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

jrallen34

Illinois

4.3/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I drank this on tap into a tasting glass.

The beer is black with a medium tan head that has lots of retention and great lacing.

The aroma is very malty, lots of sweet chocolate with vanilla and hops right at the end.

The taste is off from the aroma with lots of coffee on the front and big hoppy finish.

The feel is very heavy and viscous with a decent drinkability.

Serving type: on-tap

12-07-2009 15:31:58 | More by jrallen34

Bung

North Carolina

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

Flying Saucer Charlotte. All black pour with 1 finger brown head. More booze and bourbon in the aroma than I ever remember this having. Heavy roast, molasses as well. This is BIG this year, either that or it's just so long since I've had it on draft. Full body, thick oily mouthfeel. I could swear this was barrel aged. A large amount of oaky toffee accents the heavy roast malts chocolates and espresso. Mild hops in the bite at the finish. Not nearly as much dark fruits as I've noticed in the past and much more of this barrel like qualities. Excellent, big sipper.

Serving type: on-tap

10-23-2009 17:17:12 | More by Bung

Cyberkedi

Georgia

4.3/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a deep, opaque sable with a thick, fine-bubbled tan head. Smoky coffee-ish aroma has a hint of unsweetened chocolate. Flavor is smoky and surprisingly bitter, and has an undertone of chocolate and a hint of molasses. Texture is very smooth and tingly, and leaves a rather bitter aftertaste, not hoppy bitter but a tad unpleasing. Nevertheless, this is overall a darned good beer.

Serving type: on-tap

10-18-2009 15:10:00 | More by Cyberkedi

HeyItsChili

China

4.13/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked up a growler of this brew at Charleston Beer Exchange's Bell's kickoff.

A - Poured from a growler into a pint glass. Pours black with a medium dark brown head.

S - Fairly mild, bitter dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee.

T - Flavor is akin to the aroma, with a bit more cocoa in the flavor than comes through in the smell. There's a faint hint of raisins, and a nice warm alcohol finish.

M - Thick, viscous, but smooth, nice fizzy carbonation.

Serving type: growler

05-16-2009 22:50:39 | More by HeyItsChili

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.63/5  rDev +10%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap in Bloomington, IN earlier this year. Served in a snifter.

A: Very, very dark with a massive brown head.

S: Quite good, but a little muted compared with the taste. Hops, chocolate, coffee, cherries, slightly-burnt espresso.

T: Same as the smell, and utterly fantastic. I taste the most from the espresso with a little bit of the cherry.

M: Very thick. Chewy and creamy.

D: Highly, highly drinkable. Grab two of these and sip 'em for the rest of the night.

Serving type: on-tap

04-23-2009 00:02:27 | More by Thorpe429

RockerD

Indiana

3.88/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at 3 Floyds brew pub.

An amazing looking beer. Has the coolest looking thick dark brown head I'd ever seen!!!! In the light it's as close as you can get to Black and still be Brown.

Smells of a roasted coffee and molasses in January.

Tastes of cocoa in smokey-coffee and rum...? Really good. Smooth and delicious. I love this beer.

Feel's great going in... nothing too special. It's a strong beer but after one you can easily drink another... and you'll want to!

Serving type: on-tap

03-20-2009 03:10:11 | More by RockerD

AdmiralDiaz

Minnesota

4.43/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

A: Pours almost jet black with a large brown head holding good retention and minimal lacing.

S: Strong roasted malts with lots of alcohol, chocolate and a decent amount of hops.

T: Very similar the the scent. Strong chocolate and roasted malts with a very good hop balance adding just the right amount of bitterness all with an alcohol overtone. Very big and very good.

M: Very heavy with little carbonation and extremely silky. I've heard many complaints about the carbonation level, but it's just where I like it for a big stout like this one. It's also fairly drinkable for the style and how big it is. Could easily do a couple bottles.

Serving type: on-tap

03-15-2009 06:08:51 | More by AdmiralDiaz

CrellMoset

Virginia

4.35/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Bell's Expedition Stout, on tap at Flying Saucer, Charlotte, NC. Served in a traditional American pint glass.

Appearance: Huge finger-plus of deep chocolately, cocoa head with absolutely great sticking power. It sits atop a thick, black sea of bottomless gook - though it doesn't look as unpleasant as that might read. Some sticky, thick lacing, sheetlike, fluffy in places looks really nice - definitely an attractive beer.

