Bells Expedition Stout

Expedition Stout is a MASSIVE Russian Imperial Stout. 

Brewer's notes: One of the earliest examples of Russian Imperial Stouts in the United States, this beer offers immensely complex flavors crafted specifically with aging in mind.

Beer Advocate: Expedition Stout offers immensely complex flavors crafted specifically with vintage aging in mind, as its profile will continue to mature and develop over the years. A huge malt body is matched to a heady blend of chocolate, dark fruits, and other aromas. Intensely bitter in its early months, the flavors will slowly meld and grow in depth as the beer ages.

Tasting notes

2311: Another beer packaged Sept. 10, 2021. Now the beer is a little over two years old. It was dessert after Lisa's birthday dinner and followed too much food and alcohol for a detailed recollection. It was BIG and good. No soy but loads of black malt. 

Rating = 5 glasses

Here is a set of reviews from 2022 and EARLIER.

Dec 13, 2002. 

I am drinking a bottle packaged Sept, 10, 2021, making the beer about 1.25-years old. I think that I like it but am not really sure. Charcoal with some soy with a big hop bite hidden by chocolate malt is what I taste. It pours slow and black. My ratings have ranged from 7 glasses to 3 glasses. The rating seems to decrease as the beer ages. This is the second of what I think was a 4-pack and is better that what I remember when the beer was "fresh". I think that drinking the beer may be like playing basketball for Bob Knight - I want to see if I can do it.

Rating: 5 glasses.

August, 2008

A 2.5 year-old bottle. Ditto as 0905. Downgraded from 4 glasses. Click here for previous review. Top 100: 29 December 2005 and 10 March 2007. (Not on 30 January 2009 or 9 August 2009.) Rating: 3 glasses

Allagash Tripel

Allagash Tripel is my favorite tripel. The flavor is a mix of spicy, citrus, a flash of sweet alcohol, and a titch of clove. It is an old friend and continues to impress. Other tripels can be too much clove.

Brewer's notes: This award-winning celebration of a classic Belgian beer style is filled with notes of passion fruit and honey. Its simple recipe yields a full range of elegant flavor and finishes refreshingly dry. Its golden, crisp, and refined profile pulls from a tradition that began centuries ago in Belgian Abbeys.

BeerAdvocate: This strong golden ale is marked by passion fruit and herbal notes in the aroma, with suggestions of banana and honey in the complex palate. The Tripel has a remarkably long and smooth finish.

Tasting notes

2311: Another delicious bottle last night with Lisa's birthday dinner.

Rating = 6.5 glasses

2004

Rating = 6 glasses, but thinking about 7.

Chimay Grand Reserve (Blue)

Grand Reserve is a delightful Belgian Strong Dark Ale. In the 33 cl bottle, it is called Blue. In the .75 l bottle is stamped Grande Réserve.

Brewer's notes

Beer Advocate: The Chimay Blue is a dark ale with a powerful aroma. Its complex flavor improves with passing time.

Tasting notes 

(2311) Alex and I shared a bottle during Lisa's birthday dinner. I think that it was bottled around February 10, 2022 and has aged 1.75 years: the label reads L22-040. I did not enjoy the beer as much as I remember. It did not WOW me. I am downgrading the rating to 5 glasses.

(1106) A bottle w/ about 6-8 months on it. A delight.

(1101) Complex and difficult to describe. Not sweet as I was expecting. Musty apples, a dash of cinnamon, and a light hop bite. Complexity may merit 6 glasses. 

(0911) A bottle in NYC. Brown sugar, apple butter, and light hops. 

(0701) A delight. Brown sugar, spiced slightly sour oranges, and light hops. Winelike. Upgraded from 2/8. 

(????) Had a 12 oz. bottle. Looked for something else after the bottle was empty.May be worth another try. 

Rating: 5 glasses

Previous ratings: 2, 5, then 6 glasses

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

Black Chocolate Stout is one of my favorite beers.

