chocolate, fudgy browny, light coffee, sweet cream, and a slight alcohol presence

T - Sweet vanilla, light cream, and coffee upfront. The finish is a slight bitter coffee presence. Coffee is really the main flavor throughout.

MF - Light body with an astringent finish from the coffee. A bit too thin for me

O - Solid coffee beer with good flavor throughout. There really isn't much barrel presence and it is a bit thin. This is a solid coffee stout but not worth the effort to track down one of these bottles.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 01:55:19 | More by jeonseh

GrumpyOldTroll

New Jersey

4.75/5  rDev +10.7%

02-08-2013 03:54:45 | More by GrumpyOldTroll

Azrael

3.75/5  rDev -12.6%

01-25-2013 06:11:56 | More by Azrael

Shilt

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +4.9%

01-22-2013 15:44:02 | More by Shilt

jethrodium

California

4.53/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

650 ml bottle. Pours a dark cola brown with a small tan head that settles to a ring and leaves some light lacing on the glass. The aroma is lots of coffee, some chocolate, marshmallow, bourbon, vanilla, and coconut. Awesome. The taste has a bit of initial sweetness. There is lots of coffee, bourbon, vanilla, and some light coconut. The finish has a lot of coffee, some oak and some lingering bourbon with a very light astringency. Medium body. Medium carbonation. Amazing beer. It should probably be drank soon before the awesome coffee flavor fades.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 00:59:52 | More by jethrodium