Aroma: Char and heavy black roasts with flourishes of French roast and cocoa dominate. This one's nearly pushed to the edge, heavy and thick, with a few wooden, green earthy notes peeking their head through the black clouds every once in a while.

Taste: Very nice. Heavily, deeply roasted astringencies, but also plenty of sweet cocoa, toast, some light bittering hops and grassy, hay-like notes. As the haze clears, one can detect a few faint but increasingly noticeably dark fruit notes, the obligatory raisin and fig. A very complex and well-rounded beer.

Mouthfeel: Fluffy, even, and milky, this one is of a perfect thickness and body, cut by a perfect amount of effervescence. Simply velvet.

Drinkability: Better than out of the bottle, in my opinion. The flavors just really came through on this one, and I'm beginning to appreciate this beer much more than I previously did. Sure the alcohol's way up there, but it's well-hidden and really takes a backseat to the great array of flavors and aromas here. Recommended, as always.

Serving type: on-tap

01-09-2009 05:19:17 | More by CrellMoset

Reaper16

Alabama

4.33/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

served on-tap (!) into a globe glass at Flying Saucer

Looked like an RIS, basically. Rich blackness with a creamy, tan/leather head. Lacing was superb all throughout the drink.

Lots of chocolate in the nose, with pleasant characteristics of nuts (almonds, maybe). Sweet, luxurious malt aromas provide an awful lot of enticement. I think, not quite dark fruits, but maybe berries of some kind? Either way, its intriguing.

This is a terrific tasting beer. Loads of creamy chocolate, roasted-to-burnt malts, a touch of hops somewhere in the middle, and a nutty, clean finish. The alcohol asserts itself, making this beer pretty hot and warming. This is like a delicious glass of chocolate milk, only with booze.

Expedition Stout is thick like a milkshake, but remains drinkable throughout. If you can handle the hot alcohol characteristics, you could be in danger put a few down too fast. Splendid.

I'm ecstatic that I had the chance to try Expedition Stout on-tap, though I can only wonder how an aged/cellared bottle might do to the alcohol taste. I suspect that this is too young to be at its optimum tasting age. Regardless, this was a decadent treat and an awesome stout that I would absolutely love to drink again.

Serving type: on-tap

12-23-2008 07:40:12 | More by Reaper16

SwiftyMcBeer

Indiana

3.93/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Tbis beer is a looker. Getting to have it on tap was a huge bonus, mad props to the Trion for having the guts to tap this sucker. Jet black with a chocolate head . . . all the smells to go along with it. Just reeks darkness, chocolate, coffee, this is where wimpiness goes to die. You defintely know the +10 ABV is there when you taste it and that is really my only negative and a slight one at that. It'd be tough to have more then two of these in a sitting, but that could just be a reflection of the style.
A top notch stout, just not my favorite style.

Serving type: on-tap

12-07-2008 21:52:50 | More by SwiftyMcBeer

adamette

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Ballantine in Willoughby, Ohio a few hours ago. Poured into a 10 oz. chalice.

A Creamy, thick dark brown head, jet black body. Nice look and very much to style.

S Distant smell of dark chocolate and coffee. Great smell and very inviting. I am coming to realize that stouts are not really that "smelly," that their smells are subtle.

T Wow! Sweetness of chocolate malt and sweet coffee up front and then a great transition into a gentle bitterness (of hops, alcohol?). This happened on every single sip and it was great!

M Thick, syrupy chocolate coffee nectar. This is a full, sturdy beer. I did taste some carbonation but it was not obvious.

D Good for a stout. I really believe that drinkability is not something that a stout goes for anyway.

Notes: I am so glad to have had this on tap. If this keeps up I may have to change my favorite style to Stouts. I have had some great ones lately.

Serving type: on-tap

12-07-2008 02:18:19 | More by adamette

corby112

Pennsylvania

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

On-tap at the South Philly Taproom.

Perfection! Dark black pour with a coffee colored head. Very full aroma with hints of chocolate, coffee, dark fruits, caramel. This beer is so smooth that it become dangerous at 10.5 abv. The flavor is very complex with malty chocolate and coffee, dark berries, and many other things that are silly to even try to list. Simply amazing!

Serving type: on-tap

12-02-2008 05:51:57 | More by corby112

hopdog

Pennsylvania

4.97/5  rDev +18.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Bottle and tap multiple times and more to come!

