Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout - North Coast Brewing Co.

dcook11

California

5/5  rDev +16%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours a nice thick two finger head that daes into thick webbed lacing that adornes the snifter. A sexy beer, definitly one of the best ive seen. The beers color is pitch black, their is no tints of red or light that comes through. The nose is of dark chocolate, some vanilla, hops, and ample malt sweetness. The taste is about the same as the smell with a very creamy mouthfeel. One of the best bangs for your buck.

Serving type: on-tap

01-20-2011 06:10:41 | More by dcook11

Avagadro

New Jersey

5/5  rDev +16%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A: Pours with the usual Nitro flare, with khaki froth falling to the bottom of the glass. Head retention is top notch, lasting over 20min. The body is jet black, and opaque, no matter the lighting.

S: Bouquet is well presented, with notes of chocolate, coffee, and demerara sugar.

T: Ol' Raspy is semi-sweet with notes of dark chocolate, cream, and demerara.

M: Full bodied and creamy without being sticky or sloppy. Rich, yet delicate.

D: I have always loved the Old Rasputin, but the nitro offering is a great improvement. The bottled version is slightly hoppier than it should be, and the nitro both mutes this, and enhances the mouthfeel. Overall, this is a must have if you ever see it at your local pub.

Serving type: nitro-tap

02-01-2011 21:55:59 | More by Avagadro

beerneeder

New York

5/5  rDev +16%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I wouldn't session this beer. I couldn't .
I do love this beer. I do.
Color: Deep Black dirty white head
Taste: Coffee, chocolate, nutty, bitter
Aroma: Caramel, coffee, nutty malt

A beautiful rendition of an Imperial Stout. Much appreciated for the winter time. This has been a exceptionally cold one.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2011 01:13:58 | More by beerneeder

Brianjames16

New York

5/5  rDev +16%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A - Gorgeous pitch black body with a creamy light tan head. A lot of bubbles rise to the top from the pour and settle at top. Nice lacing on the glass sticks around.

S - Huge roasty ,malty ,chocolate aroma here. The aroma alone from this beer will warm you up on a cold night. I can also smell some of the alcohol coming through but its not overwhelming.

T - WOW! A beautiful balance of roasted malts, chocolate, and warmth (not so much a taste but that's what I get). The alcohol gives it the strength while the other components add elegance to this complex brew.

M- Velvety and silky mouthfeel. Goes down super smooth with some carbonation on the tongue.

D- This beer must be enjoyed slowly and consciously in order to get the full experience. Maybe one or two on a lazy cold night . Wonderful experience !

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2011 23:50:34 | More by Brianjames16

legalpete19340

Virginia

5/5  rDev +16%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A: Came pitch black in the pint. Thick and intimidating with a massive head that was so thick it seemed like frosting. This is a lacing monster covering nearly every part of the glass when I was done.

S: Shoe leather, molasses, earthy hop notes, slight bit of smoke.

T: Booze, wood, smoke, peat, burnt malt. Extreme cappuccino creaminess and coffee in the middle. More of those earthy hop notes and bittersweet baking chocolate.Ends with a burnt sweetness.

M: Perfect: thick, heavy, creamy, chewy but drinkable.

O: This is a monster! How I forgot. Dark and heavy with great burnt malt and hop profile. It excels for me in a world of syrupy RIS' that have gone over the top sweet. A welcome relief. How lucky that I can get it all the time.

Serving type: on-tap

04-23-2011 03:59:26 | More by legalpete19340

chicagobill13

Illinois

5/5  rDev +16%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This is an awesome beer! I love Stout and I drink this beer when I am in a very good mood. Today I found it very very very cheap then the normal price I found. Nice smooth drinking imperial stout. Great taste and very easy finish stout. I found this at Trader Joe's at a very good price. Try it!

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2011 00:26:38 | More by chicagobill13

FARGO619

California

5/5  rDev +16%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

From the first pour. Chocolate light brown head that disolves leaving a clean line throughout. Great drink all the way through. With a mild sweet hint of chocolate that melts away with a good sharp finish after every drink. Smooth all the way through. 9%, you can taste it. With this amount of ABV it is a cool kick back beer, and something to enjoy any time. Room temp. for sure.

