E-Malt.com News article: USA, CA & CO: Fifty Fifty Brewing brings its Eclipse beer to Denver

Fifty Fifty Brewing out of Truckee, California, is the latest out-of-state brewer planning to see if there is room in Denver's crowded craft-beer market for another name, Westword.com reported on December, 20.

But Fifty Fifty will take an interesting tack, initially distributing just one beer in Denver, its most sought-after, most expensive product: Eclipse, an oak-aged imperial stout. The beer is only released in limited quantities and only once a year.

"It is just Eclipse for now, but that is because we are so small," says brewery owner Andy Barr. "We are in the process of expanding, and it will happen within 2012. When we do, other regular beers of ours should be available on a continuous basis, however, in relatively limited supply as we will still be tiny."

Eclipse should start showing up on shelves in Denver this week, and at a retail price of between $28 and $30 for a 22-ounce bottle.
Neither Barr nor Fifty Fifty head brewer Todd Ashman is shy in their belief that the beer is worth every penny.

"Eclipse is a phenomenal beer, but it is also an incredibly expensive beer to produce," notes Barr.

"Eclipse is not a beer for everyone, but for those who seek it, they will be more than pleased," Ashman adds.

"Obviously there are some well-established breweries in the state of Colorado, and we are not looking to take anyone's market share. We just want to be part of the mix, and we felt that by adding ourselves to the mix at that price point, our product would show well amongst its company."

In addition to Denver, Fifty Fifty is bringing Eclipse to Chicago and Philadelphia, three cities where "there is a great craft-beer awareness," Ashman says.

Eclipse is made by taking Fifty Fifty's Totality Imperial Stout and aging it in oak bourbon barrels for at least six months. Different batches are aged in different kinds of barrels and marked by different-colored, hand-dipped wax tops. A coding guide to the seven batches can be found on the brewery's website.

Fifty Fifty has sent approximately four hundred to five hundred cases to the Denver area; if sales go well, the brewery hopes to distribute its Donner Party Porter in Denver next year.


21 December, 2011