North Coast Brewing Company

Why it matters

Imperial stout was a historical curiosity in America in the late 1980s. This brewery brewed one continuously through the decades when almost nobody wanted it, which is why there is a single beer most drinkers still calibrate the style against rather than a field of recent arrivals.

Details

Reference beers

• North Coast Old Rasputin9% ABV

  The American imperial stout most drinkers calibrate the style against, brewed continuously since 1995.

BeerHQ carries only the products that anchor something. This is not the brewery’s full range.

Styles it is associated with

• Imperial stout — The strongest stout: dense, viscous and intensely roasted, with dark fruit, chocolate and substantial alcohol warmth.