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

joeseppy

Illinois

4.39/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Typical stout appearance. Nice fluffy mocha head. Btl 10/2012

Initial pour has cola aroma and as it warms, turns into a milky sweet coffee with roasty malts.

Chocolate upfront with a hoppy alcohol back. Coffee through the nose lingers. Milk chocolate, smoky malts, raisin, brown sugar and alcohol heat. Some bitter black licorice.

Mouthfeel of smoky malt, creamy pureed dark fruit and a burnt dry hop bitterness. Crisp carbonation.

One of the most complex of stouts. Craftsfully mastered. Age will gracefully transcend this to another level of greatness year after year. Will patiently age the rest of my stash. Yum-Yum.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2013 05:26:58 | More by joeseppy

MCain04

Illinois

4/5  rDev -5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

4 month old bottle poured into a 13 oz snifter.

Appearance: Dark brown, almost black. Pours out a 1-2 finger dark tan head. Decent retention and lacing.

Smell: Roasted dark malts with some booze. This promises to be warming and filling.

Taste: Extremely roasty up front, with chocolate, a little bitter coffee. Pretty hoppy... not sure how I feel about the citrus, tart, acidic, sour notes. Pretty dry finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-high carbonation. Smooth, full body. Decently chewy. Was honestly expecting it to be boozier, this one is pretty drinkable.

Overall: A decent stout. I have another one of these with a year on it, and will put down one of this year's for a little while to see how 1, 2, 3 yrs taste with this. For $3, this tastes pretty good. For the same price though, get a founders imperial stout, you'll be happier.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2013 21:16:32 | More by MCain04

alysmith4

District of Columbia

3.21/5  rDev -23.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

Was expecting so much from this beer, considering it's high ranking and glowing review (and gift!) from my neighbors. Perhaps I just don't care for this style, but I found it way to syrupy. The malt profile doesn't seem to balance out the beer at all, and I found myself making terrible faces every time I took a sip. It's a cross between coffee and cough syrup, in my opinion. Not my favorite. The appearance however, is lovely!

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2013 03:05:32 | More by alysmith4

MattSweatshirt

Texas

4.05/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle from October.

Pours out viscous and black from the bottle and looks lovely in a glass. Pitch black with a mocha head.

Lots of roasty goodness in the smell. Dark chocolate, dark fruit, and some alcohol.

It tastes fairly bitter like a Yeti. Rounds out with some sweetness. Big roast character, dark chocolate, and dark fruit.

Smooth and full chewy mouthfeel.

A great stout. I feel like an aged bottle would be heavenly.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 22:58:34 | More by MattSweatshirt

schoolboy

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This is a great big stout. It does not hit you when you open it or smell it, but the taste and especially the aftertaste are really where they should be.

It is a typically nearly opaque almost black color with a little head and beautiful lace. The aroma is subtle and roasty. The taste is a bitter hops blast of a stout. The sweetness is balanced by the bitterness. This I consider correct for the style.

The aftertaste is a wonderfully mouth full of bitter. It's the best part. I don't think I ever had this before and I don't know what I was waiting for!

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 00:52:51 | More by schoolboy

brewsclues

Pennsylvania

3.29/5  rDev -21.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at the Sharp Edge (Pittsburgh, PA).

Appearance: Pitch black, tan head. Pretty nice to look at. Stout-y!

Smell: Whoa, did we just sit down next to a campfire?

Taste: Did someone just throw dark, bitter chocolate and molasses on a campfire and put it in my pint glass? (Thought so.)

Not subtle. Too smokey. Too bitter at the end. Massive, bold tastes in all the wrong ways.

I'll admit: I don't get this beer. I'm sure the 2,602 people who have reviewed this as a 94 are right and I'm wrong. I think this is a slightly above average beer, even for a stout. Another example of an "extreme beer" that sacrifices subtle and complex characteristics that ease into your palette for an "in-your-face" marketing pitch. I enjoy stouts and I could barely finish this beer without a splitting headache - you know, the type you get from smoke inhalation.

Serving type: on-tap

01-25-2013 05:44:50 | More by brewsclues

niday2288

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Midnight black and very thick pour from the bottle with light brown head that sticks around and laces beautifully as you imbibe.
S - Nose is roasted malt with some bitter hops
T - Roasted Malt, coffee and cocoa
M - Thick and oily, like a beautiful, tasty oilslick
O - One of my favorites for this style. There are better, but not many in my mind.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2013 02:42:47 | More by niday2288

kevanb

Illinois

4.29/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

12oz bottle dated 1/18/2012 poured into a Bell's Tulip.

