Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout by North Coast Brewing Co.

Beer specs

Preferred vessel: Pint glass
Color: 70 SRM

Beer details: Rating: 86; Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout; Brewery: North Coast Brewing Co. · Fort Bragg, CA; Variety: Ale · English Ale · Russian Imperial Stout; Alcohol: ABV 9.00% / ABW 7.20%; IBU: 75; Preferred vessel: Pint glass; Color: Full Black (Imperial stout) (70 SRM); Added by Kevin; Last updated by sternman

Produced in the tradition of 18th Century English brewers who supplied the court of Russia’s Catherine the Great, Old Rasputin seems to develop a cult following wherever it goes. It’s a rich, intense brew with big complex flavors and a warming finish.

Dark, Strong, Bitter, Coffee, Smoky

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Reviews

Review by Kevin

Rating: 90

Kevin

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Seattle, WA

Jan. 5th, 2009 at 12:31 p.m.

Comment:
Oh man this is a tasty stout. Strong with a nice touch of bitterness. Doesn’t feel to heavy which could lead you to drink a few more than normal.

Characteristics: black chocolaty espresso rich smooth
Review by sebleier

Rating: 91

sebleier

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Fort Bragg, CA

Jan. 13th, 2009 at 12:40 p.m.

Comment:
I remember drinking this and thinking it was bitter, but smoothed out nicely. The ten year anniversary brew of this is absolutely awesome.

Characteristics: dark rich smooth
Review by Chris J. Davis

Rating: 55

Chris J. Davis

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Chicago, IL

Jan. 13th, 2009 at 8:35 p.m.

Comment:
Good beer, but overly bitter in my opinion.

Characteristics: bitter dark rich
Review by Rob Hudson

Rating: 89

Rob Hudson

drank this beer from a Bottle in Eugene, OR

Jan. 13th, 2009 at 8:43 p.m.

Comment:
Black as night beer with a black-brown head. Thick appearance when pouring. Smoke malt aroma with a hint of bitterness. Pleasing sense of strong bitterness and sweet, smokey malt as it steamrolls across your tongue, leaving a sweet malt finish. The alcohol content almost begs you to drink it slowly. Great stout!

Characteristics:
Review by mikegee

Rating: 90

mikegee

drank this beer from a Snifter in Miami, FL

Jan. 15th, 2009 at 12:58 p.m.

Comment:

Characteristics:
Review by nilok

Rating: 93

nilok

drank this beer from a Bottle in Seattle, WA

Jan. 15th, 2009 at 6:14 p.m.

Comment:
I love this beer. It’s rich enough to make you feel like you’re actually drinking something, but the other flavors seem to keep it from sticking to your mouth the way a Guinness does.

Characteristics: bitter chocolate dark stout
Review by Dave S.

Rating: 85

Dave S.

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Jan. 19th, 2009 at 12:19 p.m.

Comment:
One of the more interesting stouts I’ve had. The dark richness of the pour gives you a clue what you’re in for: deep smokey flavor, accented with touches of bitterness and sweetness alike.

Characteristics: bitter malt smokey sweet
Review by Brad Chmielewski

Rating: 91

Brad Chmielewski

drank this beer from a Pint glass

Jan. 20th, 2009 at 6:08 p.m.

Comment:
Had this at Cooper’s Bar in Chicago, it was poured from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass. This was the last beer of the night after a great dinner, so it was almost like ordering an after dinner coffee. The color is a nice dark black with a small head. The alcohol smell is slight but masked by the coffee and malt smells. The coffee tastes comes through very nicely, with a very light chocolate taste but not that sweet at all.

If you like coffee definitely worth reaching for.

Characteristics: coffee malt
Review by Matt Munsey

Rating: 86

Matt Munsey

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Tucson, AZ

Jan. 21st, 2009 at 11:45 a.m.

Comment:
A regular for me, smoky and rich. Has a wonderful feel on the pallet, not overly thick, but you definitely know its there. Large amount of black patent malt in this baby.

Characteristics: black patent malt rich smokey
Review by Bull E. Vard

Rating: 92

Bull E. Vard

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Overland Park, KS

Jan. 30th, 2009 at 6:24 p.m.

Comment:
This is the best in the imperial stout category. Wonderfully bitter with a smoky taste.

Characteristics:
Review by elmazz

Rating: 85

elmazz

drank this beer from a Bottle in Eugene, OR

Feb. 7th, 2009 at 2:51 p.m.

Comment:
My favorite stout to date.

Characteristics: acidic strong strong alcohol
Review by Keith

Rating: 88

Keith

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Seattle, WA

Feb. 12th, 2009 at 9:53 p.m.

Comment:
Pours black with a nice dark brown head. And wow does this have some nice flavor! It starts with strong smokey chocolate and coffee flavors and ends with a slight, but well placed bitterness. A bit of spice as well. You can also really taste the alcohol but it’s not overwhelming, might want to be careful with this one. Regardless, I like it quite a bit.

Characteristics: balanced coffee smokey strong sweet
Review by Chris Harrison

Rating: 50

Chris Harrison

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Augusta, GA

Feb. 13th, 2009 at 9:31 a.m.

Comment:
Definitely not something I’d drink again. Very bitter and had a helluva aftertaste.

