One of the smaller breweries in California 50/50 brewery is located in the northern part of the state in a little city called Truckee. For awhile now they have been brewing their eclipse line of stouts in which they age their stout in different bourbon barrels. Today's review is their Eclipse aged in Evan Williams bourbon barrels, not the best bourbon out there,but I'll tell you what, it provides an excellent tasting stout. These beers are pretty hard to come across as they make very limited amounts of them each year. The better the bourbon barrel they use the less of them they produce. As for the EW, they only produced 3000 bottles of it last year. Moreover, 50/50 brewery releases this beer each December and boy are they pricey. They range anywhere from $23.99-$25.99 depending on which version of the beer you are buying. Furthermore, all these stouts are bottled in 22 oz bottles with waxed caps, in this instance the EW is dipped in black wax. What I really like about this beer is that unlike most top of the line imperial stouts which clock in at high abv's this one is brewed to a 9.5 % abv, and that makes this beer very drinkable. Lastly, this beer is one of those beer's you wanna share with a friend and enjoy after dinner on a cold night with a fine maduro cigar. Also, before i forget please enjoy this beer out of a snifter and 6 oz at a time.
Color: Black at the core but if held to the light hints of a dark brown appear around the top ring of this beer. It forms a nice dark tan head, about 1 1/2 fingers worth. Light lacing left behind on the glass.
Nose: Warm bourbon flavors hit the nasal passages: vanilla, molasses, and hints of caramel. Also present are scents of honey, coffee, charred oak, and roasted malts.
Palate: Full bodied with decent carbonation. It drinks warm, so it can use a bit of aging. Here the bourbon coats the mouth and later its soothed by chocolate and honey. The beers hop profile makes a show here but not totally noticeable.
Finish: Warm, long, and complex. Much like bourbon, this beer can use some time in the cellar before it reaches it max potential
Rating: 93 out of 100
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