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Old Rasputin Barrel Aged XX
North Coast Brewing Co.
- From:
- North Coast Brewing Co.
- California, United States
- Style:
- Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV:
- 11.9%
- Score:
- 94
- Avg:
- 4.24 | pDev: 7.55%
- Reviews:
- 43
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Aug 04, 2023
- Added:
- Nov 01, 2017
- Wants:
- 2
- Gots:
- 32
Every year we age a special batch of our much-loved Russian Imperial Stout in Bourbon barrels. The depth, intensity, and complexity of the flavor profile of this special release, like its predecessors, make it a worthy tribute to Old Rasputin.
38 IBU
38 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Bogdawg:
Rated by Bogdawg from Massachusetts
4.2/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Apr 30, 2019
4.2/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Apr 30, 2019
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by bitterandstout from Oregon
4.18/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.18/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Roasty malty nose. Big chocolate taste followed by dark fruit a hint of wood & more cocoa like maltiness. Think I got cherries too. Flavour lingers on the palate for a long time. Stout Season continues.
Dec 30, 2022Reviewed by TP2MSU from Michigan
2.4/5 rDev -43.4%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
2.4/5 rDev -43.4%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Tried 12/09/22. This beer must not have been cellared properly. Everything about it was off. I enjoy standard Rasputin, but unfortunately this one can’t really be reviewed fairly.
Dec 09, 2022Reviewed by puboflyons from New Hampshire
4.51/5 rDev +6.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.51/5 rDev +6.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
From a corked, caged 740 ml. bottle acquired and sampled on November 10, 2022.
The appearance is a handsome looking jet black color with a boisterous then fading tan head. It fades to a ring and lingers.
An array of aroma sensations including dark roasted malts, chocolate malts, caramel, black cherry, char, wood, and alcohol.
Bold, heavy mouthfeel that is creamy and smooth.
The taste is sweet and begins with a bountiful chocolate presence that immediately moves to dark fruit, burnt malts, earth, and a lower alcohol character than my nose suggested. Warming and cleansing finish. A fine sipper.
Nov 10, 2022The appearance is a handsome looking jet black color with a boisterous then fading tan head. It fades to a ring and lingers.
An array of aroma sensations including dark roasted malts, chocolate malts, caramel, black cherry, char, wood, and alcohol.
Bold, heavy mouthfeel that is creamy and smooth.
The taste is sweet and begins with a bountiful chocolate presence that immediately moves to dark fruit, burnt malts, earth, and a lower alcohol character than my nose suggested. Warming and cleansing finish. A fine sipper.
Rated by pkalix from California
3.59/5 rDev -15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.59/5 rDev -15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
tastes old.... not stored well at the store, apparently
Jun 11, 2022Reviewed by Whyteboar from Michigan
4.29/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.29/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Caveat- obviously this isn’t a fresh brewed beer, I have had it properly cellared for 3 or 4 years. It was lost behind some others. Had this during a bottle share when it was fresh and it was outstanding. It’s still very good, just not as complex as it was.
So, the pour was still impressively black and capped with a brown 1finger head.
The aroma, even to my chemically damaged nose, was excellent with dark fruit and bakers chocolate and coffee and malts galore.
The taste followed, almost to the point of cloyingly sweet, but stopped just short. Smooth flavor transitions from fruit to malts to what remains of the hops (presented as coffee I think) at the swallow.
The feel was ideal, this was made for sipping and that is what I did.
OA, Old Rasputin base is a very fine stout, the BA versions are (to me at least) even better. This is a very good beer.
Jun 04, 2022So, the pour was still impressively black and capped with a brown 1finger head.
The aroma, even to my chemically damaged nose, was excellent with dark fruit and bakers chocolate and coffee and malts galore.
The taste followed, almost to the point of cloyingly sweet, but stopped just short. Smooth flavor transitions from fruit to malts to what remains of the hops (presented as coffee I think) at the swallow.
The feel was ideal, this was made for sipping and that is what I did.
OA, Old Rasputin base is a very fine stout, the BA versions are (to me at least) even better. This is a very good beer.
Reviewed by Ozzylizard from Pennsylvania
4.16/5 rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.16/5 rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Old Rasputin XX from North Coast Brewing. 500 mL cork and cage bottle purchased 20/02/22 from Franklin Beer, Franklin, PA, $15.00 (Including tax), $ 0.888/oz. On room temperature shelf at store. Stored at 40 degrees after purchase. Reviewed 19/04/22. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Undated bottle. Served at 61.1 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 66.3 degrees.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Amber Brown (SRM 18), opaque, somewhat oily-looking.
