FiftyFifty Imperial Eclipse Stout - Elijah Craig 20 Year Barrel
Imperial Eclipse Stout aged in special release Elijah Craig 20 Year Bourbon Barrels
Note from the brewer: The white wax 2011 Eclipse was all 20 year. There was no such brand when we acquired barrels, so we called it 18 year. We have since found out that the 20 year old barrels were dumped for a 20yo Elijah Craig special bottling.
Vintages:
2011 Imperial Eclipse Stout (Elijah Craig 18/20 Year Barrel) = White Wax
2012 Imperial Eclipse Stout (Elijah Craig 20 Year Barrel) = White Wax
Note from the brewer: The white wax 2011 Eclipse was all 20 year. There was no such brand when we acquired barrels, so we called it 18 year. We have since found out that the 20 year old barrels were dumped for a 20yo Elijah Craig special bottling.
Vintages:
2011 Imperial Eclipse Stout (Elijah Craig 18/20 Year Barrel) = White Wax
2012 Imperial Eclipse Stout (Elijah Craig 20 Year Barrel) = White Wax
4.1
253 reviews
Truckee, United States
Community reviews
Bottle at Cotteridge 2. Black colour with a tan head, Aroma bourbon, smooth chocolate, roasted coffee. Taste smooth and silky.
Bottle share at Ratebeer meet up, Cotteridge Wines, Cotteridge, Birmingham Saturday 5th March 2016 Pours black with a beige head. Rich and smooth, bourbon on the nose, silky and indulgent beer, despite the abv there is very little heat, it’s a very good beer. A7 A4 T9 P4 Ov17 .17 4.1
Cotteridge 2 tasting. Black beer lasting tan head slightly oxidised. Some dry chocolate sponge. Soy sauce. Not good.
July 18, 2015. Bottle, vintage 2012.
Black with a minimal white head. Aroma is chocolatey, bourbon, charred oak, caramel, fudge, vanilla, hints of coffee, alcohol and dried fruits. Taste is sweet malty, light bitter roastiness and warming alcohol. Finish is sweet fudgy, raisin, vanilla, bitter notes of dark chocolate, hints of ash, coffee, a bit woody, warming bourbon alcohol. Full bodied, creamy, oily texture, soft carbonation.
Bomber @ FiftyFifty Charity Tasting: Vintage 2012 : Served in a taster:
Black body with a light tan head.
Aroma is alcohol, brown sugars, roast, vanilla, fudge, caramel, liquorice, bourbon, light bay leaf...
Flavour is roasty, bitter, wood roast, mal roast, caramel, fudge, vanilla...
Aftertaste is roast, bitters, bourbon, vanilla and fudge...
Low carbo, creamy mouthfeel, close to full bodied.
Intense great and smooth brew. The whisky is very smooth and woody, great and smooth in combination. Fascinating deep wth not being too sweet but with great brown-sugar hints on a nice and soft milk-chocolate basis with lots of great woody Bourbon. Round and fascinating stuff with great Bourbon and wood in the background!
Fast schwarz, geringe beige Schaumkrone. Geruch schokoladig, Kleber, Vanille, Toffee, Kaffee, Alkohol. Geschmack nach Vanille, Karamell, Holz, Schokolade, Kaffee, Alkohol, lecker!
shared with Koelschtrinker. Black color with tan ring. Aroma is boozy, bourbon, vanilla. Taste is vanilla, wood, with a nice booze burn. Low carbonation. Nice stuff, the booziness fits!
Intensiv malzig schokoladiger Antrunk, Noten von Vanille, steigende Süße. Vollmundig, dabei sehr weich, ein wenig trocken, dennoch rund. Zum Ende etwas Alkohol, holzige Noten. Langer Nachhall, weiterhin sehr weich. Gut. 10/12/13/12/11/12
2011 Vintage bottle. Aroma is moderately chocolate forward with some light roast notes. Hints of leather and dark fruit. Moderate bourbon notes with light oak and hints of almond and vanilla. Light alcohol spice. Pours black with a a medium small, medium thick, mocha head that recedes fairly quickly to the edges where it lingers along with a thin film in the center. Light lacing and moderately long legs. Flavor is decadent chocolate with some medium light sweetness. Light roast and dark fruit notes with faint leather. Medium bourbon notes with some light oak. Medium light vanilla and almond with hints of coconut. Light alcohol spice. Mouthfeel is medium full bodied and silky with medium low carbonation. Low astringency and medium low alcohol warmth. Overall, a very nice beer. Good chocolate notes with balanced sweetness. The roast and dark fruit add complexity without being too strong. Good bourbon notes add great barrel complexity.
2012 bottle has a little more dark fruit and leather notes. Flavor has a bit less vanilla too. Nice chocolate notes though. I think I like the 2011 more.
2011 vintage, bottle 4138
Pours a dark chestnut brown color that appears pitch black and completely opaque in the glass with a one finger beige head that quickly settles into a thin, lasting ring. Spotty lacing left behind.
Complex aroma with a prominent barrel presence that compliments the base beer without completely obliterating it’s characteristics. Lots of dry oak and spicy bourbon along with subtle vanilla and toasted coconut followed by a robust roasted malt presence. Slightly smokey with hints of dark chocolate, gourmet coffee bean, burnt toast and oatmeal. Nice balance of oak, spirit and roasted malt preventing it from becoming acrid or overly boozy in the nose.
