Bell's Expedition Stout | Bell's Brewery, Inc.
Brewed by:
Bell's Brewery, Inc.
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
View: Beers | Place Reviews | Events
Ratings: 6,183 | Reviews: 2,146
4.56/5 rDev +8.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
4.45/5 rDev +5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
4.48/5 rDev +6.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Drank out of a Tulip. Pours pitch black with a finger of dark brown head. Aroma is very hop forward along with some roasted malts and hint of dark cherry. Taste follows the nose. Roast qualities are far more pronounced along with a strong hoppy bitterness. Mouthfeel is medium plus, a little thinner than I'd expect from 10.5%. I can see why people say this beer needs to be cellared. The hops really dominate, suppressing many of the roasted coffee and chocolate notes that this beer could offer. Time to sit and mellow should allow the hops to take a back seat and the roast to shine. 90.25 points.
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look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Drank out of a Tulip. Pours pitch black with a finger of dark brown head. Aroma is very hop forward along with some roasted malts and hint of dark cherry. Taste follows the nose. Roast qualities are far more pronounced along with a strong hoppy bitterness. Mouthfeel is medium plus, a little thinner than I'd expect from 10.5%. I can see why people say this beer needs to be cellared. The hops really dominate, suppressing many of the roasted coffee and chocolate notes that this beer could offer. Time to sit and mellow should allow the hops to take a back seat and the roast to shine. 90.25 points.
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4.51/5 rDev +6.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75
Look: Oil slick black with a quarter inch thick volcanic ash colored head. Short retention on the head. Has the look and viscosity of motor oil. Awesome!
Smell: The usual stout culprits with caramel, dark-chocolate, and espresso. A bit more nutty and oaky than typical stouts. It reminds me of Ben and Jerry's salted butter pecan ice-cream. This might be a remnant of the licorice from the Kalamazoo Stout.
Taste: It begins a little sour with a sweet and salty finish like a mixture of soy sauce, bourbon, hot chocolate, and raspberry soda. The malt character is moderately starchy. The aftertaste is not as dry as I would have hoped for a high ABV beer but it has a salty and sweet finish that is fantastic.
Mouthfeel: The initial taste is rich and noticeably carbonated while the body is only slightly thicker than a porter. The finish leaves a long moistness in the front of the mouth with a more dry texture in the back. Similar to a root-beer float.
Overall: This beer makes keeps me guessing with every successive sip, which means it is either really good, really bad, or really weird. I think it lands somewhere between weird and good.
1,146 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75
Look: Oil slick black with a quarter inch thick volcanic ash colored head. Short retention on the head. Has the look and viscosity of motor oil. Awesome!
Smell: The usual stout culprits with caramel, dark-chocolate, and espresso. A bit more nutty and oaky than typical stouts. It reminds me of Ben and Jerry's salted butter pecan ice-cream. This might be a remnant of the licorice from the Kalamazoo Stout.
Taste: It begins a little sour with a sweet and salty finish like a mixture of soy sauce, bourbon, hot chocolate, and raspberry soda. The malt character is moderately starchy. The aftertaste is not as dry as I would have hoped for a high ABV beer but it has a salty and sweet finish that is fantastic.
Mouthfeel: The initial taste is rich and noticeably carbonated while the body is only slightly thicker than a porter. The finish leaves a long moistness in the front of the mouth with a more dry texture in the back. Similar to a root-beer float.
Overall: This beer makes keeps me guessing with every successive sip, which means it is either really good, really bad, or really weird. I think it lands somewhere between weird and good.
1,146 characters
4.88/5 rDev +15.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
Bottled 11/6/2015
A - Pours a pitch black color with a 3 finger, coffee colored head. Phenomenal head retention and lacing. Full embodiment of a stout.
S - The most overwhelming aroma that hits right off the bat is chocolate and sweet malts. Dark sugar and molasses are notable as well. An amazing and incredibly sweet scented beer.
T - Although not as present in the aromas, the bitterness of the dark fruits comes out in the flavors. Chocolate, malts and sugar are present as well with a sweet, mild chocolate aftertaste. Fairly bitter but very pleasant and will definitely improve with age.
M - Full bodied beer, well carbonated (especially given the age) and smooth. Creamy texture with an ever so slight booziness to it. Very enjoyable.
O - The stout brother of the Hopslam ale. As an avid stout lover, this brew definitely ranks amongst the best I've ever had. The aroma and aesthics are as near perfect as you can wish for. The flavors are robust and delicious and I am excited to see how they shape themselves with age. Very drinkable and enjoyable and simply one of the best stouts you'll ever find.
1,112 characters
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
Bottled 11/6/2015
A - Pours a pitch black color with a 3 finger, coffee colored head. Phenomenal head retention and lacing. Full embodiment of a stout.
S - The most overwhelming aroma that hits right off the bat is chocolate and sweet malts. Dark sugar and molasses are notable as well. An amazing and incredibly sweet scented beer.
T - Although not as present in the aromas, the bitterness of the dark fruits comes out in the flavors. Chocolate, malts and sugar are present as well with a sweet, mild chocolate aftertaste. Fairly bitter but very pleasant and will definitely improve with age.
M - Full bodied beer, well carbonated (especially given the age) and smooth. Creamy texture with an ever so slight booziness to it. Very enjoyable.
O - The stout brother of the Hopslam ale. As an avid stout lover, this brew definitely ranks amongst the best I've ever had. The aroma and aesthics are as near perfect as you can wish for. The flavors are robust and delicious and I am excited to see how they shape themselves with age. Very drinkable and enjoyable and simply one of the best stouts you'll ever find.
1,112 characters
3.89/5 rDev -7.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
4.09/5 rDev -3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.75/5 rDev +12.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.25/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.35/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.46/5 rDev +5.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Pours thick black, a half finger tan head.
Aroma is coffee, molasses, little coconut, bitter chocolate, vanilla, oak, raisins, tobacco
Taste is oak, bitter chocolate, molasses, caramel, huge coffee finish.
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look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Pours thick black, a half finger tan head.
Aroma is coffee, molasses, little coconut, bitter chocolate, vanilla, oak, raisins, tobacco
Taste is oak, bitter chocolate, molasses, caramel, huge coffee finish.
206 characters
4.47/5 rDev +5.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.33/5 rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.6/5 rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.5/5 rDev +6.6%
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
4.52/5 rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.34/5 rDev +2.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.42/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Bell's Expedition Stout from Bell's Brewery, Inc.
4.22
out of 5
based on 6,183 ratings.
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75
2012!
Pours thick and black like oil with virtually no head besides a faint chocolate collar
Smells of alcohol, bakers chocolate, dark fruits, roasted malts, hint of vanilla
Taste is amazing! Dark bitter chocolate, dark fruits, roasted malts, coffee,alcohol
Overall it was a fantastic beer! Aging really brought out the complexity!
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