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

chiefkellen

Illinois

4.22/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

-12oz bottle served in 22oz snifter
-02/23/2010 At home, relaxed

Aroma: Alcohol present with some deep caramel tones. Agitation revealed a depth of dark fruits, namely prunes, with a hint of licorice. Hops are present in the nose, but not overpowering.

Appearance: Very dark, almost black with a dark reddish/brown hue about the sides of the glass at beer's surface.

Taste: Burnt malt noted upfront with some dark fruit and caramel sweetness. Lingering bitterness from the hops caresses the palate as roasted malt sticks to the lips and back of tongue. Some coffee notes present as well as alcohol.

Palate: Full body with mild carbonation. Beer coats the mouth with flavor ending in satisfaction on back of the tongue.

Overall: Extremely enjoyable imperial stout from Bell's with great malt complexity with strong roasted notes. The hop aroma and bitterness is nice. Alcohol is present, but should mellow with age.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2010 15:21:56 | More by chiefkellen

BeerEngineer89

New York

4.05/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A- Pitch black. Rough pour yielded nearly no head unfortunately

S- Strong smell. Tons of chocolate and some roasted smell with something that is similar to a whiskey. Not amazing but intriguing.

T- Very similar to the smell. Intriguing yet not anything I would want in an air freshener.

M-Very full and not too wet. Swishing around gives the consistency of a milkshake. Delicious.

D-For 10.5% I could drink this all night.

O- I would definitely buy this again. Not an exception life experience, but i could see this being on tap at my home bar.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2011 00:38:05 | More by BeerEngineer89

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

airmike

Iowa

4.03/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured bottle to snifter

A: Pitch Black, little light brown head that disipates quickly.

S: Not much in the nose, I get slight coffee, chocolate, but mostly boozy smelling alcohol.

T: Well balanced, coffee, dark chocolate, nice complex flavor, well balanced (did I already say that?). Little to no alcohol presence, well done!

M: Thick, full bodied. Coats the palate.

Overall, I think this is a very well done stout. I wouldn't say no if someone offered this to me for breakfast!

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2011 15:12:08 | More by airmike

Adouble

Texas

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

bottle sampled from a case I found at Plaza Beverage in Pittston, PA. Bottled 12/09 found and tasted 12/10, what a find! Poured into a coffee mug on a cold snowy morning.

A- Pitch black with a thin tan head that left some fuzzy lacing around the side. Carbonation seems low and that is how I like it. Seems a fairly thick body, again, how I like it.

S- Sweet roasty aroma, Vanilla?

T- Like it smells, sweet roasty flavor gives way to a even bitter roastiness in the finish. Very smooth with a wonderful chocolate flavor Thick mouthfeel. Warms the belly!

D- Pretty high. I love this style and I could drink these all day. Very smooth at a year old with an even sweet-bitter balance.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2010 15:55:41 | More by Adouble

Trappistfan1

Indiana

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

A - Very dark. Had a hard time coaxing a head (as some others have noted) from the bottle into a pint glass.

S - Malt, chocolate, coffee. Rich and full.

T - All of the above flavors were present, as well as a little alcohol warmth in the finish, but not overwhelming for as high as its content is. Pleasant.

M - Generally smooth and almost creamy, though sadly absent from my sample was much carbonation, which I think would have improved mouthfeel.

D - I am generally pleased with this beer. It is something I will go back to from time to time, and piqued my interest in other RIS's. Overall, another fine brew from Bell's.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2009 15:56:21 | More by Trappistfan1

bmohead

Alabama

4.2/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

From a bottle, poured into a pint glass. A hard pour produced a slow building, 2 finger mocha head. Heavy lacing follows this one down the side of the glass. Appears a deep black, with no light penetrating. Smell up front is of raisin and plum, then a deeper coffee and slightly chocolate aroma follows. Taste follows smell, with a roasty bitterness that is not at all overwhelming. Mouthfeel is quite thick and creamy, but finishes rather dry. Nice. Overall this is a fairly drinkable RIS, and one I will have again

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2011 07:30:51 | More by bmohead

miketyree24

Kentucky

3.28/5  rDev -22.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Very dark beer. Has a medium dark brown foamy head. Kind of has the color of engine oil and it is very thick and sticky.

