Bells Expedition Stout

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

Deep rich roasted malty beer with strong caramel, toffee, and dark chocolate. Very strong alcohol presence in the lingering finish. Good work once again from these guys.

2003 Bottle. Pours a glistening supple pitch black, with a sheen of glossy opalescense. Finely rimmed with a pencil line of tan. Aroma flows of milky belgian chocolate, tangy black currant jam, and a shot of espresso. Some coarser wild chokecherry and rustic woodsmoke notes intermingle. A gentle warming from mulled wine rises from the depths, pushing aside more gentle ginger snaps and boughs of cedar. A lascivious syrup of dexterity. Oily, dense and concentrated yet showing forth such dainty and finely hued tones, building into a firey inferno of charred animal flesh amongst a scene of strength and barbaric savagry. At first, gentle dark berries, blackberry, currants and some black cherries jogging side by side with a constant flow of whipped hazlenut butter and clotted cream. Building further into rushing madness of unecumbered dry toast and barbeque. Fresh seared ahi amongst crumbled blue cheese and walnuts. Delicate, yet bold. Palate remains somewhat unrefined, show hints of a gin habit and a penchant for a warm chocolate pipe during a morning fishing session. Mellowed from the years.

Lifeless, motor oil pour, no attempt at head formation. Deep roasted malt aroma, prune and raisinn fruits. Strong malt and alcohol flavor, dark fruits, coffee and roasted hazelnut. Dry roastiness in the finish and warming alcohol. Extremely tastey.

Bottled. Yum! I’m still cellaring my one bottle, but I got a sampler this weekend at Picadilly Beverage Shop in Champaign, IL. Heady, smoky, deep, chewy, thick, oily: all sorts of adjectives just pop into my head. Pours black and viscous. You’d almost think it was brewed exclusively with bitter black malts. Coats my little plastic sampler glass like a film of 10W-30. Exceptional.

650 ml bottle. Completely black body with a small brown head. Roasted, malty, chockolate and coffee aroma. Also some smoke and alcohol in aroma, rather complex. Flavor is just wonderful, well balanced cornucopia of goodies. Coffee, smoke malt, warming alcohol, dry fruit, chocolate, dry fruit, overcooked sweet cherry jam, port, sexy hops - just name it! This little bastard got it all. One bottle of this beer and you find yourself in nirvana and are just about to make a commitment to never drink a beer below 10 abv anymore. I might change my mind later regarding this commitment, but this is I where I am right now.

Pours a pitch black with a very inviting light brown head. Looks delicious!! Smells of chocolate and dark smoky malts. Straight sweet!! Nice roasty malts and chocolate in the taste. Delicious! Extremely well balanced. This beer I’ve had before but I’ve never appreciated it until now. Its awesome and I can see why its so highly rated. What a great brew. Come to central florifda please.

Wow! There are so many things going on in this masterpiece it brings tears to one’s eyes. The pour is jet black with a little tan ring for a head. The aroma is mindblowing-chocolate, coffee, roasted malt, and (almost)cherry?. The taste is just like the aroma-huge. This is a strong beer that you can taste the alcohol in. It slides down your throat like oil and gives a pleasant burn/aftertaste that lets you know...you are drinking greatness.

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Love this beer so much I painted a picture of it.