Brewer's Notes: This is the famous Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout. In the 18th century, Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, ordered a stout to be sent to her from England. This beer was brewed strong and hoppy to survive the sea voyage, and it arrived in perfect condition. Soon "Russian Imperial Stout" became the toast of the Russian aristocracy. Brewed since 1994, our Black Chocolate Stout has itself become a modern classic, heralded the world over. It achieves its dark chocolate aroma and flavor through the artful blending of six malts and three distinct mashes. Properly kept, it will improve in the bottle for many years. This stout is the toast of the winter season in many countries, and there is nothing better to enjoy with chocolate desserts, cheesecake, ice cream, fine cheeses and roaring fireplaces.

Given this beer’s higher ABV and sturdy character, we think it’s a prime candidate for cellaring. Find a cool, dry spot away from light sources, and see how it changes in the years to come. You never quite know what will happen when you age a beer: perhaps the body will smooth out, notes of vanilla, oak, and tannins will come to the front, or hints of leather and soy sauce will make themselves known. No matter what, remember that beer is meant for drinking, so don’t keep it to yourself for too long.

Beeradvocate

Tasting Notes

Nov. 2023: I recently drank a fresh 2023 bottle and another one-year old 2022 vintage. The fresh bottle was not as good as I remember. I will try another bottle to learn more. The one-year old bottle was a wonderful stout. Plenty of chocolate flavor and pleasant. I didn't detect charcoal bite in either one.

02 Oct. 2022: Drank another bottle from the purchase in late 2021. Still a fine beer with a nice charcoal bite at the finish.

Rating = 5.5 glasses

30 Jan. 2022: This is a recollection of some beer I purchased late 2021. I like the first bottle so much that I went back and bought a 2nd 6-pack. I am back to loving this beer. Loads of chocolaty flavor with a bit of a charcoal bite. Yummy. I think that it is my new favorite imperial stout.

Rating = 6 glasses. 

24 Oct. 2020: I pulled my last bottle from Winter 2019 from the cellar last night. The beer was a delight. Rich, chocolaty, and smooth. The only question was whether the rating was 5 glasses or 6. Given the five previous reviews, I left the rating @ 5.

Rating = 5 glasses

15 May 2020: BBCS has earned its reputation as one of the great Imperial Stouts. Tonight's bottle is dated Winter 15-16, meaning the beer has aged about 4.5 years. The beer is delivers a massive dose of chocolate malts with a little bitter charcoal bite at the end.

BeerAdvocate rates it as Outstanding, the 1,977th best beer overall, and the 117th best Russian Imperial Stout. My last rating = 4 glasses.

Rating = 5 glasses.

12 June 2014: Shared a 2006-07 bottle from my cellar last night. It was wonderful: complex, sweet, chocolate, with a nice mouthfeel. A good sipper. 

Rating = 6 glasses

1101: A year-old 2009-10 bottle. Chocolate malt w/ a flash of charcoal. Very nice. 

1008: A 2006-07 bottle, 4.5 yr. old. Chocolate nose. Almost soy but not, Bitter/sour end. Dry port? 

1004: A 3-yr-old bottle from 2006-07. First sip was bittersweet chocolate and charcoal dust. Sippable and quaffable. Upgraded from 4 glasses. 

1001: A fresh bottle from 09-10. Dark chocolate syrup. Downgraded from 5 glasses. 

0912: A 3-yr. old bottle from 06-07. A delightful, deep, dark, stout. Some port peeking out? Upgraded from 4 glasses.

 

Comments: This beer seems to vary slightly by year and improves w/ age.

Previous ratings: 5, 6, 4, 3, then 4 glasses.

Rating: 5 glasses

0909: A bottle 1.5+ years old. Bitter chocolate with old ale sour taste at finish when cold yielding to bitter chocolate throughout.

Rating: 4 glasses

0811: The Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout I had on tap tonight at Joe's Inn is a really nice beer. BBCS is a big Imperial Stout. Reviewers on BeerAdvocate rated it as one of the top 100 beers on the planet on 29 December 2005. As the name suggests, it has chocolate flavors. I have tasted several vintages of BBCS with mixed reactions. The most recent release seemed too hot. On tap, the beer was flavorful and balanced. I don't know if the difference is draft v. bottle or 2008-09 v. 2007-08; but, I think that the tap makes the difference. Chocolate is the predominate flavor but coffee and smoke rear their heads, too. Joe's Inn is a neighborhood restaurant in Richmond, VA. It sells BBCS as a seasonal item for $3.50 a pint. At this price the beer is a great deal. It was fantastic w/ a hamburger. Oliver Garrett, the brewmaster of Brooklyn Brewery, is a big advocate of pairing food and beer. His book, The Brewmaster's Table, is a classic. For a sample of his thoughts, click here.

