North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

I decided to have this as a birthday beer. Pours a 8000 mile used valvoline black. Big, frothy, dark tan head. Smells of roasted malts, coffee and chocolate. Lots of coffee in the taste with a hint of chocolate and cherry. Heavy coffee and bitter chocolate aftertaste with a bit of alcohol. This definitely was a complex beer, enough to move to the top of my ratings. Great beer. Top shelf.

Black as night. Dark roasted coffee as well as hints of fruit. A very good, well balanced imperial.

smells very delicious, like roasted malt and coffee; a slight sugary smell like burned sugar. very black with a thin tan head. tastes like coffee and bitter chocolate with a strong bitter edge (as though it was roasted too long and burned, but in a good way). the flavor lasts a pretty long time, and there is a lot of body to this stout as it tastes VERY rich. medium carbonation, and is a little thicker than the average beverage but is still very fluid. The 8.50 I payed for 4 bottles was well worth it, north coast seems to have put a lot of effort into this one, and it shows!

pours black with no head. aroma is coffee. flavor is coffee. after taste is coffee. very good but TONS OF COFFEE.

12oz brown glass pry-top. No freshness date, but been in my fridge for two-months. Appearance: Rough pour produced 1/4 inch tan sudsy head. Recedes quickly, leaving spotting. Deep black with mahogony red around the edges. Nose: Roasted malt, black coffee, toffee, a little wisp of alcohol. Smells great! Palate: Medium-bodied with crisp bitter edge. Lots of roasted and burnt coffee bean notes, cocoa nibs, black coffee, bitter chocolate. Long to moderate finish. Notes: Significantly less creamy than the nitro-tap experience I’ve gotten used to lately. A great beer, but seriously bitter and drier feeling in the bottle.

Pours a four finger light brown head that fades quickly leaving some lace. Totally black color, no highlights. Light carbonation and light-medium bodied. Roasted coffee nose. Flavor is nearly sweet coffee, with a burnt coffee finish, not bad but not enough beef for a RIS. $2.50 for a 12oz bottle from Beverage Warehouse Winooski, VT.

I thought this was a great beer. Not the best Imperial stout I have ever had but great in it’s own right. I would recommend it to any stout lover. But it wouldn’t be my first recommendation.

Pour is a beautiful pitch black, aroma is very strong with chocolate, flavor begins sweet like chocolate, then fades into a coffee-like taste, perfect amount of malt/hop combination, finishes slightly dry roasted.