Bells Expedition Stout

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

Appearance is clear brown-to-black hue, huge thick brown head of creamy condensed foam dissipates to a moderate thickness, moderate lacing on the glass Smell is toasted malts and alcohol mostly, tones of bitter chocolate and coffee, some toffee and earthy green tones Taste is bizarre, so much so that I wonder if this may be a bad batch, mostly burnt bitter coffee malts and a strange load of dark fruits and grassy earthy hops, some sour buttermilk sensation creeps through, the finish is bitterly acidic with slight alcohol warming Mouthfeel is medium-to-full bodied, creamy smooth texture borders on watery, low carbonation Drinkability is poor, i have heard a lot of good things about this beer and would love to give it another shot, perhaps on draft, just in case this was a bad bottle. if this taste is indeed representative, there is just too much sourness and bitter burnt malts to warrant a return visit

To be honest the first impression was the scent - that of a wet black lab. The pour was very creamy and syrupy. Beautiful solid dark color with a dark tan head, thick lacing all the way down. Flavor had a roasted quality almost sweet with a bit of kick in the back of the throat. Very smooth and flat.

12 oz bottle received as an extra from Photekut. The color was solid midnight black with a dark brown head. The smell was doughy and heavy. The taste was doughy, syrupy, and roasty. Alcohol was not tasted but felt afterward. This was a very good RIS but I find that I am liking the style less and less. Solid beer but I didn’t want more than one. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 05-14-2007 15:36:10

Poured from the bottle into a pint glass to drink. A syrupy, black pour, with a thin, creamy, dark tan head developing over a dark black body; the head was small and short-lived with some cling on the edges, but managed to last throughout the beer. A potent aroma with a good mixture of scents, the strongest being the coffee and chocolate malty scents. There are some earthy and grainy hop notes in the background of the aroma too. The taste is intensely bitter and strong, with the coffee and chocolate components present. Mixed into the bitterness are some sweet malty tones and a bit of sourness. The beer is still surprisingly wet and full in the mouth with a lot of lively fizz and a detectable alcoholic effect. It has a coating and clingy effect in the mouth from even a small sip. Overall it is perhaps the most intense stout I have ever head, but succeeds in pulling off this effect; it is definitely deserving of its status as a world-class beer. Thanks for the wonderful present Siobhan!

Bottle. Nice pitch black oil colored pour with a quickly dissipating chocolate colored head. Aroma of chocolate and coffee. Rich thick mouthfeel, flavor was thick roasted malt right off the bat, then milky chocolate and eventually finished off with a warm (alcohol) coffee flavor with a little smoke. Solid Imperial Stout.

12 oz bottle. Pours a motor oil black, with a very small dark tan head. Smells of malt, coffee, and hints of dark chocolate. Looks just like what you would want in a stout, a dark black color. Tastes of hops (which is surprising from the lack of hops in the aroma), dark chocolate, malt, and some mocha. Very smooth going down. Probably one of my favorite stouts I’ve had, and almost certainly one of the best values.

So happy to find a sixer of this in Florida after a 30mi drive to Boca. Pretty deep pour with crystal mocha head. Deep nose of heavy malts. Dark, bittersweet chocolate and molasses, rum balls, syrupy, boozy when warm. creamy head stays and legs. a bit chalky but with the perfect amount of bitter and sweet. would be so tasty to session.

A fantastic brew! Slightly off-balance, but I think it only amplifies the brew! A significant hop presence combines with the intense bitterness of the dark malt to create a truly fantastic stout experience. One of the thing that blows my mind about this brew is that you can’t decipher the intense 10.5% ABV! So, be careful with this one. It’s a fantastic brew, but don’t plan on standing up well after having a few..