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine-Style Ale

Brewers Notes: Bigfoot is a beast of a beer, brimming with bold flavors of bittersweet malt and heaps of aggressive whole-cone Pacific Northwest hops. First introduced in the winter of 1983, Bigfoot is a cult-classic beer brewed in the barleywine style, meaning a strong, robust, bruiser of a beer with the refined intensity of a wine. Bigfoot is prized by beer collectors for its supreme cellarability. Under the proper conditions, it can age like a fine wine, developing new flavors and character as it matures in the bottle. Each new release or “expedition” is vintage dated. Collect your own and see the flavors develop and progress.

BeerAdvocate

Tasting Notes

Nov. 2023: I drank a ten-year old 2013 vintage with pumpkin cake from Shindiz. The pairing was great. The beer still had robust flavors and the hops had mellowed some. I noticed a nice chocolate flavor coming forward. Yummy!

August 2023: I drank a 2023 vintage with Jen's Chocolate Cake at the conclusion of dinner to celebrate my 71st birthday. The beer continues to amaze me. What I noticed was the fantastic lacing clinging to the glass as it emptied. I revisited my review to see if I rated it 6.5 or 7 glasses. The flavor, color, and lacing merit 7.

Feb. 2022: The first 1.5 bottles of 12. Alex got the other 0.5. May not be as sweet as last years but it has hops galore. A flavor bomb. I plan to purchase another 6-pack.

Jan. 21, 2021: I drank the first bottle of a case of just released 2021 vintage. It paired wonderfully with carrot cake from Publix. It did not disappoint. Loads of caramel-sweet almost sticky malt coupled with tons of hops. At $13 a 6-pack, I think it is a great value for a fantastic beer. 

July 5, 2020: Bigfoot is the classic American Barleywine. It is a flavor bomb - tons of sweet malt and tons of bitter hops. It ages fantastically and my "cellar' has bottles dates 2006. It has been a favorite of mine for years. It goes great with carrot cake and other sweet desserts. My understanding is the "Barleywine-style" in the title arose because the ABC folks feared that buyers would confuse it with wine if the SN called it simply "Barleywine".

Rating = 7 glasses.

3 Floyds Alpha Klaus

Alpha Klaus is an Christmas porter.

Brewer's notes: Alpha King’s festive cousin. A big American Christmas Porter brewed with English chocolate malt, Mexican sugar, and tons of strange American hops. The pronounced hop bitterness gives way to flavors of molasses and chocolate from the roasted malt bill.

BeerAdvocate

Tasting notes
2311: Alpha Klaus tastes like it has chocolate and maybe cinnamon; but the brewer's notes do not mention any extracts. The beer is pleasant and a nice variation of a Christmas Ale. It is easy to drink and the flavor is interesting.

Rating = 4 glasses

Alesmith Private Stock Ale

 old ale

6 glasses

sweet but not cloying

Girardin 1882 Black Label Gueuze

1882 Black Label Gueuze is a great example of the style. Once it was one of my favorite beers. 

BeerAdvocote

Tasting notes 

2311: Plenty of tart but more bitterness than I remember - too much lemon rind. Left rating unchanged but thought about reduction.

1308: A recent bottle led to a downgrade from 7 glasses. It is really good but not as tart as I wanted or remembered. 

1002: A bottle purchased 4 mn ago. See previous review. Cantillon may be better??

(3) A bottle purchased about 2 years ago. Tart, complex, funky. Less lemon than I remember. Almost quaffable. Still the best. 

(2) Lemon, vinegar, and apple cider. Each sip causes salivation. 

(1) Sour and tart but doesn't take away your breath. Sort of a fizzy lemon cider.

Rating: 6 glasses.

Bell's Third Coast Old Ale

BeerAdvocate classifies Third Coast Old Ale as an American Barleywine. I am not convinced that it is not an Old Ale.

Brewer's Notes

Third Coast Old Ale starts with a rich, caramel base, and finishes with heavy hop bitterness. Sharply intense at first, it will age gracefully, adding complexity and subtlety to your cellar. Go ahead, test your patience.

