Hot chicks drink stout. This was determined when Paul introduced me to Stone Russian Imperial Stout a few months ago. I am starting 2010 over this evening, the 31st of January with another stout. This past month has sucked; and Old Rasputin’s 12th anniversary Russian Imperial Stout will serve as my bubbly tonight, as I await the start of a new and promising month.

Happy February! Cheers!

Ok, so on to the beer review… with this stout aged in bourbon barrels the aroma of bourbon heightens your senses instantly. Upon the initial taste, this stout lingers not so gracefully, but with a bit of a bite. Dark in color with a tan head (*snort* I said “head”), this brew looks lovely in a pint glass. I don’t get as much of a coffee nor a chocolate flavor as I would like… we women like our coffee and our chocolate.

Perhaps I just can’t cut it with bourbon barreled stouts. My allegiance is to espresso and chocolate flavors and aromas.

OK, here we go… this beer isn’t my bag. Yeah, I sipped on it in order to compose this write-up, but I couldn’t cut it folks. I had to ask Paul to finish the beer for me. *head to desk* Me thinks this brew is best for those of you burly beer drinkers who can truly appreciate a beer that is aged in a bourbon barrel (which I don’t entirely understand the purpose of, but whatever.)

So… lesson learned, Old Rasputin XII Russian Imperial Stout is wicked expensive at about $20 a bottle, though quite appealing for the hardcore stout drinkers who can fully appreciate a bit of bourbon in their brew.

As for me, I’ll just continue photographing the pretty bottle in the snow (click on pic to enlarge)… probably while sipping on something else. No offense Old Ras; your bottle did photograph quite nicely for me. So thanks for that.

Cheers! Nic

Comments or suggestions? Have your own “bottle of the week” to share? Shoot me an email: mybottlesup@gmail.com