Bell's - Expedition Stout

Bell's crafted this russian imperial stout with one thing in mind - vintage aging.  They designed the beer to be highly complex and intensely bitter in the early months, to allow the flavors to meld and grow in depth over time.  It's definitely an aggressive brew at 10.5%ABV and OG of 1.11....they aren't messing around.

The beer pours a thick, heavy black into my pint glass - the head is slow to catch up but eventually builds a thin layer on top that sticks to the glass.  The aroma is extremely rich roasted malts, chocolate, some plums and raisins, and a little alcohol fumes. 

The beer tastes similar to the smells - big and rich roasted malts that are a mix of chocolate and coffee, followed by some dark fruitiness (mostly raisin).  Then the bitterness hits, wow is this bitter!  There is also some alcohol warmth on the tail end.  I think the one flavor that resinates with me as I drink more of the beer is the raisins....the rich roasted malts are expected but the raisins accentuate that flavor well.  The texture is thick and a little chewy, with low/medium carbonation.
   

Overall Rating:  (4.4 out of 6.0)  Bell's designed an interesting RIS here - I enjoyed it despite the bitterness from the beer's young age.  I'm putting a bottle away for about a year, and I look forward to letting it age and see how the flavors develop and mature.  Absolutely worth picking up a 6pack of this one, especially if you like the Russian Imperials.