Bells Expedition Stout

12 oz. bottle, unknown age. Poured black with one finger brown head. Moderate lacing. Coffee, chocolate, and roasted malts in the nose. Flavor dominated by roasty malts, toffee, and dark chocolate. BIG, hoppy finish that mellowed as the beer warmed. Evident warming alcohol throughout. Medium mouthfeel.

Acquired a 6-pack tonight at Champane’s wine/liquor for $12.99 (good price!). Poured black as night, with thick frothy brown head. Head lasted a long time, and left lacing. Aroma of roast coffee, chocolate, and hops. First flavor that hits you, and stays with you, is the bitterness of the hops. Very creamy mouthfeel, soft carbonation. 10.5% alcohol sneaks up on you, doesn’t taste really alcoholic, but you definitely feel it. Overall, clearly a quality brew, but may be a bit strong and heavy for me. Was tasting it for hours afterward. Update: have had a couple more of these, and it’s growing on me, great taste...

Hands down, the blackest beer I’ve ever seen with equally dark, brown head. Good carbonation. Overdid the hops in my opinion so not as balanced as it could be.

Thanks toTy5592 for this one! Pours black with a little bit of ruby around the edges. Thick tan head. Aroma is a hoppy burst of coffee and chocolate. Flavor is heavy chocolate, piney hops, caramel, toffee, smoke, wood. Nice! The mouthfeel is very creamy, not a bit of chalkiness, great carbonation. I think that is the best part of this beer, and that is saying a lot. This ranks up with the best of imperial stouts, and its standing on here is well deserved.

Courtesy of BBB63. Thank you, sir.

Last beer of the night for me. 2002 vintage. Dark black pour with almost no head. Could have oxidized and flattened out a bit. I’ve had new vintages of Expedition, but this one was different. There was a soy sauce/teriyaki thing going on, along with tons of chocolate, booze, coffee and dark fruits. Also get some nutty sweetness on the very back end of the aroma and into the flavor. Flavor is delicious, chocolate, coffee beans, soy, and dark roasted malts. Full bodied, low carbonation,, very substantial and filling. Super long finish, chocolate and coffee the stars. I don’t know, if you would have told me before hand what this would taste and smell like, I probably would have been put off by it, but this is the best of the very few Expeditions I have had. The best Bells beer I have had yet, and that’s saying something from possibly my favorite brewery.

Pitch black poor with a THICK brown frothy head. Aromas of olives, roasted malts, bitter chocolate, chocolate pudding, very hoppy, alochol, hickory and toffee. Explosion on the palate... extreme mouthfeel, perfect bitterness... persistant and long lasting. Creamy, oily perfectly balanced. Added flavors of burnt toast, caramelised malts... very complexe flavors and mouthfeel. I have to say that this has to be one of the most complexe ive rated. Definitely up there with the best.

12 oz. bottle shared with Matt7215, RyanMac13. Thanks Matt!! Pours the epitomy of what an Imperial Stout should look like. Absolutely no light permeates this roasted beast. Perfect aromas of basically every single complex IS aroma there is. Flavour is the same, BOOM on the palate. Anise, plum, chocolate, coffee, etc. Nice. Other beers, you have to wait a second or two before the flavours hit, or even take a breathe. This guy here, starts coming at you the second it hits the tongue! Waves and waves of Imperial Stout goodness. Hops and bitterness are quite evident too, but take a supporting role to all the malts in there. Man, this is definitely the single most impressive beer I’ve ever had the pleasure of consuming! I just wish I had more of it!

(USA) Nice pitch Black color with a Sm-Tan Head. There is a nice Roasted Aroima with a Coffee/Chocolate taste. Starts with a Smooth Mouthfeel and ends with a Slight Bitter finish. A well balanced Brew!!!! (Happy B-Day to me)