Barrel-Aged Old Rasputin: Bourbon
(has 15 batches)
North Coast Brewing Company in Fort Bragg, California, United States 🇺🇸
Stout - Imperial Rotating|
Score
8.14
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Every year we age a special batch of our much-loved Russian Imperial Stout in Whiskey barrels. The depth, intensity, and complexity of the flavor profile of this special release, like its predecessors, make it a worthy tribute to Old Rasputin.
Prior to 2010, Barrel-Aged Old Rasputin was released in such limited quantities that it was available only at the North Coast Brewing retail shop in Fort Bragg, California. However, we received so many requests for this beer that we began producing enough Barrel-Aged Old Rasputin to put into broader, but still limited, distribution.
Brewmaster’s Tasting Notes
This beer pours jet black with a comforting layer of toffee-colored foam. Warm, sweet ethanol rises from the glass carrying roasted notes of bourbon, vanilla, and cocoa. The bourbon character from the barrel-aging gives the beer a full-bodied creaminess and a warm, tingling heat.
Prior to 2010, Barrel-Aged Old Rasputin was released in such limited quantities that it was available only at the North Coast Brewing retail shop in Fort Bragg, California. However, we received so many requests for this beer that we began producing enough Barrel-Aged Old Rasputin to put into broader, but still limited, distribution.
Brewmaster’s Tasting Notes
This beer pours jet black with a comforting layer of toffee-colored foam. Warm, sweet ethanol rises from the glass carrying roasted notes of bourbon, vanilla, and cocoa. The bourbon character from the barrel-aging gives the beer a full-bodied creaminess and a warm, tingling heat.
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8.9/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 8.5
500ml bottle from Bottle Jockey. XVI vintage. Pours a very dark brown with a dark beige head. Aroma is bourbon, dark fruits (figs), some chocolate and leather notes, slightly boozy - amazing! Taste is pretty the same plus some dark cherries notea and boozy bitterness. Same aftertaste with some bready notes. Very good stuff, but boozy bitterness after 3(?!) years is not very appropriated in my opinion.
Tried
from Bottle
on 11 Nov 2016
at 01:49
8.1/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
XI Anniversary bottle, drunk 10/16/16.
Still nicely carbonated, with a tan head, medium in size, well-retained atop a deep ebony with dark mahogany highlights and good clarity.
Lovely mix of fruity, vinous notes and dark chocolate, with light fudgey malts to balance. Just a hint of oxidation, but it’s pleasant and not papery/bready. Alcohol very well-concealed, with very even toned aromas that come with extended barrel-aging and conditioning. French roast coffee, plums, prunes and soft caramel all in the mix, with lots of baker’s chocolate lingering, but not to the point of overdryness/astringency.
Silky, well-attenuated, medium-full body still retains low but tight carbonation. Prunes, plums and raisins combine with the dark chocolate and coffee notes to create plentiful bitterness and dryness but the caramel notes and base malts balance quite well. Bourbon is artfully expressed, being neither too overdone, nor heavily oaky/toasty. Spice, wood, light liquor all deepen complexity without dominating. Alcohol shows light warmth, as is inevitable at this strength, but it’s quite elegant for its size.
Still nicely carbonated, with a tan head, medium in size, well-retained atop a deep ebony with dark mahogany highlights and good clarity.
Lovely mix of fruity, vinous notes and dark chocolate, with light fudgey malts to balance. Just a hint of oxidation, but it’s pleasant and not papery/bready. Alcohol very well-concealed, with very even toned aromas that come with extended barrel-aging and conditioning. French roast coffee, plums, prunes and soft caramel all in the mix, with lots of baker’s chocolate lingering, but not to the point of overdryness/astringency.
Silky, well-attenuated, medium-full body still retains low but tight carbonation. Prunes, plums and raisins combine with the dark chocolate and coffee notes to create plentiful bitterness and dryness but the caramel notes and base malts balance quite well. Bourbon is artfully expressed, being neither too overdone, nor heavily oaky/toasty. Spice, wood, light liquor all deepen complexity without dominating. Alcohol shows light warmth, as is inevitable at this strength, but it’s quite elegant for its size.
