Bells Expedition Stout

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.