Serving type: bottle

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2011 16:27:42 | More by FARGO619

ScottishBrew83

Georgia

5/5  rDev +16%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

First and foremost many people forget that everyone has different palette and taste things differently. This review is based on my palette and how I perceive the flavors of this beer.

Appearance: The color is a lovely black with medium brown head. The color reminds my of dark roast coffee. The head resembles coffee ice cream.

Smell: The smell is wonderful and full of roasty aromas with hints of caramelized sugars.

Taste: Flavors. flavors, flavors! It has a smooth roasted coffee and cocoa. It has a wonderfully bitter finish that entices one to sip and enjoy further. I can get mild notes of oats and caramel but they are very faint.

Mouth Feel: The flavors that this beer has a mouth feel that resembles beers that have been oak aged. This beer hasn't been but the feel on the palette reminds me of many barrel aged treats.

Overall: This beer is delicious. Dark , roasted and bitter. Just the way I like them. Top-notch and outstanding quality to price ratio. I highly recommend for experienced and sophisticated palette who love dark beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2011 02:28:35 | More by ScottishBrew83

Rocketman8911

California

5/5  rDev +16%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

The beer is super dark. So dark that when you hold it up to the light you can't see the light through it. It also has a beautiful mocha brown head that is 2 fingers high.

The smell is of roasted malt, coffee, chocolate, carmel, and dark fruits.

The taste is roasted malts with chocolate and coffee notes and finishes with a nice hop bitterness.

The mouthfeel is medium not to thick and not thin with a nice amount of carbonation that isn't over welling.

Overall this is a beer that isn't for the faint of heart. It is for someone who appreciates a really complex beer that can savor this beer slowly.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2012 05:48:10 | More by Rocketman8911

rickyleepotts

Arizona

5/5  rDev +16%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I love the label. I didn’t know until I wrote the “what they said” for this beer that the label is actually Old Rasputin. Clever name… or clever label. Anyway, I have seen this beer before, but I am not sure I have had it. But since we have so many stouts in the fridge I figured we would go ahead and drink another one tonight. This one has a pretty big ABV and the word “imperial” usually excites me. Let’s see what she has to offer.

In the Glass: The beer is pitch black in the glass. It has a creamy head on it with a thin lace that tries to hang on… but just drips all the way down as you swirl it in the glass. But the beer is dark as night.

Nose: I could smell this beer as soon as I popped the top. It smells VERY sweet, fruity, and a hint of salty caramel there at the end. It smells so good I don’t even want to drink it. This beer better taste as good as it smells, because I am sick of beers not tasting close to what they smell. Anyway, let’s see if it lives up.

Flavor: The beer is VERY smooth. Holy cow, there is hardly any carbonation in this beer. I didn’t want there to be either. Maybe that’s what the “imperial” means. When the beer first hits your lips it goes in smooth, and just dances across your palate leaving hints of honey, chocolate, and coffee all over your tongue. Holy crap, this beer is delicious.

Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel on this is like a parade in your mouth. You can use that… because as soon as you drink this you will see what I mean. The beer is somewhat creamy, and frothy and just slowly coats the tongue to give your mouth a ton of flavor. The beer has very little carbonation, and when you swallow the most bubbles come out as the beer takes you to aftertaste.

Aftertaste: I like an aftertaste that sticks around. This one does. For a LONG time. At first it’s cold and sweet, then it quickly turns dry, bitter, and almost stale. But a good kind of stale. The bitterness is what I am mistaking for as stale. Anyway, the aftertaste is strong on for a good three to five minutes. The burp is nice too. This is just an all around good beer. Not sure there is anything bad I could say about this beer. Well, maybe that my glass is empty.

I am a BIG fan of this brew. Those folks over there at North Coast Brewing have done it again. Keep up the good work and bottoms up!

Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout - The bottle says: “Brewed in the tradition of the 18th century English brewers who supplied the Russian court of Catherine the Great. Old Rasputin develops a cult following wherever it goes. It’s a rich, intense brew with big, complex flavors and a warming finish.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2012 03:40:33 | More by rickyleepotts

GuitarRob22

5/5  rDev +16%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I have had this beer on-tap and from the bottle and I have to say, this is what a stout is all about. Dark chocolaty and bold. The 75+ IBUs and 9% alcohol are hidden behind a fantastic flavor. The head is tan and allows for fantastic aromatherapy while drinking. Highly recommended.

