North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

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

Pours black, with a bit of transparency around the edges and a beautiful tan head. Aroma of dark fruits, oak and roasty malts. In the flavor, though, the fruit disappears behind dark chocolate and burnt coffee, with some hops showing through as well. This one is every bit as big and thick as I wanted it to be, but that fruit in the aroma is throwing me off - it’s a note I don’t think meshes well with the rest of the beer. Other than that, great brew - clean, dry palate (despite its thickness), and a very robust flavor.

Pitch black pour with a dark tan head. Nice lacing on the glass. Alcohol aroma with berries and sour lactic notes. Very chocolaty flavor with lots of coffee. Lots of roastiness. Mostly bitter, but theres a little sweetness as the beer first hits your tongue. A little bit of sourness. Some hops to finish. Not bad.

12 oz bottle rich in flavors that just mask the high ABV good chocolate taste wonderful aroma. Not a beer you would drink all day, but great for a desert.

12oz bottle. Pours pitch black with a long lasting chocolate milk colored head. Decent lacing. Aromas of roasted malts, coffee, chocolate and a touch of hops and alcohol. Flavors are roasted burnt coffee, roasted malts, chocolate, and a decent hop presence. Some alcohol is present. Palate is smooth, velvety, and wonderful. As the previous rater said, for a widely available, and fairly priced RIS, this is hard to beat.

Black. Thick tan head. Burnt coffee aroma. Flavors of coffee and chocolate, not subtle at all. An over-the-top, in-your-face stout.

Excellent for a widely available imperial. Not a complex brew. Malt, coffee, and some chocolate. Has some alcohol taste. Smells clean, not a strong nose. Burnt aftertaste.

12 oz. bottle. Pours a thick, tiny bubbled, tan head with long duration, and heavy lacing over a dark blackish brown body, with minimal light penetration....nose redolent of roasted malts with heavy coffee and chocolate overtones.....taste is well balanced with heavy malts offset by heavy hops with a pleasant bitter finish....wonderful chewy palate. 11/23/2008

Appearance: Basically black. Lots of nice tan head. Aroma: Dark malt/fruit. Burnt, roasted. Blackcurrant? Taste: Burnt, roasted. Dark malt. Quite smooth. Nice. Info: 355ml bottle, 22/11-2008, 196/300, 205/500