I’m looking for a legit Old Rasputin clone. Has anyone done one that has been spot on?
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Ooh interesting. I’d brew that
Everyone on the google seems to be using the AHA’s version which looks really straightforward. I will give it a spin and see
This looks good, thanks! I’ll give it a try. Cheers!
I used to brew this monthly, i have been out of my home for a few months but will return home in about ten days. I tweaked the recipe until I got an indistinguishable clone (in blind tasting). I will send my recipe when I get home.
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Oh great! We’re brewing it on Saturday. But I’ve already put in an order for a different recipe with the homebrew store. So I’ll need to change that soon if it’s going to happen. Thanks again!
Cheers,
Dennis
I have brewed this many times. At first I started out trying to come as close as I could the real thing. When that was accomplished I then used the base malts to develop a beer called “Triple Junction Russian Roulette Imperial Stout” that gets its hops additions based to selections from a Roulette Wheel. The is a very forgiving recipe…as long as you stick reasonably close to the specified grain bill you can do all sort of interesting things to the hops and the beer always comes out great. Actually the most important thing is achieving success is in the brewing process itself. I found a 75 mash at 152 degrees, skip the mash out which is impossible anyway with a cooler mast tun which I use, and sparge at 170 degrees. I heat the sparge water to 180 and hold it there which when allowing for a transfer from the hot liquor tank (another cooler) results in about the correct sparge water temperature. You may have to play around a little with this depending on how you do this to get the desired 170 degrees but this step is important if you are going ot hit your numbers. Finally I ferment at 68 degrees I use a proprietary yeast I get free from Mad River Brewing but America Ale Yeast (Wyeast 1056 American Ale Smackpack) works. This takes a lot or yeast so you will need two packs which is why I use the live yeast from the brewer to save money. But I have done it both ways with the same result so the smack packs will work fine. Finally this is a pretty active fermentation so a blowfly tube is recommended. Hope all this helps and if you have any other questions feel free to ask.
Cheers,
Ron
Eureka, CA
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Just curious: why try to clone this beer when you can buy it everywhere in the US? It’s not like it’s a particularly expensive beer, either.
For a local for fun brewing competition. They generally frown on commercially brewed beer being entered. 
Thank you, Ron! I assume you meant 75 minute mash, right? I appreciate your help.
Yep . 75 minute.
Three reasons why I cloned this beer and other might want to do the same.
One,mentioned elsewhere, is that it a very good beer and you can enter your version in competition,
Two, home-brewing is fun,
Three, even though Old Raspy is made it my area it still costs almost $4 for a 22 oz bottle when you add in tax and bottle deposit. I can brew it for $1 a 22 oz bottle.
My main reason is number two, but all apply.
But If you read my post above you will notice I moved on from there. After successfully cloning this beer I used this as a baseline for trying to improve on it. As good at Old Rasputin is, in blind tastings people like my Triple Junction Russian Roulette Imperial Stout better. This is what a home-brewer strives for. So first cloning the beer gave me a baseline from which to work from, and gave me a jump start on trying to brew a truly great beer. And yes, I did make some minor tweaks to the Old Rasputin recipe.
Ron
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