North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

Tap. By far the best beer I have ever had. Poured thick and black as night, with a decent sized brown head that lasted. Tasted like hops and cigar smoke. Amazing.

New rating, 090416, stored for almost a year at room temperature (maybe not the best temp but I have no cellar). Pours a black color with a nice brown head; it fades away slowly but leaves some lacing and a small lock of foam remains in the glass. Aroma is lightly vinous with prunes, fudge, vanilla and dark chocolate. Flavour is also vinous (mulled wine, raisins) with dark chocolate, fudge, liquorice and some very nice alcohol warmth. Some hops in the background but they are VERY mild with some light citrus and flowery notes. Lightly sweet but more vinous with some dry malts with a pretty non-existing bitterness (well it’s there, but compared to when it’s fresh it’s nothing to talk about). Very smooth mouthfeel, it’s maybe more of a mediumbodied imperial but that’s nice in this case. Very nice beer actually, I hope it will return to Sweden soon so I can buy a few more bottles - it gained quite a lot with a year of aging.

Old rating. Pours a deep black color with a thick brown head that lingers. Nice. Some lacing on the glass. The aroma is very powerful with notes of chocolate, roasted coffee and hops. The flavour is very nice with a huge note of roasted malt, cofee, dark chocolate and hops with a big bitterness. Feels very powerful - this is a "evil" beer and I had problems with it the first times I had it, but now it turned out to be good. Mouthfeel is good, though the liquid isn’t that thick as you can hope for. A drinkable and good-tasting beer. Maybe not my favourite imperial stout out here, but still very good. 8/4/8/4/15=3,9.

Bottle. Pours a deep brownish-black with a tan head that lingers. Big toasted malt aroma, with hints of chocolate and coffee. Taste hits with huge toasted malt, then picks up a bit of chocolate and molasses sweetness. Lingering toastiness. Very nice imperial stout.

bottle. pours black like a shark’s eye, with a thick, fluffy light brown head that dissipates slowly, leaving a bunch of lacing behind. i haven’t had this beer in a while, and i’m psyched to see if it’s as good as i remember it. huge aroma of cocoa, roasted malt, molasses, and some hops, but what stands out to me (not because it dominates, but because it’s strange) is a sort of cola caramel note. cherry cola, even. interesting. ooh nice, the roasted malt comes out a lot more in the taste. bits of coffee, cocoa, and spicy hops back it up. moderately bitter finish, quite warming and wholly inappropriate for the 80 degree day i chose to drink it on, but oh well. thinner than i expected, really creamy rather than silky and oily. still quite full of body, and a lot of lively carbonation. yep, just as tasty as i remembered it. fruitier than most impies (though nothing close to, say, de dolle export), but big bitter on the end to take care of you proper. dashed good stuff. i can’t wait for winter to truly enjoy it. no, that’s not true at all. but at least i have SOMEthing to look forward to about the winter.

Awesome mother of a stout. At least something good came out of the Cold War.

Bottle. Black. Thick, brown head.Coffee, cream and chocolate in the nose. Spice and more coffee in the flavour, with an alcohol:y hop sting in the bitter finish.

The best brew North Coast makes. This dark stout is best on a cold winter day. Served slightly warm sitting around an open fire is an ideal setting to enjoy this beer. Or in my case ice cold cause it is hotter than hell in FL right now.

12oz. bottle, tulip glass. Two finger deep tan head that lingers, protein rich lacing sticks to the glass, beer is very dark, no light comes through. Smells of malt, roasted barley, coffee grounds and dark chocolate. First sip is tongue coating, very rich and aggressively bitter. Malt sweetness quickly gives way to the burnt roast flavors. Mouthfeel is thick and chewy. Alcohol is evident in the nostrils. About as much roast as I like, some other RIS ales are overdone, but this one goes to the edge without falling off.