The beer pours a lovely jet black color, very opaque, hues of cola brown when struck by the light, a very thin, fizzy, caramel colored head appears but dissipates almost immediately leaving behind no lacing. The aroma is really great, loads of dark fruits, cherry, raisin a touch of plum leads to a nice sweet malt layer with just a touch of burnt coffee that lingers ever so nicely. The flavors are even more complex and rewarding, Cherry and raisin are very pronounced, touches of plum and fig behind them, with a bit of sweet vanilla that leads to some rich dark grain. Roasted coffee and a bit of charred wood comes out towards the finish that is wonderfully bitter with just a nice lingering alcohol heat. The body is rich and full, medium carbonation which is a bit higher than I expected it to be, but not distraction with a nice easy finish with a pleasant warming as it goes down.

Verdict: An exemplary Russian Imperial stout and in my opinion, the benchmark for the style. The flavors have continued to increase in complexity and depth and the alcohol has mellowed substantially, a real treat to savor and enjoy on a cold winter night. Anyone who loves a good stout really needs to seek this beer out.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 03:29:40 | More by kevanb

screamking

Ohio

4.43/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Purchased at The Party Source, 12oz poured into snifter.

Look-pours dark very dark, close to black with a creamy light brown head. 4.5

Aroma- malt, whole bean coffee, small bit of cinnamon, over baked sugar cookies. 4.5

Taste-Big roasted coffee bean, heavy on the dark chocolate, less malt then expected,little bit of char at the end. 4.5

Feel-thick/syrup, alcohol is there, dryness in the finish. 4.25

Overall-this is powerful stuff, I think it could use some age on it which I intend to do. That being said it is a very good representation of this style. Warms you to the bone. A heavy hitter for sure. 4.25

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 01:09:41 | More by screamking

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

KYGunner

Kentucky

4.34/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Dark black in the glass you catch no other hues or coloring in the light. A thin yet creamy brown head rests atop the darkness and sticks to the edges.

Sweet whiffs of chocolate malt mix with a malty graham cracker scent. Touches of vanilla and coconut give the impression it's barrel aged.

Nicely thick and viscous the taste is of burnt coffee and burnt malt. There is a sweetness of chocolate but its fleeting. The burnt flavors are strong and smooth but there is a slight tinny alcohol after taste. Very warm going down its a great cold weather ale.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 22:06:55 | More by KYGunner

nUgZ

North Carolina

4.24/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

12 ounce bottle poured into a snifter.

A: Pours a very dark brown color with a minimal head and a little lacing.

S: Dark chocolate, coffee, roasted malts, and some smoke.

T: The taste is very much like the smell with the addition of some bitter hops. The alcohol is somewhat detectable.

M: Full bodied with ample carbonation. More carbonation than I like in a RIS.

O: Very enjoyable. I would like it more with a little less carbonation, but overall it's a very solid RIS.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 01:08:41 | More by nUgZ

Carloco

Illinois

4.73/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A --> Beer poured darker than chocolate brown. Very caramel looking, with a very small head.

S --> Aroma is that of chocolate, syrupy, MAJOR coffee, vanilla?, and get almost a tad cinnamon

T --> Taste is coffee, chocolate vanilla, slightly bitter, very malty

M --> the mouthfeel is THICK with not much carbonation. Wonderful flavors, stay in your mouth for a while due to the thickness.

O --> Overall VERY complex beer. many different flavors and great aroma. I should have aged it a little because I hear it is even better, but regardless was awesome. Only criticism I have is that you definitely taste and smell the 10% alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2013 22:45:11 | More by Carloco

danieelol

Australia

4.4/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

With great thanks to joecast.

Black as night, slightly tanned head.

Honey-stout nose.

Great roast character. Strongly hoppy too. Bit of sweet malt coming through.

Can definitely see how this could be considered a benchmark of the Imperial Stout style.

Mouthfeel is thick like chocolate jelly.

Just a very solid archetypal imperial stout.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2013 05:02:40 | More by danieelol

JamesMN

Minnesota

3.9/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Opaque black with a thin dark brown head. Some lacing.

Aroma: Molasses, caramel, roasted coffee and dark chocolate. Not all that aromatic.

Taste: Starts with big roasted flavor and then gives a big blast of dark coffee and bitter chocolate. Don't taste the 10.5% ABV but leaves a nice warmth in the throat. A hint of earthy hop flavor that adds some bitterness. A bit of an unbalanced brew but I'm sure aging would remedy that (this is a relatively fresh bottle). Not getting much in terms of the usual dark fruits I expect from the style.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with average carbonation (almost too much). Pretty decent drinkability.

