FiftyFifty 2009 Imperial Eclipse Stout (Jack Daniels)

Formerly brewed at FiftyFifty Brewing Co.
Style: Imperial Stout
Truckee, California USA

Serve in Snifter

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   add pic

Big thanks to GIllard (at a tasting a few months back) for scoring such an awesome and hard to get beer! Pours dark void with nice bull brown head. The aroma is black strap molasses, burnt malts, some chocolate, vanilla, caramel and oak. The taste is smooth rich luscious and velvety goodness. Essentially this beer is 100% yum. I get rich dark chocolate, caramel, a touch of coffee and black strap molasses. By midway I get notes of oak and booze coming to the surface to add further interest and some drying qualities to this rich pelty brew. Yes, I get a certain level of smooth silky and warming peltiness.

650 ml bottle shared by colonelforbin. Thanks Mike. Pours a black that is cola brown at edges when held up to the light with small tan head that has good retention and leaves some light lacing on the glass. The aroma is big oak, some whiskey, caramel, marshmallow, quite a bit of alcohol, some light cherry, and a hint of plum. This one is certainly barrel heavy. The initial taste is sweet with oak and whiskey. Quite boozy. Then comes some marshmallow and a bit of plum. The finish is boozy and a bit astringent. Leaves a lingering oak taste. Light bodied for an imperial stout. Low carbonation. This is the worst out of the Eclipse series that I have had, but still wasn’t a terrible beer. A bit too much barrel that drowns out the other flavors.

Name: Imperial Eclipse Stout, JD
Date: October 01, 2010
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting
Appearance: black, fine tan head, bits of lace
Aroma: sweet roasted aroma with bourbon and vanilla
Flavor: sweet bourbon and chocolate flavor, vanilla sweetness, balancing roasted character, light bitterness
Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.7/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *** /4

Popped ( yellow waxed version) this Daknole. nice tan finger of head. Strong jd rough bourbon on the nose along with some dark chocolate notes. The mouth is fantastic, very silky. The booze is not aas mellow as other eclipses but fantastic in the overall make up of the brew. I was very suprised at this given the harsh reviews of it. Maybe on tap or the un-waxed bottles were different tastes for sure.

Shared by Paul Estrada! Dark pour, frothy tan head. JD in the aroma big time! Some chocolate, toasty notes, and a light plummy note. Flavor is booze, oak, cocoa, and a very light tart hint. Surprisingly good based on previous reviews.

A: The pour is just about black in color with minimal brown head. S: To say this smells like nail polish remover would be an understatement. It absolutely reeks of it. Other than that, lots of roasted malts, booze, and whiskey. There is just a hint of vanilla and chocolate, which is really the only good thing. T: An incredibly harsh nail polish remover/acetone flavor, too. Intense green apple and booze, along with a bit of oak, whiskey, and vanilla. Roasted malts and dark chocolate are there in the background. M: The body is medium and the carbonation is low to medium. O: Just atrocious stuff. Very unfortunate, since these are generally some of my favorite imperial stouts.

22 oz bomber - 2009 JD barrel version. I had this at a tasting of all the Fifty Fifties and while it is still a delicious looking and smelling brew, it was far from every other version made The difference in barrels (vs. the delicioso Pappy Van Winkle treatment and the others) was worlds apart. Pours pitch black as all do, with a bit smaller head. Looking for caramel and wood, but getting nothing but heat and raw bourbon with a sticky-sweetness on the finish. Some dark chocolate notes,but masked underneath the alcohol that dries out the tongue and ruins the finish. Was hoping for better.

Bomber poured a clear dark reddish brown with a small lingering tan head. Aromas of Tennessee whiskey, vanilla, oak, light fruittiness, bitter chocolate and alcohol. Palate was light to medium bodied and smooth. Flavors of Tennessee whiskey, vanilla, oak, dark chocolate and light roastiness with a smootyh hot lingering whiskey finish. This one was a bit of a dissappointment.

22oz bottle with gold wax. Pours a deep, dark brown that’s almost completely black except for the light showing through the edges. The head is small and tan and leaves some boozy legs along the sides. The aroma is probably the booziest of the Eclipse variants. There’s lots of vanilla and whiskey but with more than a fair dose of chocolate and caramel. Hint of roasted character, though it’s not overly roasty. Much like the aroma, the whiskey is strong, especially up front where there is lots of vanilla and coconut. The roasted malts are more prevalent and blend with chocolate and tobacco. The finish is drying and has plenty of alcohol burn. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and boozy with moderate carbonation. It’s not quite as creamy or smooth as the other variants. All in all, this is an excellent beer. It’s the booziest of the Eclipses and, I imagine, will age beautifully. These guys definitely know how to use the barrel-aging process.

Bomber shared by Marcus. Bottle #32 from 2009. Pours very dark brown/black with a tan foam ring. Aromas of bourbon, oak and vanilla. Medium body with mild carbonation. Flavor of bourbon, oak barrel and really smooth burnt malt. Finishes burnt and bitter. Heat? yes.Excessive? No. Excellent. Superlative. Brilliant. Please sir, can I have another?

Bottle #32 2009. Pours dark brown with a thin light brown head and strong chocolate and alcohol aroma. The flavor is very chocolate with some treacle and honey, and a warming JD trail.