The Stout
Bell’s Expedition Stout
Bottle Dated: 10/22/12
Comstock, Michigan, USA
10.5% abv
$17.99 a six pack
The 2010 vintage was super powerful, yes super powerful not
just powerful. I just finished the last
bottle of the 2010 here in March 2013 and it was just as fine as can be. Let’s see how the 2012 vintage is doing.
Appearance: a wonderful black body with a dark 2 finger tan
head that leaves plenty of lacing on the glass.
Aroma: dark roasted notes of grains and coffee with some
nice burnt sugar
Flavors: dark roasted grains, coffee, and dark chocolate
like notes; toasted molasses, oily bitter hops,
Mouthfeel: fairly smooth for a Russian Imperial Stout,
syrupy, a good alcohol feel on the finish with a 90% dark chocolate dry
bitterness,
To the Point: the 2010 had a medicinal alcohol bite and I
don’t taste that here with the 2012 vintage.
The alcohol does play a role in the taste and feel.
The Cigar
Oliva Serie V Special V Figurado
6 x 60 Perfecto
Nicaraguan Puro
This cigar has been aging for a year or so in my humidor and
has mellowed a bit. This cigar is
similar to the Expedition in that it needs a little time to age to mellow.
Flavor Profile: smooth toasty grains with a nice touch of
earthy coffee with a slight nutty and hardwood note; the spice is settle and
pleasing to the palate.
Mouthfeel: smooth, tasty, and sophisticated.
To the Point: damn I only have a couple left so; I need to
buy a box.
The Pairing
This is a terrific pairing.
I thought I was going to have a collision of the titans here with this
pairing but, the cigar has mellowed to work well with this strong Stout. The slight nutty and hardwood notes of the
cigar add some nice character to the Stouts rich and dark toasted notes. The mouthfeel is very dry so have water on
the side.
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