Beer: “Old Rasputin”
Brewery: North Coast Brewing Company (Fort Bragg, CA)
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
In the next couple of weeks, Gainesville will probably warm up to the point where drinking a heavy, dark beer will seem crazy. Until then, I plan on drinking as many of them as I can, and I advise all of you to do the same. With that in mind, this week's offering is a Russian imperial stout, Old Rasputin.
Just as India pale ales are not made in India, Russian imperial stouts are not traditionally made in Russia, but in England. Legend has it that Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia circa 1800, had the beer imported to her court. The dark, full-flavored beer was apparently a big hit in the cold weather, and brewers upped the alcohol content to prevent freezing during transport. I can assure you, at 9% ABV, this stuff will warm you up.
Rasputin, I remember from a high school world history course, was a crazy ass-kicker that raised hell in the upper echelons of Russian society between 1880 and 1916. The man is a legend. It is believed that he had magic powers and a huge package. Eventually people got tired of his antics (rape, mind-control, etc) and he was stabbed in the stomach by a prostitute. And then he was poisoned. And then he was shot. And then shot again. And then clubbed. And then castrated. And then bundled in a carpet with chains and thrown into a river. Naturally, he broke free and swam to shore, but Russia is nothing if not cold, and he finally died of hypothermia. In short, he was a badass.
So drink with care, because Old Rasputin is not for the faint of heart. A single bottle is like a meal, and has about twice the alcohol of a standard lager. The beer pours jet black with a small but thick head. The darkness of the beer and its head create a beautiful visual effect in the glass. After you take a sip, you can look through your glass at a light and watch the bubbles run down the glass, glittering like little diamonds against the dark backdrop of the liquid. It's fairly stunning. The aroma is clean and almost deceptively restrained, because the taste is massive. The beer drinks with a very full body, and has an excellent bitter finish. You can taste the alcohol in Old Rasputin, but not in an unpleasant or overpowering way. Think of this as the stoutest a beer can be.
In a word, this beer is full – full look, full body, full flavor. Like the Russians 200 years ago, I find myself drawn to the rich, bitter taste and high alcohol of a heavy stout to stave off the cold winter weather. Knowing Florida, this might be the last cold front for the next ten months, so sip slowly, and enjoy.
Old Rasputin is available in better bottle shops around Gainesville.
