Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

[matth76]

Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout
North Coast Brewing Company
12oz Bottle – 9% ABV

With cold temperatures settling in last night, I decided to pour myself an Old Rasputin and sit by the fire and watch a movie. This beer poured a nice dark color with a nice cream to tan head. It was a viscous pour but not even comparable to the Stone equivalent. The color was misleading because I shined a flash light through the glass and a very pretty garnet, ruby color shined through. With the Stone version, not a spec of light was able to shine through.

The aroma is very complex mix of burnt coffee, some raisins, and chocolate malt. The taste is a mix between rich chocolate and coffee that sat on the burner too long with a bitter ending swallow. A very nice brew but might have had too much of a bitter ending finish for the style. The alcohol was not as well hidden as the Stone version, it is definitely noticeable and it warms you up nicely. Mouth feel was thick and chewy as it should be, almost like a nice pot roast.

This is a very nice beer that is just a little different than the Stone beer. I highly recommend giving it a try if you haven’t done so. I look forward to trying other representatives from Victory and 3F if I can ever get my hands on them.

[BluesHarp]

Old Ras' is definitely a very nice stout, and is a little roastier than many IS's. I have a bottle of Stone IS in my fridge and am just waiting for the right time to drink it.

You mentioned Victory and 3F; Victory's "Storm King" is highly regarded. I haven't had one for several months, so I can't offer much on it's flavor profile, but I do remember it as being very drinkable and nicely balanced.

Three Floyd's "Darklord" is another matter. I have one bottle of it cellared from last year about this time. We drank one bottle fresh and it was almost overwhelming...incredibly thick, like motor oil, almost too many flavors to describe. It ranged from sweet malt to roasted coffee, it had a "soy sauce" quality from it's early age and the fact that it hadn't really even settled out in the bottle.
I might have to think about cracking open the other bottle sometime this winter to see how a year in the cellar treated it; this beer was sold out nearly as fast as Nick Floyd could bottle it, so finding some may be a bit difficult (unless you get this year's vintage direct from the brewery).

I might recommend Bell's Expedition Stout, Great Divide's Yeti, and Avery's Czar as other worthy competitors.

[studentofbeer]

nice review of old rasputin. man, am i bummed trader joes took it off their shelves here. i have never had the 3F darklord somehow, but i do very much enjoy the stone and love expedition. id say the victory is one of the hoppier imperial stouts out there, while rasputin seems nice and roasty, and the stone going for a smooth chocolate character. i havent had the expedition in a long time but i just remember it as being so mouth filling and delicious. i have 1 bottle i brought out west that's about 1.5 years old now. will have to try it soon.

[matth76]

Originally posted by BluesHarp
I might recommend Bell's Expedition Stout, Great Divide's Yeti, and Avery's Czar as other worthy competitors.

I have a 2003 vintage Czar in the fridge. I will post some notes on this when I consume it. :D

I'll add the Expedition to the 'must try list'. I think I'll add the Cherry Stout too while I'm at it. At $13.99 a sixer, it will probably be a single or two.

[ray m]

Originally posted by matth76:

I think I'll add the Cherry Stout too while I'm at it. At $13.99 a sixer, it will probably be a single or two.
_________________________________________

I bought 2 sixers of the Cherry Stout last winter. I don't know how the '04 version is, since I haven't bought any of it yet, but I found the '03 version to be quite different for a stout. Very lambic-like in fruit sourness---an awesome brew in my book.:)