North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

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

I've been waiting for this one for a while...I do like the Imperial Stout style, so we'll see where this one ranks. The colour is black on top, but if you stretch the beer (similar to wine), there is a noticable lighter brown colour near the bottom. The head is nice and thick with a brown colour. The smell is chocolate, roasted and definately malty. The taste is equally as good. It tastes like burnt everything, especially coffee. This is a great imperial stout that should be tried by everyone...as it is somewhat easy to find! I bought this at Chevy Chase Liqour & Wine in Washington, D.C.

Deep ruby-brown colour with a small tan head. Rich, complex aroma with notes of chocolate, coffee, vanilla and liquorice. Flavour is equally complex - bittersweet chocolate, roasty coffee, whiskey & brandy, and a warm, bitter finish. Remarkable stuff.

12 oz bottle, via FlacoAlto. Very dark brown, almost black pour with a small off-white head that faded to a thin film quickly. Deep roasted malt aroma, notes of bitter chocolate, licorice, and alcohol. Roasted and burnt malt flavor balanced nicely with significant hop bitterness. Finish is espresso with a slight alcoholic warmth. Oily texture with moderate carbonation yields a mouthcoating beer. Great roasty Imperial, not the biggest or badest, but a solid example of the style.

Black as night. Pours like motor oil and the aroma is pure coffee. The flavor is mostly coffee and chocolate and very very heavy on the palate. This is the smoothest stout I have ever had as it warms in the glass it just gains more flavor. Sweet and fantastic on the tongue! Wow is this a good beer. I think I have a new special ocassion beer. This brew is fantastic and I can’t wait to get another! Rerate - 6/18/06 - I got to try this one on tap tonight and all I can say is wow! The roasted and chocolate flavors seemed so much more intense and were a great finish to a steak at brew’s cafe. I’m going to bump this up 1 in the the aroma as it was just divine on tap.

Pours black as night with a small head that quickly fades. Huge roasted aroma. It has a creaminess that I wish more stouts had. Huge explosion of coffee/chocolate/alcohol/dark fruit flavors that keep on going minutes later. Thanks legion242!

12oz bottle, sample #17 in a blind imperial stout tasting. Pours an oily, dark brown color; medium tan head with good retention and fine-bubbled lacing. Dark bitter chocolate and inky dried fruits; coffee and chocolate. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: plenty of coffee, bitter citrus and minerals: dense chocolate and lively carbonation; some licorice. Tastes like fresh Speedway. Lengthy, dark chocolate and oily dark fruits; plenty of sweetness. 8.5.8.4.16=4.1

12oz bottle. Pours a black center with brown edges; dark tan head with good retention. Very generous aroma: milk chocolate, roasted malts, marshmallow, and smoke. Medium-to-full mouthfeel, almost creamy: roasted marshmallow, milk chocolate, charred malts - even the suggestion of a light oak toastiness (though probably more oak chips than anything), similar to the Oak-Aged Yeti in a lot of ways, though less sweet. Medium-length finish, showing plenty of bitter chocolate and minimal hoppiness. Not suitable for aging, but excellent.

Thick, oily and black, definite brown head, that is quite meringue like, tops this brew. A sweet roast malt aroma emanates from my glass, followed by a note of coffee. Quite thick, though not overly so. Strong malt presence, definite roast malt character as well. This beer is like chewing on a roast malt kernel, it has the same after taste and everything. Even though thick and malty the roast character lets this beer finish like it is quite dry. There is a bit of oiliness in this beer. The beer is very smooth, yet still carbonated. Almost a cola not to this as it first hits my mouth.

If you don’t like stouts, stay away. If you don’t like smoky stouts, leave the area. If you enjoy the aforementioned qualities, this brew will make you smile. Take your time and enjoy it.