Sorry if this topic is a re-run, but i had my first Old Rasputin last night & it was phenomenal! That may have been my first RIS, come to think of it, & i’m already craving another!! I woke up thinking: Definitely need to make that one(or even one remotely close). I’d love to brew a 3.5 gal. batch & age it in my 5 gal. carboy. Can you guys point me in the right direction to a similar recipe? Also, how long do you normally age an RIS and @ what temp? Thanks for any input. 
Old Rasputin is a really nice beer, one I enjoy often. In many ways it is a great entry into the world of Imperial Stouts. Just note though that it has a little less alcohol and is generally sweeter than most other imperial stouts. I get up to the brewery in Fort Bragg a couple times a year, it is usually the beer I drink since I don’t care much for their others. The have barrel aged version that is fantastic, hard to find though.
I make my RIS based on a recipe similar to Stone’s. Comes out pretty good. I make mine in June and usually age it about 6 months, just in time for the winter months. I know a lot of brewers age it much longer, but I usually can’t wait :0). I don’t bottle any more so at some point I need to free up a keg I am aging it in anyway. As for temp, mine ages at room temp because I don’t have the space in my fridge to keep it at cellar temp. Ideally you would want to age at about 50-55 degrees if you are able, especially if you are aging long term (like years).
:cheers:
Can’t go wrong with the old raspy. Did you have it from the bottle or on tap? My favorite is when it is on nitro. Cheshire, ever tried their chocolate parfait when you’re there? Probably the best dessert I’ve ever had.
Nope, in fact I don’t think I have ever eaten there. I usually go to Piaci’s across the street. They have amazing pizza and a good tap list. I will have to give it a try next time I am there (which should hopefully be soon).
Old Rasputin is a favorite of mine and I love that it’s easy to find, unlike many highly rated RIS’s. I had it on nitro for the first time recently and really liked that.
Bill Pierce’s recipe here is supposed to be close
http://hbd.org/discus/messages/20001/25624.htmlI brew 3 gallon batches of big beers and age three gallon carboys, usually 4 months in the carboy, 4 or so in bottles. You’ll have less chance for oxidation that way. And you have an excuse to buy more equipment 8)
Thanks for the info. all! Picked up a 4 pack from a local store for $9. Well worth it to me! Never tried on tap. I heard about the barrel aged one, hope i can find it. Thanks for recipe BR. I’ll try to plug it in to Beersmith & scale down to 3 or 4 gal. The recipe calls for a 28 day secondary, but i assume longer, like 4 months, would be better, or no? Also, would you dry hop the liberty about a week before bottling? Should the bottles be kept @ room temp. just for a few weeks, then stored cooler in basement for a few more months? Sorry for so many questions. Just want to get it right! :cheers:
This is hands down one of my favorite beers. I put it up there with BBC’s Jefferson Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout and Hopslam.
One piece of advice for brewing high-gravity beers or beers you need to age:
brew as much of it as possible for each batch. That way you will plenty to put aside. For anything I’m planning on aging 6 months or more, I commandeer my buddy’s 1/2bbl system so we can at least get 14 or so gallons to keg/age/bottle.
Raspy is still my favorite RIS, it was my first “go to” in the world of RIS. I lived in Fort Bragg CA when I was evolving into a my beerness. That’s pretty much all I would drink, It was strong, local, affordable…strong. Now that I live elsewheres and know much more about the beer world, I kick myself for not appreciating it more back then. (ie stockpiling the limited barrel aged)
My first clue was when I was wearing my rasputin t-shirt traveling, and almost every day I wore it someone would tell me how awesome the beer is.
North Coast rocks!
Old Rasputin is hands down one of my favorite brews… Ever! I love that it is so readily available, and the price point is excellent. I think that a lot of people just like to think of it as a great “bargain beer”, but I love it regardless. I believe that if it wasn’t so readily available, and therefore “rare”, it would be a highly sought after whale on top of everybody’s list.
I will second the statement to brew more of a beer you plan to age. I am down to half a keg of imperial oaked porter I brewed in january and planned to leave until Christmas. Sampling along the way is inevitable.
A great brew, one of the better ones of it’s type and actually probably a lot closer to a traditional RIS than most of the stuff out there today calling itself RIS.
I hardly ever buy commercial beer, but Raspy is one of the very few that I’m happy to spring for once in a while.
Old Rasputin is fantastic. If you haven’t tried Yeti by Great Divide, I’d also highly recommend that one if you like Old Rasp.
I love this beer. A lot of RIS are too strong, imo. Not the alcohol that bugs me (don’t drink RIS if you don’t want some booze), but the residual sweetness, especially if they then oak the beer, that makes a lot of those beers taste cloying to my palate.
Old Rasputin is big and roasty, but has enough balance to hold everything together. Maybe it seems small by recent standards, but that could just be wisdom.
Interestingly I hadn’t tried Old Rasputin until maybe a couple years ago well after trying many other RIS’s. I think it’s a good beer but it’s a tad too sweet for me and the mouthfeel was a little thinner than I expected.
My personal favorite is Bell’s Expedition Stout but this probably has a lot to do with the fact that the IBU’s are cranked up and I love my bitter beers. SN’s Narwhal is a close second for me.
Old Rapsy is definitely a Top 5 RIS for me, just not the best.
Funny, after reading this thread, I thought the name sounded familiar. I checked out my beer cellar and I have 2 12 oz bottles of this from 2011. Now I need to try one. :cheers:
You’ll have to let us know how it tastes aged 2-3 years
You’ll have to let us know how it tastes aged 2-3 years [/quote]
I’ll be interested in his tasting notes too.
Assuming that proper care was taken on their bottling line, and judging from other properly cellared big, strong commercial beers I’ve had over the years I’m guessing that this 2-3 year old Raspy will be pretty damned good.
You’ll have to let us know how it tastes aged 2-3 years [/quote]
I’ll be interested in his tasting notes too.
Assuming that proper care was taken on their bottling line, and judging from other properly cellared big, strong commercial beers I’ve had over the years I’m guessing that this 2-3 year old Raspy will be pretty damned good.[/quote]i think I’ll try one tonight and report back.
I brewed this beer in Sept…bottled in Oct and as of today I only have 4 bombers left out of my 5 gallons…I just can’t stop drinking it…. One of the top beers I have ever brewed.
