Old Rasputin--Crazy Monk or Russian Imperial Stout?
I apologize for posting this so late in the day, but my computadora was being quite the whore this morning. It was all like, "I'm tired. I was up late last night looking at porn. I have no energy today. I feel alone, like I just can't make a connection. *cough, cough* I think I might be coming down with a virus." Well, one slap to the monitor and a shot of penicillin later and it seems to be working...for now.
Last night, I drank Old Rasputin, a Russian Imperial Stout brewed by the California-based North Coast Brewing Co., which has been sitting in my fridge for far longer than any beer has ever survived in an alcoholic's ice box. Every time I go to any store that sells booze, like a bear preparing for hibernation, I like to stockpile brews that pique my interest. You know, just in case there's an apocalypse, a Zombie outbreak, or I'm too lazy to go to the liquor store for more life juice. I just want to be Rapture ready, you know?
First of all, let me give you a brief, poorly written, history lesson. Relax, it'll be fun. Trust me. Grigori Efimovich Rasputin was born in 1864-ish in Siberia as a peasant who had a revelation that set him along a religious path where he traveled around healing people in exchange for food and money. He was eventually sought out by the Tsar to heal his son, who was a Hemophiliac, of a bleeding episode. Yada, yada, yada, he was eventually murdered by a transvestite-lovin' (allegedly) rich man, Prince Felix, with the help of a few other cohorts. The details of the murder are pretty crazy, and like Tupac Shukar, Rasputin was not easy to kill. The debate is still out as to whether Rasputin was a holy man with healing powers, or a crazy monk who schemed and manipulated people out of money. Either way, from the pictures I've seen, he looked bat-shit crazy and I would totally buy him a pint if I knew him. Mainly because he looks like he'd eat my face if I didn't.
According to the bottles label, " [Old Rasputin] is [b]rewed in the tradition of the 18th century English brewers who supplied the Russian court of Catherine the Great. Old Rasputin develops a cult following wherever it goes. It’s a rich, intense brew with big, complex flavors and a warming finish." Well, since I've never joined a cult, now seems like a good time. Here goes nothing.
The beer pours slowly. It looks syrupy and envelopes the entire glass in darkness, leaving only a dark beige head (don't be a pervert) that gives off a very deep, rich, almost burnt caramel smell. If blackness were a scent that's what it smells like. Upon my first sip I realize there's a lot going on in this brew. It has a deep, complex flavor that mingles with dark chocolate and black coffee. It has a slight sweetness that dissipates into a very bitter finish. The first sip was slightly off putting, it's almost as if more sips are needed to begin to dissect the bold flavors that are present. This beer is not for the faint of heart, or for the occasional beer drinker. This is a beer-drinker’s beer, especially for those who can appreciate the robust flavors of a stout. Plus, with 9% alc./vol. it packs a punch.
I like to try to act like I know what I'm doing when it comes to pairing beers with food, but this beer threw me for a loop. I think if you had any kind of red meat with this beer the competing flavors would ruin the beer and the meal. Luckily, North Coast Brewing Company has an accompanying link on each featured beer page that provides a suggested food pairing, which is very cool. According to the site, they recommend Black Forest Strata cake because, "The contrasting beer, Old Rasputin Imperial Russian Stout, makes your taste buds stand to attention; it’s very complex and chocolaty. If you are taking the indulgent route for this meal, then this is the perfect beer to end things with."
I must admit, upon hearing that, it totally makes sense to counterbalance the bitterness of the beer without losing the integrity of the flavors. I, unfortunately, did not have any extra Black Forest Strata cake lying around, which is weird because I usually have at least four at any given time. I did, however, have some dark chocolate, 72 percent cacao, to be exact. It was crazy how much better the beer and the chocolate tasted when paired together. Usually I find dark chocolate can be, well, a bit bitter, but when paired with this stout it enhances the sweetness of the chocolate and mellows out the bitterness of the beer, allowing the toasted flavors to truly come out. It was pretty cool. This isn't my favorite stout, but after the chocolate pairing it is definitely in the top five for sure. Here's to you, you Crazy Monk...please don't bite my face off.
