De Molen Rasputin

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

Pours a very dark brown. Almost black it’s so brown. Large creamy/foamy eggshell colored head. Fades slow. Foam coats and sticks to sides. Huge molasses and chocolate smells with a deep aroma of dark fruits. Smooth smokey chocolate with a large molasses flavor and dark fruits (like plums and maybe even cherry) in the background. Light hints of licorice. This beer is very reminiscent of a Dark Lord but thinner and a tiny bit smoother. The light carbonation keeps this beer from feeling flat while filling the palate. Making this a very drinkable beer, if it were a little more available and a lot cheaper. It is an amazing brew though.

Sample at the Columbus Ratebeer gathering at ogglethorp’s 11/20/08: Bottle #292, which based on the brewer corking, waxing and then capping makes one wonder if the beer were meant for consumption. The beer pours a dark brown/black with a reddish halo and a medium thin light tan head that recedes steadily. Thin sheet of lacing on the glass. Roasted malt, coffee and dark chocolate in the nose. Medium body with flavors of fruit, malt and espresso. Some hoppy flavor comes through as well. The finish is roasty with a hoppy aftertaste. Overall this beer seems more like a Porter than an Imperial Stout, but is pretty good either way.

75 cL bottle, #417. Pours unclear dark brown with a diminished tan head. Solid roasted malt aroma and mild spiced. Sweet malty. Spiced and roasted malty with a nice lingering yeasty touch. Smooth and dark malty into a lingering finish.

2008 #65/548 thanks to bu11zeye. chocolate brown with a cream head. nice aroma of malts, chocolate and alcohol. great thickness on the palate with a smooth malt flavor. excellent stuff.

2008 Bottle # 65/548 thanks to bu11zeye. Pours black with tan head. Aroma was somewhat tangy with dark roasted barely. Flavor is sweet, dark roast, with a nice tang. Med.-heavy mouthfeel with med-high carbonation. GREAT stuff...I sipped on this for awhile....

bottle, #65/548, bottled 5/2008, thanks to bu11zeye for this one, espresso colored pour, with slight crema head, aroma of roasted nuts, coffee and cocoa, flavor is smokey chocolate and coffee, excellent

2008 Bottle # 65/548 thanks to bu11zeye. Pours with a small oww-white head and a black body. The head leaves some good lacing. Aroma is dirt, something flowery, chocolate, slightly vinous, brown sugar and cinnamon. Taste is dirt, chocolate and light smoke. Creamy mouthfeel, light bubbles and well hidden alcohol.

(Bottle #191 at Pikkulintu on 2008-10-30) Very dark brown with little hints of red. Bubbly and big lightly tan coloured head. Coffee and roasted malts in nose. Full bodied palate with surprising high carbonation. Coffee, roasted malts, a bit metallic flavour, some grass, chocolate and little bit sweetness in taste. Quite soft chocolaty aftertaste with some bitterness. Considering the EBU value the bitterness was well hidden. Really nice beer.