Old Rasputin
North Coast Brewing Co.

 

12 oz bottle undated

Pours opaque ebony with two fingers tan variegated head. Full curtains lacing and cap. Looks like a stout should look.
Aromas are chocolate, coffee, prune, gingerbread, cherry.
Flavors are toasted cocoa, fig, coffee.
Pleasantly bitter, great carbonation. Flavors develop as the glass warms. Little alcohol heat.
Straightforward RIS with no flaws.

Look...Pretty dang black with a tan head and relatively medium carbonation.
Smell...light roasty coffee and grass hop. Coffee and hops no smell of cocoa to me
Taste...Sweet coffee and hops balancing each other or cancelling each other out. I noticed with a little bit of warming a somewhat thickening body flavor.
Feel...A thin slickness reminiscent of a Black IPA. Limited body and representational of a Russian Imperial Stout. Reminds me of a strong Sammy Smith. A preety thilk silk of lacing
Overall...A good and never too sweet Stout? I like that but for me but it was closer to a Black IPA by Uinta Brewing DUBHE I think or Victory Dirt Wolf but not quite as hoppy as that but definitely apparent. Leave the really sweet stuff on the shelf for me. Quite Good

 

'Old Raspy', as I used to call it, has not changed much over the years. or has it? I can't remember. it seems even more thin, perhaps. There is some smell, like a fresh cut lawn. No way this can pass itself off as a stout to anyone with taste buds, unless maybe they need surgery in that department. Possibly a west coast ipa black monday? Well, good luck with that shit, lol.

L - Look is as dark as black coffee and too thick to see light through.

S - Smell is smoky and caramel forward.

T - Taste is earthy, to me sort of like chicory tea with notes of chocolate and smoke. More bitter than some Russian imperial stouts I've tried.

F - Feel is not at full bodied as it looks. Flat.

O - Overall it's decent as a Russian imperial stout. Not very complex.

Reminds me of a coffee bean covered in dark chocolate but instead I’m drinking it. Has a smokiness on the back end.

One of those “ ultimate winter” beers IMO. Coffee nose and Approach on the taste. Some other reviews said expresso and I agree. Full mouth with an almost sweet taste and finish. Dry as you finish. Overall a classic

I have been going back to style archetypes and "classics" lately. This is my latest adventure.

Poured into a snifter. Very dark.

Aroma was coffee/espresso. Very aromatic.

Taste is a mix of cocoa and coffee (more toward espresso).Roasty notes. Kind of a brown bread character. It's boozy but drinkable.

Excellent beer

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a standard pint glass, dark chocolate in color with a big thick uneven khaki hued head that just doesn't quit; loads of lacing and visible carbonation throughout. Nose is pretty standard for a stout with strong toffee, chicory & chocolate aromas prevalent with an earthy maltiness lurking underneath. Flavor is recognizable as a stout but is more reminiscent of a Black IPA, (which I love), because of the hop presence in the finish, which is more bitter than sweet. Mouth is full bodied with a slightly dry finish and nice tingle on the tongue from the carbonation. All in all this is a magnificently crafted,well balanced brew that I've enjoyed over the years as a treat. I was unable to finish this review without opening another as the 1st went down effortlessly.

 

 

 

This beer just tastes better when there is snow on the ground outside. I had it first in the middle of the summer, and I would not have given it 5 out of 5 then, but today, there is snow on the ground outside, and this beer is in my snifter. Pours very dark brown, almost black, with slight brown aura in the dimple in the bottom of my snifter. Voluminous khaki head that sticks around for a while until it reduces to a thin film and patch that stays around for a long time, at least when it's about 60 degrees in my room right now. Beer, in general, acts differently at different temperatures, and this beer right here behaves spectacularly in cold temps. Smell and taste are about the same, with bread and cocoa nibs, with a slight coffee type of bitterness. The hops used are very well blended, which lets the malt-forward bill really shine. In a word, delicious. Dry. Full bodied with creamy texture; even the bubbles in the head give a sort of tan whipped-cream appearance. Alcohol is covered well, but at 9% it warms the core. Overall, an amazing brew, worthy of any stout-lover's interest.

The color is unremarkable, as it looks like a typical stout. It also has that characteristic chocolate/coffee smell, so nothing new there. In terms of taste, however, this beer absolutely shines. Up front, it delivers a strong, bitter bite. But beyond that initial sensation, you get a dark, heavy beer that is both flavorful and quite drinkable. If you like stouts that are moderately strong, this is your new favorite.

 

January 2023. Athens. Overall a solid Russian imperial Stout nothing overpowering.

 

 

Somehow I had forgotten how good this brew is. Very smooth. Roasted malt, chocolate, coffee. Beautiful long lasting head. I need to go find more of this.

