North Coast Brewing Company
North Coast Old Rasputin
The American imperial stout most drinkers calibrate the style against, brewed continuously since 1995.
- Strength
- 9% ABV
- Style
- Imperial stout
- Brewery
- North Coast Brewing Company
Also called Old Rasputin.
Imperial stout is now a crowded category of limited releases, barrel treatments and adjuncts. This is the plain one, brewed the same way for thirty years and available all year, which is precisely what makes it the reference: it is the beer you can compare something else to.
Roast, dark chocolate and a firm bitterness, with the alcohol integrated rather than warming. It is worth noting how little it does — no barrel, no lactose, no vanilla — because that absence is the baseline the rest of the category is departing from.
What it tastes like
Inherited from Imperial stout, because this beer sits within the normal range for it. BeerHQ’s comparative scale, not a measurement.
Why BeerHQ carries this beer
| Reason | Carried as a reference example of its style |
|---|---|
| Strength | 9% ABV — checked 2026-08-19. Strengths differ by market and change without announcement, so this is dated rather than absolute. |
| Record stability | Stable — this product has changed little and is not expected to. |
BeerHQ records no recipe, hop bill, malt bill, yeast strain, IBU or calorie figure for any commercial beer unless it is sourced. Nothing on this page is inferred from what the beer tastes like.
What is distinctive about it
- Continuously produced and year-round in a category dominated by limited releases
- Made without barrel ageing or adjuncts, which is what makes it a usable baseline
If you like North Coast Old Rasputin
Worked out from what this beer actually tastes like rather than from what its style typically does. Three kinds of move, because “what should I try next” is three different questions.
Closest to it
Very similar in structure and flavour. Safe ground rather than discovery.
Foreign extra stout — try Guinness Foreign Extra Stout
A close structural match for North Coast Old Rasputin — a likely fit if you want more of the same.
Different: noticeably more dryness (none–trace → moderate).
May not suit: Noticeably more dryness than North Coast Old Rasputin.
Tropical stout — try Dragon Stout
A close structural match for North Coast Old Rasputin — a likely fit if you want more of the same.
Different: noticeably less alcohol warmth (high–very high → low).
May not suit: Noticeably less alcohol warmth than North Coast Old Rasputin.
Baltic porter — try Żywiec Porter
A close structural match for North Coast Old Rasputin — a likely fit if you want more of the same.
Different: noticeably less coffee (high → low).
May not suit: Noticeably less coffee than North Coast Old Rasputin.
Similar, but different
Keeps what you probably like about it and changes one or two things. Usually the most useful answer.
Keeps most of what North Coast Old Rasputin does and shifts malt intensity.
Different: much less malt intensity (very high → none–trace).
May not suit: Noticeably less malt intensity than North Coast Old Rasputin.
Irish extra stout — try Guinness Extra Stout
Keeps most of what North Coast Old Rasputin does and shifts dryness.
Different: much more dryness (none–trace → high).
May not suit: Noticeably more dryness than North Coast Old Rasputin.
Keeps most of what North Coast Old Rasputin does and shifts malt intensity.
Different: much less malt intensity (very high → none–trace).
May not suit: Noticeably less malt intensity than North Coast Old Rasputin.
A bigger jump
Genuinely different, but connected by something specific — the shared trait is named so you can judge whether the bridge holds.
Eisbock — try Schneider Aventinus Eisbock
Both carry real malt intensity, which is the thread to follow if that is what you like about North Coast Old Rasputin.
Different: much more bread & biscuit (none–trace → high).
May not suit: Roast is a long way from North Coast Old Rasputin, and that is the most likely thing to put you off.
Doppelbock — try Paulaner Salvator or Ayinger Celebrator
Both carry real malt intensity, which is the thread to follow if that is what you like about North Coast Old Rasputin.
Different: much more bread & biscuit (none–trace → high–very high).
May not suit: Roast is a long way from North Coast Old Rasputin, and that is the most likely thing to put you off.
Czech dark lager — try Velkopopovický Kozel Černý
Both carry real malt intensity, which is the thread to follow if that is what you like about North Coast Old Rasputin.
Different: much less alcohol warmth (high–very high → none–trace).
May not suit: Alcohol warmth is a long way from North Coast Old Rasputin, and that is the most likely thing to put you off.
Likely fits rather than promises. Taste varies, and a recommendation engine that claims certainty is claiming something it cannot know.
What to eat with it
Inherited from Imperial stout. BeerHQ does not duplicate pairings onto individual products unless the product genuinely differs from its style.
- Affogato
The one dessert built on bitterness, and the shared ground is real rather than a coincidence of description: coffee and dark malt both get their character from Maillard reactions and pyrolysis at similar temperatures. Roast meets roast, and the ice cream handles both.
- Brownies
The most reliable dessert pairing in beer: cocoa and roast malt are the same flavour family, and both carry a little bitterness under the sweetness.
- Chocolate
Roasted malt and roasted cacao share a great deal of chemistry. The beer’s alcohol also cuts the cocoa butter, which is what keeps the pairing from becoming cloying.
- Chocolate cake
Chocolate malt and cocoa are the same flavour family, so the two read as one dish rather than two things on a table. The beer needs to be at least as intense as the dessert or the sugar will strip it — which is why an imperial stout works where a porter can struggle.
Keeping it
Imperial stout is typically at its best 12–96 months after packaging, and time is working for it rather than against it.
Rewards age. Given cool, dark, upright storage this develops depth most drinkers would call an improvement. Buy two and compare.
Derived from Imperial stout. See storage and freshness for the full model.
BeerHQ carries a small set of reference beers to anchor styles, not a catalogue. There is no rating here and there will not be one. Last reviewed 2026-08-19.