Body – Brown (SRM 30), opaque. When rear-lite, same with light penetrating only at the extreme edges – yellow amber and oily.
Head – Small (Maximum 0.5 cm, aggressive center pour), citron, high density and slowly diminishing to leave a 0.3 cm crown and a thin partial cap.
Lacing – Good. The thick, high-density head drags along the glass, leaving a wide band of mostly tiny and a few medium bubbles, connected to the next lower band by multiple short, narrow columns.
Aroma – 4.25 – Smells slightly sweet with chocolate, molasses, brown sugar, and bourbon. No hops, no malt, no yeast. No alcohol. On the exhale, a hint of bourbon appears sans anything else.
Flavor – 4.25 – Begins with semi-sweet chocolate, coffee, maybe a hint of char and tannin, and a distinct alcohol roughness. No hops, no yeast. Ethanol (11.1 % ABV, as marked on container). Mild oropharyngeal alcohol burn before it hits the stomach, producing a mild warming which lasts but never becomes annoying. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 4 – Medium, creamy, soft caressing carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 4 (After deducting 0.25 point for undated personal container) Probably shouldn’t have sucked this down after XXII – it has led to an unflattering comparison. XX has not held up well, being less flavorful and more alcohol-forward, giving it a rough edge. Still, it’s better than many other examples of the style.
Apr 19, 2022Undated bottle. Served at 61.1 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 66.3 degrees.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Amber Brown (SRM 18), opaque, somewhat oily-looking.
Body – Brown (SRM 30), opaque. When rear-lite, same with light penetrating only at the extreme edges – yellow amber and oily.
Head – Small (Maximum 0.5 cm, aggressive center pour), citron, high density and slowly diminishing to leave a 0.3 cm crown and a thin partial cap.
Lacing – Good. The thick, high-density head drags along the glass, leaving a wide band of mostly tiny and a few medium bubbles, connected to the next lower band by multiple short, narrow columns.
Aroma – 4.25 – Smells slightly sweet with chocolate, molasses, brown sugar, and bourbon. No hops, no malt, no yeast. No alcohol. On the exhale, a hint of bourbon appears sans anything else.
Flavor – 4.25 – Begins with semi-sweet chocolate, coffee, maybe a hint of char and tannin, and a distinct alcohol roughness. No hops, no yeast. Ethanol (11.1 % ABV, as marked on container). Mild oropharyngeal alcohol burn before it hits the stomach, producing a mild warming which lasts but never becomes annoying. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 4 – Medium, creamy, soft caressing carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 4 (After deducting 0.25 point for undated personal container) Probably shouldn’t have sucked this down after XXII – it has led to an unflattering comparison. XX has not held up well, being less flavorful and more alcohol-forward, giving it a rough edge. Still, it’s better than many other examples of the style.
Reviewed by jkblr from Indiana
4.25/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
500mL bottle (about 4 years old) poured into a tulip glass at 55F 11.1% ABV. The beer pours dense black with no light penetration and light brown head. The head recedes to an inch thick cap leaving rings of lacing. The aroma is moderate in strength featuring chocolate and bourbon barrel prominently. The taste is bittersweet dark chocolate, bourbon and charred oak barrel with an earthy, lingering mild bitterness. The mouthfeel is thin to medium bodied with less than medium carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Alcohol is well hidden except for a steady tingle on the tongue and heat in the belly. Overall, very good if you enjoy bourbon, which I do...
Dec 11, 2021Reviewed by BJB13 from Maryland
4.13/5 rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.13/5 rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
750 ml bottle poured into a rocks glass.
One finger of tan head over a near black oily pour that leaves nice lacing. Moderately strong nose of dark chocolate and roasted malts, dark fruit and more bourbon barrel aroma than I expected for the age. Tasting coffee and bourbon with a bitter, dry, roasty finish. Full bodied and smooth with moderate carbonation. Still has a little heat. It was kept @ 50 degrees F for most of its life and held up well.
Jun 01, 2021One finger of tan head over a near black oily pour that leaves nice lacing. Moderately strong nose of dark chocolate and roasted malts, dark fruit and more bourbon barrel aroma than I expected for the age. Tasting coffee and bourbon with a bitter, dry, roasty finish. Full bodied and smooth with moderate carbonation. Still has a little heat. It was kept @ 50 degrees F for most of its life and held up well.
Reviewed by barnzy78 from Illinois
4.2/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.2/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
500mL bottle, picked up as a gift set with XXII and a pair of glasses; no clue how it’s been stored, but I’m sure it’s fine. 11.1%ABV.
