Old Rasputin Barrel Aged XIX
North Coast Brewing Co.

Pours black with two fingers of khaki-beige foam. Head retention is good. Aroma is roasty, toasty, nutty, earthy malts with a sharp sting of cherry. Caramel and toffee add a little sweetness alongside the shy bourbon heat. Flavor profile is roasty, toasty, nutty, caramely, earthy malts with toffee, caramel, and molasses adding some sweetness. Heat is very mild, even at the finale of the beer when the heat it at its peak. Bourbon adds just a bit of sweet boozy heat at the back, just enough to dry up the initial sugary notes. Mouth feel is creamy with a mild grit to it. Thickness is medium-thick. Overall, a hearty stout that is paired well with bourbon to enhance the experience ever so slightly. Stout remains consistent and tame while still providing a strong flavor profile.

Served in a 15.5oz Speigalau tulip from a 500mL bottle.

 

500ML bottle poured into a snifter at 53 degrees F. No date on bottle but research told me it's from 2016.
L - Dark brown with a lingering tan head
S - Bourbon, molasses, toffee
T - Bourbon, fig, raisin. very little malt character
F - slight carbonation on the tongue, light to medium mouthfeel
O - A good beer, but a bit disappointing. Not as full bodied or balanced as I'd expected. Perhaps this bottle has aged a bit too long as the molasses and raisin flavors have overpowered the malt profile. At $20.99 for a 500ML bottle, this beer is overpriced. Perhaps the excessively heavy bottle contributes to the inflated cost.

 

 

Pours black with a creamy frothy tan khaki colored foam head. Smells like deep oak, bourbon, butterscotch, caramel, vanilla, toffee, molasses, chocolate, coffee, roasted malts, dark fruit, with earthy herbal grassy pine. Tastes like chocolate, coffee, dark fruits, plum, dark grape, raisin, roasted malts, toasted bread, molasses, toffee, vanilla, caramel, butterscotch, sweet bourbon, oak barrel, dried fruit, leathery tobacco, cigar box, char, with earthy grassy piney hops. Feels medium plus bodied, creamy and slick with smooth moderate carbonation. Overall a nice bourbon barrel aged Russian imperial stout.

Wow this one was good. I was previously a little disappointed by their regular Old Rasputin because it didn't blow me away - so I had slightly more modest hopes for this one, despite its reputation. But man this was great. Was very fortunate to find this one online. No date printed on bottle. Pours a thick syrupy dark jet black color with some tan head and spotty lingering lacing. Big, bold aromas of dark chocolate, fig, raisin, brown sugar, dark roast coffee, vanilla, caramel, some alcohol in the background, surprisingly enough. Taste follows the nose, amazing balance and depth, very complex and rich. I really enjoyed the restrained alcohol warming - definitely present but not overwhelming and very slow sipping wasn't necessary. Smooth, chewy, thick rich mouthfeel, just the right amount of carbonation. An excellent imperial stout.

 

Poured into a snifter tulip hybrid glass. This beer is a very dark brown, almost black color with a nice tan head that's about an inch thick when first poured. Settles to a thin to medium sized ring lining the inside of the glass along with a decent film layer of surface foam. Not much lacing though. Aromas of roasted malts with some caramel sweetness, light notes of bourbon oak and chocolate and vanilla notes. A very similar flavor profile, with roasted malts with hints of caramel sweetness along with some chocolate and black coffee bitterness that gives way to hints of vanilla and bourbon oak. Not really much discernible hops here. Has a mostly smooth, slightly creamy, silky, medium to full bodied mouthfeel with moderate carbonation. Has a nice toasty aftertaste and a pretty clean finish.

Eric

 

 

500ml bottle. Caged and corked bottle; cork came out with quite a pop. 2016 release.
Dark medium brown colored body. Two fingers of tan head, which settles to a pillowy cap. Leaves a small sheet of lacing.
Buttery aroma. Dark roasted malts, chocolate, and vanilla vaguely come through.
Taste has a touch of tart, with dark roasted malts. Vague chocolate and dark fruit. Boozy at the end.
Medium mouth feel, with some froth. Higher carbonation.
This does not rise up to the standard of the standard beer. Nose is off putting but the beer is drinkable (if one does not pay too much attention to it).

 

 

 

Pours a very bark brown with a khaki head, nice lacing and moderate oily film on the glass. Aroma of molasses, brown sugar bitter cocoa, lightly roasred malts and some bourbon. Taste follows the aroma. I thought this would have more body, it seems thin for the style. Old Rasputin is my favorite RIS and I'm really disappointed with this.

