Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout - North Coast Brewing Co.

purplehops

Maine

4.05/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Old Raspution poured an opaque black with reddish highlights and a light chocolate head that coated the glass with plenty of lace. Aroma was toasted grains with chocolate and coffee along with some alcohol hiding in the background. The taste started with plenty of sweet malt up front and then moved to roasted and black malt flavors. This was followed by flavors of coffee, chocolate, and some dried fruit flavors blending with the roasted malt flavors and just a wee hint of hop bitterness. The finish was very smooth with the caramel and chocolate flavors coming to the fore front. Aftertaste was a mix of all of the above and a much more noticeable alcohol taste. Mouthfeel was smooth and creamy with a full body and an alcohol warmth to it.
Overall a very complex stout that leaves you with a smile and a glow. Not as balanced as I would have liked (seemed a little rough around the edges) but none the less a quality Imperial Stout worth the search.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2003 04:20:50 | More by purplehops

granger10

Wisconsin

4.4/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Drinking this only confirms the fact that imp. stouts are my favorite. This was a great brew. Professionally crafted for sure. Very complex. Dark color but not as dark as expedition and with a little more head on it. The aroma seemed faded and it was not extremely thick which was it's only downfall. Other than that this was a very complex brew. Had a definite licorice taste to it and very apparent hop bitterness. A coffee taste was there and it was of strongly burnt coffee at that. Milky chocolate mixed with the coffee. It finished with a bittersweet chocolatyness that might have been the most perfect finish I have experienced. Amazing!

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2003 13:06:58 | More by granger10

freed

Oregon

4.33/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Even on a summer day...

This beer is quite formidable as it pours into the pint. No ruddy edges, no hints of weakness. Nice bit of head that doesn't stick around long; probably knows too much.

The smell is enticing. Coffee, Warmth, Cocoa, Toast. Is this a beer, or am I waking from a dream to breakfast? The first sip greets the tongue with a warm kiss. The breadth of malt flavors is amazing, and the spices and body compliment the beer.

12 oz is really an ideal serving, though a pair make for a full evening.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2003 00:59:39 | More by freed

euskera

North Carolina

4.18/5  rDev -3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Dark and foreboding, like its namesake. Smell is enticing, malty and robust, with the alcohol coming through. Taste is a wee bit hoppy for my taste in an imperial stout, just wasn't expecting it. Maybe a few more of these will change my opinion on that count. A remarkable brew for sure, just not exactly what I was expecting for the style...

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2003 11:13:59 | More by euskera

dmarch

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Black in color with a big tan head. Aroma is roasty and very hoppy. Taste is of roasted coffee, but is hard to detect under the bitterness from the abundant hops. This is a very hoppy imperial stout. Very enjoyable though. Not very expensive for the quality of this beer. Possible one of the best values out there.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2003 11:45:02 | More by dmarch

francisweizen

Australia

4.5/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Notes: Unknown Vintage. Probably Old! This beer poured a remarkably dark black colour that was totally opaque. It had a thick tan head as well. The aromas were all over the board but I smelled coffee, chocolate, dark-roasted malts, and hops. The taste was great....a perfect melange of the above mentioned aromas into one swiriling liquid full of flavor! The mouthfeel was thick and chewy and the drinkability was excellent for an Imperial stout.

This stuff rocks!!!
-F

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2003 13:59:14 | More by francisweizen

woemad

Washington

4.38/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I had a bottle of this on my birthday at Tony Roma's in Kennewick, WA. It was easily the only decent thing I had there, and almost made up for the crappy service. This is a BIG beer, dark and mysterious looking in a glass. The smell is of roasted malt with coffee and dark chocolate. It tastes like it smells, with a little bit of a hop zing adding sharpness and keeping the drinker from being completely overwhelmed by the malt. This would probably go great after a meal and accompanied by a good cigar. I really enjoyed drinking it but would never have more than one per sitting, as its just too much.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2003 14:08:14 | More by woemad

