North Coast Old Rasputin Anniversary Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout

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

Pours almost opaque black with a tannish/brown head. Aroma has the coffee, chocolate qualities common to most RIS, but there is definite wood, bourbon, and vanilla on the nose as well. The flavor is very balanced and smooth for such a big beer. There is a lot going on in the flavor, very complex, cocoa, coffee, vanilla, whiskey, wood, molassas, roasty,a little smoky even. There are some RIS that I prefer oak aging and some that I prefer their regular versions, I must say that I love both the regular Old Rasputin and the bourbon barrel aged. The only knock is how ridiculously expensive it is. Hoppin Frog BORIS and Great Lakes Blackout are both roughly twice as much barrel aged, this was 4 times as much. A great one time try, but the cost will prevent me from purchasing again.

Tenth Anniversary bottle, 750mL. Sampled at the ORF release. Woah. Pours jet black, fairly still. Aroma is huge bourbon, spicy rum, wood, big mellowed out booziness. Chocolate, licorice, and vanilla peek out from under the massive barrel presence. Taste is very smooth from the aging. Lots of deep caramels, aged bourbon, rich sweetness, dates, raisins, chocolate ganache, warming alcohol. Viscous. Oily. Really fantastic but not outstanding when compared to the other BA impys from the tasting.

XII Anniv. 500 ml bottle via trade with tytoanderso - Pours a dark brown color with a two finger thick tan head that lasts. Light lacing. Aroma is roasted malt, faint coffee, dark esters, light chocolate, light oak/bourbon, and a hint of vanilla. Nice? Flavor is roasted malt, chocolate, a bit of esters, vanilla, and oak/bourbon. The bourbon lingers a bit on the palate. The only knock I have on this beer is that it’s just a little thinner than I excepted. Still, a damn fine beer. Thanks Tyler.

Dark brown color with a thick tan head. Aroma of bourbon, smoke, vanilla and wood. Flavor is a little sweet and bitter. Thick and full bodied with a warming finish.

A lot more dryness to this than expected from an Imperial Stout. Pours a solid black with a thick brown head that never entirely goes away. The aroma is dominated by fine bourbon, dark unsweetened chocolate, and dark roasted coffee beans. Lots of wood in the taste, plus more bourbon, really roasty malts, a few cherries, and espresso. It’s a creamy, smooth, heavy beer with a noticible alcohol burn that finishes really hot.

Pours black, slight head comes up and collapses, oily. Aroma is a great blend of chocolate and coffee, laced with liquor. Flavor is a spot on match, with all the elements of chocolate, coffee, wood, and bourbon working together. Great sipper, loved this brew.

Old Rasputin XII: Pours dark brown with a thick brownish head that disapates vigoously after a few sips. The aroma is so pungent that it fills the immediate area in which I am sitting. Huge Huge Huge chocolate aroma with heavy notes of bourbon woodiness and alcohol Slight hints of coffee. The taste is indicative of coffee, bourbon and chocolate. A little to much booze comes through in the flavor, leaving almost a vodka taste. The Palate is a little thin and watery. The aroma starts to die down over time and the booziness seems to shine through to a greater extent, leaving only traces of the sweet odor that it once was. Overall this beer is good, but a little to much of the alcohol shines through.

XII Anniversary 500 ml bottle purchased last summer at Holiday Wine in Escondido, California. Enjoyed at home with Gregis and Indra. Pour is deep black, really pure darkness, two inch tan head that falls with thick lacing. Aroma of roast, soy sauce, touch of black licorice, followed by a decent blast of vanilla bourbon and booze. Taste is the roast, soy, vanilla black licorice, and the bourbon barrel in pretty equal measure. As it warms, an interesting boozy sweet dark cherry comes out - almost a cherry cough syrup, but more pleasant than that sounds. The finish is quite hot, the alcohol burns in the chest. Palate is medium, almost towards the light side. As mentioned, really boozy in the long finish. High carbonation along with dryness in the finish make this a bit more drinkable than it probably should be.