North Coast Old Rasputin Anniversary Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout

Brewed by North Coast Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Fort Bragg, California USA

500 ml bottle corked bottle. XII Pours a dark black cola with a medium brown head. Aroma of vanilla, oak, bourbon, malts, black licorice and chocolate. Taste of creamy milk chocolate, malts, vanilla, bourbon and oak. Overpriced, but very enjoyable.

Many thanks to ajm for sharing this one -- good gravy! Pours viscous black with a sugary brown head. Smells incredible -- brimming with bourbon, vanilla, and milk cocoa. Tastes of each with added notes of dates, oak, cream, and leather. Exceptionally balanced. I would do a lot more than star in a Klondike commercial to have this again.

Pours Black with chocolate brown head. Somewhat translucent at edges. Smells of rye bread, toast, molasses, and a little bourbon. Taste is very much of Bourbon, rye. Very fun and tasty stout. Did not disappoint. I’ve had tastier, more drinkable stouts, but this stuff is good at the right time. I could imagine this growing on me very much if I had it often.

Bottle, XII. Pours opaque with a large, frothy dark brown head, mostly lasting with excellent lacing. Aroma is heavy malt (molasses, burnt grain, chocolate), average hop (flowers, perfume), heavy yeast (leather) with notes of alcohol, oak, plum, raisin, dates, and vanilla. Full bodied, creamy texture, lively carbonation, and a bitter finish. Long duration, heavy sweetness and bitterness, moderate acidity. This one is still quite hot; let it ride a year.

Pours a rich black with a super thick ultra foamy head. Nose is big on bourbon and dark chocolate, notes of molasses and wood. Flavor is super smooth bourbon and dark rich chocolate. Everything is balanced the bourbon recedes and allows the malt to come out and play. Smooth roasty finish much less aggressive than the regular raspy. This is a case of the barrel really smoothing out the imperfections in the base beer. Terrific.

Poured a thick rich black color with a thin dark tan head. Aroma was phenomenal, dark chocolate a little coffee, some definite oakiness with vanilla bourbon. . . smelled like heaven. Flavor was just as amazing. All the same notes as the aroma combined with a silky smooth mouthfeel and not even a hint of bitterness. This beer was amazing.

i spent more tiime smelling this beer than tasting it, vanilla/burtn choc/bourbon, the bbls must have had a real good char. on the palate it was very creamy, with alcohol barely traceable. finish was very long & clean for such a huge beer. not my style, but still very well made. what i didnt drink... granville tim gladly disposed of.

So first off my rating is a bit higher but along with wonderful craft beer I love bourbon! Pours a pitch dark black that you cannot ever hope to see through with a smaller amount of head, but who cares about the head? Full bodied beast of a wonderful beer. On the nose I am getting bourbon, vanilla, chocolate, the wood from the barrel, toffee, coffee and caramel. On the palate I get vanilla bean upfront along with a very smooth bourbon characteristic, caramel, toffee, coffee and chocolate. Always love old rasputin but this one really takes it up a notch. Well worth the price for a special occasion!