Ecliptic Brewing releases “5000” Golden Barleywine and Cri-Star IPA collab with Reuben’s Brews

Portland, Oregon’s Ecliptic Brewing is releasing two special brews, “5000” is a golden barleywine, and Cri-Star IPA is a collaboration with Seattle, WA’s Reuben’s Brews.

5000 Golden Barleywine

Ecliptic Brewing recently celebrated an important brewing milestone: the 5000th batch of beer the company has made. The beer, simply called “5000”, is a golden barleywine aged in gin barrels. It will be released in both 16-ounce can four-packs and draft in mid-February. Very limited quantities are available of this special brew.

5000 was brewed with Pale and Munich malts and hopped with Nugget, Azacca, and Mosaic. The beer slept in Ransom Old Tom Gin barrels for 5 months, picking up notes of oak and gin aromatics. This milestone brew was an extra special one for Ecliptic’s Owner and Brewmaster, John Harris, who is known for his annual Orange Giant Barleywine release and is a big fan of gin. He did lots of gin research early in the pandemic, perfecting the at-home negroni. 

Says Harris, “This beer was inspired by Larry Bell and how he names milestone batches at Bell’s Brewery. We were so busy that I missed our 1000 and 2500 batches! We tracked 5000 for about four months. I wanted a stronger ale, so I chose barleywine, and I wanted all the color to come from the gin barrel. Old Tom is a darker gin, so I know if we kept the beer golden, the barrel would impact the beer’s color- and it did. We chose to package it in a can to add some fun. It’s not such a serious thing! Next up is batch 7500.”

About 5000: Gin Barrel-aged Golden Barleywine

 Not particularly long, long ago, in a brewery that isn't too far, far away, an intrepid brewing team lovingly crafted their 5000th batch of Ecliptic beer. That beer was a big, brilliant golden barleywine ale that they carefully laid into cryo-sleep in great oak vessels that once held old tom gin. You're now holding a part of that celebration batch, as a toast from us. Here's to many more light years together. We couldn't have done it without you. ABV: 13% IBU: 80

Very limited quantities of 5000 will be released in both draft and 16-ounce cans throughout Ecliptic Brewing’s distribution network beginning mid-February. Visit Ecliptic’s website and Facebook page for up-to-date details on release events.

Ecliptic + Reuben’s CRI-STAR IPA

a mashup of Ecliptic Starburst IPA and Rueben’s Crikey IPA, as part of Ecliptic’s Cosmic Collaboration Series, coming in 16-ounce can four-packs and draft. 

Ecliptic Starburst IPA is the company’s flagship IPA, while Crikey IPA is Reuben’s first ever American IPA, and also their flagship. Cri-Star IPA – whose name plays on the two original beer names - features Simcoe, Mosaic, Amarillo, Azacca, Centennial, and Citra hops. Tropical notes, along with citrus and pine, round out this 6.8% brew.  

Ecliptic’s Owner and Brewmaster, John Harris, says, “We have had a lot of fun with this beer. When Adam (Reuben’s Co-Owner) and I were brainstorming ideas, we thought, why not celebrate our two most popular beers? And we started working out a recipe for a mashup of the two.” Ecliptic’s design agency, Sasquatch, worked up an out-of-this-world label for the beer, too, which features astronauts covered in green octopus tentacles, drawing inspiration from Reuben’s fun mural artwork featured at their taprooms and on their website. 

About Ecliptic + Reuben’s Cri-Star IPA

What’s a Cri-Star IPA you ask? Well it’s an IPA that mashes up the best parts of our friend’s Rueben’s Brews Crikey IPA and our own Starburst IPA- both of which happen to feature a similar blend of hops. The result is a tropically floral IPA with notes of citrus and pine. ABV: 6.8% IBU: 55

Ecliptic + Reuben’s Cri-Star IPA will be released on February 23rd in both draft and 16-ounce cans throughout Ecliptic Brewing’s distribution network. A release event is planned for March 8th at Reuben’s Taproom in Seattle, as well as in Portland at both of Ecliptic’s locations on March 16th. Visit Ecliptic’s website or Facebook page for up-to-date details on these events.