From the bottle this beer does seem to be lacking some of the finer details of flavor found when it is on-tap.

Serving type: on-tap

08-05-2012 02:10:13 | More by GuitarRob22

cruzmissile72

Connecticut

5/5  rDev +16%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I had this at Cask Republic in New Haven, CT on tap into a snifter.

It arrived as a lovely dark color with a nice tan head that lasted throughout. Nice lacing. Nice bitterness balanced well by the creaminess and a pronounced alcohol bite at the finish. This was my first time drinking this--hopefully many more to come. Definitely a sipper at 9% alcohol.

Serving type: on-tap

08-29-2012 23:21:06 | More by cruzmissile72

thrash420

California

5/5  rDev +16%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This is the only beer I would ever give a perfect score to. Never before has such a masterpiece been crafted. It is said that one even gains intelligence from drinking this wonderful brew.

A: Oh man the waiter brought me a schooner of motor oil again, atop sat an inch of thick tan head. As I sipped, it laced amazingly. When the whole 16oz was gone, it was still laced head to toe like a magnificent art piece.

S: Deep roasted hops with caramel and coffee aromas with light spices filled my senses, followed by a barely noticeable alcohol smell. It was delectable and made my mouth water.

T: Given the alcohol content and other imperials I've had, I expected a much more bitter harsher taste. This was quite the opposite, it was smooth and delicious, very easy to drink and enjoy. An amateur beer drinker could enjoy this just as much as our seasoned vets.

M: This would have only felt better in my mouth if it was vagina. It wasnt sticky, wasn't too thick nor too thin. It was perfect, absolutely perfect.

Overall: 100/100. 2 thumbs up. Worlds most perfect beer in this category

Serving type: on-tap

10-01-2012 18:52:49 | More by thrash420

delta490

Virginia

5/5  rDev +16%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A- black as your soul. Deep mocha head is creamy and lasts a looong time. Leaves huge lacing.
S- Roasted coffee notes are wonderful. Subtle hints of chocolate blend in.
T- A thing of beauty. The same chocolate and coffee notes from the aroma blend together perfectly.
M- so smooth. A rich fullness. Not oily or slick.
O- this thing is perfection. Hides it big ABV behind a delicious wall of flavors.

Serving type: on-tap

06-13-2013 06:57:38 | More by delta490

WalterHeisenberg

New Mexico

4.98/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

Bottle aggressive pour into pint glass
A: dark black oil like with coffe colored head good lacing/ retention looks fantastic!
S: coffe dark chocolate slight alcohol burnt caramel vanilla smells great
T: roasty toasty malty up front chocolate coffe cream then finishes hoppy bitter.Wow !
M: creamy yet not quite as thick as I expected silky smooth
O: yeah wow. I'm converted. this is no doubt the best beer I've ever had. And the reviews say this is above average. What's top shelf taste like?? I'm in for life with the RIS.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 04:20:20 | More by WalterHeisenberg

mweso2000

Georgia

4.97/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Old Rasputin is one of my favorite beers. It pours a dark black with a one finger tan head that settles into a ring of lace. Aromas of chocolate, coffee malt a slight hint of licorice, and a little bit of fruitiness. This beer is a full frontal assault on the taste buds and successfully accomplishes the mission. The taste is full of roasted malt, a bit of mocha sweetness with a slight amount of hop bitterness at the end. Full bodied flavor with medium carbonation. Watch out the 9% abv will sneak up and hit you in the ass! This beer is not for everyone. It has very strong and bold flavors. If you are a stout fan, I have yet to find a better example of a beer in this class and this is a MUST try.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2011 00:26:58 | More by mweso2000

mikeborglum

Missouri

4.97/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Very dark, black as night; a nice brown rocky head with good retention. Highly roasted malt aromas and alcoholic to the nose. Smooth, potent and espresso like with a high burnt malt and hop bitterness that finishes on the sweet side to say the least. Very complex, and true to its style. I love this beer and always enjoy it at the end of hard day's night!

