Expedition Stout
Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store

 

Pours thick, a black body with a rich cocoa-coloured head, fine and dense like a marshmallow, with a couple minutes retention.
Aroma is mild, of burnt coffee, molasses, licorice, cassis.
Flavours of dark roasted coffee dominate, bitter and pungent in the finish, almost smokey; some balance is provided by fondant sweetness, a touch of lactose - this is coming together to bring to mind a campfire with marshmallows; the feel is like a soft blanket, with fine, mellow carbonation, and a full body, though there is some stickiness; over time the flavours balance out even more, the bitterness less aggressive.

Bold flavour and a caressing feel, it holds nothing back and demands to be sipped on a cold winter day. Delicious and single-minded.

 

Purchased as part of a 6 pack of 12 oz bottles on 11/4/23.

L- Jet black with a super creamy tan head

S- Dark roasted malt and hoppy aroma.

T- Bitter dark chocolate with a creamy
finish.

F- Viscous mouthfeel with very fine
carbonation.

O- An incredible RIS!

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this one yet. Had at least 10 bottles of this over the past few years. Bottled 9/14/21. Just about two years old. A perfect aging.

The pour yields a thin line of dark brown foam. It quickly fades, leaving a ring around the glass.

Nose is right down the middle Russian Imperial material. Roasted malt brings notes of dark chocolate, dark fruits, brown sugar, and the slightest bit of soy sauce. You can tell that this brew will be incredibly animated just from a first glance.

Taste follows through, but bringing even more. Roasted malt, smokiness, dark chocolate, dark fruit, slight caramel, brown sugar or perhaps even black strap molasses. Wonderful stuff. The bitterness on this one is just perfect. Reaching high points, but never overwhelming or obtrusive. The flavors still fly true, almost urged onward by the bitterness, them working in tandem. Everything working together to create the final product.

Mouthfeel is fullbodied, almost pillowy. Has heft and density to it with just the slightest bit of cloying. Very mild carbonation. The mouthfeel delivers the flavor perfectly.

Overall this is easily one of the best Russian Imperials you can buy. In eternal cellared stout, beer fridge, staple material along the likes of Sierra Nevada's Barrel Aged Narwhal, Old Rasputin, and Founders Imperial Stout. A brew that demands respect.

12 oz bottle into a snifter. Deep dark brew, fine proud brownish foam.
Aroma of cafe Cubano, dark roast malt, stone fruits.
Taste hits like lightning with notes of dark chocolate, prune, coffee, and a pronounced bitterness, all in perfect harmony. Great long and chewy finish, the hoppy bitterness last to exit.
Full body mouthfeel. Medium carbonation.
Overall, a superb, well made, classic RIS for the people!

Poured from a 12-oz bottle, dated 9/7/22, "Shelf Life — Unlimited," and purchased at the brewery last month, into a stout glass.

Appearance: Opaque/black, with a massive dark tan head that lingered a very long time and left beautiful lacing.

Nose: Very complex: dark roast, a bit of coffee, sweet dried fruit, brown sugar -- oh, my!

Mouthfeel: Thick and creamy.

Attack: Bitter, as you would expect from an RIS — but absolutely well-balanced and very smooth — deep dark roast, chocolate, dark fruit sweetness, a little coffee.

Finish: The bitterness from the dark roast as well as from some hops lingers, and lingers very nicely.

Overall: There's a lot going on in this fantastic RIS; few beers are this well balanced. Certainly not a session beer at 10.5% ABV, but more drinkable than just a sipper. I'm having a hard time coming up with anything I don't like about this beer. I understand that my rating numbers are very high for this beer — and higher than the average of other raters; I truly think it's worth these scores.

 

 

 

Bottled 9.7.22 (debated waiting til the one year mark, but you can all see how that went)

Poured into a NH to tulip at fridge temp and warming up.

Pours dark brown nearly black with a dark mocha head. 4.25

Lots of dark and fermented stone fruit on the initial nose whiff, smidge of coffee and cocoa. 4.5

Taste follows, boozy, bitter (more hoppy than coffee), dark fruit and heavy. 4.25

Body is thick, boozy warm heat, syrupy and heavy. Everything I'd expect from a RIS. 4.25

Overall a true ris if I've ever had one, with the perfect amount of butter hops and deep complexity. 4.5

 

 

Poured from 12 oz bottle into pint glass. Thick, beige head, abundant lacing, dark brown, nearly black color. Aroma of chocolate and dark roasted malt. Mouthfeel is thick with a warming alcohol in the finish. Flavor is intense - chocolate, molasses, dark fruit, dark roasted barley, with matching intense hop flavors. Overall: if you like big, intense, complex beers this is definitely one to try.

 

Original review from years ago accidentally deleted. Updated review:

Canned 2021 (2 years ago)

Appearance: Pours a completely black, color with a moderate and thick dark tan head. SRM of 24. (4.00)

Aroma: Strong and smooth aromas of rich dark chocolate, somewhat bittersweet with a sweet bourbon, bread, and caramel flavor. (4.00)

Flavor: Dark, smooth, rich and sweet flavors of dark chocolate, rich bread, caramel, strudel, some scotch and bourbon to finishes malty. Minimal roast. (4.25)

Feel: Heavier bodied, average carbonation. Smooth, thick, rich, heavy, and sweet. (4.25)

Compared to Great Lakes Blackout Stout 2/2023: Pours similar, darker head. Similar aromas. More thick and heavy chocolate with malt complexity of bread pudding and caramel. Less coffee and roastedness. Heavier and sweeter.

Overall: Tried this one a few times and unfortunately my review was accidentally deleted so cannot look back on previous reviews. Now I'm drinking this one from 2021 in 2023 so aged a couple of years. It's rich, heavy, and thick. Some complexity to the malt flavors of chocolate, dark meat, bread pudding, and caramel. Shows the booze a bit. Thick, heavy, and sweet.

Deep black pour with a small brown ring that is hanging around. Roasted malt nose with a decent amount of ethanol. Super smooth, perfectly equal creamy and a bit of carbonation. Delicious, classic stout.

 

12 oz bottle packaged 9-7-22. I’ve had this many times. First time review.
Poured into a snifter a beautiful thick black with a 1” head.
Smell is hard to tell. A little too cold, being in fridge, don’t have the greatest nose.
Taste is great. Full flavored chocolate a a little licorice. Very hearty.
Feels great in the mouth. Almost chewable.
I like to sip these over a long time and let them warm up. One of my favorite Russian Imperial Stouts.
Highly recommended.