Bells Bourbon Barrel Double Cream/Expedition Stout

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

From a handbottled @ home.
[ Trade by Bobby91w ]. Clear dark dark dark black color with small, fizzy, fair lacing, fully diminishing, off-white head. Aroma is heavy malty, roasted, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, bourbon, cask wood, vanilla, alcohol. Flavor is heavy sweet and bitter with a long long long duration. Body is full, texture is creamuy and oily - sticky, carbonation is flat. [20090429]

Name: Bourbon Barrel Double Cream / Expedition Blend
Date: 07/21/2007
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewfest, Indy

black, wispy beige head, streaks of lace, big sweet bourbon and dark chocolate aroma, rich chocolate flavor, bourbon is well blended with the chocolate, touch of alcohol with the bourbon in the finish

Aroma: 8/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 17/20
Rating: 4.1/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: ***+/4

Big thanks to egajdzis for sharing this gem! Poured a dark black color with a very small sized off white head. Aromas of bourbon, vanilla, wood, caramel, smoke, dark fruits, and roast. Very complex and I was getting something different every time I took a whiff. Tastes of vanilla, caramel, bourbon, lightly vinous, chocolate, and roast. Creamy and smooth body. I was I had a whole growler of this one!

On tap at Birreria Paradiso on 12/4/07: Viscous opaque with stringy-lacing dark tan head. Aroma of sweet vanilla, dark caramel and rich molten chocolate with nice oaky bourbon complexity. Body starts thick and creamy with a nice dark caramel chocolate sweetness and some lingering roastiness and coffee notes toward a smooth bourbony finish. Extremely well-balanced and enjoyable.

On tap at the 2007 GTMW: Pours a completely opaque with a frothy, clingy-lacing light tan head. Sweet, mellow dark caramel and chocolate bourbon blend in the nose with nice oatmeal and maple syrup complexity. Body starts with a rich, sweet dark caramel and chocolate maltiness along with great bourbon oaky balance and smooth complexity. I really wish they’d bottle this awesome elixir.

Hand-bottled (keg)… This beer rocks!… Pitch black with a minimal, bubbly, light brown head. The aroma is an intoxicating swirl of chocolate, bourbon, coconut and caramelized cinnamon sugar. Full-bodied and ultra-silky with almost no carbonation. Sweet and bourbony with big chocolate notes. All the bitter, rough edges of the traditional version of Expedition Stout are mellowed, if not completely washed away, via blending and oak aging the two base beers. Creamy, smooth, bourbon and chocolate finish. At no point did the bourbon or heat overwhelm my palate. World class all the way! Many thanks go out to maniac for hand-bottling a hefty sample last weekend in Richmond, VA, and going through the trouble of shipping it quickly to Florida!

Pours with a dark brown color to the body and a thin tan, medium dark brown head, with some reddish light at the top and bottom of the glass. First taste is bourbon up front, with a very vivid and fresh mocha, cream and butter note, turning almost spicy on the palate mid-drink. It’s at first rich and sweet, with candied milk and sweet mocha from the Double Cream, followed by the dark fruit skins and bitter bakers chocolate that make Expedition so wonderful. The bourbon is somewhat subdued, probably helped by the lower alcohol level compared to the more boozy BA Batch 7000, but it’s the charred malt and dark chocolate with the rich and slightly sweet cream notes that just make this beer amazing. When warm it finishes with a heavier chocolate syrup note with the bourbon being somewhat more subdued. An amazing beer, with both parts of the blend working so well together, and a barrel character that compliments fully and takes nothing away.

Growler sample from shigadeyo. Poured a black color with a moderate creamy brown head that diminished slowly and produced sticky legs and fair lacing. Good roasted malt, licorice and woody bourbon aroma. Full body with a smooth texture. Complex sweet stout flavor with a smooth bourbon woody finish. Very well balanced complex barrel stout. This is a standout beer.

FoBAB 2009 (listed as Black Note): My third must try beer of the fest. Basically opaque with a lovely small creamy head and very good lace. The aroma has an intense mix of coffee and cream, chocolate and vanilla, walnut and charred malts, liqcorice and oaky bourbon, and even a touch of meaty bacon. The taste is a powerful onslaught of rich malts, ripe fruits, chocolate and espresso, anise and light charred barrel smoke. I get a touch of grassy hops towards the finish. The mouth feel is oily and lush, coats the palate but is not as heavy as your basic Expedition stout, nicely warming without becoming boozy. Wow,this is everything it has been made out to be. A world class Impy and a must try for any stoutie, just missed placing in my top 10.