Bells Expedition Stout

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Imperial Stout
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Bottle. Pours almost black with very little head. Scent of chocolate, coffee, and a little smoke. Flavor is coffee, chocolate, smoke. finish is bitter hops and warming alcohol.

Draft at Kclinger’s Pub. Nearly black with minimal head. Chocolate, smoke, malt, and coffee aroma. Smooth drinking and the alcohol is present but muted. A little bitter on the finish.

It had been a couple of years since I had this until this last weekend at the Charlotte NC octoberfest. Thick black pour, reddish coffee colors around the edges. Roasted malts and molasses, mocha nose. Roast/burnt malt up front with a hint of port and raisin. Quickly goes into brown sugar, bakers chocolate and espresso as the full bodiness fills the mouth. The hop balancing in this is some of the best I’ve ever tasted. Bells always does well with this. Finish bitter and slightly warming. You never notice the alcohol. I heard a friend say this tastes like every typical imperial stout. I believe he was wrong in that this has the best part of each typical imperial stout. Whereas the typical RIS can’t put it all together and has negative qualitites. No negatives in this one, making this far and away the best for the money and near the best anyways.

bottle- pours pitch black with thin tan head. spots of white make it look like a latte. notable sour taste in first sip, vinous qualities, real big, great hop character to this beer, better balance than the kalamazoo. mouthfeel is sooo thick and warming. it is a real quality beer this one, not for sessioning on an october day, but sipping in a winter evening.

12 oz bottle. Well as expected this poured like motor oil, extremely viscous. Intense aroma, WOW!! Burnt sugars and malts, coffee, chocolate, and licorice. We served this a bit on the cold side for better or worse, which made it like the best milkshake I have ever had. This was by far the thickest mouthful I’ve ever had. Just an intense, complex, delicious stout. With a great bitter finish. The 10.5% is super well hidden. I would love to find some more of this.

22oz bottle. Thanks Chris. Batch 7814. Pours pitch black with a creamy lasting head & lacings. Power roasted & vinous nose. Loads of coffee & chocolate & vague hints of licorice. Very vinous, smooth & sticky. Pleasant warmth. Top dollar Imp. Stout!

Bottle from batch 7251. Thanks to JB175 for this one. I have had Expedition a few times before but never a 2+ year old bottle like this and I’ve never reviewed it so here goes. Pours pitch black with incredibly dense dark brown head that leaves tons of sticky lacing on the glass. This just looks amazing. Aroma has a lot of chocolate, roastiness, licorice, some dark fruits, and a very apparent pecan-like nuttiness that I haven’t noticed in previous tastings. Flavor is vinous dark fruits, cocoa, licorice, alcohol, woodiness, coffee, and burnt malts. Extremely delicious. A nice and hoppy/bitter finish as well. Very viscous and downright creamy mouthfeel just a touch below my favorite Impy Stouts in Palate (Dark Lord and Abyss). Wow, this is an amazing and complex brew with some age on it. Thanks again Jason!

Bottle. Very dark rich brown color with a ruby like cream head. Very malty with some alcohol in the nose. A pleasant malt entry with medium sweet with a bit of spicy. Very full flavors. Some coffee, vanilla bean with a touch of tart dry fruit. Finish is long lasting bitter with a tinge of alcohol. Excellent beer!