Strong smell of malts and caramel. Coffee smell hits you next.

Beer is very thick to the taste and alcohol is present from first sip. Heavy malt flavor but not overwhelming.

Overall drinkable beer. Could drink 1 or 2 pints no problem.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2011 02:03:52 | More by miketyree24

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

Oktoberfest

Ohio

2.88/5  rDev -31.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

My wife said “motor oil” as I poured a bottle into our newest pilsner. Her father, an avowed Busch Light drinker, calls all the craft beers we drink “motor oil.” At last, though, the name is accurate.

It’s dark. REAL dark. A searchlight wouldn’t cut through it. The text printed on the back of the pilsner is completely illegible.

The smell is mostly coffee, layered with alcohol. I don’t detect much chocolate from the odor, or it’s overcome by the alcohol smell.

My wife tried a sip after saying she wouldn’t like it. She did like it, it turned out, but she added that she couldn’t drink much more. She also said it needed to warm up.

It’s a RIS so it’s a big beer and goes down very warm. I’m guessing it’s last year’s stock since we bought a single bottle just last week. Virtually no head save a few stings of bubbles clinging to the glass. Bitter, coffee tasting with touches of raisin and very light hints of chocolate. Unlike some other Russian Stouts I’ve had, the prevailing taste seems to be the alcohol itself. It tends to crowd out the other tastes, leaving the usual complexities of a stout left to muddle around with one another until none of them come to the fore.

They were speaking of this beer in hushed tones at the Dayton Alefest last week but I wonder if that’s for the $14.99 sticker shock than the actual taste. It’s not bad at all. But for Bell’s and for fifteen bucks I expected better.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2005 01:30:14 | More by Oktoberfest

KilgoreTrout27

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured into a standard pint glass.

This beer could be exceptional, but it has some problems that are holding it back. Pours a deep black with no head whatsoever. Looks like motor oil, which isn't necessarily a bad thing with this beer. The smell of toasted malts is faint. The flavors of the beer are good, with coffee dominating as well as hints of chocolate. Big alcohol taste with this one, that gives off a nice burn. The mouthfeel is where this one misses out. Its thick and oily, which is okay, but where is the carbonation? If this had more carbonation it would help balance the oily finish. Drinkability is also hurt by this, as well as the high alcohol taste.

As I stated at the beginning, this beer could be great, and many other BA reviews don't seem to have a problem with the way this is put together, but I found that the lack of carbonation really held this beer back.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2006 20:42:07 | More by KilgoreTrout27

BioBilly

Minnesota

3.43/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 2.5

This beer pours dark, real dark, small carmel brown lacing on top. The smell is the best part of this beer. The taste was not what I was expecting, it was really bitter and you can taste the alohol through the other hidden flavors. Mouthfeel was terrific, I love the thinkness of this beer. I found that this beer did not have me wanting to conitnue to drink it, I drank and did not want another. This beer was not as good as I thought it was going be.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2007 03:39:04 | More by BioBilly

arkhamresident

Georgia

2.55/5  rDev -39.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

12 oz. from trade with Beavers poured into a Duvel tulip.

A - Dark brown almost black body with a one inch brown head, good retention and thick lacing.

S - Smells very sweet, almost like a heavily creamed and sweetened coffee with some booze thrown in.

T - Front is slight hop bite followed by overly sweetened and creamed coffee and chocolate with a bit too much roasty bitterness on the finish. No alcohol apparent.

M - Not thin but not full either. Complete lack of carbonation hurts quite a bit but slightly thick and smooth for the most.

D - I really can't see drinking more of one of these at a time.

