Old Rasputin - Westward barrels (2024)
North Coast Brewing Co.

One of my favorite things to do when drinking heavy stouts like barrel aged, Russian Imperials, etc. is to drink them very slowly sip by sip as they warm and enjoy the way they change. Usually they get better, more complex, release different aromas and tastes, and so on but I was disappointed with this offering, it seemed to peak in all these aspects within just a few minutes of opening. My rating is based on the first 7 or 8ish minutes of this bottle, I imagine I would rate right around 4 later on, I would think but don't really care. As with regular Old Rasputin this beer is very dense and heavy, which I love immensely, and with bold quick heavy dark grain stout aromas hitting you quickly upon opening a bottle of this stuff. Molasses, black licorice, dark roasted grains and a bit of alcohol hit you in the nose and on the palette initially but as I said earlier they seem to wane instead of evolving. Boo That. Anyways, I enjoyed this North Coast collab beer and look forward to hopefully more of them.

Look - This pours a really nice dark black color with a thick head that sticks around really well. Nice!

Smell - Malt, whiskey, and dark fruit. It's good.

Taste - Malt and whiskey. I found this to be a bit more flavorful than the Old Rasputin XXII bottles I had alongside it.

Feel - At 12.2%ABV, this is a bit stronger (and better) than the XXII bottles.

Overall - This beer was nice. Nothing spectacular, but definitely good.

500 mL bottle into a snifter

Dark brown, nearly black appearance, sticky coffee tan head leaves lacing everywhere.

The nose is cocoa-forward, with lots roasty toasty aspects. Plenty of coffee and oak.

Rich, molasses on the palate, bourbony sweet. Carob, oak, roasted malts add layers to the profile. This is far from a pastry stout, a classic barrel-aged beverage, if you will. Relatively thin mouthfeel, medium finish. Incredible!

 

 

 

I’m going to call this beer RHW. Which means - rather have Willitized. And that’s where we are at. It’s a good beer, and it’s treating me well - just like your girl does after you sprung for a mani/pedi. That said, it just doesn’t go above and beyond. It’s not special. Like, definitely not special enough to have some dumb metal wrapping that’s a nuisance to get off. So yeah… a four pack of Willy over this mini bottle of Westy Raspy… ya, you know it’s true.

 

Poured at fridge temp. Pours jet black with a solid inch of light brown head. The nose is fantastic. This one still screams RIS with big roasty notes. Coffee grounds, dark malts, and dark fruit. Biscuits. A nice layer of bourbon, vanilla, and toffee come through, although to a lesser extent. Just a beautiful nose on this. Old Rasputin still shines bright and the barrel hasn't overpowered anything.

The taste is really nice. The barrel makes more of a presence here. Vanilla, slight booze, roasted malts, black licorice, chocolate, blackberries, tobacco, coffee grounds, and some burnt wood. A hint of leather comes through as well. Lovely integration of barrel with the Old Rasputin backbone.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied. Some will say this is too thin, especially compared to the thick stouts coming out these days. But this body is perfect for the traditional RIS. Love it.