Bell's Black Note Stout

I was fortunate enough to be at Al’s of Hampden when he decided to tap Bell’s Black Note Stout and I ordered a glass. This beer is a blend of Expedition Stout and Double Cream Stout that is aged in freshly retired bourbon barrels. The beer pours a black color with a bubbly tan head. The aroma consists of bourbon, oak, vanilla, chocolate, and caramel. The taste is impeccably smooth and creamy with chocolate, caramel, vanilla, and oak flavors. There is a great bourbon accent mixed with a cherry finish. The alcohol content is 11.5% ABV. This was a wonderful beer with well balanced flavors. The smooth and robust flavors popped out of the beer and were met with open arms by the strong bourbon and cherry flavors to make a beer that is worth seeking out again.

Bell's Expedition Stout

I picked up a bottle of Bell's Expedition Stout at D's Six Pax and Dogz in Pittsburgh. The beer pours a deep black color with a thin bubbly brown head. The smell consists of chocolate malts. The taste is a bitter chocolate with an toasted malt undertone. The beer finishes dry with coffee flavors, making it a little more bitter the the first sip. The alcohol content is 10.5% ABV. This was quite a tasty stout with a perfect balance of coffee and chocolate. The coffee doesn't hit until later in the experience, but it quite refreshing. I'm not sure that I would be able to drink several of these in a night, but it would make quite a delicious starter beer for the night or as a dessert beer.