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Old Rasputin XIV Anniversary
North Coast Brewing Co.
- From:
- North Coast Brewing Co.
- California, United States
- Style:
- Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV:
- 11.5%
- Score:
- 96
- Avg:
- 4.32 | pDev: 11.11%
- Reviews:
- 170
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Dec 03, 2022
- Added:
- Dec 04, 2011
- Wants:
- 73
- Gots:
- 358
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by tectactoe:
Reviewed by tectactoe from Michigan
4.18/5 rDev -3.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.18/5 rDev -3.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Once again, another awesome brew that was generously cracked by Mike, can't thank him enough. Raspy XIV pours an ominous-looking, deep and dark black with a cream, viscous, mocha-tan head that is slow to rise up from the oily abyss and fades relatively quickly. A nice, fine-bubbled foam can easily be conjure up with a quick swirl of the glass, however. A pretty nice looking brew.
An initial roasted malt kick delves into a sea of deep, dark chocolate and bittersweet cocoa before sending you into the huge wave of bourbon-barrel induction. Heavy bourbon notes, warming and vigorous, mesh with a much lighter note of dry oak that's been lathered in a rich, warm, savory cocoa bath. Raspy XIV certainly carries a pretty boisterous aroma - there's no doubt that this is gonna be a massive beer.
Staunch bourbon and heavy, heavy barrel notes arise from the first sip, reaffirming that this is one bad-ass beer that you're gonna have to sip. The barrel influence is perhaps a bit higher than one might gather from the nose, and the bourbon does a great job of warming up your chest. This is no joke. An overture of vanilla notes, light coconut, and the slightest touch of maple sweetness helps to cut the heat, also byproducts of the barrel-aging.
Once you get past the big initial booze-burst, the malts open up and come to life; roasted malts leave a slight char and ashy feel on the back of the palate, while a softer, sweeter, and creamier helping of smooth cocoa and rich chocolate works the sides of the mouth. An aftertaste full of burnt coffee beans, roast, heavy oak, and warm bourbon leaves your palate sticky and fully-coated. Such a huge mouth feel on this one, too; chewy, thick, and silky-creamy like a barrel-aged stout should be.
Such a nice treat, this is a great example of a barrel-aged stout that will knock you on your ass if you don't sit and sip it like it should be handled. Perhaps even a bit *too* hot in this phase, I would imagine that a year or two on this bad boy would really turn it into something magical. I may prefer the original Rasputin solely based on it's awesome flavor and superior drinkability, but this is really a special beer, and I would think that time may treat it very well.
Jul 06, 2013An initial roasted malt kick delves into a sea of deep, dark chocolate and bittersweet cocoa before sending you into the huge wave of bourbon-barrel induction. Heavy bourbon notes, warming and vigorous, mesh with a much lighter note of dry oak that's been lathered in a rich, warm, savory cocoa bath. Raspy XIV certainly carries a pretty boisterous aroma - there's no doubt that this is gonna be a massive beer.
Staunch bourbon and heavy, heavy barrel notes arise from the first sip, reaffirming that this is one bad-ass beer that you're gonna have to sip. The barrel influence is perhaps a bit higher than one might gather from the nose, and the bourbon does a great job of warming up your chest. This is no joke. An overture of vanilla notes, light coconut, and the slightest touch of maple sweetness helps to cut the heat, also byproducts of the barrel-aging.
Once you get past the big initial booze-burst, the malts open up and come to life; roasted malts leave a slight char and ashy feel on the back of the palate, while a softer, sweeter, and creamier helping of smooth cocoa and rich chocolate works the sides of the mouth. An aftertaste full of burnt coffee beans, roast, heavy oak, and warm bourbon leaves your palate sticky and fully-coated. Such a huge mouth feel on this one, too; chewy, thick, and silky-creamy like a barrel-aged stout should be.