Not bad but much too sweet for my tastes. The lack of carbonation also took me by surprise and made me feel this was more of a cold coffee drink than a beer. It's too bloody sweet in my opinion. Overall I'd not turn this down if offered but I can't say I would buy it if available.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2008 10:21:05 | More by arkhamresident

MasonBeerMan

Michigan

3.83/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

App-Looks like motor oil, little to no head, small light tan ring hung around during entire drink

Smell-roasted malt, dark ripe fruit, molasses, alcohol. some slight hops

Taste- Strong coffee, roastiness, alcohol, bittersweet, molasses

Mouth- almost flat, very little carbonation, full body with some alcohol warming

Drink-good winter warmering beer, thick, very different experience than with other imperial stouts, good on occasion, but a bit pricey

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2009 00:28:40 | More by MasonBeerMan

drbeef

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

From phone so give me brake.
Black as hell. Its peetty great.and I can't see a thing through it.atmosphere is great. I've just had a big stout but this seems bigger.
Chocolate, bourbon, and apples in bose.
Roasty, sweet and chocolaty with an alcohol burn in the finish.
Good mouth. Medium full.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2008 02:53:19 | More by drbeef

WeissbrauMeister

Michigan

4.18/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a 20oz. snifter.

A- Black. With a brownish head.

S- Dark. Licorice. Alcohol.

T- It starts sweet with tones of toffee and alcohol and finishes with a strong alcohol and and hoppy taste.

M- Right on par.

D- I could drink a few of these (limited to 3).

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2011 05:54:25 | More by WeissbrauMeister

HESSLER500

Illinois

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

Pours a luscious black on the side of the glass, not much carbonation, kind of a thick pour. Does lace slightly so you know your in for much more then a hamms light. This is one stout that I truly love due to its dark chocolate tones infused with a ever so slight alcohol vapor that can be felt on the way down. Not much of a hoppy brew which is a bonus. Brewed with a bit of thickness so that the flavors linger towards the back of the mouth. Overall, this is an excellent stout and will continue to buy it when available.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2010 23:10:23 | More by HESSLER500

brealbg

Ohio

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

Very good stout with lots of flavors and a fairly high hop content for a stout.

APPEARANCE:
*head- large, creamy, medium brown, good lacing, dissipates slowly.
*light carbonation
*almost black in color

AROMA:
*chocolate, coffee, molasses, roasted, yeast, black licorice, smoke, vanilla.

TASTE:
*caramel, chocolate, coffee, nutty, roasted, yeast, alcohol, black licorice, oak, red wine, smoke, vanilla

FLAVOR:
*initial- medium sweetness, light acidity, high bitterness, very light sourness, medium saltiness, and very light tartness
*finish- acidity and saltiness reduce to very light, all others same as initial. Long finish length, creamy mouthfeel, hits the middle of the tongue. Good body lacing.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2011 11:58:29 | More by brealbg

Corndork2

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2x 12 oz bottle poured into snifter. One bottle poured and drank at a time. Both bottles finished within an hour.

A - Pitch black...Completely black... No other way to say it.

S: Mocha and coffee aromas, with the smell of alcohol pinching the sinuses.

T: Coffee, chocolate, heavy malts, and a strong taste of alcohol, which I think really clouds some of the depth. Heat sits right on the tip of the tongue, and in the back of the throat.

M - Thick and smooth.

D: The strong alcohol taste hits the drinkability for me. The tastes, smells, and feel is great, but the heat seems to muddy things up.

I bought a six pack of these bottles to try. After trying the first two I am definitely cellaring the other four. I'll try one three months from now and review again. I think a little more time will lessen the taste of alcohol, and really allow the other flavors to shine.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2011 04:20:57 | More by Corndork2

Nikkibrews13

Nevada

1.83/5  rDev -56.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1

A: Bell's stout pours a deep black/ brown with a roasty brown head that leaves minimal lacing

S: The aroma gives off lots of sweet scents. licorice is present, as well as the alcohol.

T: This stout has roasted qualities that are quickly overcome by a acidic bitter flavor... and not a good one either. it honestly leaves a bad taste in my mouth... literally.

M: Thin coating mouthfeel.

D: Terrible. I think im gonna put this one to rest.

