Bells Expedition Stout

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

Bottle. Large head, brown in color, with a very dark brown body. Aromas of molasses, chocolate, and some flowers for the hops. Creamy texture with a very pleasing finish. Overall, one of the best stouts that can be drank in the US!

Expectation is very important with this beer. Knowing nothing about it, I drank it after a couple of other beers expecting a straight Imperial Stout that would sit nicely on top of what preceded it. It clashed terribly and I was left with a bad feeling about the beer. Ready for a rich, oily sweet beer with nothing preceding it, it is one great beer. My memory tells me it’s similar to Goose Island Bourbon County Stout, but my nod goes to the Bells. Good future blind tasting.

I really am torn about this beer....I know I know - it’s awesome, it’s from Bells, it’s an Imperial Stout....that being said, it’s way too concentrated - really high in alcohol taste, in other words this will drink like a meal and feel like you drank twenty beers. The torturous part about this review is the initial taste of this beer is everything I love about stouts - chocolate richness, coffee and smoky flavors reside in the mouth feel for minutes. I think this beer deserves another try, but for my palate is too much power....

Eerily similar to Surly Darkness and an Oatmeal Stout with reddish tint and long lasting head. Aromatic scent to die for and taste is also amazing.

Bottle. Pours almost black with very little head. Scent of chocolate, coffee, and a little smoke. Flavor is coffee, chocolate, smoke. finish is bitter hops and warming alcohol.

Draft at Kclinger’s Pub. Nearly black with minimal head. Chocolate, smoke, malt, and coffee aroma. Smooth drinking and the alcohol is present but muted. A little bitter on the finish.

It had been a couple of years since I had this until this last weekend at the Charlotte NC octoberfest. Thick black pour, reddish coffee colors around the edges. Roasted malts and molasses, mocha nose. Roast/burnt malt up front with a hint of port and raisin. Quickly goes into brown sugar, bakers chocolate and espresso as the full bodiness fills the mouth. The hop balancing in this is some of the best I’ve ever tasted. Bells always does well with this. Finish bitter and slightly warming. You never notice the alcohol. I heard a friend say this tastes like every typical imperial stout. I believe he was wrong in that this has the best part of each typical imperial stout. Whereas the typical RIS can’t put it all together and has negative qualitites. No negatives in this one, making this far and away the best for the money and near the best anyways.

bottle- pours pitch black with thin tan head. spots of white make it look like a latte. notable sour taste in first sip, vinous qualities, real big, great hop character to this beer, better balance than the kalamazoo. mouthfeel is sooo thick and warming. it is a real quality beer this one, not for sessioning on an october day, but sipping in a winter evening.