North Coast Brewing Co. Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout
North Coast Brewing Company, located in Fort Bragg, California, has been producing their Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout for almost 10 years, during which time it’s earned a reputation as one of the top imperial stouts being brewed today. This reputation is all the more remarkable in that it’s a year-round offering from North Coast, and the great reviews that it regularly receives are evidence of the consistency with which they brew it.
I go back and forth these days in my mind debating the question of which style of imperial stout I prefer: straight-up or bourbon-barrel aged. Not a cosmically important question, and one largely of interest just to myself, but interesting nonetheless. A great imperial stout brings so many flavors to the table: coffee, chocolate, malt, vanilla, etc. The best of them are dynamic and exciting, sip to sip. In contrast, some bourbon barrel-aged imperial stouts can occasionally be overpoweringly rich, and actually less dynamic, owing to the overpowering influence of the barrel.
Interestingly, this is not a phenomena unique to barrel-aged beers. The exact same thing occurs with wines. If you compare a red wine aged in used barrels vs. one aged entirely in new barrels the differences can be startling. The new barrels overwhelm the wine’s delicate fruit flavors, overriding them with oaky vanillas, spices, and tannins. This is a definite style of wine, the highly-oaked, highly-alcoholic red wine, most often in the form of a cabernet sauvignon, syrah, or zinfandel.
I don’t actually think one approach is “better” than the other. To a large extent, this is a matter of preference. My personal preference is for a wine that exhibits vibrant and fresh fruit and terroir, and less oak. But there’s no doubt that a big, monster of a red wine can be pretty fun sometimes.
In the case of imperial stouts then, I remain torn. I haven’t identified my preference as leaning one way or the other yet. But, during the road trip that we are currently on, I’ve had the chance to sample a number of beers both bourbon barrel-aged and not, and I may be coming closer.
The Old Rasputin is one such opportunity that I had. This article concerns the straight-up Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout. Like I said, North Coast has been brewing this for nearly 10 years. It weighs in at 9% and 75 IBUs, a slightly higher ABV:IBU figure than most other imperial stouts that I’ve tried.
It pours with medium viscosity, pitch black with slight amber highlights and a creamy coffee-colored head. The nose has notes of french roast coffee, notably strong hops, and anise, on top of a base creamy vanilla undertones. The palate has flavors of black coffee, hop bitterness, bittersweet chocolate and vanilla, and a hint of creme caramel. The beer has a medium velvety texture with ample carbonation. The finish is bitter with hops, roasted grains, and a tinge of iron.
I like Old Rasputin, but find it a bit too bitter and hoppy an imperial stout for my taste. Definite layers of flavor that really opened up as the beer warmed, but the hops and acrid roasted coffee notes clashed with the sweeter tones.
Stay tuned for my next writeup, which will discuss Old Rasputin’s special-release kin, Rasputin XII. This is the bourbon barrel-aged version of Old Rasputin, just recently released. Should be an exciting comparison!
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