Beer: Bell's Expedition Stout
Brewery Location: Comstock, MI
Beer Style: Russian Imperial Stout
ABV: 10.5%
I've had this beer quietly aging for over two years waiting for the opportunity to drink it. My Alma Mater, Ball State is now 5 -0, and Saturday night was a good opportunity to drink this beer. I will be the first to tell you that I am not a fan of this beer when it is fresh. The alcohol is quite "hot" and the real character of this beer doesn't come out, but when it has been aged for at least six months to a year or more this beer is one of my very favorites, and some of my friends love the taste of this one fresh, but I just personally prefer it aged a bit.
This beer pours an opaque black with no highlights around the edges capped off by a dark mocha head that has surprising staying power on it. The smell is a rich and decadent combination of roasted coffee beans, dark chocolate, roasted grain, and anise. A top notch and superb nose on this imperial stout. The flavor profile starts with roasted grain and bitter chocolate upfront followed by a myriad of dark fruits, a bit of caramel, cocoa, and only a touch of alcohol in the flavor profile. This is full bodied with low carbonation with the alcohol present on the mouthfeel. The drinkability for this beer is as a sipper at the higher ABV, but I could have had another one of these quite easily.
This is truly one of my favorite stouts that I've ever encountered, but aging this beer has everything to do with it. The complex malt really comes to life once the alcohol mellows out in the flavor from a fresh bottle. That was my first bottle from the six pack I bought over two years, and they will hopefully last me through the Winter. The next batch of this beer should be out around November.
Cheers!
Matt
4 comments:
I absolutely agree that this beer is too "hot" when it's fresh. I've never had it aged so I just thought I disliked this beer. I'll have to grab some of this year's batch and hold on to it.
On the topic of favorite stouts, I had a 2007 Bourbon County Stout last night. I absolutely love that beer. It's a sipper, so it lasts a good chunk of an evening. I noticed on the back label that it was bottled 10/11/07 so it's almost exactly a year old at this point (I think every '07 I've bought has this bottling date).
The '07s can still be had at John's in downtown and at Kahn's (just noticed it on Saturday) so if anybody's interested in it you can get it pre-aged.
Thanks for the tip on that Chris. I would like to find a bottle of it for a vertical tasting with the 2008 batch getting ready to come out.
the BCS is awesome, as i the Brooklyn Black Chocolate stout, and Founders KBS, and BS.
You can drink any of those though fresh, but Expedition just has a bit much attitude fresh for my liking. Next roundtable I will bring you a bottle of Expedition from this six pack.
Expedition Stout is, hands-down, my very favorite beer. My friends and I once found a barrel of is on tap at a bar in Madison, WI. We frequented the bar until one day when they told us that the barrel was gone, and that they wouldn't be getting another because we were the only ones who ever drank it...
If I could change one thing about the world, I would get Bell's to distribute their beer to Arizona, where I live now.
Interesting blog as for me. It would be great to read a bit more about this topic.
By the way look at the design I've made myself Young escorts
Post a Comment