North Coast Old Rasputin Anniversary Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout

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

Original batch bottle from the brewery on the way home from Burning Man. Excellent beer. Everything Raspy could be. The bourbon really completes the mid to high range burnt body that Raspy already is. Fresh notes of bourbon, vanilla, light notes of oak, coffee, dark roasted malts, and smooth all over, this one gets a gold in my book.

bottle, from Sam’s Quikstop. Good aroma, sweet. bourbon, vanilla and oak when cold, dark chocolate became more prominent as it warmed. Blackish brown color, small cocoa beige head, ok lace, Sweet bitter flavor. Thick body, smooth creamy mouthfeel, sweet finish. Real good brew, I thought it was a well balanced effort, not over powering in the barrel effect, liked the chocolate in the aroma and flavor as it warmed up, very easy to drink for 11%. Glad I grabbed one.

Bottle at Chriso pre-GBBF tasting 09. A classic example of what is a world class beer ruined by this fad for barrel ageing everything to within an inch of its life. Too much soy sauce, decent choc, but not a patch on the original beer.

(Bottle, Stockholm Beer Festival, 19 Sep 2009) XI Anniversary. Black colour with frothy, pale brown head. Malty, roasted nose with espresso, cocoa, liquorice, vanilla and a touch of oak wood. Malty, roasted taste with notes of espresso, cocoa, dark chocolate, liquorice, hints of wood and vanilla. Full body, almost oily texture. Fairly sweet. The subtle bourbon and wood character is nicely integrated into this lovely imperial stout. Complex beer in perfect balance. Absolutely lovely!

Woah, glad I picked this one up. 500 ml bottle. Shared with CaryTheDude. Black pour with tan head that lingers. Aroma of chocolate powder, bourbon and some dark fruits. Flavor is chocolate milk mix on top of bourbon, dark fruits and dark chocolate. Mouthfeel is beautiful, like marshmallow fluff. Really standout beer, underrated.

Bottle thanks to somebody! This starts out a bit disturbing, pouring jet black with an enormous tan head. As I near the end, I tip the bottle up to make sure I get some goodness at the bottom, and get just a bit too much. It finishes the pour with a PLOP. I pay it not much attention at first, dwelling on the fine aromatics of dark fruit and chocolate followed by a touch of bourbon. So far so good. I take a sip and relish the beautiful mix of dark fruit, bourbon, chocolate, some coffee and a hint of port wine with a light astringency. I let it sit for a bit, and take another swig and the taste changes to a heavier concentration of chocolate and it misses the cheeks and heads right down the esophagus. A few more sips produce first dark fruit, and back to chocolate, but here is where it all goes a bit south. after walking away for a few, then returning, I notice a strange dark brown goo forming on the top of the head..This must be what the plop was....a bit too much goodness for me. I finish the glass, but Mr. Goo stays in the glass. Not a fan of that.

Looks like a pepsi with a brown head, super dark and bubbly. Nose of bourbon, chocolate, and bourbon, smells like an imperial stout should. Tastes of coffee, cocolate, and bourbon. Very thin mouthfeel with a stinging carbonation. Burns on it’s way down carbonation feels like it bits you all the way down your throat. Not bad North Coast, not bad ay all. OG Kush...og kush.

Fancy 1/2 L bottle... corked and caged. The cork gives way with a nice little puff. I’m a little impatient to know what this will be all about, so I take a whiff of the cork... it’s nice. Lots of chocolate with a port and bourbon booziness to the nose so far. The pour is a thing of beauty... even with a slow pour and a tilted glass, a massive head slowly rises up. It’s a few fingers of dense tan foam with kind of a whipped cream surface. Closer inspection reveals that the cork gave away most of the aromas that this has to offer, but a deep inhale reveals a kind of creamy softness that helps things tie together as well as a pretty solid dark fruit presence. Up close, the fruit is more like prunes than port, but it does have a slight vinous quality to it. I’m starting to get a little excited. Flavor is exquisite. It has a very soft texture up front as the chocolate and coffee start to mingle with a creamy vanilla presence. Shortly after this, the dark fruit flavors begin to assert themselves only to give way to a warm and boozy finish that lingers long after each sip. This is darn good...