Bell's Expedition Stout - Bell's Brewery, Inc.

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BA SCORE
94
exceptional
-
3,053 Ratings

rAvg: 4.21
pDev: 12.11%
Reviews: 1757
Hads: 1296

Ratings Help

Brewed by:
Bell's Brewery, Inc.

Michigan, United States

Style | ABV
Russian Imperial Stout | 10.50% ABV

Availability: Winter. bottle (1663), on-tap (75), cask (14), growler (3), nitro-tap (2).

Notes:
Expedition Stout offers immensely complex flavors crafted specifically with vintage aging in mind, as its profile will continue to mature and develop over the years. A huge malt body is matched to a heady blend of chocolate, dark fruits, and other aromas. Intensely bitter in its early months, the flavors will slowly meld and grow in depth as the beer ages.

View: Beers (75) | Reviews (159) | Events (0)

Reviews

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Reviews by Fanhitter:

Fanhitter

4.53/5 rDev +7.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Served in a glass, poured from a bottle aged 10yrs+

Looks a thick, sepia-black brew, as to be expected. The head on this was a solid half inch of creamy, thick, brown bubbles. The pour itself was a thick, syrupy event.

Smells faintly of berry, sweet grape and currant. With a blindfold on, I'd say this was a barleywine. As it warms however, the coffee/chocolate nose becomes more prevalent, but a musty sweet smell exists until this is gone.

Tastes like a creamy, single origin dark chocolate with a faintly sweet sip. The aftertaste is far sweeter than the draw, and maltier too. A bitter/burnt cold SO coffee flavor is present as well, finished with a very faint port grape flavor. It's big, and pairs nicely with the birthday cake on the table. Happy birthday DAD!

Mouthfeel is syrupy, but oily rather than sticky. It's easy to drink, but this begs to be savored. Coats the tongue, but not the teeth.

Overall, I remember getting this bottle (and others) for my birthday many years ago and not being into it, as, at 21 I was a die-hard Guinness drinker. Still love the Guinness, but can appreciate bigger flavors and age has done this well. Gives me a serious lesson on aging big beers, especially after the resinated cake of solids on the bottom needed a drop of water to break up. Even though I'm still not the biggest fan of big imperial stouts, I'd love to try another aged bottle of this.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 23:46:03 | More by Fanhitter

More User Reviews:

NJB145

Michigan

4.5/5 rDev +6.9%

05-19-2013 00:59:31 | More by NJB145

jakeox

Illinois

4/5 rDev -5%

05-19-2013 00:05:50 | More by jakeox

rob99er

California

4.5/5 rDev +6.9%

05-18-2013 17:15:35 | More by rob99er

match1112

Illinois

4.25/5 rDev +1%

05-18-2013 13:26:15 | More by match1112

SMITHAND

Oregon

4.5/5 rDev +6.9%

05-18-2013 03:17:23 | More by SMITHAND

Honus1

Ohio

4.25/5 rDev +1%

05-18-2013 02:37:44 | More by Honus1

carlosega

Ohio

4.5/5 rDev +6.9%

05-17-2013 19:23:03 | More by carlosega

iHeartMNBeer

Minnesota

4.75/5 rDev +12.8%

05-17-2013 04:51:13 | More by iHeartMNBeer

GoldHorde

Minnesota

4.36/5 rDev +3.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bell's Imperial Russian Stout: Expedition Stout

Another excellent stout! Mouth feel is correct - just a bit on the thinner side of cream (hinting towards a Porter style) but that just adds to the deep flavor gamut's mystery. A gargle of it just makes you want to get a V8 of huskies together for a 3,000 kilometer mush! The flavor is complex; coffee first, chocolate, smoke & caramel with a very faint echo of bourbon.

A = pours opaque black with a mocha tan head with open lacing
S = feigns at Porter style with a wet smoke (rain on burned wood after a fire)
T = again, feigns at Porter style but delivers the deeper, more complex character of the Stout
M = thinner than cream, but within Russian Stout style.
O = A great beer!

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 04:44:10 | More by GoldHorde