Last night, I drank Old Rasputin, a Russian Imperial Stout brewed by the California-based North Coast Brewing Co., which has been sitting in my fridge for far longer than any beer has ever survived in an alcoholic's ice box. Every time I go to any store that sells booze, like a bear preparing for hibernation, I like to stockpile brews that pique my interest. You know, just in case there's an apocalypse, a Zombie outbreak, or I'm too lazy to go to the liquor store for more life juice. I just want to be Rapture ready, you know?
First of all, let me give you a brief, poorly written, history lesson. Relax, it'll be fun. Trust me. Grigori Efimovich Rasputin was born in 1864-ish in Siberia as a peasant who had a revelation that set him along a religious path where he traveled around healing people in exchange for food and money. He was eventually sought out by the Tsar to heal his son, who was a Hemophiliac, of a bleeding episode. Yada, yada, yada, he was eventually murdered by a transvestite-lovin' (allegedly) rich man, Prince Felix, with the help of a few other cohorts. The details of the murder are pretty crazy, and like Tupac Shukar, Rasputin was not easy to kill. The debate is still out as to whether Rasputin was a holy man with healing powers, or a crazy monk who schemed and manipulated people out of money. Either way, from the pictures I've seen, he looked bat-shit crazy and I would totally buy him a pint if I knew him. Mainly because he looks like he'd eat my face if I didn't.
According to the bottles label, " [Old Rasputin] is [b]rewed in the tradition of the 18th century English brewers who supplied the Russian court of Catherine the Great. Old Rasputin develops a cult following wherever it goes. It’s a rich, intense brew with big, complex flavors and a warming finish." Well, since I've never joined a cult, now seems like a good time. Here goes nothing.
The beer pours slowly. It looks syrupy and envelopes the entire glass in darkness, leaving only a dark beige head (don't be a pervert) that gives off a very deep, rich, almost burnt caramel smell. If blackness were a scent that's what it smells like. Upon my first sip I realize there's a lot going on in this brew. It has a deep, complex flavor that mingles with dark chocolate and black coffee. It has a slight sweetness that dissipates into a very bitter finish. The first sip was slightly off putting, it's almost as if more sips are needed to begin to dissect the bold flavors that are present. This beer is not for the faint of heart, or for the occasional beer drinker. This is a beer-drinker’s beer, especially for those who can appreciate the robust flavors of a stout. Plus, with 9% alc./vol. it packs a punch.
I like to try to act like I know what I'm doing when it comes to pairing beers with food, but this beer threw me for a loop. I think if you had any kind of red meat with this beer the competing flavors would ruin the beer and the meal. Luckily, North Coast Brewing Company has an accompanying link on each featured beer page that provides a suggested food pairing, which is very cool. According to the site, they recommend Black Forest Strata cake because, "The contrasting beer, Old Rasputin Imperial Russian Stout, makes your taste buds stand to attention; it’s very complex and chocolaty. If you are taking the indulgent route for this meal, then this is the perfect beer to end things with."
I must admit, upon hearing that, it totally makes sense to counterbalance the bitterness of the beer without losing the integrity of the flavors. I, unfortunately, did not have any extra Black Forest Strata cake lying around, which is weird because I usually have at least four at any given time. I did, however, have some dark chocolate, 72 percent cacao, to be exact. It was crazy how much better the beer and the chocolate tasted when paired together. Usually I find dark chocolate can be, well, a bit bitter, but when paired with this stout it enhances the sweetness of the chocolate and mellows out the bitterness of the beer, allowing the toasted flavors to truly come out. It was pretty cool. This isn't my favorite stout, but after the chocolate pairing it is definitely in the top five for sure. Here's to you, you Crazy Monk...please don't bite my face off.
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Posted by ScapeGoat Ink at 12/29/2011 4:46 PM 
Categories: Booze Knowledge, Booze Reviews
Tags: Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout North Coast Brewing Company Grigori Elfimovich Rasputin Siberia Crazy Monk Prince Felix food pairings Black Forest Strata cake dark chocolate bitter stout
Categories: Booze Knowledge, Booze Reviews
Tags: Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout North Coast Brewing Company Grigori Elfimovich Rasputin Siberia Crazy Monk Prince Felix food pairings Black Forest Strata cake dark chocolate bitter stout
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