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, this is expensive stuff, 1100 rating. Loud bang and the cork came flying out when I barely touched the cork. Aroma is very chocolatey, with bourbon smoke, and caramel malt. Pours a deep dark brown, with frothy tan head, some lacing. Big on the chocolate, bourbon, vanilla and oak. Some sourness on the tongue for some reason. Finishes with a pretty decent amount of bitting bitter hops, which contrasts the other flavors. Just a hint of smoke and dark fruit. Good stout!

XII, 500 mililiter bottle, snifter. Pours pure black with a large brown head. A little thicker viscosity seemingly, but we’ll find out shortly. As it sits in the glass, it appears just like classic Razz, but if you swirl it around a little, the lacing is a lot creamier, thicker; Lots of residue to the walls of the glass. Aroma was very familiar at first and it took me a minute to remember Founders Kentucky Breakfast; It smells almost exactly like that, but a pinch fruitier. Lots of bourbon, oak, and other woods in the aroma. Very big aroma. Flavor: Bourbon is coming on pretty strong. I know that this is because of this bottle’s youth. Yeah, I’m sorry to say that the bourbon is overpowering. The classic Razz is still in there, but he’s drowning in Jack Daniels and a little Southern Comfort. Still very good flavor, don’t get me wrong; The chocolate, roasty malts, and brown sugar are all there underneath, they’re just understated now, whereas before they were the main attraction. Mouthfeel is actually the same as regular Razz, thick and hearty, without being syrupy. A very respectable showing, as always, by North Coast, but again, be ready for whiskey here if you’re going to be having this anytime soon. Overall, excellent minus.

Poured from the bottle. Black brown with some tan head. Aromas of cocoa, coffee, roasted malt. Full bodied and smooth. Good solid flavors and some oaky bourbon notes. Very tasty but not overwhelmingly better than the non barrel aged!

Opaque brownish black color with a medium light brown head. STRONG bourbon aroma, with some coffee and dark fruit. Mmmm...strong bourbon, coffee, wood and dark fruit flavors. Carbonation and alcohol numbs my tongue. Delicious!

Bottle as O R XII from the Coop in Davis, CA. Thanks to Dycsoccer17 for the beermail alert! Pours pretty damn dark with a three finger tan head. I don’t know what I’m smelling, but it’s awesome. Bourbon, coffee and chocolate? Near full bodied with frothy carbonation. Flavor is chocolate, coffee, wood, and I think bourbon. Reminds of Paradox beers, but not so smokey. Think it has vanilla - usually don’t like that, but it works with all this flavor. Great stuff, but it makes me wonder what this would be like from single malt barrels. Seems to finish with a lot of vanilla, and very smooth roasted/toasted/burnt malt. Mouthfeel is going silky. Really amazing stuff. Took awhile, but the heat sort of intrudes; not very much though. Burps great. Should be a category for that.

I had the good fortune of having a great lunch at North Coast Brewery’s Pub and bought two bottles of the ORRIS Bourbon Barrel. I shared this with my cousin and daughter one evening and the aroma this Stout gave off upon opening was lovely. A distinct coffee, toffee and semi-sweet chocolate nose. The mid-palate is a fine balance of sweet, bitter and unctuousness. A lasting rich black coffee with hints of that smoky bourbon. A wow!

XII bottle. Poured dark brown color with a smallish, but persistent brown head. Aroma was rich and nice; caramel, sugar, chocolate, caramel, bourbon and roasted malt. Flavor was initially very roasted and coffee, almost meaty. With a few sips, the alcohol and bourbon kick in quite strongly. The palate was pretty light, too much for my liking in a beer like this. Initially I was pretty disappointed with this one, but it got better with time. A little more caramel and vanilla comes through. Still, it wasn’t an amazing beer for me by any stretch of the imagination.

I don’t know if I’ve rated a beer higher in my years of tasting. This is one of the most delicious stouts I’ve ever encountered. Old Rasputin XII served cold from bottle. Pours black with a brown head that is quite thick. The aroma is rich with coffee, chocolate, caramel and vanilla. huge oaked flavor with roasted malts, vanilla, bourbon, mocha...it’s an amazing combination. Very soft and easy to drink. I think I might be in love with this brew.