North Coast Old Rasputin

While at Al’s of Hampden, I noticed that he had North Coast Old Rasputin on tap, and having only had it at a beer festival, I decided to order it. The beer pours a black color with a filmy tan head. The aroma consists of dark chocolate, pine hops, pepper, and cream. The taste is smooth with a deep and dark chocolate flavor while being dry and bitter due to pine and spruce hops. There is some cream and caramel that comes out in the finish accompanied with an alcohol dryness and warmth. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. I thoroughly enjoyed this Russian Imperial Stout, as it had a great chocolate base and a wonderful spicy and peppery warmth to it. This is a perfect example of the style.