From Russia with Love

It's been cold out lately - really cold. While my local weather is a bit mild in comparison to Scandinavia or Siberia, it's still pretty damn cold. Luckily, I have beer to keep me warm. No, I don't recommend you heat up your beer and drink it like it's a hot cocoa (that's just silly), but I do suggest you look into North Coast Brewing Company's Old Rasputin - a Russian Imperial Stout renowned for its flavor and warmth. It's probably my favorite thing ending in "putin."

Please don't kill me, Vlad. - Image courtesy of Reuters

This beer is dark and poured easy into one of my snifter-like glasses I like to use for these reviews. With a dark beige, one inch head (that eventually settled into a quarter inch head) and a thick lacing that just wouldn't cave into gravity, this brew looked like it was trying to model for the camera; it just would not settle. I immediately picked up a beautiful variety of aromas - vanilla, toffee, brown sugar, roasted malts, the slightest hint of fruitiness and a definite boozy alcohol smell were there. The flavor of the Old Rasputin was tremendous. The first wash over your tongue brings tastes of chocolate, roasted malts, and a hint of coffee while leaving you with a bitterness not usually seen in these darker beers. As the beer moves past the mouth and down the throat, you're left with a warmth that you'd be more likely to find in a wine or a whiskey. This also drinks very easily due to it being full-bodied and not very carbonated. While I don't find this is a beer you can pound down in a couple of gulps, it's much easier to drink than other similar beers.

Don't mind the photographer in the reflection

At a not horribly imposing 9% ABV , this beer wants you to think it's twice as strong as it actually is. While this might put some beer drinkers off, Old Rapsutin an absolute delight and should not be overlooked. Garnering similar sentiment on Beer Advocate and Rate Beer, this beer aims to please. It's keeping me warm on a chilly day off and I would hope it does the same for you.