SheepNutz

Kentucky

4.18/5  rDev -3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I had this one in a 12oz. bottle poured into a tulip-style glass. It pours a deep black with a dark tan finger of foam. There is only a slight bit of lacing on the glass. The smell is rich in burnt malt and caramel. The taste has a bit of roasted coffee, with a bit of a hops finish to balance. There is also a slight alcohol taste present. The mouthfeel is pretty strong and heavy. The drinkability is also fair for this massive Russian Imperial.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2003 19:44:13 | More by SheepNutz

far333

Connecticut

3.55/5  rDev -17.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

This one's powerful, starting with the scary illustration of the Russian cleric himself on the label. Pours a deep brown color, with flashes of ruby where the light gets through. Head is an inch high, light brown, big and frothy. Rich aroma of chocolate, toasted malt, and alcohol. Bitter coffee flavor greets the tongue, followed by a strong alcohol finish. Not much room left for other flavors. I'm half way through the glass, and the head remains, accompanied by wavy lacing down the sides of the glass. Not for the faint of heart.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2003 09:09:18 | More by far333

Mitchster

Michigan

4.6/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Let me start by saying I got a hell of a deal on a single of this at Safeway for $0.92 because the cashier rang me up wrong. I, being the good beer-loving citizen I am, did not correct her:)
75 IBU.

Clear, ink-black brew forms a tan head atop fine bubbles with poor retention and OK lacing. Aroma is extremely rich...roasted sharp grain, similar in ilk to Kalamazoo stout, espresso, black patent, and a nice touch of whiskey. There is a peculiar woody dryness to the aroma. Taste is phenomenal..this is especially silken and roasted, but not burnt and thin, with a very smooth and even hoppiness. The mouthfeel is full and chewy with a dense body. Bitterness and hop flavor are in perfect balance with the malts. Carbonation is mild to moderate. The alcohol is noted in vapor, but not so in taste. This is probably one of the best examples of Russian Imperial Stout that I've had. It gets better as it warms. This is one of those beers that deserves every GABF and WBC medal it's earned. This is an uncommonly good beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2003 20:16:16 | More by Mitchster

rastaman

United Kingdom (England)

3.48/5  rDev -19.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Quite big and complex. Roasty, licorice aroma, with more hops in the aroma than i expected, quite aromatic. The palate is quite thick and roasty, with some licorice and raisins, with quite a few hops to finish, the finish is even a bit citric. Nice bitter finish. Flavours don't quite blend however.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2003 01:53:25 | More by rastaman

kindestcut

North Carolina

3.45/5  rDev -20%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

The Old Rastputin poured black...an impenetrable void as black as coal. The dark tan head was quite active and lasted several minutes as I allowed the beer to warm before tasting.

Man, I could tell by the aroma that this was going to be a kick in the nuts...again, compliment or insult? I dunno. The beer smelled like a cookout. Just replace the steak with malt and you got it. "One malt burger! Well done!" This beer is like roasted malt incranate.

OK, now, the taste. BAM! Down on the floor I go! In reality, I don't remember much from the first taste. It was so overwhelming, I had to gather my thoughts...including, do I really like this or not? I decided to walk away for a few minutes to gather myself and return. I'm glad I did.

After a few more sips, this beer is beginning to grow on me. The flavor is overwhelming. Espresso, a hint of chocolate, alcohol in the distance (which would be pretty dangerous for a beer with a 8.9% ABV but you can't chug this!) and a bitter finish. This is a beer that kicks your ass, follows you home and sleeps with your wife.

The mouthfeel is very good...creamy and chewy...like coffee taffy. The beer is actually easily sipped (I wanted to say drinkable but it's too harsh for a gulp) after a few minutes. However, the drinkability is pretty low for me given the strength of this bad boy.

I feel like I just saw a disturbing, yet brilliant movie. I acknowledge the genius but I don't know how much I truly liked it. I don't think I did but I could be wrong....

