Fifty Fifty Imperial Eclipse Stout – Evan Williams 23 Year

I picked this beer up awhile back at Trenton Road Takeout. Let’s see how it was.

ABV: 11.9%

Style: American Double/Imperial Stout

Trivia: According to wikipedia.com, “An eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when an astronomical object is temporarily obscured, either by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer. An eclipse is a type of syzygy. The term eclipse is most often used to describe either a solar eclipse, when the Moon’s shadow crosses the Earth’s surface, or a lunar eclipse, when the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow. However, it can also refer to such events beyond the Earth–Moon system: for example, a planet moving into the shadow cast by one of its moons, a moon passing into the shadow cast by its host planet, or a moon passing into the shadow of another moon. A binary star system can also produce eclipses if the plane of the orbit of its constituent stars intersects the observer’s position.”

Random: As expected, the Phillies are playing like crap.

This beer poured with a one finger, light tan head that dissipated slowly with some lacing left on the glass. It had a black body with no visible carbonation due to the color. The nose was big with notes of espresso, vanilla, oak and dark, roasted malts. The taste was really nice. First, I got oak and vanilla. Then, espresso and dark chocolate came through. The booze was really well-integrated and it barely made an appearance. Despite being such a big beer, it didn’t hit you over the head with intensity, which was really nice. It had a thick and chewy body with light carbonation, making this a great sipper. It had a long finish with oak, vanilla and espresso. For $33.75 a bomber, this broke down to $1.53 per ounce, which is definitely expensive, but well worth it for one of the best beers of the style that I’ve ever had. Get your hands on this one.

Untappd Rating: 5.0/5.0

FiftyFifty Imperial Eclipse Stout – Old Fitzgerald

Well, I’m back from Atlantic City. As I mentioned before, I was down there for ACBF, which was a lot of fun. I didn’t do much “official” reviewing, but I found a bunch of new beers that I really enjoyed and will definitely be searching out. Anyways, this is a beer that I picked up in Maryland.

ABV: 9.5%

Style: American Double/Imperial Stout

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “One of the most epic beer tasting experiences you will ever have; this is what you get when you take our Totality Imperial Stout and age it in oak bourbon barrels. That extra step adds a plethora of flavors to the already rich Imperial Stout. At first taste there is a large presence of dark chocolate, espresso and warmth from the alcohol of the beer. Oak barrel character then comes into play with hints of vanilla and coconut, followed by mild bitterness from the hops, and then a nice long lingering finish with hints of tobacco, dark dried fruit and more chocolate. Eclipse is a wonderful companion with dessert. A beer meant for contemplation best enjoyed in a snifter and with a friend. Brewed in small 300 gallons batches, our brewers lovingly craft this masterpiece once a year.”

Random: Why did the Phils have to cancel their game today? I guess I’ll be catching up on movies.

This brew poured with a half a finger of tan head that dissipated quickly and left a little bit of lacing. The body was a dark brown color that was almost black with relatively high carbonation visible. The nose had notes of burnt caramel and dark cocoa with vanilla. There was not a huge amount of oak on the nose, but it was present. The taste had huge vanilla notes with roasted black malts and dark chocolate. There was some oak and bourbon present, but it wasn’t in your face dominant, although it lasted until the finish. I also got some burnt oak note and molasses. The body was thinner than expected with high carbonation. The finish was long with some booze warming. This beer was really complex and really good and the alcohol was relatively hidden. I wouldn’t buy this all of the time, but it was really good as a treat. If you can still find this one, it’s definitely worth a try.

Untappd Rating: 4.5/5.0