Expedition Stout | 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): 10.50%
Availability: Winter
Notes / Commercial Description:
Expedition Stout offers immensely complex flavors crafted specifically with vintage aging in mind, as its profile will continue to mature and develop over the years. A huge malt body is matched to a heady blend of chocolate, dark fruits, and other aromas. Intensely bitter in its early months, the flavors will slowly meld and grow in depth as the beer ages.
Added by BeerAdvocate on 01-10-2002
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Ratings: 6,302 | Reviews: 2,177
4.12/5 rDev -3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Thick and rich, this midnight-black stout looks every bit as big as the any RIS could strive to be. It's got the motor oil viscosity that makes these beers so appealing, not to mention great for cold weather. The brown head forms a solid cap between one and two fingers high with lots of density to it. It drops fairly chunky lacing rather plentifully.
The aroma doesn't pop out of this brew, but it is big. It's heady, too, some sweeter sort of rum-like booziness tempting the nostrils along with some moderately bitter, somewhat milkier chocolate, almost smoky roast, and mostly sweet dark fruits with a touch of tartness. It's almost complete, and some char tickles the nose a bit much, but this is nice regardless.
The big malts start off with sweeter notes of toffee and vanilla even as the chocolate comes in along with coffee grounds, not spent but not quite fresh. Still, this is very tasty stuff, and the alcoholic heat is kept pretty well in check as well. Char comes out with the roast in the middle, while the blend of dark fruits rounds out the finish.
Where this beer really shines is the feel. If ever I was tired of middle-of-the-road breweries brewing a medium or barely full-bodied RIS and I needed something I knew I could find, there's no question this substantial, robustly-bodied beauty would do it. It coats the tongue almost luxuriously but doesn't sit too heavy though it's seriously thick and rich. A little char adds a drying note into the finish.
1,474 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Thick and rich, this midnight-black stout looks every bit as big as the any RIS could strive to be. It's got the motor oil viscosity that makes these beers so appealing, not to mention great for cold weather. The brown head forms a solid cap between one and two fingers high with lots of density to it. It drops fairly chunky lacing rather plentifully.
The aroma doesn't pop out of this brew, but it is big. It's heady, too, some sweeter sort of rum-like booziness tempting the nostrils along with some moderately bitter, somewhat milkier chocolate, almost smoky roast, and mostly sweet dark fruits with a touch of tartness. It's almost complete, and some char tickles the nose a bit much, but this is nice regardless.
The big malts start off with sweeter notes of toffee and vanilla even as the chocolate comes in along with coffee grounds, not spent but not quite fresh. Still, this is very tasty stuff, and the alcoholic heat is kept pretty well in check as well. Char comes out with the roast in the middle, while the blend of dark fruits rounds out the finish.
Where this beer really shines is the feel. If ever I was tired of middle-of-the-road breweries brewing a medium or barely full-bodied RIS and I needed something I knew I could find, there's no question this substantial, robustly-bodied beauty would do it. It coats the tongue almost luxuriously but doesn't sit too heavy though it's seriously thick and rich. A little char adds a drying note into the finish.
1,474 characters
4.68/5 rDev +9.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
2013 bottle (fresh).
Very dark brown, not quite black but close. Not quite as syrupy in appearance as some imperial stouts but still nicely thick. Big, fluffy, dark brown head that stuck around for a good few minutes with lacing that sticks all over the glass. Very appetizing appearance.
Smell is "big chocolate and coffee with a lot of roastiness" (feels stupid saying that, but it's accurate). This one is a lot stronger on the chocolate elements than any I've had, second to Samuel Smith's Chocolate Stout, and this one isn't even made with chocolate as far as I know. Just the right hint of alcohol to bring things together.
Taste is amazing. As usual it follows the nose, with lots of dark chocolate up front, coffee second, not a lot of the expected "dark fruits" but some reasonably strong bitterness. The first time I tried this it seemed more bitter than it does now. Drinking it again I can tell how perfectly balanced this thing is. The alcohol is well hidden but at the same time it comes out in the finish with just the right amount of heat to seal in the flavor, a phenomenon that I absolutely love and is the main reason I prefer high ABV brews. This has just the perfect level of heat washing over your tongue but never becomes "boozy" (which isn't a bad thing in itself). Everyone keeps screaming about how good this is with age on it. Well, I have a six pack left over that I plan to save for a while, but when it tastes this amazing fresh, I don't know how long that sixer is going to last.
Mouth feel, which I already covered in the tasting notes, is near perfect as well. The carbonation is just high enough, the alcohol heat just high enough, and the viscosity just thick enough to stay on your palate for a long time after each sip.
Overall this isn't quite perfect but can still be called an absolute masterpiece from Bell's. I wish I had bought more than I did while it was available so I could age a bunch of it while still blasting huge amounts in its current condition, because it's pretty amazing as-is.
2,041 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
2013 bottle (fresh).
Very dark brown, not quite black but close. Not quite as syrupy in appearance as some imperial stouts but still nicely thick. Big, fluffy, dark brown head that stuck around for a good few minutes with lacing that sticks all over the glass. Very appetizing appearance.
Smell is "big chocolate and coffee with a lot of roastiness" (feels stupid saying that, but it's accurate). This one is a lot stronger on the chocolate elements than any I've had, second to Samuel Smith's Chocolate Stout, and this one isn't even made with chocolate as far as I know. Just the right hint of alcohol to bring things together.
Taste is amazing. As usual it follows the nose, with lots of dark chocolate up front, coffee second, not a lot of the expected "dark fruits" but some reasonably strong bitterness. The first time I tried this it seemed more bitter than it does now. Drinking it again I can tell how perfectly balanced this thing is. The alcohol is well hidden but at the same time it comes out in the finish with just the right amount of heat to seal in the flavor, a phenomenon that I absolutely love and is the main reason I prefer high ABV brews. This has just the perfect level of heat washing over your tongue but never becomes "boozy" (which isn't a bad thing in itself). Everyone keeps screaming about how good this is with age on it. Well, I have a six pack left over that I plan to save for a while, but when it tastes this amazing fresh, I don't know how long that sixer is going to last.
Mouth feel, which I already covered in the tasting notes, is near perfect as well. The carbonation is just high enough, the alcohol heat just high enough, and the viscosity just thick enough to stay on your palate for a long time after each sip.
Overall this isn't quite perfect but can still be called an absolute masterpiece from Bell's. I wish I had bought more than I did while it was available so I could age a bunch of it while still blasting huge amounts in its current condition, because it's pretty amazing as-is.
2,041 characters
4.39/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.68/5 rDev +9.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Expedition Stout from Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store
Beer rating:
4.26 out of
5 with
6,302 ratings
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