Characteristics: bitter dark
Review by Hail the Ale! - Chris

Rating: 95

Hail the Ale! - Chris

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Orlando, FL

Feb. 20th, 2009 at 12:09 p.m.

Comment:
Just perfect for a stout. Smokey, sweet, high ABV without tasting alcohol-y. What more could you want?

Characteristics: fucking+awesome smokey sweet
Review by Dan Reedy

Rating: 75

Dan Reedy

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Carbondale, IL

Feb. 26th, 2009 at 11:07 a.m.

Comment:
Very bitter and a strong aftertaste. Luckily for me those are things I like. A good stout, not my favorite, but one I’d have again.

Characteristics: bitter chocolate coffee smokey strong
Review by mcroft

Rating: 90

mcroft

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Olathe, KS

March 1st, 2009 at 11:34 a.m.

Comment:

Characteristics:
Review by scredsfan

Rating: 91

scredsfan

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Aiken, SC

March 11th, 2009 at 5:14 p.m.

Comment:
Tried this a year or so ago. It was the first high gravity beer I had ever tried, and it knocked my socks off. Excellent beer!

Characteristics: strong sweet
Review by hey_phatalbert

Rating: 93

hey_phatalbert

drank this beer from a Pint glass

March 12th, 2009 at 4:34 p.m.

Comment:
This stuff is so good I got a case when visiting the brewery. Dark black coffee color with a mocha like head. Nice chocolate aroma. The taste starts sweet grows to a bitter chocolate with the alcohol dancing on the tongue

Characteristics: chocolate rich dark
Review by Gavin

Rating: 90

Gavin

drank this beer from a Snifter

March 13th, 2009 at 7:03 p.m.

Comment:

Characteristics:
Review by Lobsterman

Rating: 88

Lobsterman

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Portland, ME

March 23rd, 2009 at 12:21 p.m.

Comment:
A very satisfing brew! This Stout has it all, Malty Cocoa Strong aroma and Smokey Smooth taste with a nice alcohol bite. Glad I decided to give it a try on this Cool, Blustery Spring afternoon.

Characteristics: balanced deep strong
Review by Eric M.

Rating: 96

Eric M.

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Austin, TX

March 26th, 2009 at 8:51 a.m.

Comment:
If there ever was a perfect beer, this is it. Balanced as a tightrope walker. Dark as a sith lord. Drinkable as a glass of water. For a stout, I was surprised by how easy it went down. Other stouts should be ashamed when this is available on tap. I’ve never met a more delicious dark beer in my life.

Characteristics: clean finish dark delicious drinkable nutty
Review by chrull

Rating: 88

chrull

drank this beer from a Snifter in Stockholm, Stockholms Lan, Sweden

April 2nd, 2009 at 10:04 p.m.

Comment:

Characteristics:
Review by WoodenMonkeyLamp

Rating: 88

WoodenMonkeyLamp

drank this beer from a Snifter in Richmond, VA

April 3rd, 2009 at 6:46 a.m.

Comment:
A very drinkable standard. All the qualities of a good RIS with a little extra tinge of bitter and alcohol. Some would say this beer was the inspiration for the classic silent film, “Beer, The Devil, and Two Men’s Souls.”

Characteristics: chocolate coffee flat metallic smokey
Review by Matt

Rating: 94

Matt

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Glenside, PA

April 6th, 2009 at 9:36 a.m.

Comment:
This is without a doubt my favorite stout ever. The roasted malts are without comparison. I love it. I love it so much i’ve made a clone of it which is also good!

Characteristics: dark roasty
Review by mballmur

Rating: 93

mballmur

drank this beer from a Pint glass

April 7th, 2009 at 7:15 p.m.

Comment:

Characteristics:
Review by MikL

Rating: 90

MikL

drank this beer from a Pint glass in La Mesa, CA

April 22nd, 2009 at 7:46 a.m.

Comment:
I thought this beer was wonderful. Super malty, and creamy and roasty. I know a stout will be to my liking when the head has a sort of burnt pie crust hue. Same kind of head you will find on Sublimly Self-Righteous I.P.A., Speedway Stout and even Old Viscosity. I put this beer on tap about a week ago and it is quickly dissipating.

Characteristics: beautiful dark delicious high grav.
Review by TomFoolery

Rating: 60

TomFoolery

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Sedalia, MO

Aug. 16th, 2009 at 3:08 p.m.

Comment:
A STRONG in your face stout! Huge malt and hops profile. See Chris from Augusta GA; my semtiments exactly!

Characteristics:
Review by riebschlager

Rating: 90

riebschlager

drank this beer from a Bottle in Kansas City, MO

Aug. 28th, 2009 at 2:14 p.m.

Comment:
Wow. I love stouts that don’t have that cloying sweetness. This is perfectly balanced and holy crap is it strong.

Characteristics: coffee dark smoky
Review by Robert Occhialini

Rating: 88

Robert Occhialini

drank this beer from a Bottle in Atlanta, GA

Nov. 22nd, 2009 at 1:55 p.m.

Comment:
A lovely Russian Imperial Stout. Smooth to the taste, but also not for the faint of taste. It’s creamy dark and delicious. If you are a fan of stouts in general, you should give this one a try, it’s well done.

Characteristics: creamy dark imperial stout