Final Thoughts: Definitely one to check out if you are a stout enthusiast. Would I drink it again? Maybe, a bit of a high price point.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 05:31:35 | More by JamesMN

Jayman931

Mississippi

4.15/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle served in a snifter

Very dark....don't think you can get much darker...Mocha head that gets lighter in color near the top and middle. Good Head retention. Don't drink it cold....let it get in the 60s.

Very Pleasant smell....nice roasted malt character

I really like this beer....unsure how anyone rated it poorly....great mouthfeel extremely well balanced....very small bitter finish...you would never guess it was 10.5%

I'll buy a 6 pack at least once a winter. Quality beer

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 05:07:42 | More by Jayman931

patpbr

Ohio

4.03/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours dark as night with a tan head and nice lacing. The smell is roasty with chocolate notes. Bold with a chocolate character along with roast and coffee. Dark fruit and sweet malts try to balance it out. Some vanilla and creamy as it warms. Carbonation is low but finishes with bitterness. A strong brew that I may have to cellar. High alcohol will keep me from drinking to many.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2013 01:29:56 | More by patpbr

tectactoe

Michigan

4.34/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a squid-ink shade of black, letting no light through this one at all, super dark tan head, excellent staying power with thick bouts of lacing left along the edges of the glass. Aroma is full of rich, bittersweet dark chocolate, highly roasted malts and grains, sweet black licorice, and a touch of deep fruit sweetness and ashy hop bitterness. The presence of this beer is very powerful from the aroma alone. Some alcohol detectable, but not too heavily; just enough to provide a nice warming sensation on the tip of the nose.

One sip of this and you know you're in for a treat. Thick, sweet licorice up front, along with sweetness in the form of over-ripe dates and figs. Roasted cocoa beans, bitter espresso and thick coffee, dark chocolate and cocoa beans, bitter, creamy, and milky. An ashy, leafy hop profile asserts itself just in time to balance the extreme sweetness and put everything into perspective. Fading out, the beer leaves a nice combo of sweet and bitter behind on the palate with cocoa, roasted malt, and ashy hops. Alcohol warms and make itself known, but never burns or scares you away - it just adds another element. Super thick, motor oil body with a low-medium amount of carbonation.

This beer is extreme - it's heavy, thick, powerful, and jam packed full of flavor. I believe it's slightly underrated, but I may be biased since it's readily available in my area when in season. Take this one slow, it's a doozy, but it's damn good.

EDIT: 2006 vintage, enjoyed 3/21/2013. Thanks to Chris from bringing this one from this cellar. Bell's wasn't kidding when they said this one would hold up. No head, still silky smooth. Flavors are all there; dark coffee, bitter cocoa, sweet licorice. Mellow booziness with a light oxidation - understandable given the age. Fantastic. Seven years old and still holding up like a fuckin' champ.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 22:42:51 | More by tectactoe

brewtus

Ohio

3.73/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a tulip glass. Pours thick black with a dark tan head that laces well as it slowly fades. Smells oakey, a bit hoppy, and malty. Taste is smokey and a bit bitter. Has a chewy and creamy thickness. Leaves your mouth with a dark chocolate after taste that's pretty enjoyable. The alcohol level is hidden well, if you're looking for a thick solid stout, this is worth trying. Not my favorite but really glad I tried it.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 17:06:49 | More by brewtus

RichieS2

Michigan

5/5  rDev +18.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured a 12 oz bottle into a Trappist Goblet.

Appearance - Opaque black even when held up to a light source. Had a mocha brown froth with a good amount of lacing. Textbook appearance of I-stout.

Smell - Strong hints of coffee with some detectable undertones of chocolate. Overall very pleasing almost like being in a coffee shop. Again textbook for an I-stout.

Taste - Heavenly to say the least. The beer starts with strong malt sweetness that fills the palate. Then the malt transitions to the more bittersweet taste of roasted malt, which again brings the coffee analogy to mind. The bitter sweetness ends with bitterness equal to that of pale ale. In case you were not keeping track that is 3 tastes in the beer's flavor, each and everyone one of them is not just good but great.

Mouth feel - Satisfyingly thick and warm in the mouth.

Overall - I do not hand out a perfect score easily. This beer has earned it.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2012 17:10:28 | More by RichieS2

purdueflyguy

Colorado

3.75/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

2012 vintage poured into pint glass

Poured black but not quite motor oil black. Was expecting it to be a little thicker looking. Descent mocha colored head.

Not quite as much as much going on as I would expect. Dark chocolate and coffee faint but big roasted malt. A little smokey.

Massive espresso flavors followed by a little bit of chocolate. A little boozy in the flavor but don't really feel any warming surprising for this ABV.

A little too thin as far as the mouthfeel.