 

Overrated...


Bell's Expedition Stout and Founders Imperial Stout are much better.

 

 

I have tried the beer out of the bottle it came out as smoky roasted and coco also a bit sweet at the finish! Perfect for a string beer!

12 oz bottle
Consumed on: 12 Dec, 2022
Glass: Snifter
ABV: 9%


Look:
Pitch black with a 3-finger high creamy light brown head. The head very slowly dissipates, eventually reach 1-finger high. The lacing is excellent.

Smell:
Dark roasted malts and char. Notes of unsweetened chocolate and some faint coffee. Light licorice/anise. There is a fairly noticeable earthy and a spicy hop bitterness as well.

Taste:
What is in the nose is here and dialed up a notch or 2. The coffee notes are more prominent in the taste. There is also a sweetness that reminds me of molasses (esp. blackstrap) and maybe a touch of dark brown sugar. As the sip progresses, the earthy and spicy hops take more of a front-and-center role. The sip finishes somewhat dry and quite fairly bitter and earthy with coffee notes.

Feel:
Creamy and viscous. The body is a shade or 2 lighter than full.

Overall:
A solid (Russian) Imperial Stout. A bit bitter for me, especially this early in the 'RIS Season' before my palette has adjusted, but this beer is very well done.

 

 

12oz bottle into a pint glass.
Look: pours a dark, creamy black with a thick tan head that slowly dissipates to about half a finger for the remainder of the drink. Leaves nice lacing as it goes down. Fantastic.
Smell: sweet dark fruit, roasty malt and coffee.
Taste: just like it smells, sweet dark fruit with a roasty coffee finish.
Feel: smooth and creamy with a nice bite. Delightful on the tongue and goes down easy.
Overall: an incredibly well-balanced drink. The bitterness is tempered nicely with the sweetness, and it is exceptionally smooth. A prime example of the Russian Imperial style.

 

 

Look: Pours a deep obsidian black with a thin copper tone head. Classic look for the style.

Smell: Roasted malts and coffee, hints of chocolate and caramel.

Taste: I’m getting the roasted malts and chocolate, some coffee beans, and some dried fruit that wasn’t on the nose - could be plums or cranberries. Excellent complex flavor.

Feel: Heavy feel with 9% ABV, and for an imperial stout this is one of the lighter ABVs you can find. Superb as it warms so this one just gets better and better as you consume.

Overall: It’s a classic and widely available stout, absolutely recommend. Have had several times but just now getting to reviewing it. If you see this at your local store or watering hole, get it.

Awesome Stout!!

 

Appearance: Pours a opaque, black satin-like color, with a thick tan foam head. Quite sticky and retentive.

Aroma: Dark chocolate and molasses, roasted malts and coffee.

Taste: Dark chocolate with some slight coffee notes up front, a bitter-sweet balance of molasses with a sharp hoppy bite in the middle. and then fades into a lingering bitter finish.

Overall: this isn't the first time I've had this stout, but I think I've developed a new level of appreciation for it. It's very well balanced and not at all lacking in complexity. It has a silky mouth fuel, and the fact that neither the better or the sweet is overbearing, makes it quite drinkable.

 

I let the bottle set out for 5 to 10 minutes before opening. 12oz bottle poured into a Teku glass.
Appearance is black with 3 fingers of tan head. Retention is average leaving a cap.
Smell is medium-low. The smell has a roasted aroma with a hint of chocolate and maybe a hint of coffee. I think I smell spicy hops but I will need to taste it to find out.
Taste is medium-high in strength. The taste is dark roasted coffee, a little dark chocolate, a hint of caramel and a medium-high spicy bitter hop finish. I've been avoiding trying this one because I knew this beer had more of a hoppy flavor for this style. I was concerned it would be overly hoppy but they pulled it off by getting it to work with the other flavors.
Feel is medium-high in thickness. It's creamy, velvety, carbonation is low and astringency is medium making it more dry which fits the style.
Overall, it's a well crafted beer that's dangerously easy to drink considering the 9% ABV.

 

 

I’ve had this a number of times and it’s almost like each time is different. But tonight was one of the better times.
Poured that dark black with an enthusiastic light brown head that dissipated very slowly and left nice lacing.
The aroma was burnt coffee and baking cocoa and dates. Dates? Where did they come from?
The taste deviated from the aroma as the coffee wasn’t burnt tasting but smooth and the cocoa seemed to mesh with the dates for an almost molasses flavor. It was really good!
The feel was good, viscous enough for an imperial stout and thin enough to drink easily. If that makes sense.
I almost always have these in the cellar, I should drink them more frequently.