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2003 20:17:08 | More by kindestcut

jcalabre

California

3.45/5  rDev -20%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Originally sampled on 15 June 2002. It pours a very dark brown. The taste is full of burnt coffee & chocolate flavors, but in my opinion, they are not as nice as other imperials, like Victory Storm King, Alesmith Speedway or Stone Russian Imperial. I think it was OK, nothing special

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2003 18:45:43 | More by jcalabre

LiamStLiam

New York

2.68/5  rDev -37.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

I got a good, black pour, low head.

I found it harder to drink than I expected. A lot going on in this beer, and not all of it to my taste.

I am a "smoothness" guy, and this is not a smooth beer.

I find this a difficult style to understand right now, and I know it's a hard one to do.

This is my first North Coast Beer, so I am not quite sure what to expect in the future.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2003 19:57:10 | More by LiamStLiam

brewdlyhooked13

Ohio

4/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 3.5

I tried to pour this one roughly but nothing doing. While the minimal tan head reduced to a mere crown on the glass very quickly, it does manage to maintain that crown quite well. Color is as dark as it gets I suppose, absolutely no light going through.

Aroma is heavy with coffee and light with alcohol notes.

Taste has a big alcohol hit in front I thought, almost too soon. The mouthfeel comes into play immediately as well, extremely smooth, heavy, thick almost like syrup, but not sweet, oh no, not at all. Past the alcohol taste comes the primary taste sensations of coffee and dark roasted malts. These mix with a mild carbonation which enhances the roasted taste, IMO. As that initial flavor surge subsides, some smoky, perhaps burnt coffee or espresso flavors emerge coupled with a hop bite to keep you honest. All that complex flavor and some nice balanced hop presence to boot. Finishes on the bitter side with remnants of charcoal lingering.

I gotta hand it to North Coast BC, this is a busy beer to drink, lots going on if you take the time to experience it.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2003 21:04:03 | More by brewdlyhooked13

tavernjef

Minnesota

4.65/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Solid black, black as a moonless night....one finger high head of super lumpy, solid crunchy top, but also looks fluffy and light, tan in color, leaves some spotty lace patches. Smell, dead on, is a great sweet dark chocolatey aroma with notes of dark fruit - banana, starfruit, mango, strawberry, and black cherry all noted. Taste is a swirling light chocolate, sweet and dark smoothness throughout, yum. Nice twinged hops in the finish that brings out just the right bitterness and dryness to say hello kindly and leave you with a smile. Feel is full and creamy with a way easy smoothness that makes this a amazingly drinkable stout. North Coast has a winner here.

Thanks to Feloniousmonk for serving this up. YUM!!!

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2003 20:29:58 | More by tavernjef

darklager

Ohio

4.33/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This beer is definitely something to behold. It pours beautifully with a nice head that sticks around for a while. The aroma is chocolate and alcohol. While the alcohol is present in the aroma, it is well masked in the taste. It is a strong brew, worthy of drinking slow and savoring every last drop. It finishes slightly bitter, and the strength of this beer is pretty great, so I don't think I'd want more than a couple at one sitting. It would be great in the evening to sip on while unwinding.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2003 09:47:48 | More by darklager

Winter

Wisconsin

4.33/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours soot black in color with a rising brown creamy head. Aroma consists of chocolate malt, alcohol and dark fruit. Luscious full-bodied mouthfeel. Taste consists of chocolate malt and coffee. Very well balanced. Alcohol makes its presence known in the finish and a slight warming effect can be felt. Finish can be a bit dry at times.

