Expedition Stout - Bourbon Barrel-Aged | Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store
Brewed by:
Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store
Michigan, United States
bellsbeer.com
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 13.40%
Availability: Rotating
Notes / Commercial Description:
This 12 month barrel-aged version of our award-winning Expedition Stout thirsts for travel, but is perfectly content to sit in your cellar, maturing, until you are ready. The tough part? Deciding if you want to enjoy it now or wait until later. You can't go wrong either way.
Added by CRJMellor on 12-13-2004
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Ratings: 551 | Reviews: 105
4.46/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.5/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.45/5 rDev -0.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Pours black with a finger of khaki foam. Head retention is okay. Aroma is bourbon, char, and oak out right, but is quickly followed by roasty, toasty malts. Caramel, molasses, and toffee add a little sugary complexity and depth, with herbal and resiny hops rounding out the aroma. Flavor profile is deep, dark and balanced, hitting notes of bourbon, char, oak, toffee, caramel, chocolate and molasses with roasty and toasty malts underneath it all. Resiny and herbal hops add a little zest underneath the sugary and malt notes. Balance is solid, with bourbon adding complexity, but not heat. Mouth feel is medium-thick with a smooth, creamy texture. Overall, an incredible barrel aged stout that focuses on balance and simplicity. It doesn't taste like it has over 13.3% alcohol in it, instead it comes off smooth and easily drinkable.
Served in a 15.5oz Speigalau tulip from a 12oz bottle.
891 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Pours black with a finger of khaki foam. Head retention is okay. Aroma is bourbon, char, and oak out right, but is quickly followed by roasty, toasty malts. Caramel, molasses, and toffee add a little sugary complexity and depth, with herbal and resiny hops rounding out the aroma. Flavor profile is deep, dark and balanced, hitting notes of bourbon, char, oak, toffee, caramel, chocolate and molasses with roasty and toasty malts underneath it all. Resiny and herbal hops add a little zest underneath the sugary and malt notes. Balance is solid, with bourbon adding complexity, but not heat. Mouth feel is medium-thick with a smooth, creamy texture. Overall, an incredible barrel aged stout that focuses on balance and simplicity. It doesn't taste like it has over 13.3% alcohol in it, instead it comes off smooth and easily drinkable.
Served in a 15.5oz Speigalau tulip from a 12oz bottle.
891 characters
4.6/5 rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
4.89/5 rDev +9.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
L - pitch black with some dark brown edges and half a finger of light brown head
S - Overload of chocolate and bourbon, char, smoke, tobacco,oak, wood, coffee, subtle dark fruits
T - So much chocolate, coffee, and bourbon, fudge, rich dark chocolate, char, smoke, wood
F - Thick and viscous
O - One of the best barrel aged stout Ive ever had.
346 characters
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
L - pitch black with some dark brown edges and half a finger of light brown head
S - Overload of chocolate and bourbon, char, smoke, tobacco,oak, wood, coffee, subtle dark fruits
T - So much chocolate, coffee, and bourbon, fudge, rich dark chocolate, char, smoke, wood
F - Thick and viscous
O - One of the best barrel aged stout Ive ever had.
346 characters
4.48/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
4.23/5 rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
12 oz bottle dated 10/16/18 poured into Ommegang snifter.
Deep rich blacks meet a half finger of steady beige head leaving sparse clouds of lacing behind. Nice and shiny.
The aroma from the bottle is INTOXICATING. Rich tobacco, toast, and leather meet cured, aged, bourbon soaked wood in the best way possible. It should be a cologne. From the glass is similar but less concentrated and more plum and chocolate are apparent. I'm gonna side with the bottle on this one and give it a 4.75 for smell.
The flavor is not nearly as fantastic as the nose gives off, but make no mistake it's still competent. The most dominant note is smoke. Some plum, red grape, and brown leather pop up with slight flecks of caramel, licorice, maple toast, oak, and earthy vanilla. The smoke still remains, and maple toast continues on through the finish.
Feel is sticky and viscous, with a hot finish. Moderate carbonation.
Overall, all things considered with price and rarity being a factor, I feel there are much better beers to be had for the effort and price. BCBS being an easy choice (though I'm not directly comparing this beer to it). The smell is just phenomenal on this, but the rest of it leaves a lot to be desired. A good beer to try once, unless you really feel you want to commit to a $30/4 pack.
1,301 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
12 oz bottle dated 10/16/18 poured into Ommegang snifter.
Deep rich blacks meet a half finger of steady beige head leaving sparse clouds of lacing behind. Nice and shiny.
The aroma from the bottle is INTOXICATING. Rich tobacco, toast, and leather meet cured, aged, bourbon soaked wood in the best way possible. It should be a cologne. From the glass is similar but less concentrated and more plum and chocolate are apparent. I'm gonna side with the bottle on this one and give it a 4.75 for smell.
The flavor is not nearly as fantastic as the nose gives off, but make no mistake it's still competent. The most dominant note is smoke. Some plum, red grape, and brown leather pop up with slight flecks of caramel, licorice, maple toast, oak, and earthy vanilla. The smoke still remains, and maple toast continues on through the finish.
