North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

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

(2005 Newport Microbrew Festival) I loved this beer. This was y far my favorite of this festival. It also helps that I love Stouts. This has such a variety of flavors the chocolate, the malt and slight smokiness. They all add to the deep dark black color and dark head. The aroma was strong malt with chocolate off flavors. I would love to have another while in the mountains skiing.

A fine Imperial stout, but it didn’t knock my socks off. The pour was thick and dark brown (dark brown edges, no mahoganey noted) with a substantial head that gave a great lacing while drinking. Aroma was burnt chocolate/coffee with slight hops. Flavor was the same with a touch of a vinous/prune alcohol accent. Bitterness from the hops AND the burnt coffee. Mouthfeel was moderate, but not as thick as other impy stouts. Pretty drinkable. Re-rate of the millenium edition, april 06 at statelineliquors.com. Certainly loses the mouthfeel, but a dry cocoa, dusty, and light roast remain, this actually quite pleasant and soft after some seven years, although not as rich and complex as when fresh.

Bottle from Whole Foods Charlottesville. Pours very dark brown with a large caramel colored head. Rich aroma of coffee, hazelnuts and toffee. Nicely balanced, smooth, creamy.

Bottle: Poured a dark black colored beer with almost no head. Aroma is comprised of a strong chocolate and coffee mix. The chocolate and coffee also hits you right at the first sip along with some roastiness. A bit too much bitterness at the end for my liking though. Carbonation is bit weak and body is strong which was expected. Overall, this is a very good drink but maybe not as much as some make it out to be… Re-rate Dec 2008: Well done with loads of chocolate and coffee notes and a full body. Upgrading rating to 4.1

Aroma of choclate, dark fruit, and alcohol. Creamy palate and tastes of bitter chocolate and alcohol.

Bottled. Rate No. 1000; Black with thick beige head. Rich, juicy burnt malt flavours. Sharp, bitter, possibly over done flavours. Tannic flavours line the side of the mouth and deliver a dryness that begs cleansing. Strongly flavoured to be sure but not nearly as complex as some would have you believe from the scriptures below. Thanks to my good buddy Silk for this bottle, chris_o for his part earlier tonight in getting me to 999, and my better half Cass, who has put up with the rating for the past eleven months. Also thanks to the other wicked folk I've had beer with over the past year. You, freaks and Jedi's, know who you are.

8/27/07 re-rate. Another one my immature palate was not ready for early on. Black body that turns mahogany as the beer thins out towards the end of the glass. Densely packed, foamy, dark khaki head that leaves behind thick sheets of lacing. The aroma is fantastic, showing sweet, roasted chocolate malts, mocha, coffee liquor, and roasted barley. As the beer warms, soy sauce and raisons emerge to add further complexity to the nose. The flavor starts off with big-time roasted coffee, followed by chocolate, anise, cream, hops, and smoothing oatmeal. The body is medium-full and silky smooth. The finish is long on pleasing mocha. This is an excellent brew. Man, did I do this one a disservice the first time around.

Original rating 5/18/07: 3.6

Poured black with thin head...smells of coffee and chocolate...tastes bitter bitter bitter...small coffee taste in the finish which is dry and alcohol...