Bells Expedition Stout

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

Tasted @ the Entology Belgian Tavern in Phili.
Black colored brew. Smoky, malty, coffee, liquorice aroma. Very nice roasted, smoked, coffee, malty, burned hops and smooth bitterness. Brown sugar too. Want to have it again.

Poured pitch black from the bottle with a hefty head of brown frothy foam. Plenty of alcohol, cherry, and coffee in the nose. Sickly rich in flavor with overripe plums and a syruppy body. Sticky finish. One yields hibernation.

12 oz into sniffer. Pours a great oily black with a perfect, huge dark brown head. Tons of little carbonation bubbles were sticking to the side of the sniffer, making it look like a soda and not a beer – this quality almost brought the appearance from a 5 down to a 4, but a quick swirl got rid of them. One should not be able to see carbonation in a beer this dark IMO. The aroma is very rich a creamy – chocolate, vanilla, oak, booze, tobacco, molasses, and leather. The aroma had a hint of soy when I first sniffed it, which scared me a lot. This beer is HUGE, there is a lot going on with the flavor – everything in the aroma and more; very roasty, bitter, and yet still creamy and smooth. There was a hint of soy in the flavor, which really disappointed me. Without the soy characteristics, this could be a really stunning brew. Fortunately, there isn’t enough soy to ruin the brew, or keep me from appreciating the delicious characters. Perfect on the palate, thick and creamy – a full meal. Overall: On tap (without oxidation), this brew might be pretty damn close to perfect.

[1293-20080413] 355mL bottle. Some smoky wood log and peat moss and rum raisin malt in the aroma with little boozy notes that are dark and mysterious. Dark brown black body with a medium-lasting foamy dark brown red head. Roasted dark malt flavour is borderline overly boozy, has a bit of burnt oak bark and a bitter aftertaste but is mostly sweet smoky burnt malt. Full body is rich and heavy. Lots of good roast, but this heavy beverage could be a little less sweet.
(w/ jerc)

Thanks OldStyleCubFan for this bad boy. Finally got my hands on this. This beer pours a damn black. It is about all you could ask from a beer. Reserved and thick aroma of fig, passion fruit, molasses, bourbon and vegetal steam; roasty and full, with hints of toasted coconut and bourbon licks of eggnog and vanilla. A chocolate flavor that is delicious, this beer is a classic example of what a beer should be. A palate of smooth smooth smooth. Love that lingering flavors that last 10-15 seconds after its goes down. Wow what a beer. Near the top of my list. Thanks for a great one OSCF. Will be buying more of this when it hits Chicago in November.

Pure black with brown head. Very well-balanced nose of sweet and bitter dark chocolate, coffee, dusty earthiness and faint earthy hops, roasted malt, etc.-- the list could go on and on. Flavor is again incredibly balanced, with notes of roasted malt and chocolate at the forefront. Bitter enough to counter the sweet flavors, full and very drawn-out mouthfeel, with a wonderful bitter chocolate aftertaste. Opens up beautifully as it warms, and the alcohol is completely masked. Can’t say enough about this one, it was just perfect all around. Really impressed!

Poured from a 12-oz bottle dark black with no head. This is a nice thick beer. Smell of rich roasted coffee, caramel and mollases. Taste is similar, with also some chocolate notes coming through. Alcohol bite in the finish.

Hit in you in the face beer. Sipping beer. Worth trying, very heavy. Good body and tones of black patent.