De Molen Rasputin

Brewed by Brouwerij de Molen
Style: Imperial Stout
Bodegraven, Netherlands

Spina. Gusto e profumo meravigliosi, persistenti, con spiccato sapore e odore di caffè tostato. Morbidissima ed equilibrata al palato nonostante l’elevato tasso alcolico.

Got a little glass to taste at the brewer. Very nice aroma’s, good taste. Gonna Re-rate when I taste the bottle i brought home.

High brown foam. Very dark color. Litle malt acidity in the aroma with loads of chocolate. The roasted malts dominate the taste with some chocolate and a litle unbalanced bitterness.

2010-01-30, bottle #111 from March/May 2008, 2 years old, 81 EBU (IBU?), OG 1102 FG 1023, 8-4-8-4-16=40
Messy wax on the cork, I don’t even think that would help the cellaring life. The cork explodes, and it pours a black color with a large head; the bottle keeps slowly gushing. The aroma is mild but nice, moslty with chocolate, but also hops and very light cheese rind. There is still too much carbonation to fully appreciate the flavor, but the chocolate is quite good; with the ageing, there is more liquorice and very light astringency; the whole gets mellower with some breathing, and rounder, sweeter, still keeping the chocolate qualities, and allowing the hop to show more. Not refined, but very good.

2008-05-16, corked bottle at Ølfestival 2008, Århus, fresh bottle


2008-05-16, corked bottle at Ølfestival 2008, Århus, end of bottle, 7-3-8-3-14=35
Dark brown color. Still not complete, it has a malt and caramel aroma, strong caramel flavor, quite sweet, with a good bitterness, a bit raw. Lacks in complexity.

Bouteille de 750 ml, avec bouchon de liège, partagée lors d’une dégustation Ratebeer Montréal chez MartinT. Explosion après ouverture de la bouteille. Arôme: Odeur sûrette avec une pointe de café. Apparence: La couleur est noire opaque. Présence d’un moyen col beige mousseux et d’une fine dentelle sur le verre. Saveur: Léger goût de chocolat avec une pointe sûrette. Courte durée de l’arrière goût. Palette: Le corps est moyen avec une texture légèrement vineuse. Moyenne effervescence en bouche. Arrière goût légèrement sûrette. (Rating #2856)

one of the most delicious beer I’ve ever tasted. magnetic and intense as Rasputin.

750ml bottle, brewed May 15, 2008 and bottled June 03, 2008, bottle number 012 of 380 for this batch. Consumed in January 2010. Pours a dark burgundy color with bronze highlights and a an ultra smooth head of light brown foam. The froth holds strong for a good while, leaving behind a sudsy wash that mostly rejoins the body. Aromas kick off with sweet pipe tobacco, rustic leather, and caramelized brown sugar, showing quite sweet and earthy. Secondary waves of toffee, cocoa, fig, and vanilla bean lend further sweetness, while hints of powdered milk and doughy Belgian yeast further divert the profile from my definition of imperial stout. Flavors are largely fruity, showing lots of raisins, figs, and dates. There is a quad-like fruitiness amongst the requisite cocoa and burnt toffee, reminding me of Struise Black Albert, only not as put together. Though it’s mainly sweet, there is a bit of earthy hop character on the back end. It’s also slightly woody, showing vanilla on the finish. Medium-full bodied and sticky, the palate shows warm and sits heavy, coating the mouth in sugars. Alcohol asserts itself at the end. Though this is interesting, it’s not really my thing. Certainly not an imperial stout as I’ve come to know them, this is more of a Belgian style strong ale in my opinion.

Bottle. Dark brown colour with a small beige head. Roasted aroma with notes of coffee, fruits and dark chocolate. The flavour is roasted malt, coffee, fruits, chocolate and some sweetness. Slightly bitter aftertaste, medium-bodied.