North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

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

Wow. The best Imperial Stout I’ve ever had. Smelled great, tasted great, was great. Rich chocolatey, coffee aroma and taste. Thick black pour, no head, very little carbonation. Nice lasting palate. As close to perfect a beer as I can imagine, a new favorite.

This is what I would consider my favorite beer. I love the style, and I think North Coast did a really good job balancing the flavor components in this big beer. When I first discovered it, I wondered why they only sold it in 4 packs! Needles to say I quickly found out later that evening as the 9% quickly knocked me on my butt. Love the malt and chocolate with subtle bitters to cut. Coffee flavors are present, but not too prevalent fortunately, as I am not a coffee drinker. I love this beer! But approach it with a healthy fear and reverence.

Location: 12 oz bottle from Total Wine, drank it, 6/22/09

Aroma: Strong coffee aroma, some toffee, chocolate, and roasted notes as well
Appearance: Very dark brown color, thick brown head that dissipates pretty quickly, pours from the bottle like it is going to be super thick like motor oil
Flavor: Really nice coffee malts flavor, pretty bitter for a stout (a nice bitterness), well balanced flavor and a long and enjoyable finish
Palate: Full bodied beer, kind of chewy with a really nice mouthfeel, a really nice palate on this one
Overall Impression: I really liked this beer a lot. Back when I first started drinking beer, I use to tell people that I wasn’t a huge Stout fan, but that just plain wasn’t true. The truth is that I wasn’t a huge Guinness fan, big difference, but I tended to shy away from Stouts for a while because of that. There then came a point in time where I decided to give this style more of a chance and I’m glad I did. Beers like this, a Ten Fidy, or a Storm King make me realize what I was missing out on when I judged all Stouts by one of the style’s worst examples.

bottle, pours black, tall dark tan head. Black patent malt, and strong dark roast coffee nose. Bitter chocolate and coffe flavors that end very bitter, like chewing coffee grounds or munching on a bakers chocolate bar. Slight maple syrup sweetness upfront, but all bitter in the ending. Creamy mouthfeel, full bodied, and tasty.

I think people are missing one of the most incredible aspects of this beer ... quality vs. price. Might I add, you’re not out waiting in an extremely long line at some "beer release festival" in Indiana waiting to hopefully purchase and pay $15 for a single bottle. No. I paid $6.99 for a 4-pack today. Perhaps it’s my Jewish blood praising North Coast for it’s generosity. Cheers!!

Pours dark with a very nice brown/dark tan head. Nose of chocolate, coffee, slight woodiness and hints of raisin. Flavor is very balanced, notes of coffee, chocolate, slight taste of alcohol. Finishes extremely smooth with a burnt, malty taste. One of my favorite stouts.

Bold and black. Smells of raspberries, raisin, and a hint of black licorice. Has a wonderful balance of dark chocolate, and burnt roasted malt, with a moderately bitter aftertaste. This is a beer that is very warming and complex and slowly enjoyed. The dude on the label kind of scares me though.

From bottle at Winking Lizard in Canton, OH. Citrusy/skunky/super bitter dark chocolate aroma. Black pour with almost no tan head (again, probably due to the bar using the wrong glassware). No lacing and a cross between bitter cocoa and lemony hops in the flavor with a small kick of alcohol on the finish. This is delicious stuff.