I declare Old Rasputin Imperial Stout not only my favorite stout these days, but my favorite beer.
When I first moved into The Cave and saw my bedroom, I was like, wow, this is cool, but can you scrape a few of those cherubs off the ceiling and maybe tuck in the edges of that blue tapestry on the ceiling to give it a cleaner look? Okay, thanks.
That's kind of how Old Rasputin tastes, decadent but restrained, a tasteful baroque by a feng shui designer.
This weekend I saw this at Whole Foods, Echigo Stout from Japan. In 1944, Echigo became the first craft brewery in Japan. It's imported by Mutual Trading Company, the same people from whom I sourced the Iwate Kura Oyster Stout about this time last year. I didn't know any of this when I opted it.
Where Old Rasputin exudes sweet chocolate and floral notes, the Echigo Stout is restrained and buttoned up, a sturdy, old school stout.
Like our living room.
Celebrate International Stout day wisely:
Cheers!