Old Rasputin XV Anniversary Barrel Aged Stout | North Coast Brewing Co.
Brewed by:
North Coast Brewing Co.
California, United States
northcoastbrewing.com
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 11.90%
Availability: Limited (brewed once)
Notes / Commercial Description:
No notes at this time.
Added by Philousa on 12-05-2012
This beer is retired; no longer brewed.
Ratings: 971 | Reviews: 104
4.75/5 rDev +10.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.25/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.08/5 rDev -4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
4.08/5 rDev -4.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Draft version
Black/brown appearance.
Tan head; decent lace.
Sweet booze heat, oak & caramel nose.
Medium thick, creamy mouthfeel.
Sweet booze heat, milk chocolate & oak flavors up front; the milk chocolate creaminess emerged as this warmed. Too boozy but slightly above average.
288 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Draft version
Black/brown appearance.
Tan head; decent lace.
Sweet booze heat, oak & caramel nose.
Medium thick, creamy mouthfeel.
Sweet booze heat, milk chocolate & oak flavors up front; the milk chocolate creaminess emerged as this warmed. Too boozy but slightly above average.
288 characters
4.5/5 rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Points a rich dark chocolate color. Aroma is mellow booze with deep roasted malts. Flavor is mellow bourbon with a rich chocolaty finish. Has a rich smooth finish. Overall a really delicious beer.
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look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Points a rich dark chocolate color. Aroma is mellow booze with deep roasted malts. Flavor is mellow bourbon with a rich chocolaty finish. Has a rich smooth finish. Overall a really delicious beer.
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4.35/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.68/5 rDev +9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Bottled in 2011. 5 years worth of age.
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look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Bottled in 2011. 5 years worth of age.
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4.71/5 rDev +9.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
Pours like black syrup, head very interesting with circular yeast floaters. Smell: very reminiscent of the rye oak barrels. Taste: nose is the ORS you are used to, but the finish has a bit of a spicy bite that gives the original beer a complexity it never had. I love the original ORS but it always felt a little short. The barrel aged steps it up and gives you the rye bite at the end to mix things up. At $24! a bottle its steep but I'm glad I got to try it. Love North Coast and hope they keep experimenting in this way. Experimentation transformed the smooth ORS to a complex and world class beer.
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look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
Pours like black syrup, head very interesting with circular yeast floaters. Smell: very reminiscent of the rye oak barrels. Taste: nose is the ORS you are used to, but the finish has a bit of a spicy bite that gives the original beer a complexity it never had. I love the original ORS but it always felt a little short. The barrel aged steps it up and gives you the rye bite at the end to mix things up. At $24! a bottle its steep but I'm glad I got to try it. Love North Coast and hope they keep experimenting in this way. Experimentation transformed the smooth ORS to a complex and world class beer.
601 characters
4.28/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
3.96/5 rDev -7.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
4.48/5 rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.19/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Catch up rating from Saturday's RS bottle share. Sample rated was XV. Smooth, silky, oily, just enough burn on top of this already exemplary stout. Nice sipper.
160 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Catch up rating from Saturday's RS bottle share. Sample rated was XV. Smooth, silky, oily, just enough burn on top of this already exemplary stout. Nice sipper.
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3.43/5 rDev -20%
look: 4 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
look: 4 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
4.79/5 rDev +11.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
4.47/5 rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Serving Type: Bottle
Consumed: 3.20.16
A: 4.5 Pours pitch black with a one-inch tan head. Not much in the way of retention or lacing, but there are a few large bubbles clinging to the side of the glass.
S: 4.25 Fairly mild nose with bourbon, vanilla, cocoa powder, and light oxidation bringing a little cardboard on the finish. There’s also a slight cheesiness there too; the cheese and cardboard are a little weird, but not off-putting at all.
T: 4.5 Flavors are much stronger than the nose. Lots of brownies, cocoa powder, molasses, vanilla, and relatively mild bourbon. Roast kicks in next with a pleasant bitterness and tobacco flavor. Licorice, more vanilla, and molasses linger on the slightly bitter finish.
M: 4.75 The feel is really terrific. Creamy, rich, and good carbonation without feeling heavy.
O: 4.5 This is definitely a great BA stout that stays true to the base beer. Maybe not up to the level of others in the style, but worth checking out at least once.
981 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Serving Type: Bottle
Consumed: 3.20.16
A: 4.5 Pours pitch black with a one-inch tan head. Not much in the way of retention or lacing, but there are a few large bubbles clinging to the side of the glass.
