Bells Bourbon Barrel Double Cream/Expedition Stout

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Imperial Stout
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Hand bottle share by coyotehunter. Pours a dark brown with no head. Aromas of chocolate prune nuts and bourbon. Flavor is thick cream with milk chocolate and bourbon. This is amazing.

Served on draft as part of the Black Moonday event at Capital Alehouse in Richmond, VA. Pours a dark reddish tinted brown color with a medium head. Average head retention and lacing. Aroma of vanilla, maple, oak, bourbon, chocolate and a subtle fruitiness. Taste is roasted malts, oak, huge maple, bitter hops and mocha. Full bodied.

Rating #300. On tap at South Park Tavern in Dayton. Had this one last year at the Bell’s event at Brew’s Cafe, but that was before I started rating. Pours pitch black with a thin off-white head. Bourbon aroma with chocolate and cream. Boozy vanilla flavor up front, then chocolate with a somewhat dry coffee finish. Full-bodied. Truly amazing beer.

Got to try this on tap at the Bells tasting at Studio 35 on Indianola Ave., 1-18-09. A little too cold to get much of aroma. Initial heat up front; bourbon barrel, but not exactly outspoken. Quite thick and viscous, maybe more so than the regular Expedition. Sweet. Creamy. Leafy hop in the middle. I like this but it does seem somewhat overhyped for whatever reason. Some batches of regular Expedition are better for instance. So I feel a little bad giving a 3.7 to such a highly rated hard to find retired beer, even though it was really cool to get to try this (apparently only 4 quarter casks total made it into Ohio, and I think just 1(?) at this tasting). Lot of props to the Bells beer reps for this.

Part of our hotel room tasting, GABF 2007. Thanks to whoever brought it (might have been cquiroga, maybe Captain Cougar; there were so many generous benefactors, and all the beers were just chillin’ in the tub, it was impossible to keep track). Smell: wow. Bourbon + imitation vanilla your mom uses for baking + liquid creamy chocolate; the bourbon is so nice and fruity, not dominated by oily alcohol aromas. Pours pitch black like normal Expedition, with crumbling oily lacing. Super full bodied. Taste features a creamy lactic sweetness over full rich malts of toffee, chocolate; a bitter, dry, and musty finish is full of hops, but it’s layered and variable, it keeps changing: starts earthy and dusty, then becomes coffee-ish in the rich bitterness, then settles into a weird sour hops after effect, which was weird and soured me on the beer. To bad it was the last impression. This is a monster, but I think I might still just prefer regular Expedition. I’m growing tired of barrel aging.

Dark black body with a small creamy brown head. Sweet caramel, molassas and light oak aroma. Sweet molassas, chocolate, caramel flavor with light oak and vanilla. I very much enjoyed this brew.

On tap at Capital Ale House - Downtown on 01/26/2009. Dark black body wtih ruby highlights and a small creamy light brown head. Sweet oak, chocolate and caramel aroma with some rum-soaked fruit. Sweet oak and vanilla flavor wtih some chocolate and caramel. Full body with moderately low carbonation. 8/5/9/4/17 - 4.3 On tap at the Capital Ale House Kerstfest in December 2007. Dark black body with a small creamy brown head. Sweet caramel, molassas and light oak aroma. Sweet molassas, chocolate, caramel flavor with light oak and vanilla. Smooth creamy mouthfeel with a full body and medium low carbonation. 9/5/9/4/18 - 4.5

Sample at the Bell’s tasting at Brews Cafe on 3/6/08: This beer pours a matte black color with a medium thin light brown head with decent retention. Small patches of lacing on the glass. Aroma of coffee liqueur, bourbon and toasted malt. Rich, chewy body with loads of roasted malt and bittersweet chocolate flavor, as well as bourbon and plum. The finish is roasty and sweet at first with mild alcohol and coffee in the aftertaste. Very enjoyable, and a close second to the Bourbon Barrel Java Stout at this event.