Medium bodied with a strong barrel character that’s decently integrated into the flavors of the base beer. Very dry with lots of charred oak and spicy bourbon lingering over the deeply roasted dark malts into a bone dry finish. Unfortunately not as complex as the aroma suggests with the dry wood flavors eliminating the vanilla/coconut notes. Plenty of spicy bourbon flavor but it’s not hot or tough to drink. Also, it’s not as tasty as the 12 year treatment, tasting like a different bourbon to me all together. Underneath, there is a complex malt backbone with a balance of roasted coffee bean, oatmeal, burnt toast and sweet fudge/chocolate cake notes. This is still a really good beer but the oak presence is a bit too strong for my liking and the bourbon flavor didn’t live up to my expectations.
Etched bottle - pours black tan head - nose and taste whiskey, honey, roast chocolate, oak, vanilla - medium body
Bottle from Great British Beer Festival 2013. White wax seal. Opaque thick looking, very dark to black beer with a slight brown tan head which dissipates quickly. Nose is big yeast extract (or Marmite), Bourbon, vanilla, oak wood, little sherry or sweet white wine vinous, roasted malt. Taste is thick, luscious, Bourbon, yeast extract savory, roasted malt, sherry, vanilla, oak wood. We drink this as an after dinner digestif and it worked well, because of the Bourbon and sweet vinous character. Hard to drink a lot though. Shading into slightly cloying if more than a small glass imbibed.
2011 bomber bottle shared with 2 friends. Poured a dark Brown to black colour with a small tanned head on top. Nose has a lot of charred oak, vanilla, toffee and roasted malts. Campfire smoke, and not as much bourbon anymore as what used to be i think. Some fainted red fruits and a hint of plums and raisins. With Some subtle bourbon notes. Very complex and aged very Well. Very nice
How: Bottle (22 oz) at tasting. Shared by hackobock, thanks!
>>> A tasty fudge forward bourbon barrel-aged Imperial Stout.
+ Fudge/chocolate is the dominant flavor but it is well surrounded by bourbon, vanilla and caramel
+ Interesting palate with a full body and soft carbonation that add to the thick oily impression of the mouthfeel. Nice alcohol warmth
− There’s some ashes notes that doesn’t fit well in the flavor profile
− It doesn’t have the depth and cohesion from the best of the style
Flavors: Chocolate / fudge, bourbon, vanilla, ashes, coffee, caramel, alcohol
Bottle 660ml.
Pours jet black with low off-white head. Aroma is of chocolate, roasted malt, coffee. Taste is of roasted malt, coffee, chocolate, sugar. Palate: Full bodied. Low carbonation. Overall: Nice malt features. Good chocolate/coffee.
Pours a dark brown with a beige/almost brown rim that leaves some lacing. Nose is of bourbon, vanilla, coffee and alcohol. Taste is on the sweeter side and offers chocolate, vanilla bean, bourbon and alcohol again. Body is full, carbonation soft and mouthfeel is rich and syrupy. Overall a good BA imperial stout, I can’t say I’ve been wow’ed by it but it was still really good.
pours unclear dark brown with a small reviving beige cap, reviving and leaving nice lacing. molasses, milk chocolate, burnt nuts/hazelnuts, vanilla, sweet soy sauce, clean. light to low carbonation, medium-full body - oily; semi-sweet and incredibly smooth woody finish. very good bourbon BA stout.
Flaska från Brewing International via privatimport till SB. 18y barrel. 2012. Smak och doft av choklad, kaffe, vanilj, bourbon, marsipan, romrussin och fat. Rund och len, fin beska, stor sötma, kraftfull och karaktär i smakerna, välbalanserad. Riktigt gott!
Flaska från Brewing International via privatimport till SB. 18y barrel. Massiv kropp, stor söt doft med massor av bourbon, fat, vanilj, russin, fudge, sötlakrits. Silkeslen, ganska söt, kraftig kropp. Mycket bourbon men det tar inte över helt utan grundölet matchar väldigt bra. Stora smaker, fantastiskt gott. Superbt dessertöl.
Bottle. Pours inky black, small brown head, good lacing. Aroma is bourbon forward, vanilla, chocolate, roasty. Flavor is fairly bourbon forward, rich and chocolate, vanilla, touch of toasted coconut. Full body, creamy mouthfeel. A bit hot, but otherwise stellar.
P itch black color. Tons for bourbon from start to finish. Big bad all the way through. Very smooth and rich. My fav of the Eclipses.
Bottled. Pours pitch black with a nice tan head. Aroma of roasted malt, cocoa. dark chocolate, bourbon, vanilla and wood. Sweet flavor that ends up more dry with bitter notes and alcohol. Medium to full bodied, oily texture and soft carbonation. An great Impy. 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Not great early on but got better as I had it. I think I will wind up going back to it.
Bottle shared during a tasting with friends. Great deal of roasted malts, chocolate and coffee. Some bourbon barrel notes.
HMOG 2015. One of two variants sampled on the day. While I love the series, I found this one to be a bit sweeter than some that I have had. Lots of bourbon, vanilla, barrel, chocolate. Sweet and still yummy.
Fantastisk arom chocklad och kokos. Ljuvlig balans i smaken, sötma balanseras upp av viss beska, mycket chocklad. Riktigt bra kropp.
Bottle shared. Pours near black with a small tan head. Aroma of vanilla, bourbon, wood, malt, fudge, chocolate, light coffee, molasses. Flavor is heavy sweet and moderate bitter. Medium thick and sticky mouthfeel. Full bodied with soft carbonation.
Wow! Pours thick unclear black coffee with a small darker beige head. Aroma and flavor blow the 12 year old out of the water! There are big spicy vanilla and barrel notes with chocolate and mocha on the tongue settling so well. There is a nice creamy but balanced body as well.
Overall: Oak, almond, soy sauce, madeira.
Note: Bottle 650 ml at a De Klomp tasting. (Vintage 2012) Reviewed 2014-12-27.