North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

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

12oz bottle, Pours a dark reddish brown with a small, tan head. Aroma of coffee, raisins, big chewy roasted malts, soy, a little alcohol. Taste follows the aroma with the addition of spicy hops, and some smokiness.Thick and creamy mouthfeel, alcohol well hidden. Excellent beer.

Bottle (in NZ), pours a red-hued black with a richly orange-red bubbly head. Cherries, spices, chocolate and molasses on the thick nose, with a touch of roastedness. Big full mouthfeel, which just keeps on getting bigger, along with a big warming alcohol feeling. Lots of roasted malt on the palate, with just the right bitterness to offset the sweetness of the chocolate and fruits. Drying sappy finish that leaves me licking my lips for more. Dangerous!

12 oz. Opaque and dark, with a huge head that lasts & creams the glass. Aroma of dark fruit and almost-burnt caramel and chocolate. Flavor is all that plus some smoky mesquite, coffee, toffee, vanilla and oak. Body is medium-heavy, slightly watery in a drinkable way and smoothly carbonated. Alcohol not noticeable. Awesome and dangerously drinkable.

Black, chewy, medium-bodied, slight carbonation. Briefly soft and toffee-like, followed by a coffee-like dryness, high alcohol quickly takes over, very whisky like in the finish, causing slightly sour aftertaste, plenty hop citrus. Fruitiness adds some subtle balance.

Wonderfully complex and intense stout, full of robust aromas, rich texture, roasted malt flavor, sweet undertones, knock-you-back-on-your-heels finish and unforgiving alcohol presence. Like a lot; can’t drink a lot!

Bottle.Rating #400! So, Papa Grigori, we meet at last. A seductive deep roast flavor rises from that first sip. I detect a not unexpected raisiny note to you, and then something that whispers in my ear, "cherries." For something in such a tiny bottle, your taste is big and strong, deep and dark, deep and dark. Am I aware of your stoutish bitterness, that cuts through the smoothness of your malts. Yes, I am, Papa Perhaps it is from the time the Romanov partisans tried to drown you in the Neva.
So I made my fourth hundred reviews in a little over 4 months. That trip to Russia sure help me find new cheap beers. Still, pretty good for a homebrewer with cases of his own stuff to drink.

Deep chocolate and ruddy pour. Quickly diminishing light brown head, with light lacing. Wafts of chocolate even before the glass is taken to the nose, unfortunately alcohol dominates the true aroma. Very strong roasted coffee flavor, backed with black current and bittersweet chocolate. Alcohol isn’t overwhelming in the nose or on the palate. Leaves delectable burnt malt aftertaste. A little watery for an Imperial Stout in my opinion.

Pours a dark black with a big, fluffy off tan head. Smells of big roast and some chocolate, a little coffee as well. The taste is mostly of roasted malts, a little nutty, with some chocolate towards the finish. Very creamy and easy drinking. Very well balanced imperial stout. The aftertaste was of roasted nuts and chocolate. Definitely a pretty heavy beer, but very nice representation of this style.