Beer Review: North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: Nine percent

Appearance: This brew poured a dark black with flashy ruby red as well as brown hues. It also boasted a beighe head with a cake batter-esque texture. The head ended up leaving  a thick coating of lacing appeared to take a second to separate when I tilted and rotated the glass. Thick and sticky looking, overall.

Smell: Layers upon layers. Roasted barley, dark chocolate and robust coffee grounds of both medium and dark variety. Just about everything was in there that you can expect to be in a stout these days.

Taste: The chocolate was the first thing on the flavor bill. I sensed some of the sweet and lighter chocolate notes on the front then the darker tones slightly after that. The coffee and barley then made a sudden taste takeover. That was followed by a bitter and above-average boozy finish. The finishing flavors were strong, but the other layers in this brew really helped to keep those particular things balanced.

Overall Rating: 

One of the better stouts I've ever had. I can't recall many  brews that were that defining with each layer of aroma and taste. I was able to clearly discern this beer's intricacies. Oh, and it really helps that it's named for an important figure in world history. That's helped in attracting me to quite a few brews out there on the market.

Beer Review: Green Flash Double Stout

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 8.8 percent

Appearance: This was a very rich and dark brown color that featured reddish highlights. The head was also a dark brown color and boasted a quarter-inch thickness. The brown color was there for about thirty seconds. After that, the head faded a way a bit and the color appeared to be more of a light beige. I got both of the intriguing brown colors we see in assorted stouts. The thin layers of lacing left were of the darker variety.

Smell: I got may sweet notes of chocolate. The chocolate even seemed to be layered with light and dark flavors. Very distinctive. Malty and sweet, but not exactly dark or roasty. The sweeter scents were bold here.

Taste: The chocolate profile once again showed up, but the sweetness didn't please as I would have liked. The chocolate in the taste was very dark. The beer in general tasted black, which didn't surprise me. I was really shocked to pick up a few hints of black licorice. The booziness is present and somewhat noticeable. Nice bitter finish to compliment the sweet and chocolaty front of each sip.

Overall Rating: 

This was a very complex and layered beer. Very bold. It was like an explanation point, if there was ever one for beer. I loved getting both sweet and dark chocolate. The colors were very attractive to look at. Hell, the head of the brew was two colors The hops and alcohol presence didn't dilute the other great qualities of the beer. Would very much like to have again in the future.

Beer Review: Saint Arnold's Pumpkinator (2012)

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 10 percent

Appearance: Saint Arnold's Pumpkinator pours an extremely black color. Its color is very reminiscent of something such as coal or motor oil. In fact, I'd say this beer is darker than those two things. It appears really thick, almost like something chocolaty you can chew on. On the first pour of this bottle, the head was thin and weak. It has an off-white/beige color. On the second pour of the bottle it was a lot thicker and had better retention.

Smell: I openly admit that my sense of smell isn't the world's greatest (I wasn't ever able to pick up the smelly kid in grade school). Sometimes I struggle to pick up some aromas if they aren't strong. I'll tell you that I could pick up a strong scent of nutmeg when this beer was poured. I also picked up a decent amount of cinnamon and chocolate, which added a darker sense to this.

Taste: The nutmeg and cinnamon dominate the flavor on the front. There is also a strong hint of pumpkin on the finish after each gulp. I was reminded of the taste of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal some of us had as kids. When you get some of the chocolate/roasted notes as well, on the front, it's kind of like you had your Cinnamon Toast Crunch with some chocolate milk.

Overall Rating: 

Truly an excellent beer. I was thrilled with the strong aroma/taste of nutmeg and pumpkin. Also loved that this was a dark stout. This was sent to me via @BeerSamplers in the Texas area and is part of the local Brotherhood of Brew. He highly recommended this beer. I'm thankful he did. In case you didn't know, check out the bottom of this beer's cap!

I actually forgot he was the patron saint of brewers before trying this.