Overall i think that the apperance and aroma over the expedition was very misleading when the flavor comes into play. I dont know if this bottle was old but its no bueno in my book... thus far.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2011 02:42:57 | More by Nikkibrews13

CTAID

Michigan

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

Pours jet black into snifter with 1 finger tan head. Smells like a malt bomb - lots of coffee, a little chocolate maybe, slight booziness, minimal hops on the nose. Taste is just plain old big - lots and lots of flavors. Creamy burnt caramel smokiness, lots of heat, pretty typical of RIS's. Real sipper. To be honest, there was a bit too much booze for me. I know, it's a strong beer, but I've had many examples of Russian Imperial Stouts that haven't been quite as abrasive. So maybe this is a beer that I'll have to age for a while. Mouthfeel is nice, low to moderate carbonation (closer to low) which is pretty fitting. I will return to this beer later, hopefully with something nicer to say about it.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2012 08:02:53 | More by CTAID

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

Plonk

Alabama

4.55/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2009 edition 12 oz bottle poured into a snifter.

A - Moderately vigorous pour produces a huge mocha-colored, dense, sponge-like 3" head that recedes to a broken 1/8" head that remains to end leaving heavy lace. Midnight black color in the glass with no light shining through. Noticed during pouring, the stream coming from the bottle has dark crimson highlights.

S - Aroma seems a bit muted a first but after warming I get roasted malts, toffee, some baking spices and hops.

T - Hoochie momma, whadda mouthful of beer! Sweet caramel, toffee, roasted malt bitterness, l-o-n-g espresso, hops, finish, and bit of alcohol glow. Wow!

M - Big, big mouth filling dextrin, velvety smooth with hardly any carbonation bite.

D - Very drinkable, and @ +10% ABV dangerously so.

Overall impression - a big, very complex outstanding imperial stout.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2009 02:16:17 | More by Plonk

muffins

Illinois

4.8/5  rDev +14%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Batch 7205 (aged a year or more)

Poured into a thin-walled brandy glass, as a small pour, as I am wont to do with massive brews. The viscosity is readily apparent. Swirl the glass and it coats the sides like a chocolate sauce. Literally after minutes the beer has not completely settled back down.
Color is dark, dark dark. Hints of dark amber peek through around the edges, but otherwise it is opaque. After 30 seconds I can count the bubbles in the head. There are 104 bubbles and they do not appear to be going anywhere.
Aroma: medium roast coffee, dark cherries--almost brandied or dried cherries; prunes, raisins, some woods and soil, toffee and other sugar notes (brown, notably), fresh cut tobacco, high notes of all the citruses, Spanish anise's high note and licorice root's low note, toasted pecans, smokiness including peat, and the alcohol is present but fits well, as with other things I'd put in a snifter and smell all night, and I could just keep smelling it all night, it is so vibrant and complex.

Mouthfeel is true to the notorious thickness of the style. It's like taking a cola and reducing it by half--nearly a syrup. Carbonation kicks up a little when sipped.

Taste- the malt is huge, the hops might be huge, but it picks up more as accents off of the mammoth malt. Everything I picked up in the aroma is in there, playing off the dark malt. Images of pecan pies, fudge, maple syrup. More subdued is grapefruit. Alcohol is present but again, only slightly and it fits in.

You could probably cut it with soda water by half and it would still be awesome. In fact, I just got a second glass and put a little ES in and added some water. The color is that of a darkly caramelized sugar. The flavor is stretched out, emphasizing the berries.

This is one of my all-time favorite beers. I can barely drink a bottle by myself. I wish it came in 4 oz bottles. A hazelnut-chocolate biscotti is a fantastic accompaniment, as is a large chair and a fine checkers match.
3

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2008 01:51:56 | More by muffins

BeerFanDan17

Florida

4.53/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

I have been searching for this beer for quite a while now and was pleased that the newly opened Oldsmar Tap House near Tampa had a few cases.
The stout poured nice into a pint glass with less head than I had expected from my experience with other Bell's stouts. The nose was rich with sweet and roasted flavors. The texture was thicker than I had expected but the flavors were well-balanced with roasted coffee, chocolate, toffee, and even a hint of hazelnut. This is undoubtebly one of the best stouts available.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2008 13:13:09 | More by BeerFanDan17