Such a nice treat, this is a great example of a barrel-aged stout that will knock you on your ass if you don't sit and sip it like it should be handled. Perhaps even a bit *too* hot in this phase, I would imagine that a year or two on this bad boy would really turn it into something magical. I may prefer the original Rasputin solely based on it's awesome flavor and superior drinkability, but this is really a special beer, and I would think that time may treat it very well.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by mothman from Minnesota
4/5 rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottle. Khaki head. Lace. Black color.
The whiskey seems to have come from not the best barrels. Has a sharp whiskey flavor and charred notes. Notes of chocolate, fudge, vanilla, caramel, and toasted notes. It’s solid, but maybe a bit faded.
Feb 07, 2021The whiskey seems to have come from not the best barrels. Has a sharp whiskey flavor and charred notes. Notes of chocolate, fudge, vanilla, caramel, and toasted notes. It’s solid, but maybe a bit faded.
Reviewed by BKotch from Texas
3.95/5 rDev -8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
3.95/5 rDev -8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
8.5 years old is tough to overcome. Nice flavor, well-disguised abv, aroma is a bit diminished, but mouthfeel is gone. Still drinkable, though. Sorry I let it get to the back of the cabinet.
Jul 11, 2020Reviewed by jlindros from Massachusetts
4.28/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.28/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
A special beer to cap a crazy week stuck at home. Cork was loose and likely flat...
Pours a small fizzy dark colored head with lower retention, nice long legs, jet black color
Nose brings loads of dark chocolate and cocoa, roasted coffee notes, rich cocoa and candy bar like, then vanilla barrel, light bourbon, bit of baking spices and toasted oak, dark fruits like raisin and some oxidized brandy notes, alcohol is very smooth, little caramel and nougat
Taste brings loads of dark chocolate again, big rich cocoa and more of the nougat and caramel, a touch of roasted coffee, not much, vanilla barrel with a little oak, baking spice, and light bourbon, more oxidized port or brandy like characters and some dark fruits with a little raisiny note, smooth alcohol almost none actually, fudgey as it warms, smooth and rich, mild bitterness throughout, mild sticky finish but a bit dry and a flash of aclohol and more oxidative notes
Mouth is fuller bod, rich and smooth, med-light carb, very little smooth alcohol
Overall pretty nice, but not bourbon was not much probably due to the age, but base stout was nice and aged well with good oxidative effects, enjoyable and dangerously smooth
Apr 25, 2020Pours a small fizzy dark colored head with lower retention, nice long legs, jet black color
Nose brings loads of dark chocolate and cocoa, roasted coffee notes, rich cocoa and candy bar like, then vanilla barrel, light bourbon, bit of baking spices and toasted oak, dark fruits like raisin and some oxidized brandy notes, alcohol is very smooth, little caramel and nougat
Taste brings loads of dark chocolate again, big rich cocoa and more of the nougat and caramel, a touch of roasted coffee, not much, vanilla barrel with a little oak, baking spice, and light bourbon, more oxidized port or brandy like characters and some dark fruits with a little raisiny note, smooth alcohol almost none actually, fudgey as it warms, smooth and rich, mild bitterness throughout, mild sticky finish but a bit dry and a flash of aclohol and more oxidative notes
Mouth is fuller bod, rich and smooth, med-light carb, very little smooth alcohol
Overall pretty nice, but not bourbon was not much probably due to the age, but base stout was nice and aged well with good oxidative effects, enjoyable and dangerously smooth
Reviewed by Beersnake from California
4.08/5 rDev -5.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.08/5 rDev -5.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Poured from fridge temp. Pours jet black with some carbonation. Smell is sweet bourbon, licorice, vanilla, smoke, and chocolate. Taste is incredibly smooth. Velvet chocolate, bourbon, licorice, and almost no alcohol heat. Very smooth after 6 years. Taste is amazing. Mouthfeel is great - thick and creamy.
Jun 04, 2017
Old Rasputin XIV Anniversary from North Coast Brewing Co.
Beer rating:
96 out of
100 with
596 ratings
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