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2011 02:23:43 | More by mikeborglum

spitInTheOcean

Michigan

4.97/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

jet black. opaque. with a big dark brown head.

smells incredible. huge aroma all over the board with a little of everything. bitter roasted malts, caramel, coffee, dark chocolate, hops and esters such as raisin. but mostly a very complex malt aroma.

very malty flavor. roasted malt bitterness. coffee, toffee. flavor of dark roasted malts lingers a long time. up front very sweet but finishes very bitter from the malts. very warming.

this is a big beer with a crisp finish, but the crisp finish seems to do nothing to cleanse the palate. velvety, and rich.

overall i dont have a lot to add. this beer is what i will be dreaming of tonight. i think that old rasputin should outshine rasputin himself in the history books.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2011 05:18:34 | More by spitInTheOcean

TrapFan11

Ohio

4.97/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Just finished my second 12 oz bottle of this and DAMN is that good. Most of my experience with beer has been with Belgian strong Ales, in particular all of the Trappist beers along with similar Belgian brands and American beers in the Belgian style. My two favorite beers are Rochefort 10 and St Bernardus 12. In recent years I've been trying different Stouts and Porters and, although I don't have tremendous experience with them yet, I'm quickly discovering the world of flavors out there that go beyond the various dark fruits and assorted sugars that accompany your typical Dubbles, Triples and Quadruples.

A fellow shopper at the market recommended Old Rasputin Imperial Stout to me and I've been blown away by how something so roasted and bitter can at the same time be sweet and smooth. From the get go this beer is thick, viscous, and oily, not that that's to it's detriment. In fact the wonderful chewiness just hooks you into discovering the many wonderful facets of the beer. Immediately you taste the full intensity of the coffee, toffee, roasted malts and baker's chocolate it has. There's a burnt quality to the malt that, along with providing a pleasant bitterness, also includes the required sweetness that is reminiscent of a burnt s'mores marshmallow rather than anything unpleasant. Then there's the coffee flavor. I tend to drink really dark, black coffee and this beer has loads of that toasty, smokey and bitter flavor that I cherish. Finally there's the great Christmas toffee and dark chocolate flavors that blend seamlessly with the sweetness and bitterness of the other flavors and tie everything together nicely.

Also quite remarkable it this beer's head, which is truly like a silky pillow. I can easily say that the foam tasted and felt in my mouth like a liquid marshmallow. I've never had a beer whose head was that silky, smooth, and sweet. I couldn't believe it was beer foam.

In the short amount of time I've been exploring Imperial Stouts I can easily say that this the best I've come across so far. I'm happy to give it my highest recommendation.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2011 21:24:38 | More by TrapFan11

Dmann

California

4.95/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This has to be the most easy to drink Imperial Stout I've ever had. It poured an almost opaque black with a awesome brown head that was so big I had to wait a few minutes for it to die down. The smell was of dark chocolate and hops. The taste was just about the same as the smell, with a perfect mix of coffee flavors in there. The thing I loved about this brew is that it was powerful but not overpowering. I could sit back and enjoy the whole 4 pack in one sitting, even though they are 8.9% a piece! Great beer!

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2003 09:43:02 | More by Dmann

bort11

Missouri

4.95/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I love the label design on this bottle. That crazy mad monk staring out from a smoky haze, I think that alone does a lot for the near-legendary status of this stout.

A- Poured into an Imperial pint glass. Pefectly black in the center. Dark reddish tints on the edges. Thick and creamy tan head, about a finger high from my pour. It receeds a little fast for me, but maintians a tight lace which makes up for it.

S- Espresso aromas POP! I can smell that from an arms length. Chocolate notes linger and some spices hint around the edges.

T- Excellent follow through from the smell. Espresso, chocalate, some maltiness, finishes with some hop bitterness. A little alcohol warmth. very well balanced.

M- It feels a little overcarbonated to me, but that is the only drawback. There is a chewiness to it that a RIS should have.

D- This is an all around great stout and one of my favorites. With this session, I had it with a slice of DQ ice cream cake. Oh man, that's good. This is a great dessert beer by itself, but it added to the overall enjoyment. Now that my local beer store is carying North Coast beers, I will keep this on hand.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2006 12:40:48 | More by bort11

deapokid

Pennsylvania

4.95/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

From my first glance into the dark and imposing eyes of Rasputin on the label of this majestic imperial stout, I knew I was in for one hell of a ride.