Poured a dark black with an averaged sized brown head. Aromas and tastes of mocha chocolates, roasted malts, and light bitter coffee. This is one good tasting beer. Alcohol content well hidden. Smooth and easy to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

11-13-2008 19:44:22 | More by hopdog

beckje01

Minnesota

3.43/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- Black look can't see through it. Thin tan head.

S- Nice malty nose, no hopes in there.

T- Bitter but not overwhelming a nice sweetness in the background and a touch of woodiness.

M- Nice activity with good thickness.

D- Ok not great, there are better RIS out there but if this is all you can get it will do.

Serving type: on-tap

11-10-2008 05:52:04 | More by beckje01

ncvbc

North Carolina

4.55/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Deep dark pour, very thick black with rich tan head. Great smell of dark fruits, molasses, roast coffee. A nice balance of roast and sweet. Taste is also very nice. Some sweetness of dark fruits and molasses up front followed by a deep roast flavor. They blend pretty effortlessly together. There is also a hop presence lying underneath, adding a nice edge. Creamy mouthfeel made of silk and and velvet. Perfect carbonation and the lightest tickle on the tongue from the faint complimentary hops. Quite drinkable and it reminds me why I enjoy this beer so much. I might have to pull out a bottle to keep that memory fresh in my mind.

Serving type: on-tap

11-05-2008 21:08:08 | More by ncvbc

nmyers

Michigan

3.03/5  rDev -28%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This beer poured black with a very thin dark brown head on it with little retention and it looked really thick. It seemed to ooze out of the tap. The smell was good molasses, raisins and dates very sweet smelling. The smell was much better than the taste, it was slightly sweet in the beginning and finished very bitter. There was not much alcohol flavor for being 10.5%. It also had very little carbonation. Over it was ok because I am a fan of stouts.

Serving type: on-tap

04-05-2008 19:20:12 | More by nmyers

NoLiberty

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

App: Pours into a tulip glass thick, brown, and with a caramel colored 2-finger thick head. Dark, brooding and caramel, chocolate color. Thick and big with nice head retention that settles into a low but persistent lacing.

Aroma: Slightly sweet roasted bitterness, big chocolate nose, with underlying alcohol aroma. Toffee plus coffee sweetness. Good roasted nuttiness all the way through with almost barleywine-like characteristics.

Taste: Big flavor up front; sweet and chocolatey, followed in the middle by alcohol, then finishes roasty sweet and bitter. Too much alcohol but really nice big full flavors alongside it. A slight hop bite at the finish.

Mouth: Full, thick and chewy. Smooth and full mouthfeel. Good carbonation to balance the size. Surprisingly effervescent.

Drink: Nice, buy the alcohol impedes on any real continuous drinking, but for a sipping stout, it's drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

03-10-2008 03:36:57 | More by NoLiberty

jobyone

North Carolina

4.38/5  rDev +4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

From a freshly opened keg. The beer poured black with an incredibly creamy light brown head. The aroma had lots of burnt smells (coffee, chocolate) and was accompanied by a little bit of fruit sweetness. The flavor had lots of chocolate, coffe and some alcohol. The body was very full and the the aftertaste lingered with a pleasing bitterness.

Serving type: on-tap

01-17-2008 21:10:24 | More by jobyone

CDBeerDisappear

Ohio

4.85/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Pours black, almost completely opaque, with a tan foamy head and great retention. The draft is very similar to the bottled, so, if you can only get the bottled, don't feel like you are missing anything. Aroma of sweet dark fruit, prunes raisins, currants and chocolate – smells delicious. Plus, the taste delivers what the aroma promises. Sweet but not too sweet, mouthfeel is full and rich, carbonation is rather light. Great drinkability. How could anyone not like this beer?

I think Jason and Todd got an out of date sample of this beer because it really is great. Bell's is a great brewery (you know that) and this is a great beer.

Serving type: on-tap

01-15-2008 23:42:22 | More by CDBeerDisappear

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

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

Pours jet black, with a tan/ light brown head. In the aroma, a roasty malt and grapefruity hops. In the taste, hoppy, coffee, and a sweet roasty malt. A small bitter, big body mouthfeel and a sweet roasty malt and a small grapefruity hop aftertaste. Big malt, nice hops, hides alcohol and quite easy to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