Overall not a bad beer but it just doesn't take it to the next level would like to age this and see where it is in a couple years.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 22:11:00 | More by purdueflyguy

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

3.38/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

12 oz bottle into a Duvel tulip.

A: Pours a pitch black color. No "really dark brown" bollocks, this one is nearly perfectly opaque. The head is a one finger tan color that gives Ten Fidy a run for its money in terms of darkness. The retention is pretty good, and a thick collar around the glass diameter lingers nicely.

S: I immediately notice a large amount of dark fruits, like raisins, currants, and plums. Beneath that, there's a bit of licorice, anise, coffee, chocolate. and light booze. Very similar to a revved-up version of the Stone IRS - if we can compare it to any other RIS on the market, that is.

T: The flavor seems roastier than the aroma. Roasted malts open the flavor profile with a punch to the face, before a fruity midtaste and alcoholic, vaguely hoppy finish. Even for an imperial stout, the balance is lacking. Really, the palate is just beat down with roast, bittersweet dark fruits, and booze. Not much subtlety here - it's aggressive and even harsh. If there was any beer that was more suitable for drinking after a year in the cellar, this is it.

M: Thick as a brick. I can't think of any other way to describe the bigness of the body. It finishes with a lot of wet slickness and lingering roasted malts. It certainly feels decadent, but again, the big booze detracts instead of complimenting the flavor profile.

O: This one is a bit harsh, frankly. Good news is, aging it will kill that harshness stone dead. Bad news is, I only bought a single bottle. Damnit. Then again, I'm of the school of thought that a beer should be consumed as soon as its purchased, so the middling scores stand.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2012 23:23:41 | More by ThisWangsChung

messyhair42

Colorado

4.75/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

From a Bell's sampler pack I was given, last of the six pack. And incredibly rare to have in Colorado.

From the bottle it has a dark red hue, in the glass it is black as night. pours with a one finger head that fades into a smooth lacing over the course of a few minutes.

Smells like licorice, figs and candy without much of a hop aroma, hops are there, but they don't stand above the rest.

Taste: Rich chocolate, plums, and dark malts. Very long aftertaste with tannins and earthy, musty hops.

Mouthfeel: lighter than I expected, It could be sweeter (heavier) and still be be well balanced. even after warming in the glass for 50 minutes it has good bubble feel on the tongue.

Overall: an excellent beer, highly quaffable for a RIS, I wish I had more than one bottle. will definitely seek out when I'm back east.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2012 08:08:26 | More by messyhair42

gshak

Texas

5/5  rDev +18.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I've had this a number of times, and rated it around 4.75-5. Decided this time, to chime in and write a review. Poured from a year-old (Jan '12) bottle into a Meukow snifter at refrigerator temperature. I had the desire but not the discipline to let this one sit for long and warm up. Here we go:
A - With an aggressive pour, the liquid still went flat into the snifter, only for the bubbles to gradually rise up towards the end, generate a thin mocha-colored head, and fade back into a tiny, persistent, ring. Viscous, and pitch-black; upon swirling leaves noticeable signs of alcohol legs. The mocha-tint lets you know where the beer's been through in your glass. Impressive.
S - Chocolatey, very, very chocolatey with hints of molasses. Now, this may not be much to rate the stout on, but there is that almost zen-like statement from this stout (hyperbolic, I know) the subdued appearance, the subdued aromas that portend of awesome things to come. And for that feeling alone, this gets a 5.
T - Yes, yes, yes. A big hit of dark chocolate and sweet molasses coats the mouth. Transitions into a slightly vinous sensation on the palate most likely the alcohol. I want to keep this in my mouth for as along as I possibly can - ah, the sweet, sweet delight of sipping on this beauty. As it goes down, it dries the palate - possibly a combination of hops and alcohol coming into play. I never felt the alcohol at any time, and the hops are only there to balance out the sweetness of the beer. Even so...this is a malt-lover's dream!
M - Thick, viscous, silky, smooth....the ultimate sipper.

As far as non-barrel aged imperial stouts go, this is the one to beat. I do not see how anyone could possibly out do this one. And even among the barrel-aged ones, I can only pick a few that could, possibly, go toe-to-toe with the Bells Expedition.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2012 22:39:34 | More by gshak

rlee1390

Indiana

4/5  rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-Deep black, brown head that doesn't last long

S-Good deal of chocolate, some coffee and roast/burnt malt. Molasses as well.

T-Starts with a lot of chocolate, coffee as it warms. Some alcohol heat. Burnt/roasted malt.

M-Medium to heavy in body, not much carbonation, tad creamy.

O-Maybe some age would do this brew some good, nice flavors but they didn't come together perfectly.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 19:54:59 | More by rlee1390