Many of the most sought-after beers in the country don’t make their way to Hawaii unless they’re brought back in someone’s suitcase. But for the second year in a row, we’ll be getting a small allocation of the highly popular and rare Eclipse Imperial Stout from Fifty/Fifty Brewing.
Fifty/Fifty is a small brewery and pub, near Lake Tahoe in Truckee, Calif., that produces a wide variety of excellent beers. In recent years it has gained international attention for Eclipse, an Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels. The beer is brewed just once a year, in early March, in small 300-gallon batches.
What makes this beer unique is that each year, the brewers get used bourbon barrels from distilleries, in which one base beer is aged for at least six months. During the process, the beer takes on unique flavors from the barrels.
The beer is finally bottled in November and labeled with a colored wax top to identify the barrel in which it was aged.
Eclipse has become such a hit that the brewery now takes pre-orders in mid-April. (If you have your heart set on pre-ordering, know that you will need to pick up your beer at the brewery in California or have it shipped to a California address.) A small amount is distributed to fewer than 15 states.
This year Hawaii is lucky enough to be receiving seven out of the 10 varieties (last year we got just one!). They will include barrel versions from Makers Mark (silver wax), Four Roses (red), Evan Williams (black), Elijah Craig (purple), High West Bourbon (tangerine), Java Coffee (lavender pearl) and High West Rye (lime green).
Eclipse is a bold beer that pours ink black and has a thick, creamy texture. Expect flavors of chocolate-covered espresso beans with hints of vanilla, coconut and caramel. Bourbon flavors are delicately balanced and add a wonderful complexity to this rich beer.
Each variety has the unique flavor of the individual bourbon barrel in which it was aged, so it’s fun to try different types side by side.
Plan on sharing this beer. At 9.5 percent alcohol by volume, it’s strong and worthy of sipping in good company.
This is also a beer that will benefit from age, as its flavors continue to meld and develop over time. Eclipse can easily age in the bottle for more than five years in a cool, dark space. I recommend aging it for at least two to six months. The extra time will allow some of the stronger alcohol notes to mellow.
At $25 or more per 22-ounce bottle, Eclipse is not inexpensive, but it is well worth the splurge for a unique and rare beer.
Find these beers during the first week of January at bars islandwide such as REAL a gastropub and better beer stores such as Tamura’s Fine Wines & Liquors, the Liquor Collection and Whole Foods.
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Tim Golden shares his obsession with craft beer monthly in the Star-Advertiser food section. See his blog, “Beer in Hawaii,” at www.beerinhawaii.com.