Lucky for me, I got a four-pack of it for Christmas and almost cried tears of joy when I ripped it from the packaging.

From tip of the bottle to the bottom of the glass, Old Rasputin pours a rich dark-brown/molasses-y coloring that resembles coffee with a light dose of cream. Its rich brown head smells of caramel and nuts and it offers up a profoundly robust flavor that smacks of classic stout taste with a nice punch of alcohol to round it out.

This little number was no slouch and it lived up to all of my expectations. It's powerful, flavorful and delightfully nuanced: it's definitely become an all-time favorite and one most stouts should aspire to be more like.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2008 23:59:09 | More by deapokid

seh410

Massachusetts

4.95/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Appearance: Black with a bubbly mocha colored head. The head looks frothy and creamy. Not light coming through at all.

Aroma: Coffee, roasted caramelly malts, chocolate

Taste/Mouthfeel: Smooth, creamy mouthfeel. Starts heavy on the coffee and then finishes with a sweet and roasted malty caramel with notes of chocolate kind of woven through the whole thing

Notes: Awesome, delicious beer. Extremely drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2010 00:40:29 | More by seh410

godless1one

California

4.95/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

appearance - black as night, brown uneven head

smell - molasses, chocolate, anise, coffee, and roasted malt

taste - sweet first, mixed with the anise and coffee, a drink is followed by a light bitter aftertaste which is colored by anise and chocolate primarily

mouthfeel - thick, smooth, and creamy, decent carbonation, pleasantly heavy

drinkability - I could drink these every day, but they are particularly enjoyable in the cold because of the pleasant warmth that spreads through your body as you drink (thar be alcohol!)

To date this is my favorite brew. I've yet to find a single beer/ale which compares in terms of flavor and overall awesomeness. Although this winter I will be trying the Abyss, so Rasputin's top seat my be in danger.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2010 08:45:10 | More by godless1one

Bouleboubier

Pennsylvania

4.95/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

My first sampling of this coincided with my chance discovery of Monk's Cafe in Philly. At the time (2003-2004), I was living in Center City, piss poor, and longing for good beer. One fine day, riding my bike around in explorer mode, I found myself coming up upon the unmistakable awning and neon sign for said cafe - got little money, but let's do it. I'm desperate! - This may have been the very first time in my life I had been presented with a beer menu, the content of which I wasn't familiar with 90-95% of. Looking to cheaper and more interesting sounding beers, I ordered one Rasputin to go (at about $7 or $9, if I remember right). So off I go on my bike back up 16th st to my studio apt, giddy with delight or delightfully giddy. Get home - and I can't recall actually pouring it - and I find myself eying up one intimidating pint of darkness. The rest is...you know.

Old Rasputin will make a man out of you (Rip Van Winkle, for one). Always pours with an explosive, swelling head, big and busty, and the perfect shade of ash and gravel. Scummy, sparkling lacing. The liquid is impenetrably black - a charred void. Black death. The aroma hits you instantaneously, even from a foot or more away. More of a Baltic Porter scent than a bitter, dry stout. What I get is dark chocolate cake dipped in dark chocolate, mellow espresso, grain just lightly singed, and wafting among these scents, a faint grassy/piney hop presence. Oh, and a clean, vodka-like alcohol aroma, more and more as it warms. Flavor-wise, I'm not sure what you can improve upon, considering the style and imagery conjured up by the namesake of the beer. Cold and black. A sultry bitterness - by way of hops, dark chocolate, and dark malt. Velvety smooth feel and vague molasses character, with surprisingly potent fruitiness and almost citrus hop flavors as it warms. While this doesn't need to warm up much to express its fabulous complexities, the alcohol makes itself quite apparent in the aftertaste and feel past a certain degree. Once in awhile, this can be somewhat off-putting. For the most part, you really want this though. Carbonation, at its levels, is ideal and maintains excitement on the tongue - never any cloying sweetness or heavy feeling. That, and the warm prick of ethyl, round out an expertly crafted brew. So difficult to put this into perspective...when you've had 2 or 3.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2010 05:31:47 | More by Bouleboubier