Bell’s Expedition Stout: A Beer Beyond The Dreams of Avarice

This article originally appeared in the November/December 2002 issue of Zymurgy Magazine

By Grek Kitsock

Few beers can be described as “meaty” in both the figurative and literal senses of the word. Expedition Stout, from Kalamazoo Brewing Co. in Kalamazoo, Mich., is one. In a recent issue of American Heritage magazine profiling America’s brewing industry, Michael Jackson describes the oily, black liquid as tasting “like beef braised with prunes and port wine.” It’s an appropriate description for a beer so thick and rich it almost amounts to a meal in a bottle.

Based on the strong, well-hopped ales that England once shipped to the czar’s court, Expedition Stout measures between 10 and 11 percent alcohol by volume (abv). You don’t seek out a beer like this just for the buzz. Malt liquor can give you that, and it’s cheaper and more readily available. Expedition Stout is a connoisseur’s product. Generally, Kalamazoo Brewing will do six to 10 batches between autumn and early spring. Of the brewery’s annual output of almost 30,000 barrels, Expedition Stout will account for fewer than 200 barrels.

“It’s one of our lesser brands as far as volume is concerned, but we like to think that it’s one of the preeminent stouts in the U.S.,” says head brewer Alec Mull.

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