North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

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

Whew. Has some bite to it. Strong flavor, bitter. Coffee and chocolate flavors. Small head. Not a bad imperial stout but maybe not my favorite.

Midnight brown, near black in color. Frothy, shallow and quickly dissipating tan head, leaving nice lacing tracts in its wake. Looks somewhat thin based on pour from the bottle. Aroma is coffee, chocolate, hint of roasted malts and a dash of molasses. Flavor expresses itself as a lingering rich chocolate espresso taste blast. Excellent bitterness overriding the chocolate and roasted malts. Full-bodied and thicker on the palate than expected. Finish is dry bitterness, like downing a double shot of espresso. A fine imperial stout.

Black pour, fairly large tan head with good lacing and retention. Aroma is soft chocolate, roast, licorice, moderate PNW hops. Begins with a smooth milky feel, however there is a light acidity, alcohol detectable in the finish. Soft malts with some bitter hops made this a somewhat unique example, they came close to nailing it but it could be better.

Black appearance with a large tan head. Aroma was of fresh coffee and dark chocolate. Flavor is bitter with chocolate, raisins, and licorice. Some alcohol was noticeable but not overwhelming. Another great beer sampled at the Atlanta gathering.

pours dark with thick tan head around two fingers. it slowly disapates and laces wonderful! very palatable! flavors of coffee and chocolate with a slight sour finish!

bottle. nice bitter aroma, slightly orange head and a very dark body. highly alcohol taste, but is consistent. tatste is not unpleasant, chocolate and burnt taste that combines well. this is a good stout. but it is probably too bitter for some, but not for me.

Bottle from Jeppe’s shop in Copenhagen. Delicious, smooth, warm choc, toasty aroma. Dark black, with a beige head. Very delicious and full of interest. Bitter to start, with some pepper and ice, becoming smoother, richer and more chocolatey right through the mouth, into the long finish. Like Milk Tray with just the right amount of alc appearing. West Coast hops are laced in expertly also. Excellent.

12 oz. bottle. Thanks to gputty for sharing this one. This is the tale of two beers. The cold Rasputin and the warm (cool) Rasputin. Initial pour is black with a brown head. COLD Raspy: Nose is musty, kinda like when you do a load of laundry, forget it’s in the washer for 3 days, then lift the lid. Ugh! Flavors are metal and charcoal, with alcohol and bitterness in the finish. WARM Raspy: Warmed to a few degrees cooler than room temp, cool really. Beautiful, fruity nose. Dark fruits, dates and fig, with some chocolate, coffee and caramel notes. Flavor follows the nose. Very smooth, a great Impy. Just gotta warm up to it!