Expedition Stout - Bourbon Barrel-Aged Raspberry and Vanilla
Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store

 

Expedition Stout - Bourbon Barrel-Aged Raspberry and Vanilla from Bells. Received from @Whyteboar in Barleywine and Stout BIF #2. 12 fl oz bottle. Received 26/02/25, reviewed 14/03/25 (Review 3471). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
“PACKAGED ON 10.31.24 SHELF LIFE - UNLIMITED” on label. Stored at home at 39 degrees F and served at 54.5 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature 61.3 degrees F.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Deep Brown (SRM 30), nearly opaque.
Body – Black (SRM 40), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear-lite, ruby at the bottom edge.
Head – Average (Maximum 1.2 cm, aggressive center pour), caramel, high density, short retention. Drops to a 0.2 cm crown and a thin partial cap.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 4 – Raspberry. No hops, no yeast, no alcohol, no bourbon – just a hint of roasted malt.
Flavor – 4.25 – Begins slightly sweet, immediately followed by raspberry tartness. No yeast, no hops. No alcohol (12.3% ABV, according to the label), but moderate gastric warming does occur. Neither bourbon nor barrel, no vanilla – just raspberry. Some chocolate appears as it approaches the final temperature. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Ends tart.
Palate – 4 – Medium: not quite creamy: soft carbonation.
Style: Follows the style guidelines as condensed by BA.

Final impression and summation: 4.25 A decent imperial stout. The predominant flavor is raspberry. I think this could be better classified as an American Imperial Stout since, to my taste buds, it lacks coffee, roasted malt flavors, and the bitterness of a RIS. Raspberry dominates all aspects of this brew.

Serving: 12 oz. bottle poured into a Founder's CBS snifter. Bottled on 10/31/24, making this basically 4 months old.

A: Pours a very thick, pitch black color. Minimal to no head retention. Very heavy in the glass.

S: Huge raspberry up front, with just a touch of vanilla on the back end. Little bit of oak from the barrel, not a ton though. Some cinnamon and fig in the mix as well.

T: Pretty tart up front from the raspberry, but quickly gives way to some oak and chocolate on the mid-palate. Finish is tart too, but not overbearing. Little bit of smoke and char from the barrel too, to balance out the sweetness.

M: Big winner here. With the more mass-produced beers lately, mouthfeel has taken a hit. This one though is strong. Very thick and chewy, almost no booze despite being over 12%.

O: Man, I have not reviewed a Bell's beer in about 3 years. Ironically, the last one I reviewed was "Larry's Last". Go figure. They just haven't been the same since he left. Their output has diminished greatly. Mostly variety packs and just nothing of interest. This has to be the first original BA beer they've put out since then. I know they do some cool stuff at the General Store, but cmon, with all that money, you gotta distribute. Anyway. This beer is fantastic. Surprised it is so good because they've been missing a step lately beer-wise. The raspberry is featured, but not too strong. Tart, but not sour. Roasty, but not chalky. My only gripe would be it maybe needs more barrel character. But, man, that mouthfeel is amazing. They don't really come this chewy now-a-days. Excellent beer from a brewery that used to (and maybe still does) know how to do it.

Recommendation: Kind of a shelfie with the decreasing popularity of craft beer, but this is really an OG stunner in the BA world. Wonderful beer if you still like BA stouts and a must-try.

Pours jet black with a small dark caramel head that goes away quickly. Very sweet smelling with barrel and vanilla and dark fruit. Overpowering taste of raspberries. There’s nothing else you can taste.

Pours a black color with virtually no head. Aroma of vanilla and raspberry and roasted malts. Taste is raspberry, chocolate and vanilla. Very sweet but has a nice alcohol warmth

2024 Specialty Release - Single
12 oz. bottle dated 10.31.24 - 12.3% ABV / ? IBUs
Brewed and bottled in Comstock, MI
Poured into a Bell's branded tulip snifter glass

Look - Pours a thin and fizzy reddish-tan colored head that leaves nice lacing. Opaque, black appearance.
Smell - Aromas of oak, vanilla bean, bourbon, faint raspberry, chocolate, coffee, caramel.
Taste - The raspberry is much more prominent in the taste and lends a nice tartness. The bourbon comes through strong in the aftertaste. The high alcohol is hidden well.
Feel - Medium-thick bodied with a tart and sharp mouthfeel that finishes dry.
Overall - Raspberry blends well with the barrel characteristics making this dangerously drinkable.

 

 

This one pours a dark black color, with a small head, and not much lacing.

This retains the heavy roastiness and licorice of the regular Expedition stout, but the aroma also weaves in some jammy raspberry, red wine, vanilla, and milk chocolate.

This doesn’t necessarily improve on a nearly perfect imperial stout, but it does add some interesting dimensions. There’s not a ton of barrel character on it, maybe a hint of dry oak, but there’s a really pleasant raspberry character added to this. It’s jammy but doesn’t add tartness, like too much fruit in stouts can sometimes do. It’s tempered by creamy vanilla, with a nice heavy roastiness that helps keep the whole thing balanced.

This isn’t super thick, but it’s not really that thin either, with a nice drinkability and very little booziness.

This is a fun modern update to a thoroughly old school stout.