S: 4.25 Fairly mild nose with bourbon, vanilla, cocoa powder, and light oxidation bringing a little cardboard on the finish. There’s also a slight cheesiness there too; the cheese and cardboard are a little weird, but not off-putting at all.
T: 4.5 Flavors are much stronger than the nose. Lots of brownies, cocoa powder, molasses, vanilla, and relatively mild bourbon. Roast kicks in next with a pleasant bitterness and tobacco flavor. Licorice, more vanilla, and molasses linger on the slightly bitter finish.
M: 4.75 The feel is really terrific. Creamy, rich, and good carbonation without feeling heavy.
O: 4.5 This is definitely a great BA stout that stays true to the base beer. Maybe not up to the level of others in the style, but worth checking out at least once.
981 characters
4.45/5 rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
3.76/5 rDev -12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
9oz on tap
L - pitch black. Started out with a large light mocha head which dissipated to a small amount of foam laying on top of the liquid
S - honestly, this beer smells awful. Smells like an old leather couch that was left outside on a rainy night.
T - the taste is similar to the smell when it first hits the tongue but after swallowing, a fucking chocolate milk shake shows up. Serious leather belt notes fade to the creamiest, chocolatey-est beer I have ever had. Unfortunately after about half the glass, the old leather took over the good stuff and I'm now getting second hand loafers all the way through
F - nothing special. Kind of thin for a +10%
O - confusing. Would never drink this again but happy I had it once
731 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
9oz on tap
L - pitch black. Started out with a large light mocha head which dissipated to a small amount of foam laying on top of the liquid
S - honestly, this beer smells awful. Smells like an old leather couch that was left outside on a rainy night.
T - the taste is similar to the smell when it first hits the tongue but after swallowing, a fucking chocolate milk shake shows up. Serious leather belt notes fade to the creamiest, chocolatey-est beer I have ever had. Unfortunately after about half the glass, the old leather took over the good stuff and I'm now getting second hand loafers all the way through
F - nothing special. Kind of thin for a +10%
O - confusing. Would never drink this again but happy I had it once
731 characters
3.46/5 rDev -19.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Cola pour that darkens to an abyss. Healthy taupe head that soon ebbs. Initial aromas of oak and raw vanilla. Bitter licorice root and unsulphured molasses. Malty and moderate hopness but there's a one-off happening here that is not appealing. There's an astringent bitterness. Maybe overcharred oak, burnt caramel, overripe prunes but whatever it just plain old and funky. Taste begins with a mellow sourness morphing into cocoa nibs and malty. Definite barrel influence with oak and vanilla. Black coffee with bourbon tinged marshmallow. Charred oak barrel too much on the finish. Mild hop pop. Vanilla extract in the back of the throat. Medium body with just nuff carbonation to get you cleared and ready for the next nip. Overall, there is always, IMO, a difference with stouts according to temperature and I took that into account when rating. As I let this sit out it becomes bourbon sweeter and quite actually to my liking. Aroma funk has not gone away and my cork was solid; so no air influence that I can gather. Regardless I am still underwhelmed especially with the price tag. I love and would rather drink the standard unbarrelled Rasputin. Would not buy again unless an acquaintance can convince me otherwise.
1,239 characters
look: 4.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Cola pour that darkens to an abyss. Healthy taupe head that soon ebbs. Initial aromas of oak and raw vanilla. Bitter licorice root and unsulphured molasses. Malty and moderate hopness but there's a one-off happening here that is not appealing. There's an astringent bitterness. Maybe overcharred oak, burnt caramel, overripe prunes but whatever it just plain old and funky. Taste begins with a mellow sourness morphing into cocoa nibs and malty. Definite barrel influence with oak and vanilla. Black coffee with bourbon tinged marshmallow. Charred oak barrel too much on the finish. Mild hop pop. Vanilla extract in the back of the throat. Medium body with just nuff carbonation to get you cleared and ready for the next nip. Overall, there is always, IMO, a difference with stouts according to temperature and I took that into account when rating. As I let this sit out it becomes bourbon sweeter and quite actually to my liking. Aroma funk has not gone away and my cork was solid; so no air influence that I can gather. Regardless I am still underwhelmed especially with the price tag. I love and would rather drink the standard unbarrelled Rasputin. Would not buy again unless an acquaintance can convince me otherwise.
1,239 characters
Old Rasputin XV Anniversary Barrel Aged Stout from North Coast Brewing Co.
4.29
out of 5
based on 971 ratings.
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75