Tried
from Bottle
on 02 Nov 2016
at 12:40
8.3/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
Half litre shared. Thin creamy tan head. Clear black pour. Nice Bourbon notes.
Tried
on 06 Oct 2016
at 14:29
8.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
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.
Tried
from Bottle
on 18 Apr 2016
at 11:32
8.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9.5
From back log, Black with a brown head, malt aroma with vanilla. fruit and licorice body. Real good!
Tried
on 01 Apr 2016
at 18:35
8.4/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Où, Quand, Comment : Bouteille, dégustée le 10/6/2013.
Visuel : Couleur : noire. Apparence : opaque.
Arôme : Malt rôti, chocolat, boisé (bourbon), légèrement fruité, notes de café et de vanille.
Goût : En entrée de bouche : Léger goût fruité (petits fruits foncés) avec un léger goût de vanille. Une dominante de malt rôti et de chocolat sucré est présente avec un goût boisé (bourbon), un léger goût d’alcool réchauffant ainsi que des notes de café.
En bouche : Corps : moyen-ronde. Effervescence : moyenne. Texture : riche et légèrement crémeuse. Finale : longue, composée d’une légère amertume de rôti, de chocolat et d’alcool avec des notes boisées et fruitées.
Visuel : Couleur : noire. Apparence : opaque.
Arôme : Malt rôti, chocolat, boisé (bourbon), légèrement fruité, notes de café et de vanille.
Goût : En entrée de bouche : Léger goût fruité (petits fruits foncés) avec un léger goût de vanille. Une dominante de malt rôti et de chocolat sucré est présente avec un goût boisé (bourbon), un léger goût d’alcool réchauffant ainsi que des notes de café.
En bouche : Corps : moyen-ronde. Effervescence : moyenne. Texture : riche et légèrement crémeuse. Finale : longue, composée d’une légère amertume de rôti, de chocolat et d’alcool avec des notes boisées et fruitées.
Tried
on 25 Mar 2016
at 03:49
8.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
Bouteille 500ml, XVI, gracieuseté de Beervana lors CanBIF Spring 2015, Thanks Cameron! Couleur noire opaque, mousse moka crémeuse et persistante. Arôme de Bourbon, fudge, malt torréfié, touche boisé, noix, chocolat. Goût de Bourbon, fudge, chocolat, malt torréfié, bonne amertume. Carbonatation moyenne-faible, corps moyen-dense.
Tried
from Can
on 12 Jan 2016
at 20:32
6.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 4
Overall 7
Before obtaining this beer I didn’t realize the BB version was stronger than regular Old Raspy. Actually I didn’t even realize until reading the database entry just now, so that explains why I didn’t like this beer as much as I thought I would have, given my love of regular Old Raspy. So yea, the oak and roast is a bit too much, over the topic tannic, somewhat astringent, somewhat acrid. There’s a little bourbon-y hint but its mostly heavy oak and roast, really big. Too much. Looks good with a dark black color, opaque, and a firm tan head.
Tried
on 27 Oct 2015
at 13:47
9.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 10
Texture 10
Overall 9.5
Black with a brown head - Good malt aroma with some wood and vanilla notes - Good malt body with dark fruits, licorice, wood barrel, vanilla and sweetness - Good warming sweet malt finish - this was just delicius WOW
Tried
on 05 Sep 2015
at 11:58
8/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
Pours dark brown, edging black. Aroma is sweet, heavy, sticky with all those dark fruity flavours and a bit of booze. Taste has a lot of sweetness, bourbon barrel coming through nicely, does not feel too heavy but rather nice, great for sipping. Some roast flavour complementing the sensation, vanilla. Great warming beer.
Tried
on 22 Aug 2015
at 21:29