Old Rasputin:
Hello all and welcome to a beer review of historic proportions.  Yes, that is a bold claim but how can one not think in those terms when drinking a libation brewed in the tradition of 18th century English brewers who supplied the court of Catherine the Great AND was named after one of the most interesting figures in late Russian monarchal rule.  Rasputin, aka the “Mad Monk”, who may or may not have taken two days to die from multiple attempts to end his life failed in increasingly dramatic fashion, is honored to have North Coast name what is probably one of the best Stouts on the market today.  Old Rasputin is a aromatic stout that comes from draft with a nice medium head that is thick and enhances the nose of roasted coffee, chocolates and an undercurrent of sweet fruit.  The taste is just as complex as the nose with front end notes of chocolate that moves into a roasted coffee-fruit blend with alcohol undertones and all this on a silky smooth liquid.  At 9% ABV this stout is…well stout but so good.  Most beer reviewers, amateur and professional, rate this beer high on there lists, including “world-class”, “spectacular” and, my favorite, “kick-ass”.  An awesome beer, definitely one of my new found favorites and should be sampled by any beer coinsurer, especially those looking for their beer palate to expand.