01-06-2008 16:48:44 | More by OWSLEY069

CWiggins

North Carolina

4.28/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This is currently on tap at Tyler's Taproom in Durham, along with three other stouts by Bell's. (It's quite cute, actually, seeing those four distinctive tap handles all in a row.) Served in a Bell's tulip glass, I was struck by the black appearance of the beer, with that dark-tan, one-finger head. (The head looks like it could be its own food group!) It certainly looks like a Russian Imperial Stout, that's for sure. One whiff revealed aromas of sweet dark fruits and heavily roasted malts. A bit of coffee jumps out of the glass, and there's a little bittersweet chocolate lurking there as well. The flavor is quite sweet, with a sugary prune character leaping to the forefront. Balanced in the middle by roasted grains, the flavor mellows a bit and allows the darker, coffee-like characters to dominate. Here's where the alcohol is easily detected! The finish includes some hops to contrast with the malts, but it's really in the background to everything else going on. Wow! That's something else! The lower carbonation lets the smooth and creamy texture slurp around the palate, allowing all the flavor elements to intermingle in an ecstasy of brewing delight. This is a wonderful thing!

Serving type: on-tap

12-13-2007 02:42:18 | More by CWiggins

letsgopens

Pennsylvania

4.68/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

I had the pleasure of sampling this RIS on-tap at Bell's Brewery. It poured all black with a thick, creamy, tan head that leaves some nice wall of lace. Very formidable looking poured in to a tulip glass.

Amazing aroma; primarily heavily roasted malt and spent coffee grounds. Earthy and robust. Lots of bitter cocoa. Fills the nostrils. Exactly what I look for in a RIS.

Again the flavor is primarily of heavily roasted; dark malty goodness. Rich and decadent. Black coffee and bitter dark cocoa. Some toffee sweetness. Deep caramelization. A bit of milk chocolate comes through in the finish. As does a good amount of warmth. Some booze and dark fruit are there too. Earthy and complex with just a hint of smoke. All the fundamental characteristics that make this style great.

Thick and creamy on the palate with low carbonation and a somewhat syrupy texture. Again there is some nice warmth in the finish that rounds out this amazing beer. One of the best examples of a RIS I can think of. Such a great selection. If you ever have the opportunity to sample it on tap, take it.

Serving type: on-tap

11-16-2007 06:17:03 | More by letsgopens

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

3.83/5  rDev -9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Was very pleasantly surprised to see this on tap at Capone's the other night.

This has to be one of the oddest looking stouts I've ever seen. The beer looks more like a cup of dark hot chocoate then beer, with a hazy chocolate appearance, good lacing and decent head retention. On the nose one gets some more chocolate (quite a bit of it in fact), with a hint of vanilla, coffee and cherry. The flavors are replicated on the palate, especially in terms of the chocolate. However, there's also almost what I would call an underlying grittiness to this beer, which while fine for the most part, hurts the finish a bit I think. There is considerable bitterness in the finish, and at least for me, that coupled with the sweet chocolate and high abv. makes this a difficult beer to drink.

This is absolutely a solid beer, but is just not my cup of tea.

Serving type: on-tap

09-23-2007 13:28:43 | More by johnmichaelsen

akorsak

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A snifter glass served at Capone's during both Founders/Bell's nights.

A: The stout is pitch black, no other words adequately describe the dark depths of this stout. Unfortunately there was no head atop this black beauty, besmirching the nice appearance.

S: The nose is roasted malts, dark thick grains that have bready and vinous characteristics. Some sweeter grains punch up the strong burnt aromas.

T: The taste is right in line with the big aromas from the nose. There is a thick roasted burnt malt flavor, bitter and strong that remains throughout the drink. That burnt flavor is nicely matched up against a graham sweetness. The alcohol underlying this beer is huge, completely unable to hide itself even amongst the abundance of flavor here. The finish is burnt and bitter, leaving a long full taste in the mouth.

M: The stout is huge, easily overwhelming the tastebuds with dark roasted flavors and big alcohol. This is not a stout for the faint of heart.

D: A snifter is great, more than one and you'll be seein' double. This is a complex beer that is best enjoyed slowly with good company.

Serving type: on-tap

08-31-2007 01:56:06 | More by akorsak

franksnbeans

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dark opaque black color with some brown highlights when held to a light. Chocolate milk head that sticks and laces. Smells sweet, roasted coffee beans, chocolate, cocoa. Taste has a lot of delicious layers with everything the smell offers and more. Alcohol warms but is not present in the taste. Drinks like a dessert. A wonderful stout that is a must try for all stout lovers and beyond.

Serving type: on-tap

08-24-2007 07:04:34 | More by franksnbeans