Bells Expedition Stout

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

Bottle from a trade with StFun. Wow poured out a black color with a good sized tan head. Smelled of chocolate. One of the sweeter stouts I’ve had. I almost felt like I had to chew it. Tasted chocolate, with a hint of coffee flavor. No alcohol taste whatsoever. StFun will have to send me some more of this wonderful brew.

Smells chocolaty and malty. Pours pitch black with a think brown head. Flavor very heavy, not DFH WWS heavy, but pretty heavy. Tastes like dark chocolate and oak, very syrupy and an alcohol aftertaste, but not bad. Not as much of an aftertaste as the DFH WWS, so that is good. Not bad at all on the palate for such a thick stout...It warms up your throat and you might think youre drinking spiked hot chocolate rather than a beer. Overall its impressive...best stout I’ve had...I couldnt drink this stuff everyday though that’s for sure.

Bottle from DTM’s trade to some dude in Indiana. I love pitting beers against each other (if not for superiority, then just comparison), and this one has to be near Alesmith’s Speedway Stout. While Alesmith controlled their palate with the Speedway, Bell’s Expedition Stout just punches you in the face, like Mike Tyson would if you asked him what time it was. This brew was much sweeter than I’ve experienced from the genre, and I tasted the cocoa, vanilla, and coffee (although faint). There’s more dark chocolate there than anything. This one’s complex enough to throw into the Matrix. Great brew!

12oz bottle from Kingdom Liquors (Tampa, FL). Pours completely black and syrupy with a thin tan head that dissipates quickly into nothing. Still, lacing is plentiful on glass. Aroma is full of deep, rich malts, dark chocolate, cocoa, vanilla, and coffee. Flavor is very similar to the aroma with strong notes of dark chocolate, rich, syrupy dark malts, candy sugar, and strong coffee flavors on finish. Just a hint of toffee here and there with notes of dark ripe fruit as well. Syrupy mouthfeel with a slight bitter, coffee finish. Maybe this beer does live up to the hype. . . .

Re-rate: On tap at the Flying Saucer in KC. Pours a Hersey’s syrup black body. Extremely dark and thick. Darkest damn head I’ve ever seen. It’s two finger-widths in thickness and literally looks like a layer of chocolate ice cream. It’s that freakin dark and creamy. Exceptionally lacy on the glass and swirly on the surface. A flick of the wrist rouses the head again throughout the session. Honestly, its sexy and turning me on. I’m more attracted to this beer than the waitress serving this to me and she has a big ass rack, a table-top ass, and long, dark legs. Yet I still think this beer is the sexiest object in the room. The aroma is heavily malted, roasted, chocolate, and coffee. Some very deep dark fruit, licorice, and wine characters too. Sweet, but very smoky. Phenomenal aroma. I can smell this from at least 3 feet away. The flavor hits the tongue and instantly explodes. My tongue crashes into a wall of roasted malts, bitter hops, and dark chocolate. Some licorice, coffee, and a slightly deep sour berry flavor. Lingering mocha and rich dark chocolate flavors beg me for another sip like a chain smoker craves another cigarette. Leaves just a slight boozy warmth. This is a very difficult beer to simply sip and enjoy. I want to attack it carnivorously. The palate is as thick as syrup and as slippery as black ice. A very medium sweetness and an overload of medium to intense roasts and bitter hops. Overall, this is like Nagasaki in a glass. I’m in love again. I rated this as a 5 awhile back and figured my opinions might have changed, however, I see no reason as to why I should downgrade this ogre of a beer. I am still completely astounded as to how unmatched this beer is. I’m in awe. This is hands down the best stout I have ever had. Better than FFF Dark Lord by a landslide. This is the perfect beer. It’s like drinking milk straight from the tit. If you EVER get a chance to try this beer, especially on tap, do it.

Bells does it again! This Stout was a big surprise and exceeded my expectations. The beer is very dark and almost boozy to the nose. Very smooth rich to the palate and has a traditional taste of chocolate ad coffee notes. Little or no carbonation to speak of and will a strong aroma it was a the roasty and slight alcoholic kick that makes this especially enjoyable in th big old world of touts.

12oz, Smells earthy with a heavy alcohol smell acompanying, also has a bit of espresso smell. Pours Ebony with a thin reddish-brown head. On the palate it’s silky smooth and very creamy. Overall taste starts off with malty goodness, as suggested by the smell the, alchohol has a strong presence in the taste as well, finish is moderately hoppy.

Bottle. Pours pitch black with ruby tints around the rim. Even with a vigorous pour, the head is fairly small and dissipates almost immediately leaving very little lacing. The smell has a quick hint of dark chocolate and espresso up front before giving way to a massive roasted malt and molasses sweetness with a noticeable alcohol burn in the nostrils. Hops are barely noticeable as far as I can tell. There really is a lot going on with the taste. The initial taste of chocolate and coffee gives way to the aforementioned sweet molasses malt flavor followed by dark fruits in the form of raisins and plums. The finish has a slight hop bitterness and a definite alochol burn. Mouthfeel is extremely smooth and creamy with very little carbonation. Very thick and decadent. Drinkability is OK for the style though I couldn’t see myself drinking more than one in a sitting. This is a very good RIS but probably not in the top few I have tasted. EDIT 11/3/09: Currently drinking a bottle from 18 months ago (batch 8311) and it’s an exceptional beer. I won’t rerate but, damn, it’s a much better beer than my earlier rating indicates.