Expedition Stout
(has 4 batches)

Bottle. Black, redbrown head. Smell: Very complex... milk, vanilla, roasted tones (dark chocolate). Taste: Big taste! Vinous. Dark chocolate. Bitter aftertaste with some hops and burnt chocolate. Overall: Thick, full bodied. Very complex beer. I found new flavors and smells with every sip/sniff.

Rating 700. Bottle, many thanks to la Li for bringing. Pitch black colour, tan head. Aroma has chocolate malts, coffee malts and vanilla. Flavour has chocolate and coffee malts. Some roastiness and vanilla. Very balanced and developing taste. This is amazing stuff!

Bottled, brought by Bullit’s girlfriend. Dark color, short head. Aroma of chocolat, malt. Delicious balance. Malty and bitter taste. Everything a good imperial stout should have!

Pours slowly, thick as motor oil, black as tar. Brown head. Smoky, roasted coffee aroma. Bitter dark chocolate flavor with balanced hops. A winner.

For my first sample, I did a vertical testing of my two bottles - one from three years ago (purchased August 2005 - Batch 6811) and the other from some time after that... Deep pitch black coloured body with a brownish tint to the side when tilted and no head at all - not perfect. Aroma of oak, vanilla, bourbon, pit fruits and the obvious quintessential coffee, roasted malt and licorice. Full-bodied; Strong roasty flavours with coffee and licorice very noticeable - the newer batch definitely shows a lot of alcohol, vanilla and potent roasted malt. Without a doubt, the flavours are much more subtle on the older batch - with a definite pleasing warmness from the old batch. Aftertaste is pleasant, albeit different. The new batch (young) shows a lot of licorice, oak and bourbon, while the old (aged) batch has a more nutty and refined finish. Overall, a nice beer - still not absolutely perfect, but showing good character new and old. Without a doubt, I definitely preferred the batch with 3+ years on it. The new batch was good, but showed perhaps a bit too much alcohol. Overall - really nice to sample this good beer in this style, I’ve been saving it for some time :-) I sampled these two twelve ounce bottles purchased from Merchant’s in Dearborn, Michigan on two separate occasions, drunk in partial celebration of the completion of my first marathon on 26-October-2008.

22oz bottle. Thanks Chris. Batch 7814. Pours pitch black with a creamy lasting head & lacings. Power roasted & vinous nose. Loads of coffee & chocolate & vague hints of licorice. Very vinous, smooth & sticky. Pleasant warmth. Top dollar Imp. Stout!

A deep dark black stout with a thin dark brown head, viscous and menacing. A pleasant sweet caramel chocolate with funky creamy character, dried dark fruits, and soy sauce. In mouth, an intense bitter chocolate, coffee, vanilla, warming alcohol and dried fruits, a mother of a stout, with class and clout. Tasted Dec. 2006.

Pours an oil thick black with thick brownish head. Aroma reminded me of soja mixed with chocolat matls. Taste sweet (some vanilla), sugary, very thick and heavy beer. This is close to a meal in a bottle. Mouthfeel of has a good alcohol presence and leaves a nice light coffee aftertaste. Lightly hoppy with some chocoloate bitterness, some barley, malty. A great brew that you want to enjoy slowly and not cold.

12 oz bottle. Pours opaque black with a medium brown head. Aromas of dark chocolate, roasted malts, dark fruit, some sweetness, black licorice, a bit of soy sauce. Taste is roasty coffee, dark chocolate, sweet. After a couple more sips, some more dark fruit flavors come out. Smooth, creamy palate. Roasty bitter finish with a little hop presence. Nice strong lacing. I had this a few times before I started rating, but don’t remember it being this amazing.

Pours black with ruby highlights and a brown head. Aromas of burnt malts. Sweet burnt malt flavor with alcohol coming through slightly. Coffee and chocolate flavors are also noticable. Full body with minimal carbonation and a thick, creamy mouthfeel. An excellent imp stout.