FiftyFifty 2009 Imperial Eclipse Stout - Jack Daniels

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

i'll admit that this one got off on the wrong foot. The previous two special barrel aged releases of this beer were $20 a pop. Almost twice as much as other incredible special release beers like Bourbon County, Abyss, Port BA Santas Little Helper...even more than some places charge for Rasputin 12. Apparently that wasn't enough, as the 3rd barrel release of this beer was jacked up further...to $22.95. Really guys, not making enough of a profit there already?! So - since a couple buddies and I were already planning a tasting with all three versions of this beer (along with the accompanying bourbon/whiskey for each) we plunked down the cash for one. My buddy dropped his own coin for a second bottle, which we had yesterday. I had refused more than the one, especially since the brewer said they'd have at least two versions of the stout on tap when the JD was released, and they had a grand total of...ZERO! Why sell it draft for $6, when you're gouging your customers for $23 a bottle, right? And to top it all off, they couldn't find any chocolate sauce for my three-year-old's chocolate milk? What the hell? They are back on double secret probation. They were starting to earn their way back into my good graces (after shit service - and I mean SHYTE) during all three visits there over the first two years they were open, they had seemed to be getting their act together, but the price hiking and lack of tap beer, especially when you promise it, really ticked me off. But...onto the beer. I should have known since it cost the most, it would be the weakest of the three, but I went into it open minded and hoped for a truly excellent beer. The previous two were. This was was...good to very good. JD is probably my least favorite spirit of the three, and the beer was overpowered by the whisky more than by the other two bourbons, so not quite enough of the stout came through. You got lots of chocolate, but lots of whisky sweetness and heat from the alcohol as well. it was quite tasty, but far less complex, and not quite as smooth as the other two. overall, a great example of a good beer that got too much hype and ain't quite worth the pricetag.