North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

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

one of the best beers on a cold new england winter night, some coffee overtones, but a delicious stout, be careful with it.

Bottle. Dark pour. Sweet aromas, alcohol fruit and dark chewy flavors. Felt like this beer was overhyped, will try again however.

remember the first time I drank this beer - back in ’02 in my oversized hotel room in Temecula, CA. I used a lamp to open this beer and all the other ones. I had no idea what this was, I’d never had a beer remotely near to this... I almost died but somehow loved it none the less. At the time is was the harshest beer I’d ever had. I followed it up with some DFH Chicory Stout, which was another sodomy of the mind. I digress....
Poured out a large, creamy caramel coloured head that has amazing retention and leaves 360 degree lacing that layered like a well poured Guinness. The aroma is interesting but not the headliner for this beer. It’s a really good even mix of biscuit, chocolate, coffee and orange with smoke and grapefruit. Gets fruitier as it warms. This is an incredibly soft and creamy beer! The taste revolves around lots and lots of malts (roast, caramel, biscuit), lots of chocolate, coffee that is more in the background and tied in with the bitterness, roasted nuts, grapefruit, alcohol, sweet cinnamon candy, more fruit. So complex. Smooth beyond smooth. Full bodied, super fine carbonation, very thick indeed, very very long lasting bitterness with the mildest of coffee, obvious citrus hop finish. Ooop - just had some bakers chocolate show up right at the end. The after taste during the first quarter of glass was pretty harsh, almost bad in the way that it pulverized the end of the flavor but thankfully that fades. Wow - incredibly drinkable. My only qualm is that I think this beer would benefit from a bit less hops, not much, just a bit as they are fine in this brew.

Sweet and bitter at the same time. There oats in there, because it’s nice a silky. Dark dark dark with all the signs of imperial stout - coffee, chocolate. Well balanced beer.

Deep black color with an off white head. Aroma is roasted malt, coffee, chocolate, all the usual Imperial Stout suspects. Flavor delivers the same roast, chocolate and coffee. Nice slight bitterness that complements without being overwhelming. Very balanced and very tasty Imperial stout.

Unique nose. Deep black color with coffee colored head. Balanced taste. Noticeable disappointing alcohol content.

12 oz bottle from the red apple e. bremerton wa. Pours black with a minimal and beatiful dark brown cap. Nose is strong dark fruits and espresso. Taste is strong espresso and is consistent and long. Ends with a bold burnt espresso/burnt cherry flavor. Extremely pleasing.