L: near black with a foamy tan head
S: boozy, bourbon, oak, vanilla, roasted barley, fruity esters
T: very complex; dark chocolate, boozy & oaky bourbon, roasted barley, caramel, toffee, tobacco, cherry, plum, brown sugar, molasses, char, earthy/herbal hops
F: fuller body, ample carbonation, very rich, sweetness is balanced by bitterness and alcohol warmth
O: 3 year old aged stout - very complex and delicious!
Jan 18, 2021L: near black with a foamy tan head
S: boozy, bourbon, oak, vanilla, roasted barley, fruity esters
T: very complex; dark chocolate, boozy & oaky bourbon, roasted barley, caramel, toffee, tobacco, cherry, plum, brown sugar, molasses, char, earthy/herbal hops
F: fuller body, ample carbonation, very rich, sweetness is balanced by bitterness and alcohol warmth
O: 3 year old aged stout - very complex and delicious!
Reviewed by Brutaltruth from Ohio
4.37/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.37/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
From the 1pt 9fl oz bottle in a snifter. This SOLID RIS
pours a deep and muddy brown tinged black with a
fantastic head of brown foam that dissipates to a thick
ring, thick clumping layer, and shows excellent lacing. Nose
of rich bourbon, vanilla, dark fruits, dark coffee, dark
chocolate, and char. Flavors follow but exceed the nose
by presentation of rich bourbon, mellow oak, nice
vanilla, cola notes, cocoa, dark berry touches of black and
raspberry, char, deep roasted malts, and a touch of
nutty malts as well with the warming booze. Nice mouth feel;
full body, slick, coating, light carbonation, and a rich
warming finish that is lightly dry and very warming.
Overall-----excellence from North Coast!
Cheers
Jan 10, 2021pours a deep and muddy brown tinged black with a
fantastic head of brown foam that dissipates to a thick
ring, thick clumping layer, and shows excellent lacing. Nose
of rich bourbon, vanilla, dark fruits, dark coffee, dark
chocolate, and char. Flavors follow but exceed the nose
by presentation of rich bourbon, mellow oak, nice
vanilla, cola notes, cocoa, dark berry touches of black and
raspberry, char, deep roasted malts, and a touch of
nutty malts as well with the warming booze. Nice mouth feel;
full body, slick, coating, light carbonation, and a rich
warming finish that is lightly dry and very warming.
Overall-----excellence from North Coast!
Cheers
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado
4.19/5 rDev -1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.19/5 rDev -1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
little else you can reasonable ask from a beer like this, on tap, fully aged now, its dry as a bone, still barrel rich, but drinkable in a dangerous way, very nicely disguised alcohol content and overall something quite special, even if there is some fade on it too, like the nose and taste have melted down a level or two, not to its detriment, still awesome, but i bet this was much more flavorful and barrel forward when fresh. still holds a weirdly active head from the tap for what it is, smells like dry baking chocolate and unlit cigar, has hints of vanilla and sweeter chocolate, but they never quite materialize in the taste, raisin and good whiskey, a trace of honey, but only for a second, wet soil, lots of wet musty oak. the base beer seems somewhat less robust, but i like this overall. i think a bit bland compared to the rye barrel version or two i have had previously, but more a product of age now i suspect. nice and bubbly still too, clean to finish, and obviously of a higher overall quality than most of these are at. i would love to try the bottled format too, but there cant be a whole lot of those out there anymore i dont suspect. a rare treat, thankful for this one!
Dec 22, 2020Reviewed by trevormajor from Ohio
4.45/5 rDev +5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
4.45/5 rDev +5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
500ML Bottle, vintage 2017 (of course), poured into a snifter at 53 degreesF:
L - black with a slight head that dissipated
S - molasses, bourbon, toffee
T - nice flavor, you can tell this bottle is 3 years old, but the change in the flavor profile is still pleasant. Notes of molasses, bourbon and toffee
F - thick mouthfeel with a bit too much carbonation, this is what separates the greats (Jackie O's, Wolfs Ridge) from the really goods (this)
O - a good beer that has aged nicely, I recently had the XIX, which I presume is from 2016, and I didn't like it nearly as well
Nov 05, 2020L - black with a slight head that dissipated
S - molasses, bourbon, toffee
T - nice flavor, you can tell this bottle is 3 years old, but the change in the flavor profile is still pleasant. Notes of molasses, bourbon and toffee
F - thick mouthfeel with a bit too much carbonation, this is what separates the greats (Jackie O's, Wolfs Ridge) from the really goods (this)
O - a good beer that has aged nicely, I recently had the XIX, which I presume is from 2016, and I didn't like it nearly as well
Old Rasputin Barrel Aged XX from North Coast Brewing Co.
Beer rating:
94 out of
100 with
142 ratings
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