Friday, July 5, 2013

Old Rasputin

In some circles, Old Rasputin brewed by North Coast Brewing  is considered to be one of the best beers in the world. It is one of those beers that has gained a reputation for being a bucket list brew; much like Pliny the Elder, Heady Topper, Kate the Great and Dark Lord.

I don't tend follow trends because tastes vary from person to person. However, when hubby spotted this in a cooler he grabbed a four-pack because it just so happened to be on his must-try list.

So, I tried it.  Actually, it sat chilling in the back of my refrigerator about a year before I got around to trying it and then I tried it.

Old Rasputin (9% ABV) pours black as black with glints of ruby high lights.  The head is thick and dense with a lovely mocha color and leaves behind lovely lacing.

The aroma is a nose full of booze and some coffee.

The taste is big and boozy with super dark roasted malt and a bit of coffee lingering towards the end.  The finish is sticky and bitter.

The mouth feel is full and thick. 

I'm sure there's a palate for this beer.  But it isn't mine.  I got booze from start to finish and couldn't taste much of any thing else.  To me, it's big for the sake of being big and not much else.  Like the huge hoppy beers that are so bitter they strip the taste buds from your tongue.  It's not enjoyable for me.  But that's me.  If you like a powerfully bold Russian Imperial Stout, then this may be the brew for you.

Overall: good

1 comment:

Jesse said...

I got a bottle of the barrel aged version for Father's Day and am looking forward to trying it. I'll let post back here, but I've gotten a lot of other things queued up, so it might take a while.