I know these are incredible beers, and I've never tried any, but are they worth the $33 they charge for one of these? I'm going to a place now to pick up some Sucaba, and I know they have Elijah Craig Eclipse bottles... Ultimately I know I'm not going to buy it. I just can't justify that amount of money on beer right now, but is this a decision I will regret down the line?
It's a tasty brew, especially with some age on it. But, for $33 you could buy 2 maybe 3 beers just as good and have a great night of drinking!
sucaba is better, IMO. eclipse though... it's worth buying at least once. elijah craig version particularly delicious too. just think of it as a 1-time "splurge" (if you can stomach the word 'splurge'). doesn't need to be a go-to beer, but it's a really nice BA stout.
Sure it's pricey, but why the hell not try it once? Then you'll know for sure. Go for the Elijah Craig! I think it's amazing.
Thats my line of thinking too. I'm still a relatively new BA so theres still a lot for me to try. Love the avatar btw.
Most people are going to tell you that it's not, but who knows, it may blow you away. I bought two bottles, tried one, and am cellaring one and I do not regret it.
Oh boy... another Eclipse "worth it" volleyball match http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/eclipse-worth-the-price.32424/
The value in buying eclipse is from getting to try different varieties of the same base beer. Your best bet is to buy a few bottles with a friend so you can try more than one. If you just want one bottle of BA stout you have better options. I wouldn't pay more than $25 personally though.
I did the same as Blanco and bought 5 different varieties with a friend - doubt we'll ever do it again but worth doing once.
It is tasty, but not worth $30+, IMO. I had this year's EC 12 and Evan Williams Eclipses and there wasn't really anything about them for me that set them apart from most other BA stouts. Rather than buy a single bottle of Eclipse last time was at Julio's, I bought eight bottles of other tasty beers for the same amount of money and had an enjoyable little tasting. No regrets.
Despite my above post, I do agree something like this is probably worth doing at least once—especially if you get a group of people to chip in. In this circumstance I feel like you're paying just as much for the experience of tasting the effect of the different barrels as your are the beer itself. That makes it more worth it.
Drinking a 2011 EC20 right now, my favorite variant of Eclipse. I wouldn't bother with the grand cru or brandy barrel, but any of the Elijah Craig's are pretty phenomenal.
The revised version of the thread the last time this was asked: yes, no, yes, yes, no, no, no, yes, no, yes, yes, no, no, no, no, and hell no. And yes. Please don't get sad if this gets nuked. I say fuggit. Pull the trigger and buy that bitch. Or don't.
Def get a bottle...the EC version is very tasty and quite distinguishable from other BB stouts...its smooth as silk and Im glad to have tried it...
Is any beer worth $33/bottle? No. Breweries, and stores charge that much because people are dumb enough (me included) to pay those prices. Just my opinion.
I bought the Elijah Craig 12 Year, and despite that fact that it was really good, I don't think the 30 bucks was worth it.
They are solid beers. If you can affored the price tag buy it. Beer isn't a cheap hobby. Spend what you can and enjoy.
If you are asking the opinion of the masses look at the reviews. Is it rated higher than any other BA Imp Stout to justify the highest price? No? Then its not worth it. Depends on what "worth it" means to you though....
All great advice, in the end I think I can allocate my money on something better. Like the bottle of BCBS CS I found at the same place.
It is a very tasty brew... said the guy who didn't pay for his. didn't know 33 was the price tag... but it is a very very tasty brew... good with a stogie too.
They are worth it, especially the really good ones like the rittenhouse and the EC. Not something I'd drink every day due to the price but definitely worth having a couple every year. Very unique, IMO. The difference between the different variants is surprisingly big too so it becomes a neat experiment since the base beer is the same. Dope
A month ago, they released a few and were selling via email/paypal and were shipping directly. The EC20 was $34, the EC12 and all others were ~$24. Phenomenal compared to other $15-$20 BA stouts, but not $30+. I picked up an EC12 and Old Fitz, but am aging them for a bit. Got to have them on tap at the brewery as I'm up that area pretty often.
Disagree when you consider BCBS and variants, BBpt5, Black Note, KBS, hell all of them. I think Eclipse is worth $15 a bomber tops.
BCBS and it's variants are cheaper, and potentially better. Then you have Rare, which is in it's own league.
Pretty sure a lot of people wouldn't be able to tell Rare apart from regular BCBS in a double-blind test. "In its own league" is pretty funny. Eclipse is tasty but way overpriced. There seem to be a lot of threads on this and most seem to say the same thing.
If you trade using beers from your area that's all they cost. Of course you have to act like shipping is free
Overpriced, yes, but if you've never tried it, It's worth the $$. Like most said, Elijah Craig is the way to spend your $
I bought a bottle to see what all the hullabaloo is about. Will likely drink it on Friday. Would love to do a tasting with the different variants, but can't justify spending all that cash. One is enough for me.
For those who drink bourbon is the Elijah Craig a better bourbon in general (on its own) or does it just work with the beer better? I too liked the EC (the 12 year over the 20 year) but wondered if the bourbon is actually better and how that translates into the barrel aging. edit: the reason I ask is because it seems EC tends to be the one people like more than others.
