The Hunt for Old Rasputin

When I wrote my post about a few Russian Imperial Stouts and paired them with some John Williams tunes (on a coincidental note his 82nd birthday was this weekend) that get played regularly on NBC Olympic broadcasts I recollected the last time I saw North Coast's Old Rasputin Imperial Stout. It was in the beer-selling cafe of the Pleasant Hills Giant Eagle. If you walk in the cafe door, the Rasputin four packs sit directly on the shelf in front of you.

I cant remember having another stout that featured pretty much all of the traditional stout layers of flavor. Roasted barley, both varieties of chocolate as well as coffee grounds. I have one bottle remaining after sharing somewhat and I might cling to it for as long as I can. The ABV clocked in at about nine percent, but it didn't interfere with much flavor. Still, it was enough to inhibit my spelling ability on Twitter.

That was so good that I sucked it down prior to even getting photographic evidence if its existence. #beertograpby pic.twitter.com/pEO5Y1bHUp
— Bill Kostkas (@billkostkas) February 9, 2014

It was truly one of the best stouts I've come across. Also, the fact that the beer is named for an important figure in history. I'd argue that there are few beers named for people throughout time that have more debated demises than Rasputin did. It'd be a good debate.

Of course, I drank it while watching Olympic coverage over the weekend. I did miss most of the opening ceremonies, though. So, I missed the hilarious rendition of the Russian police choir singing Get Lucky. Oddly enough, it had a Hunt for Red October feel to it.

Holy Thursday: I Tried to Stay Up Late Once

"As long as your energy provideth, you may taketh in the games."

I've never really figured out my fascination for many things that I took interest in over the years. I'm all over the board. Beer, history, writing, sports, Star Wars, fitness. All kinds of crazy stuff. Every two years I'm somewhat reminded of why I remain fascinated with both the Summer and Winter Olympics as Russia is set to kick-off the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi today. If you're reading this in the afternoon the games have pretty much already been started except for the opening ceremonies that occur tomorrow and will be aired on NBC in the evening.

I vividly remember watching water polo and weightlifting with my father at some point during the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta. NBC had a live look-in to some weight lifting competition that didn't last very long being a sleepy 7-year-old. My old man said that it would be back on in a matter of a few hours, but that I'd have to stay up. To make a long story short, I didn't make it to the next showing of weight lifting. The next thing I knew I awoke in the dark. The only thing I saw was the blue glow of the clock on our VCR.

I also remember many other moments that stick out as important in my memory while watching the games over the years. Michael Johnson setting the world record in the 200m with his golden Nike shoes during that same 1996 games as well as standing and screaming in my living room at the end of that swimming relay in the 2008 Beijing Games with the men's swimming team overtaking the French. Truly epic stuff.

Over the last few sets of games I've been lucky to pair beer with watching some of the sporting events. This has led to some funny and interesting ideas concerning the countries and cities in which the games take place. This is all from an American perspective of course! Oh, and another aspect I've come to cherish about taking in each Olympic Games is the assortment of John Williams music you can hear during the various NBC broadcasts. The style in question is easy - Russian Imperial Stout. Let's roll.

Bugler's Dream and Olympic Fanfare - Bell's Expedition Stout

Just as the first minute or so of this song acts as the first portion of the NBC primetime coverage slot as well as to and from every other commercial break, Bell's Expedition can also be that gateway for this post. According to the Bell's website, Expedition is one of the first Russian Imperial Stouts on the American craft beer scene. I'm not entirely sure about that, but I'll take their word for it. After all, it works just fine for my post.

Summon the Heroes - North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

This suite can be noticed in multiple instances throughout the NBC broadcasts. I usually hear it when they transition to and from Bob Costas in their "International Broadcast Center." Sometimes hit or miss. Grigori Rasputin was viewed as some kind of hero to some in early 1900's Russia, right? Maybe I'm reaching on this one. There were a lot of peasants at that time that didn't care for him. Finding tunes from this song on NBC broadcasts are still somewhat as vague as the stories about Rasputin's assassination.

Olympic Spirit - Cigar City's Marshal Zhukov's Imperial Stout

The rarest of the rarest. I can't remember the last time I heard Olympic Spirit during an Olympic Games. Legend has it that it was last played in 1988. I've listened closely while watching on television over the years with no luck. Maybe this is the year , but I'm not too confident. I'm even less confident in coming across this beer. I'm fairly sure Cigar City doesn't distribute around Pittsburgh. So, if you hear Olympic Spirit during a broadcast over the next two weeks think of me and find a way to get me some Marshal Zhukov! I'm sure Zhukov had better odds at the beginning of Operation Barbarosa than I do coming across this.

Holy Thursday is a weekly post (usually every week) generally about beer. It includes almost any topic relating to beer, but with a certain spin. A slightly religious spin Still, I'm not doing it to preach anything but beer. I'm just poking fun at myself for a being a terrible mass attendee!