Old Rasputin XXIV (Aged in Bourbon Barrels)
North Coast Brewing Co.

 

(review from January 2023) Mmm, fresh bourbon barrel aged Old Rasputin. See previous reviews of various vintages. This version seems less aromatic & thick as previous releases but still has that complex, mouthcoating flavor profile & a nice warming finish. Glad I snagged a 4 pack & such an unbelievably smooth fooler of an 11.6%er!

 

12 oz bottle ($4.99) served in a Belgian snifter.

This edition of the North Coast BA series is more boozy than I expected and has strong flavor notes from bourbon and the oak(?) whisky barrels used in production. The sweet aroma incorporates the barrel aging effects better than does the flavor. The flavor improved and it seemed less boozy after some warming.

Bottled in April 2023

Appearance - dark mahogany body with tan head

Smell - bourbon, dark chocolate, oak, coconut

Taste - dark chocolate, oak, bourbon, coconut, caramel

Mouthfeel - medium bodied, medium carbonation, chocolate upfront, barrel is present and prominent

Overall - this is a pretty good barrel aged stout. Worth a try

Pours a medium sized dark caramel head. Jet black in color. Has a licorice smell no barrel present. watered down roasted malt taste extremely faint barrel.

Tried this in 2024, so 13 years after bottled. Still had lots of sweetness but it was subtle on the nose and taste. Build then fades to a light bodied bourbon flavor.

 

(12 oz bottle, code 11160915; purchased four-pack off shelf... poured into my Trillium fat tulip)

L: brown, gummy foam fluffs up above dark brown liquid, collapsing into messy cap... collar goes crescent; lacing a little

S: chocolate-chunk-packed vanilla ice cream, hints of espresso, toasted raisin, rounded with an overtone of charred bourbon barrel... faint floral accents to the grainy ganache at its base

T: dark bitter chocolate drenched, molasses-tinged, toasted cookie malt base... subtle dried dark berry tones emerging in the finish and continuing to bloom in the aftertaste... thick(ened) layers of roast-soiled, malty malts... vaguely cognac-like boozy aura gradually emerges over the course of sips, but remains buried in the mar of malts... blackberry-vanilla vibes?

F: inflated, attenuated, plush levity... any viscous residuals seemingly stretched and smoothed out by the razors edge burn of booze... perhaps a bit too thin? I do enjoy some oily legs, but the lightness here lends to stupendous, moreish misbehavior

O: this was my third bottle from the pack and I was hooked from the first sip from the first bottle... the best of any batch of barrel-aged Rasputin that's crossed my labials (2244)

12 ounce bottle into a snifter. Had 12/26/22.

Pours an opaque dark brown, with a two inch spongy foam head and a decent amount of foamy lacing. Aromas of roasted malt, chocolate, vanilla, oak, some coffee, light bourbon and caramel, light char. Similar flavors: roasted malt, chocolate, bourbon- more as it warms, vanilla, oak, some caramel and coffee. Smooth, a good lighter full body, appropriately carbonated.

This really opens up when fully warmed. Lots of distinct aromas and flavors, with the barrels, chocolate and vanilla being the most prominent of them. The lighter feel caps the ceiling on this, but it’s still very enjoyable.

Glad to finally see these in 12oz. bottles! Into a BBT snifter.

Nice 1 finger light cream colored head. Spotty lace, thin legs. Body appears just a touch thin. Nose is roasted malt, liquorice, smoke, dark chocolate, molasses, and just the slightest hint of booze. Semi-aromatic. Beer opens roasted malt, cocoa powder, and smoke. Coarse dark cocoa in the middle with hints of tobacco, booze, and molasses. Very roasty throughout with almost a coarse char flavor. Mellow barrel presence towards the end with a bit of honey and caramel at the finish. Body is medium with moderate carbonation. Prickly on the palate and goes down messy with a long, lingering aftertaste. Just too thin for the style.

This beer will always be a classic but as far as barrel-aged imperial stouts are concerned, time as passed this one by. Flavor profile is decent but the nose and especially body just don't hold up.

 

 

 

 

L: Pours a dark caramel brown that forms a moderate espresso head, about half-a-finger deep. Head fades slowly, to leave behind a nice cloud of khaki retention on top and loads of lacing on the edge of the snifter glass, including a nice ring at the liquid level. Held to the light, this beer has a nutty chocolate hue, lighter than most RIS (not totally black).

S: Bourbon barrel, cacao, malts, oak, char, hints of vanilla and spice.

T: Cacao nibs, bitter coffee, roasted malts, bourbon that lends some warmth to the finish. Not too complex.

F: Medium feel, creamy, a bit light in the finish.

O: I felt this beer was a bit of a letdown. The flavor is a bit weaker than a lot of other BBA stouts, and the original Old Rasputin outclassed it in the taste department as well. It's not a bad beer in isolation, but it needs a more robust flavor profile to become a stand-out.

Working my way through a 4pk of 12oz bottles (1161108 still NOT sure what that means) decanted into my trusty KBS thistle: I'm NOT as disappointed as many other reviewers, but NOT ALL in with the others n/either. I'm going to have to re-sample the base 'OR' to be sure, but strongly suspect I prefer that variant (and NOT just on price). Still a good representative of the BBA style. The BBA is most present on the nose especially right after opening the bottle, but the vanilla/oak/alcohol makes its presence known in the aroma/taste/feel - NOT unpleasantly.

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a snifter.

Look- Black, frothy light brown head, plentiful visible particulate at edges, opaque, above average head retention, average lacing.

Smell- Cacao, bourbon, coffee, toasted oats, medium strength of scent.

Taste- Bourbon, cacao, toasted oats, coffee, watery flavor that falls off quickly, weak strength of flavor.

Feel- Between thin and medium body, average carbonation, mildly mouth warming, mildly creamy, low bitterness.

Overall- Black with visible particulate at the edges and above average head retention. Bouquet consisted of cacao, bourbon, coffee and toasted oats, but was low medium in strength. The flavor profile followed similar to the nose, but was very weak/watery and fell off extremely quickly. Feel was much thinner than expected and may have contributed to the quickly vanishing flavors. Overall this is one of the rare examples where the non barrel aged version was better than the barrel aged release.