North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

Pours a deep brown, almost black, with a darker than expected head, very dense and thick. Aroma of vanilla, coffee. Taste is amazing. Chocolate, coffee, maybe a bit of hops even. Great stuff.

Nothing to say that has not already been said - wonderful roasted character, strong roasted coffee bean notes, woody, dark bitter cacao bean with some vanilla hints and a slight earthy moss essence.

The black sheet of night has been contained in my snifter; woe is I to ever drain my ware. This was the first imperial stout I ever drank and remains in the top five (dead or a live). Chocolaty, malty, roasted decaf Brazilian coffee. Hints of a Javanese bean or two. Balanced like Shannon Miller on the balance beam!

Bottle - Pours opaque black with a frothy tan head. Lots of malt and roast on the nose with raisins, a little coffee, and bourbon notes. There’s some dark fruit in there as well. Taste is roasty, with chocolate up front and some charcoal flavors near the bitter finish. Finish feels a little off. The mouth is smooth and creamy, but not full-bodied. I was kind of expecting more based on previous ratings.

Bottle shared with Pyrozoid and French Tickler. Black appearance, thick bubblely brown head. Aroma: coffee, chocolate, creamy, molasses, burnt malts, cinnimon. Flavor: raosted malts, alcohol, chocolate and coffee. Palate: full body, soft cabonation, creamy with a roasted malt finish.

Dégusté avec Pyrozoid et Agaguk. Apparence noir tres foncé avec un belle grosse mousse brune qui colle tres bien au verre. Aromes de chocolat noir, vanille, gateau, malt chocolat, anise étoilé et une touche finale de café. Sucré et amertume intense et équilibré qui dure tres longtemps en bouche. Sensation huileuse et tres crémeuse également. Gout identique a l’arome, une imperial stout digne de son style, intense et complexe.

Bouteille. Dégusté avec french tickler et Agaguk. Bière de couleur noir avec un immense collet moyennement collant. Odeur de chocolat, malt bruler, cannelle, bonhomme pain d’épices, un peu fumé et sucre brun. Gout épicés, un peu d’alcool, café et chocolat.

Jet black pour with almost no head. Against the light, there is not even a whisper of light coming through. Aroma was of dark chocolate and malt. I expected to be overwhelmed with sweetness and bitter chocolate, but I was not. The malt and chocolate flavors meld and yield to a wonderful hoppiness in the finish.