Feel is sticky and viscous, with a hot finish. Moderate carbonation.
Overall, all things considered with price and rarity being a factor, I feel there are much better beers to be had for the effort and price. BCBS being an easy choice (though I'm not directly comparing this beer to it). The smell is just phenomenal on this, but the rest of it leaves a lot to be desired. A good beer to try once, unless you really feel you want to commit to a $30/4 pack.
1,301 characters
4.28/5 rDev -4.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.33/5 rDev -3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.4/5 rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.22/5 rDev -5.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.31/5 rDev -3.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.5/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.27/5 rDev -4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.67/5 rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Original Review 1-12-2019
Picked up three singles Thanksgiving day 2018 from the Craft Beer Quick Stop for $7.49 each. From batch 23038 which was bottled on 10-16-18.
Beer poured black as night with a nice tan head that is leaving lacing behind - 4.0.
Nose is cocoa, roasted malts, and bourbon-4.5.
Taste is a wonderful combination of roasted malts, cocoa, light vanilla, and bourbon. Alcohol heat with initial sips-4.75.
Mouthfeel is full bodied, perfectly smooth, creamy with awesome viscosity-5.0.
P.S. 1-12-19: Having a 2018 regular Expo Stout for beer #2 - it is definitely much more roasty and hoppy than the BBA version but it is all good!
Overall this is an awesome brew, even at a young age - 4.75. The abv is very well hidden. I think I will have the other two bottles over 2019 to see how well it ages!
820 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Original Review 1-12-2019
Picked up three singles Thanksgiving day 2018 from the Craft Beer Quick Stop for $7.49 each. From batch 23038 which was bottled on 10-16-18.
Beer poured black as night with a nice tan head that is leaving lacing behind - 4.0.
Nose is cocoa, roasted malts, and bourbon-4.5.
Taste is a wonderful combination of roasted malts, cocoa, light vanilla, and bourbon. Alcohol heat with initial sips-4.75.
Mouthfeel is full bodied, perfectly smooth, creamy with awesome viscosity-5.0.
P.S. 1-12-19: Having a 2018 regular Expo Stout for beer #2 - it is definitely much more roasty and hoppy than the BBA version but it is all good!
Overall this is an awesome brew, even at a young age - 4.75. The abv is very well hidden. I think I will have the other two bottles over 2019 to see how well it ages!
820 characters
4.5/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.62/5 rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
this beer is very impressive, and for a widely available BA stout, id put it above KBS, BA ten fiddy,
pours out a very dark brown, aromas are pretty mellow. on palate there is rich molasses, spice, licorice, dark fruit of plum and cherry, charred oak, vanilla, mellow toffee and some boozy bourbon notes. body is medium plus to thick, very smooth feel to it.
360 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
this beer is very impressive, and for a widely available BA stout, id put it above KBS, BA ten fiddy,
pours out a very dark brown, aromas are pretty mellow. on palate there is rich molasses, spice, licorice, dark fruit of plum and cherry, charred oak, vanilla, mellow toffee and some boozy bourbon notes. body is medium plus to thick, very smooth feel to it.
360 characters
4.52/5 rDev +1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Appearance: Pours obsidian with tawny highlights; the thin tan cap fades to a ringlet and archipelago; leggy, with spotty lacing dripping down
Smell: Rich tones of chocolate and charred Bourbon waft, bringing caramel, vanilla, oak and dark fruit; quite boozy
Taste: The sweeter tones of chocolate and molasses arrive first, with caramel and charred Bourbon building; vanilla and dark fruit emerge, after the swallow; oaky and boozy, through the finish, with the char leaving a final impression
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with low to moderate carbonation
Overall: I bought two bottles and I am going to stick the second one in the back of my cellar and don't plan to drink it until some point in the 2020s
709 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Appearance: Pours obsidian with tawny highlights; the thin tan cap fades to a ringlet and archipelago; leggy, with spotty lacing dripping down
Smell: Rich tones of chocolate and charred Bourbon waft, bringing caramel, vanilla, oak and dark fruit; quite boozy
Taste: The sweeter tones of chocolate and molasses arrive first, with caramel and charred Bourbon building; vanilla and dark fruit emerge, after the swallow; oaky and boozy, through the finish, with the char leaving a final impression
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with low to moderate carbonation
Overall: I bought two bottles and I am going to stick the second one in the back of my cellar and don't plan to drink it until some point in the 2020s
709 characters
4.5/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Good friends of mine scored this recently and hooked me up. It Looks the part, it smells the part, it tastes the part and what s feel! You’d never guess it is so high ABV and the bourbon isn’t overwhelming.
210 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Good friends of mine scored this recently and hooked me up. It Looks the part, it smells the part, it tastes the part and what s feel! You’d never guess it is so high ABV and the bourbon isn’t overwhelming.
210 characters
4.71/5 rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
4.5/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
12/15/2018
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look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
12/15/2018
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Expedition Stout - Bourbon Barrel-Aged from Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store
Beer rating:
4.47 out of
5 with
551 ratings
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