Bells Expedition Stout

Pours a dark brown to jet black with a milk chocolate thin head. The aroma is filled with dark chocolate, teriyaki, hops, and alcohol. My tongue is hit with a tingly acidic coffee flavor, followed by dark chocolate, liquorice, and some cherry. The palate is thick and smooth. Lots of things going on all over my palate, but very well balanced. It’s a bit bitter in the finish, but I can forgive that.

Bottle into snifter. Pours thick, opaque motor oil black-hole black with no head. Aroma of coffee and cocoa, vanilla, smells old. Taste is coffee, very roasty, bit of cocoa, with a notable hop sourness emerging prior to the finish, as noted a few reviews down. Finishes with a dry, hoppy, roasty bitterness. Palate is thick and viscous, but with light, crisp carbonation. Bottle aged for about 3 months prior to drinking, but the hoppiness early on is still a bit much for me. Not my favorite example of the style.

Pours thick and pitch black with a tan head. Aroma is chocolate, dark fruits, cofee. Taste is dry, chocolate and dark fruits with a roasty character balance. Finish has hop bitterness and coffee. The mouthfeel of this beer is amazing, thick and luxurious. Alcohol is well-hidden. Could finish a couple of these but not a whole six-pack. Almost as good as dark lord.

Pours like thick motor oil into a wine glass. Dark cocoa head slowly builds, but doesn’t remain for long. Black as night. One of the darkest beers I’ve ever seen. Winey legs slowly slide down the glass, with specks of foam dotting the outside of the glass. Not a real strong smelling RIS. Definite roasted malts, slightly sweet. Slightly musty. Maybe some chicory? Taste is strong on dark roasted coffee. Quite a bit of hop bitterness, and the alcohol is quite well hidden. Roasted malts prevail. Definite bitter aftertaste, which sticks around just long enough to make sure know you’ve had really big beer. Chewy mouthfeel, with a surprisingly clean finish. Overall, this is a really big, really solid RIS. It would be hard to drink more than one at a time, but IMO this rivals, if not surpasses, Stone RIS and the other big stouts for the top of the list.

Pours black with minimal brown head. Delicious roasted malt aroma with a hint of grape and smoke. The flavor stars with an onslaught of roasted malt which moves to an overpowering hoppy sourness and finishes with a strong roasted flavor. Mouthfeel is creamy and delicious. I really wanted to love this beer but that hoppy sourness is killing me. A young bottle, maybe with some age this will balance out.

12oz bottle. One of the best stouts I’ve had to date! Pours a deep brown/ black with a creamy chocolate head. Tons of caramel and toffee on the nose. Same with the flavor with an added punch of chocolate and toffee.

[fresh 08 batch] Pours thick oily black with the darkest head I’ve ever seen... creamy... an inch thick and grayish brown. Big licorice, coffee, woody aroma with notes of chocolate and smoke. Big viscous body, oily and syrupy, a full mouthful, sugary and reminiscent of darklord (not nearly as lumpy of course). Sweet, sugary, buttery, licorice, smokey, extremely woody with some chocolate and coffee. A little bit tannic in the finish (fresh bottle), but not nearly like DL was.... Really an amazing production. [04 bottle sampled June 08 courtesy of Dukefan] Perfection! the age mellows and blends every nuance into bliss

12oz bottle. Pours a dark dark black with a thin short lived brown head. Aromas of milk chocolate, caramel, coffee,and some dark fruit Flavor is even more complex and wonderful, along with the above mentioned thier are hints of wood and alcohol in the mix. The palate is greated with a thick full body, a syrupy texture, soft carbonation, and warm flavorful finish that lasts and lasts. One of the best Imperials I’ve had. This one is a must to try and buy a few extra to put back.