North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

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

Bottle. Pours a pitch black colour with a thick creamy light brown long lasting head. Aroma of dark chocolate, well roasted malt, caramel and coffee. Soft smooth flavour of chocolate, roasted malt, caramel, dark fruits, coffee, some alcohol, bitter hopsand some liquorice. Great Imp. Russian Stout!

Bottle. Black color, opague. Coffee and loads of licorice in the aroma. Bittersweet flavor, with coffee, roasted malt and lots of licorice. Red berries, leather and espresso in the aftertaste. Tasty, but not perfectly balanced.

Bottle. Black colour with a big baige head. Light sweet roasted citrus coffee aroma and a roasted light sweet coffee bitter taste. Medium to full body and a long bitter roasted light alcoholic finish.

A Mes rate: Another bottle bought back by Sim from her travels stateside. Couldn’t really make my mind up about this one. A cheeky little number there is no doubt. Milk and rich dark chocolate in the nose with a very unusual hint of Coca Cola. Fantastic opaque black red body. Shame about the head, could have been a 5. Lots of stout character with a hard hitting bitter alcoholic finish. Amazing length.

Wonderful almost black colour (but with reddish/mahogany colours interfering beautifully). Aroma is of chocolate, roasted malts and barley in general. Taste is complex, quite alcoholic. But is starts with a powerful assault of roasted malts, but wnds up as a ful.-bodied example of a stout. With taste of barley, bitterness and in particular smokiness and taste of roasted malts it is excellent.

(Bottle) Descent Imperiall Stout, but far from the best. Drinkable dark stout with medium head.

Dark black with a nice brown head. Very strong Malt flavors (coffee and strong chocolat). Decent size head with great lacing. Complex taste - strong espresso with a bitter aftertaste and chocolat. Alcohol content well hidden. Malts and hops balanced nicely. Very good beer.

12 oz bottle-pours a thick foamy light brown head and deep black colored beer. Malt, hops, licorice and alcohol are found in the aroma. Taste is just as the aroma previewed. Reminds me of Heavyweight’s (NJ) Perkunos Hammer Imperial Porter. Finishes with a bite. Not my style.