North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

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

Draft. A bit harsh, but decent. Pours dark brown with brown head. Sweet creamy aroma. Lots of chocolate and roast flavors. Medium body with low carbonation. The relatively low price for a decent imperial stout bumps this up a few points.

Enjoyed this from a bottle. Poured like motor oil with a tan head of foam. Sweet with the taste of espresso and plenty of alcohol both in it’s aroma and palate, but it’s hoppy finish killed the experience for me.

Pours a dark black with a nice fluffy brown head. Aroma is nutty and fruity with some dark chocolate and roasted caramel notes. Flavor a nice and complex starting with some roasted malt dark chocolate and coffee bitterness. Nice bit of hops and raisin in the finish. Very well rounded imperial stout. Not too thick of a mouth feel, which can be good and bad. Very drinkable for the alcohol. Still not the best imperial stout, but deserves recognition.

Bottle. Black with brown head. Roasted malt and coffee dominates over the hops. Sweet and some chocolate. Quite heavy. A very nice imperial stout.

Got to try this one thanks to iowaherkeye, great roasty aroma that pours a nice dark brown with a tan head. great tasting really enjoyed it.

Pours black with decent, tan/cream-colored head. Nose is a little clean, probably the result of the hops, which are balanced nicely with some smokey, roasty malts and some chocolate. Flavor is strong bitter roast with a little sweet chocolate and some minor hop freshness. There’s clear hop in the aftertaste. Palate goes right along with the beer: full bodied, a little sticky, and, quite salty. The hop balance is great, but something more complex would be nice, and I prefer my Imperial Stouts a little sweeter.

Re-rate: On tap at the Flying Saucer in KC. Pours a thick black body with a humongous milky brown colored, creamy head that takes absolutely forever to dissipate and remains extremely lacy. More great work by the FS here in kansas city. Aroma is chalky coffee and milk chocolate. Very smooth and delicate smelling. Some roasted grains in the background and a hint of fruit. Decent and soft aroma, but not as rich as I was hoping for. Flavor is very soft and delicate as well. Very creamy and milky chocolate maltiness with a touch of vanilla at first. Moves into a soft bitterness and chewy fruity hoppiness before finishing with a delicate, but strong bitter and chalky coffee linger. Palate is medium to full and very smooth. Really goes down nicely with a subtle warming feel. Overall, I did not find the bottle version of this impressive at all, but the draught version is very nice. Its a very soft imp stout and the only word that comes to my mind in describing it is "dainty." Its very elegant in aroma, flavor, and body. Good imp stout for sure, and definitely glad to give this another shot. Would be a great dessert beer.

Bottle at home with renffisch, 25th June 2008. Very dark brown with a tan head. The good coffee and dark cocoa aroma gets you ready for the excellent roasted malt flavour. It’s very smooth indeed, very delicate and very well balanced. Fantastic stuff.