Old Rasputin definitely has quite a kick to it. Unbelievably smooth for a beer with such a high alcohol content. Definitely a benchmark Imperial Stout to judge others by.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2003 10:25:40 | More by Winter

BierReise

Florida

3.9/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

When I first opened the bottle I took a little sniff. My first impression was chocolate and alcohol. Almost like a chocolate cordial. Dark chocolatey appearance small head that started to dissolve immediately. First sip was roasty tasting with bitter chocolate notes at the back. Wow this is a smooth Stout. A little on the bitter side but malt is seeming to wrestle for advantage. It's warming up now and I start to smell coffee or espresso. This is a great stout and deserving of it's wide praise. If it weren't for the bitterness I'd give it an even higher rating. Just my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2003 19:28:47 | More by BierReise

AtLagerHeads

Ohio

4.18/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Wow! This is a really grand stout. Wanting to finally taste this bad boy, I popped the cap on its stubby little bottle. Immediately the nose of roasted aromas comes forth, beckoning me onward. The nose portends the roasted coffee and chocolate flavors that await the drinker. The pour created a huge dark beige head over an opaque black body. The head lasts and makes lots of nice lacing. Beautiful. Flavor is here in abundance giving the drinker a full force assault on the palate. Coffee. Check. Chocolate. Check. Prunes. Check. Hop bitterness. Check. This is a tour in flavors. Great stuff with great body and feel. Wow! High ABV holds down drinkability, and there's lots of bite in this brew.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2003 19:35:39 | More by AtLagerHeads

bewareOFpenguin

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I actually drank this at room temperature, not waiting for it to chill. It poured nice and blackish, with chocolate colored bubbles. The taste was roasted malt, coffee, carmel. It had a bold taste, the ABV mixed well, not overwhelming. I thoroughly enjoyed this beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2003 07:53:15 | More by bewareOFpenguin

BeerResearcher

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This Russian Imperial Stout is dark/rich tar in color with a nice tan head. The lace cascades down in spotty trails. The aroma is a multi-directional bombardment of coffee mocha, malt, hops and alcohol. The ample citrus and metallic hops are almost overwhelming. A hint of apples and sherry-like flavors weave in and out as does coffee & chocolate. Sweet! Strongly alcoholic and complex. Almost too much at once with little thought to balance...maybe that was the intention to begin with?

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2003 20:29:14 | More by BeerResearcher

MJR

Missouri

4.15/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours black with garnet highlights. It's mostly opaque, with a minimal amount of light getting through. What started as a 3/8" tan cap is now a small ring around the top of the glass. No lacing whatsoever...

Smell: Very basic aroma of bitter, roasted coffee with a hint of dark fruits. A small whiff of alcohol too...

Taste: Lots of roasted grain and coffee flavors take center stage is this brew. The dark fruits that are expected in this style are here, but they're much more subdued than in most other Imperials. I taste a touch of buttery rum, as well as some toffee. The hops are there, but they don't really draw any attention away from the malts. The alcohol is well hidden. Finishes with a touch of sweetness.

Mouthfeel: Round and smooth with a medium mouthfeel. It's too thin for the style...

Drinkability: Good for what it is...a nice, basic Imperial stout. There are much better examples to be had, but I wouldn't mind this on a cold winter night in front of the fireplace. I did expect this one to be better though...

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2003 22:03:47 | More by MJR

dwarbi

New York

4.53/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

1/2 inch thick light brown head. Most of it goes a away rather quickly, but some remains to make me happy.
What a nose! Amazing. Very solid presence in the room. Malty, a little sweet, and when you get in there, you can detect the high alcohol content, but it does take away from the effect.
Chocolatey, roasted flavor. Again, the high alcohol content is evident but does not take away from the experience.
Feels good in the mouth, but the sweetness is a little too dominant in the aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2003 15:05:18 | More by dwarbi

philipt

North Carolina

4.33/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

My goodness, I really like all types of imperial stouts, and the more I sample, I develop a greater appreciation for the style.

Nearly black in color (really dark, dark, dark, dark amber) with a rather diminutive khaki color head. Sensational aroma that is noticeable from a relatively great distance as it is poured. Smells of roasted malt, and smells quite sweet. Taste is malty as first, followed by a bready and roasted malt flavor. Tastes somewhat sweet as well. The body is thinner than hoped for. The alcohol is evident but, by no means, is it a problem.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2003 14:36:53 | More by philipt