North Coast Old Rasputin Anniversary Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout

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

(on bottle) Most surtainlt has got that bourbon going in the aroma; sweet, cornish and quite alcoholic. Got tobacco, vanilla, peach, with a tar-thing hovering above it all. Very complex indeed. And the smoothness are also very much "indeed" here, like liking cream. Perfect balance with the carbonation. The balance between sugars and hops are spot on, as are the alcohol in the long finish. This is a sophisticated beer and overwhelming too. I would drink this in smallquantaties, had I the posibility the have it again.

Bottle: Poured a black color with a tan head. The aroma was bourbon, dark chocolate, and roasted malts. The flavor was creamy, dark chocolate, toffee, coffee, and bourbon. This was like drinking a milk shake with a hint of bourbon. Overall, this was excellent!!

Pours hazy black with brown head. Nose is the best feature of this beer - plenty of bourbon candy-like roasty goodness. Some nougat is present as well, and just a prickle on the nose from the alcohol (I think). On the palate this one doesn’t measure up to many other bourbon aged Imperial Russian stouts. Moderate roasty flavors, light coffee/chocolate, and background bourbon character towards the end and into the finish. Finishes somewhat warm/alcohol-y.

In short: A big bourbonny imperial stout done right.
How: Bottle 500ml corked and caged. Various sources. Consumed a few months after its release.
The look: Black body topped by a medium tan head
In long: Nose is moderately bourbonny. Actually the I found the nose very bourbonny but relative to the exaggerated Bourbon Barrel Aged Impy Stouts out there I found the nose of this one not too over-the-top bourbonny. Body is big and soft, and when I say big and soft I mean huge and velvety. Carbonation is more lively than usual considering that BA imp stouts tend to be a bit dull. Overall this is one of the most pleasant impy stout body out there. Taste is peat, bourbon barrel, fudge cake, plenty of tobacco, a little boozy, char, vanilla, some toffee, light dark fruits presence. That’s one BA stout that didn’t turn into a thinner boozy vanilla lovefest. Quite different from the regular Rasputin. The roastiness and fruitiness of the regular Rasputin are almost non-existent here but this brew almost makes up for it with its huge velvety body. Overall I find this BA version almost as good as the regular Rasputin. I suspect it will develop fruity notes over time and will be even more enjoyable. Despite the $20 price tag I got a bunch of this BA version because I think it has aging potential but it makes me feel really guilty to drink beer at $20/bottle when I think of all those Ethiopians who for the most part don’t even have temperature controlled cellar to properly age barrel aged imperial stouts. Such misery.

From a bottle poured black with a large brown head. Nice strong malty flavor chocolate/coffee with a lingering bourbon finish.

Corked and caged 500ml bottle, pours black with a few chocolate colored bubbles, there is a little dark ruby transparency at the edges of the glass, I got more bubbles and a thin cover when I swirled the glass, leaves medium or bit less lacing on the sides of the glass, there are aromas of wood, bourbon alcohol, caramel, chocolate, brownies, vanilla, molasses sweetness, roasted malt, and flavors of bourbon with faint caramel, chocolate and roasted malt, bourbon whiskey appears to overshadow everything else, each sip gives a small tingle in the nostrils, and places a warmth in my stomach, alcohol is hidden well but the Bourbon flavor is very present on the taste buds, I thought the Bourbon was a bit much, more malt flavors would help to give a even flavored ale, if you like the Bourbon flavor you will really love this drink, I prefer more balance, mouth feel is more than medium but not quite at the full end of the spectrum, there is some creaminess on the tongue, may be a bit too much carbonation, this beer has a wonderful nose, a very nice drink.

Old Raspy XII aged about four months at home. Pours a deep brown/black with reddish edges and a quickly-dissipating tan head. Smells strongly of oak, whiskey, and not much else. When cold, flavor is extremely oaky with vanilla notes and only faint hints of the usual dark chocolate and coffee. Laces fairly well, alcohol bites at the finish, moderately thick consistency.

Bottle labeled Old Rasputin XII. Reddish black, dark tan edge head only. Aroma of Jack Daniels. Flavor of bourbon completely overwhelms and hides the beer. If I wanted a bourbon, I would have ordered a bourbon. Way over the top. Never again.