Never say die

One of my staple beers has long been North Coast Brewing Co.'s Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout. I'm not much of stout lover, but Old Rasputin is easily my favorite (aside from maybe Deschutes' Abyss.) Long story short: The recipe increases the amount of hops and alcohol, which a long time ago helped keep the beer from spoiling when the English shipped it over to Russia.

The beer is named for Rasputin, a Russian mystic who held influence over the ruling family in the early 1900s. Many attempts to kill him off failed. Hence Old Rasputin's "Never say die" catchphrase.

That history just adds to the fact that the beer tastes really good.

When I was planning my West Coast excursion, I knew from the start I wanted to visit a bunch of breweries. North Coast was at the top of the list and persuaded me to take a swing through Fort Bragg -- which isn't a fort at all, but instead a really small town on the Northern California coast.

Walking along Fort Bragg's Main Street, you can smell the malt heating in the brewry tanks. It's a mouth-watering aroma. So I sauntered over the taproom and tried the brewery's range of beers, including -- of course -- Old Rasputin.

The beer is way different depending on how you drink it. Out of a bottle, it has a reddish tint, and the hops are very intense. Out of a tap, it's much frothier and creamier and the malts dominate. (An aside, the beer is a tough one for bartenders. Like Guinness, it froths a lot. Most bartenders waste a lot of beer pouring it off to get a thin head.)

Either way, the beer is very complex for a stout. It has a lot going on, and makes for a very interesting drink. One that will continue to be one of my staples for a long, long time.


The details:
Name: Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout
Brewer: North Coast Brewing Co.
Beer Advocate rank: 96
Style: Imperial stout
Alcohol: 9 percent
Cost: $4 for a 10-ounce pour
My Grade: A+
Skinny: One of my all-time favorites. It combines an aggressive hoppiness upfront with a strong, stout maltiness on the back end. Add the interesting history of the style of beer -- and the nefarious character for which its named -- and you've got yourself a winner.