Flavor Profile: Complex, Warm Malt Character, Huge Body, Rich Caramel Malt Aromas

Beer Info: A mixture of burnt caramel and other earthy malt flavors, with enough hop presence to prevent a sense of sweetness. Sharply bitter when first packaged, this hop aspect will fold into the malt character over time and find balance.

Shelf Life: Unlimited

Ingredients: Water, Malt, Hops, House Ale Yeast

Nutritional Information (per 12 oz. serving): Calories: 318, Carbs: 26.7

IBUs: 65

Original Gravity: 1.101

Tasting Notes

2311: A five-year old bottle. Tastes very Old Ale-ish. Musty sourness dominates the flavor. I wonder if the beer is past its prime. 

Rating = 5.5 glasses

Nov. 14, 2022: Another bottle with about 6 years of age. A delightful combination of brown sugary malt, hop bitterness, and a tiche of sour from somewhere. 

Rating = 6 glasses (and thought about 6.5).

Previous ratings: 3, 5, 6

Aug 25, 2019: With second dessert I drank a Bell's Third Coast Ale, an American barleywine. The bottle was relatively fresh. Brown sugar flavor but not sweet. The aftertaste was sort of sour. I think this beer gets better with age. Ratings based on beers aged about 4 years = 6 glasses. Today,

Rating = 5 glasses.

1210:  Bells bottled this 6-pack on 4 Dec 2008, making it about 4 years old. The taste was all brown sugar and malt. I want to buy and age more. Yummy. It continues to earn its 6-glass rating. 

1009: A 2-yr. old bottle. Burnt caramal, dark fruits, and hop bite @ finish. A solid 6. Ages well. 

1009: A bottle purchased from the cooler section @ Elwood Thompson. Burnt malt, deep bitter hop bite, a tiche of sour. A complex beer. May rate 5 glasses but I left it at six pending further review. Complexity and the impression it made on my memory prevented the downgrade. 

Rating = 6 glasses

1004: A 2 yr 7 mn old bottle brewed 0709. A tiche thnner than I remembered and a little lactic acid, a la Vintage Ale, peeping out. Thought about a downgrade to 5. 

1002: A 2 yr 5 mn old bottle brewed 0709. Malty burnt caramel with some hops and a tiche of old ale sour. 

0909: A 2-year old bottle. Toffee. An English barleywine. Ages fantastically. Thought about 7 glasses. 

0809: A 1-yr. old bottle. Wonderful. Big caramel malt with sour, bretty bite at end. Upgraded from 5. 

0801: A bottle dated 0709. Delightful. Cream brule, a hint of chocolate, dates, a touch of alcohol, and a little leather. 

0801: A little cream brule, some bitter hops w/ a touch of sour, and a blast of alcohol. Quaffable and flavorful. May rate 6. 

0712: Sweet malt followed by a sour (Brett?) bite. Sourness becomes predominate as it warms. An interesting sipper. Ages nicely and would pair well with game. 

0710: Caramel, dark fruit, alcohol, deep bitterness, and a touch of stout/smoke when cold. Port (?) wine, figs, and sour bitterness as it warms. An non-sweet English BW? A good sipper for a cold night. Upgraded from 3. 

0611: 1st of a 6. Burnt crème brule when cold. As it warms the malt fades a little and a sour hop bite at end becomes more predominate - sort of a subdued Arrogant Bastard. Alcohol present in every sip. I suspect it will improve with age. I could see pairing it with game cooked with sweet fruits. May rate 4/8.

Duvel 6.66

6.66 is a fine Belgian blond ale if you like the style. I am not a big fan.

Brewer's Notes: The Duvel Moortgat family brewery is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, with a new variant of Duvel, a new mild, full-bodied blond Duvel with the alcohol percentage of 6.66%.

This Duvel is mild, expressive and deliciously drinkable. No fewer than 6 different hop varieties are used for Duvel 6.66%: just like the classic Duvel, it’s based on the noble and exclusive hop varieties Saaz and Styrian Golding. The flavour is then balanced by adding four expertly selected hop varieties to the mix, which also involves the dry-hopping method.

BeerAdvocate

Tasting Notes
November 2023: As noted, 6.66 is a fine Belgian blond ale.

Rating = 2.5 glasses.