De Molen Rasputin

750ml bottle, brewed 5/8/08. Aroma is moderately sweet, cocoa, some lactic sourness, light roast. Taste is moderately sweet, cocoa/bittersweet chocolate, some vinous, light alcohol, lactic sourness. Smooth full body, holds alcohol very well.

750ml bottle. Corked and caged...black waxed. Brewed on 14 December 2007 and Bottled on 01 Feb 2008. Bottle # 377 of 524. Not a gusher, but it did spewed a little bit. Poured a deep reddish/brown color with lots of small floaters. Aromas of licorice, woody, chocolate, dark fruits, and roast. Tastes of chocolate, roast, licorice, dark fruits, and lighter roast. Alcohol content overall well hidden.

Bottle at pilsnerpeter’s. Thanks to everybody for their generosity. Dark brown with big head and lace. Mild tart chocolate mocha yeasty aroma. Mild roasty chocolate raisin with tart fruit and tart dry finish. Nice soft palalte. Very tasty and different. Delicious.

Deep black pour with a thick, sticky persistent tan head. The nose is very unusual with a mix of black licorice, plums and a bit of flinty/bretty spiciness. A little bit of mustiness with a touch of musky wildness. It’s surprisingly dry on the palate with the dark plums and dried fruit showing up here more like they do in red wines than they typically do in beer. A nice lingering brett flavour on the back that works quite well with the dark licorice and jammy fruit. A little bit of cocoa/coffee roastiness as well. Man, this stuff rocks!

Bottle (2009 Vintage). Pours very dark brown, almost black, with a big creamy tan head that lasts for ages. Nose is slightly vinous and quite fruity and has notes of milk chocolate, cherry, roasted malt and dark fruits. Flavour is similar to aroma but bigger with notes of caramel, berries, rum, vanilla and more dark fruit mixing with with the chocolate, cherry and malt elements. Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy and also has lively carbonation. This is a very fruity, but very good, imperial stout and while it is great now, I get the feeling that it would be even better with a few years on it.

2008 Bottle #48 - Pours a thin dk brown with a small tan head...aroma is roasted fruit and some milk chocolate, sweet malt...flavour is not quite as expected, fruity and smooth, roasty, plum?...who knows?...interesting imperial stout...

Black with big, fizzy, creamy tan head / Winey nose of roast barley and grapes / Medium to full body, malty but somewhat thin and acidic, and with fair finish / Reedy flavors of dark roast coffee, cocoa, grapes, prunes, and vanilla / A fair stout, but no Old Rasputin.

Bottle I purchased in Chicago (Binny’s): Deep amber brown with a tan fluffy head. Dry aroma with nice yeast character- fruity and phenolic with some dry cocoa notes and prune. Fluffy light body with a dry flavor. Again there’s some cocoa in the flavor along with mild dark fruit notes (dates, but not sweet) with lots of spicy phenolics. Quite an interesting and against the grain Imperial Stout. Almost seems like the yeast strain is Belgian- but it works quite well here. Nice job. Oh, and there’s no way I would’ve guessed the high ABV.