 

 

 

 

 

Pours a jet black with a thin light tan head. Nose is bourbon forward with light roasted malt. Taste: definitely a bourbon bomb. Bourbon is forward and mutes much of the other flavors going on. Coffee, cocoa, caramel and roasted malt all present. Slight oak char to finish. Getting roasted malt aftertaste after the bourbon finally fades from the palette. Medium to full body with a silky somewhat slick finish. Heat! A lot of hot bourbon!

 

 

Drank from a 1 pt. 0.9 fl. oz. (16.9 fl. oz.)/500 ml corked and caged bottle purchased at Craft Beer Cellar, Belmont, MA
Served in a snifter

I can never figure out why these Barrel Aged Old Rasputin bottles are so heavy and why the corks are so difficult to remove. Relax guys. As for the beer itself, the appearance was pretty amazing. An insanely tight and creamy, three-finger tall, khaki colored crown rose above the somewhat thin, dark brown/black body. Copious rings of foamy lacing created a thick blanket along the sides of the glass. After the head receded, a thin bubbly film and a frothy halo capped the liquid.

The nose was very unique for the style and definitely like no other beer I recall trying in this series. Diacetyl notes dominated. Loads of butterscotch. Caramel corn also came to mind. Big nougat and milk chocolate presence as well. Perhaps some hazelnut and powdered cocoa too. Brown sugar was also apparent. Overall, fairly sweet and boozy but not overly so. There was a subtle, vinous, oxidized twanginess as well.

Unlike the aroma, the flavor profile was rather straightforward. Big roasted malt notes. Some char too. Espresso and bakers chocolate came through in the center. Hint of brown sugar sweetness. More bitter, acrid roast on the back end and the finish. A boozy, whiskey-like kick was also apparent, but unfortunately there were no real discernible flavors from the bourbon barrels.

Fairly ordinary mouthfeel. Slightly thin for the style. The liquid contained a larger bubbled, greater-than-average carbonation that turned somewhat frothy and slick on the palate.

While some might see the diacetyl/buttered popcorn and winey notes in this beer’s aroma as a flaw, I actually enjoyed them a lot. That said, the flavor profile was pretty one-dimensional and unremarkable. Barrel Aged Old Rasputin beers are always a crapshoot, with far more misses than hits recently. Despite some interesting characteristics in this beer, I will not be purchasing another vintage until they get their infection issues under control.

 

One of the better bourbon stouts, with great balance and rich, refined character. Nice body and smooth finish. Could age well but doesn't need it. Still not sure if it's worth the steep price.

 

(16.9 oz bottle, split between two snifters)

Odd expression of the original beer. Tastes of oxidation and sherry; body thin and mildly spritzy on the edges. Subtle hints of old coffee and powdered dark cocoa, but both much overpowered by the bitter, tannic vinous tang.

It's not terrible, but probably not the end result the brewer intended.

 

Dark brown with red edges and a quickly dying tan head leaving a bubbly, chunky tan ring.

I'm mostly getting roasted nuts and an astringency on the nose--whether that's hops, I'm not sure.

On the tongue, cocoa, raisin, pine, and wood emerge.

It seems like it could become deep, but has a shallow cola flavor to it, with a tangy start, large frothiness and a dry finish.

 

 

 

 

L - The Barrel-aged Old Rasputin (note this is vintage XIX) pours into a chalice the color of dark root beer, with a thick tan-colored head.

S - maple sugar, vanilla, black licorice, malts, malts, malts

T - bourbon, roasted malts, vanilla, malts

F - medium to heavy texture, plenty effervescent, semi- dry

O - delicious sipper, if you like the sweetness of vanilla/maple sugary bourbon, this is the malt brew for you

The beer pours a fairly foamy and vigorous cocoa head that dissipates at a moderate pace. The beer itself is a nice chocolate black with an interesting thinness to it. It's a decent look even if it's a tiny bit underwhelming.

The smell is good. It has nice moderate bourbon note along with bits of sweet chocolate and a light bitter hop note and light roasted malt note.

The taste is a bit disappointing compared to the smell. The taste has a more dominant hop note that comes off as a little watery with the sweet chocolate and roast in the finish.

The feel is okay. The carbonation is tingling and feels very, very thin. It's actually a bit disappointing especially since other barrel aged beer tend to still have some heft that seems to be missing from here.

Overall, it's a beer that's on the border between acceptable and good. However, for the price that was paid, I expected better. The smell and the finish make the beer worth drinking but it seems to be lacking in one of the crucial areas for a beer this pricey.

Pours pitch black. Smells of bourbon, caramel and butterscotch. On the palate I get caramel, chocolate, toffee, some raisin, and a very light hint of vanilla. Mouthfeel is a little light, but very smooth and almost no carbonation. Worth the try!