Brouwerij de Molen Rasputin: Bottled in March 2012 in the Netherlands, this Imperial Stout is brewed to a strength of 10.4% abv with 46 IBUs in a bottle that boasts the words “Enjoy within 25 years”. This is a beer is an interesting candidate for very long term aging should you have the patience and remaining lifespan to do so. I hadn’t cracked open a well aged beer for a little while, so I happily poured this into my glass and waited a good 30 minutes for it to warm and open up a bit before drinking.

Flavour: Super similar to the aroma, initially it features malt balls, plums and currants upfront with a super thick bodied middle that showcases burnt molasses and tobacco flavours. This cellared beer finishes with lots of rich chocolate, some leather, caramel, raisins and finally almonds.

Overall Impression: Quite mellow from the aging and balanced with lots of flavour, this particular Imperial Stout drinks a little bit more like an old style ale than the jet black stouts I am used to.

Rating: I give it a 8.5/10, pretty excellent beer overall with a good balance to it and lots of flavours.

Food Pairing: Blue Stilton or another rich cheese on some grainy slices of bread would be a great pairing here that would enrich the cheese and bring out some new flavours in the beverage.

This place makes a lot of different beers, many of which I have enjoyed over the last few years. I enjoy that they list a clear bottling date, a clear expiry date and a recommended drinking temperature on each bottle. In 2004, this brewery started in this windmill (Molen is Dutch for Mill) and still operate this location today as a test batch, bottle shop, tasting room and restaurant with the main brewery just down the road. If I ever get out that way, I’ll be sure to stop by. This short video is from their Facebook page, which you can access by click on the logo below.