Otter Creek Russian Imperial Stout

Check out the brewery's site for more info.

See if it's distributed near you and what others think at Rate Beer.

North Coast Old Rasputin XIV

This beer is definitely boozy.  It's good, but overwhelming.  I think I'd buy next years again, but may not go for this one on a regular basis (and it comes with a pretty high price tag).  We've added one to our aging area so look for this one again in a few years.

Check out the brewery's site for more info.

See if it's distributed near you and what others think at Rate Beer.

BJ's Tatonka Stout

Meh. I really kind of think places like this aren't exactly great. This location had an extensive beer menu but I feel like whenever I'm somewhere that is a "brewery" I should give their beer a try. This particular BJ's was in Southcenter Mall in Seattle.



When I was down in San Diego and tried their porter in December and wasn't impressed. I felt the same with their stout this time around. It was bland and almost tasted watered down.  I am shocked this is considered an imperial stout.  This was just terrible.

As sad as it is, I'd consider eating at BJ's again but I'd rather skip having a beer all together. The food here was ok but the service was lacking. However, I did try fried buffalo chicken wontons which may have been the best part of my visit here. I think next time I'll have a water, some wontons, and a pizookie (google it). I'd even skip the pizza as I wasn't impressed!

Beer Advocate disagrees with me.
Here's what BJ's says about their beer.

Alaskan Perseverance Ale

I was at Tides Tavern in Gig Harbor and was ready for a good beer at the end of a long week of work.  I initially ordered Abyss, but they were actually out.  Side note - a giant pet peeve is outdated tap lists, especially when you clearly print them on a regular basis.  Either take the list out of the menu and tell me what you have, or cross stuff out, but don't let me think I'm ordering something when it's not available.

So onto the beer.  This is quite an intense beer.  With 9% ABV, it was a treat to find on tap.  I have a bottle of this sitting in the "cellar" and am excited to give it a try when the hubby gets home to compare.  It was heavy to drink and it was my one and only beer at the restaurant.  I sipped it slowly and it was great right as it was poured and as it warmed up throughout my meal.  

If you see this on tap, definitely give it a try if you like the RIS style.  I'll be back with more later on the bottle once I open it up!

UPDATE AFTER HAVING THIS BOTTLED

After having it in the bottle, I can tell you it definitely drank a bit differently.  Maybe it also had to do with the fact it was aged.  It was not as heavy I felt out of the bottle. 

Will thought this one was rich and delicious.  He thought it tasted of fireweed or birch syrup, but couldn't be sure which since he wasn't familiar with the fireweed taste.

Here's the thoughts over at Beer Advocate.

Here's Alaskan's description of the beer.