Expedition Stout - Bourbon Barrel-Aged Raspberry
Bell's Brewery in Galesburg, Michigan, United States 🇺🇸
Stout - Pastry / Flavoured - Imperial Rotating Out of Production|
Score
7.58
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Russian Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels with raspberries and vanilla bean
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8.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8.5
Texture 8
Overall 9
Bottled October 31, 2024, drunk August 29, 2026.
Soy, treacle and more of an old school roast, though it's not overdone. Don't really get the vanilla initially, and the raspberry is very tastefully light. Light bourbon, certainly not very forward, but it's there, and the barrel-aging does seem to round out the beer which shows no rough edges, nor alcohol. Malt smells wonderful, per Expedition, with a complex mix of dark chocolate, fudge, cookie and aforementioned, moderate roast.
Thick, rich, malty and lightly roasty with a juicy, authentic raspberry flavor and soft, rich vanilla. Really tasteful use of adjuncts (or, at least, it comes across as such two years out) and while it's not the most complex of bourbon characters, the barrel-aging is still notable. Body is nice and full, comfortably malty without being too sweet or too syrupy. Like most Expeditions, I could see this one being too much of everything when young, and probably only just coming in to a better balance now. Should continue to improve for another year or two and be great for quite a while.
Soy, treacle and more of an old school roast, though it's not overdone. Don't really get the vanilla initially, and the raspberry is very tastefully light. Light bourbon, certainly not very forward, but it's there, and the barrel-aging does seem to round out the beer which shows no rough edges, nor alcohol. Malt smells wonderful, per Expedition, with a complex mix of dark chocolate, fudge, cookie and aforementioned, moderate roast.
Thick, rich, malty and lightly roasty with a juicy, authentic raspberry flavor and soft, rich vanilla. Really tasteful use of adjuncts (or, at least, it comes across as such two years out) and while it's not the most complex of bourbon characters, the barrel-aging is still notable. Body is nice and full, comfortably malty without being too sweet or too syrupy. Like most Expeditions, I could see this one being too much of everything when young, and probably only just coming in to a better balance now. Should continue to improve for another year or two and be great for quite a while.
Tried
from Bottle
from
The Wine Garden
on 29 Aug 2026
at 18:47
7.9/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8.5
Bottle. Pours near black with a light brown head that dissipates to the edges. Aroma has a nice combination of raspberry and dark grains with some chocolate and bourbon note supporting. Flavor has dark grains and chocolate with growing roast, bourbon and some raspberry in the finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 24 Aug 2025
at 03:45
8.4/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
12 oz bottle. Pours black with a brown head. Cocoa, creamy vanilla, bourbon, raspberry in the aroma. Flavor leads with the bourbon and roasty, creamy cocoa. Smooth but syrupy, with the raspberry working in with the bourbon. Very, very good, though not in the neighborhood of regular Expedition Stout or, certainly, bourbon barrel Expedition Stout.
Tried
from Bottle
on 23 Dec 2024
at 05:11