North Coast Old Rasputin Anniversary Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout

Brewed by North Coast Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Fort Bragg, California USA

Serve in Snifter

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About six months old, pours black with a big red brown head, fades fairly quick. Aroma is lots of booze, tons of bourbon, vanilla and oak are strong as well. Taste is lots of sweet milk chocolate and dark chocolate, tons of bourbon and vanilla, sweet almost cloying, this is a good brew but it is difficult to drink much of it.

Dark brown, coffee color, tan head that fizzles away. Bubbles from the surprisingly high carbonation. Nose is bourbon, raisin, figs, vanilla. Taste is bourbon, vanilla, raisins, a touch of prunes but nothing too extreme, some chocolate. Palate is pretty thin.

Black pour with small tan head. Aroma of bourbon, vanilla, chocolate and cocoa. Taste of chocolate, coffee, vanilla, roasted malts and bourbon. The bourbon is a little too strong overpowering the great beer that was aged in it. Barrel aging is a tricky science and in my opinion rarely makes the beer better, still this is a very good beer.

This is a review of the xv version. Think it needs more aging. A little one deminsonal in both taste and aroma. The bourbon is too much and takes over the taste and aroma. The taste and aroma is mostly bourbon and vanilla. Some coffee and chocolate in the taste.

Bottle from Cavie. Dark pour with a big brown head. Aroma is chocolate, vanilla, and dark cherry. Taste is alcohol, big vanilla, raisins, sugar cookies, and dry chocolate. Great finish.

XIV version poured near black with a durable, dark tan head. Full bodied; light ABV heat; slightly syrupy (in a good way); (from memory) smooth than the original Old Rasputin. Very fine smell and flavor even though the bourbon barrels partially over-power the original’s RIS characteristics. Indeedn, my main criticism is that there is a bit too much bourbon barrel flavoring in this stout. O: This aging treatment has transformed this ale into something quite different but nearly as appealing.

Aged for 3 months, this beer seemed perfectly blended with bourbon. Mellowed taste with an alcoholic finish as expected from the stout which was enhanced by the slight taste of bourbon leading out the flavors. Fantastic beer for bourbon and stout drinkers.

0.5 L bottle, kindly shared by larsga. Dark brown body, firm light brown head. Rich aroma of well roasted malts, cocoa and dark burnt caramel. Clean on the palate. Big body. Chocolate/cocoa flavored. Quite roasty, with notes of ashy malts and alcohol. Hard to pin-point any barrel tones. Feels dry in the mouth, yet a gentle sweetness in the backbone. A bold earthy bitterness and warming alcohol throughout. A rich and powerfull IS. [09.0203]

This pours a very dark brown with a foamy light brown head. The taste is rich, robust, and smooth. Has a great bourbon flavor. Finishes with a smooth alcohol warmth. Very delicious!

D’un noir opaque, un énorme col mousseux la surmonte, se résorbant lentement en laissant des couches successives de dentelle à mesure que le liquide descend. Au nez c,est des arômes de tire-éponge alcoolisée qui attirent mon attention, ainsi que des odeurs de bois, de vanille et de vrai caramel. Les mêmes particularités se retrouvent dans les saveurs. L’alcool joue ici un plus grand rôle en laissant s’échapper par les narines des vapeurs. Le liquide, bien costaud, prend beaucoup de place. C’est quelque chose qui me plaît beaucoup. Merci Louis! ( 519-230113)