Anybody try any of the Eclipses' from the Fiftyfifty brewer?

[scottYDucati]

Just wondering if anybody has any opinions on this series. I had the Elijah Craig purple waxed and I enjoyed it very very much. I'm interested in trying the others that I can find but they aren't cheap. I've never had barrel aged before this and also wondering if there's recommendations on cheaper alternatives.

 

[NickThePyro]

I have heard nothing but great things about them and they are all ranked mid to high 90s on BA. If you have money burning a hole in your wallet get at least one other to try. My craft beer list sits at 300 beers I have tried yet I have still been unable to make the price outweigh the desire to try it. Just have to decide if you want to personally indulge in it, or find something else with more bang for the buck. Its like buying an Opus. It will be a great cigar/beer but you can get a handful of great bang for the buck purchases that will please you as well.

 

[scottYDucati]

Well I bought another EC and an Evan Williams so we'll see. After reading some reviews on the Fiftyfifty Eclipse some threw Goose Island BCS in the mix as a better alternative and also the Full Sail Black Gold. Unfortunately I can't find either of those anywhere near me. Time for an ISO. IMO and just my taste but there are Plenty of cigars that are far better than Opus for half the price. So with that said would there be that kind of alternative for the Eclipse? Im not big on beer in general but the Eclipse made me want more.

 

[twenty5]

I have never tried the eclipse ba stouts before but I do have a 4 pack heading this direction soon. It is crazy expensive so hope it is really good. Its hard to justify the price of some of these beers but being a homebrewer fire the past year it is getting easier. The price of ingredients in an imperial stout, the price of the barrels plus the floor room needed to age them for the amount of time they are aged adds up. 12ozers of bcbs are almost 8$ here so they aren't that much cheaper of an alternative. Big beers, especially when barrel aged, are expensive, there is no way around that.

 

[NickThePyro]

Well I bought another EC and an Evan Williams so we'll see. After reading some reviews on the Fiftyfifty Eclipse some threw Goose Island BCS in the mix as a better alternative and also the Full Sail Black Gold. Unfortunately I can't find either of those anywhere near me. Time for an ISO. IMO and just my taste but there are Plenty of cigars that are far better than Opus for half the price. So with that said would there be that kind of alternative for the Eclipse? Im not big on beer in general but the Eclipse made me want more.

The reason you can't find Full Sail Black Gold is because it hasn't been released since 2011 I believe.
For alternative imperial stouts/strong stouts you can try:
The Abyss: Never personally had it but heard amazing things!
Founds KBS/CBS/Breakfast stout: Huge loving on here for both, just personally can't get here in WA because they wont distribute.
Rogue XS Imperial: Damn good, hard to find but comes in a cool refillable growler.
DFH WWS: Strong as balls, can taste the booze more than a lot of imperials. But overall it is a good one and relatively easy to find when in season.
GD Yeti: Tons of variations, haven't had a bad one yet. Oak Aged is fantastic!
Southern Tier: Makes tons of flavored ones, my personal favorite is their Creme Brule. One of my top 5 favorite beers personally.

 

[scottYDucati]

Cool. Well I'll start looking for some of those bad boys.

 

[cvm4]

Yes! They are very good... I've only had the EC 12 from last year. It'll rival any bourbon barrel aged beer, IMO.

 

[Smoke_Eater]

In my opinion, Eclipse is one of the best barrel aged stouts out there. Yes the price tag is expensive but it's worth trying at least once. Part of the reason I like FiftyFifty's Ecllipse is that you can compare the different barrels that they were aged in (Elijah Craig vs. Old Fitzgerald vs. Rittenhouse Rye, etc.) As far as alternatives, maybe BCBS but Eclipse is a unique experience imo. There were some great BA beers mentioned above like Abyss (Which is a top 3 beer for me) but really you should try an Eclipse if you get the chance.



Rittenhouse Rye Eclipse