The Duck-Rabbit Rabid Duck Russian Imperial Stout

Brewed by The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery
Style: Imperial Stout
Farmville, North Carolina USA

Black body with medium-sized, creamy tan head. The nose is cola, brown sugar, roast and chocolate. The flavor is bakers chocolate, acidic burnt coffee and berries. Medium/full body is moderately carbonated with a watery texture and an astringent finish. Not much nice to say about this one. Beer mail from Ross in 5...4....3....2...1...

12 oz. bottle acquired from Performula. Pours a pitch black with a small tan head. Not much in the way of lacing. Mouthfeel is heavy, like a Impy Stout should be. Initial taste is very bitter with tastes of coffee bean. A little bit after the pour the beer assumes a more mellow flavor. Tastes of coffee, roasted malt, caramel and molasses. Finish is nice and mellow. No bitterness. I love stouts and this one is no exception!!

Bottle via trade with JCB. Lots of chocolate, cocoa, roasted malt and chocolate covered cherries. Pours oily black with a chewy thick dark khaki head leaving excellent lacing. Bitter roasted malt with espresso and coffee ground notes dominate the palate leaving a slight alcohol hotness on the back of the mouth. Rich and full bodied. A good beer, but the bitter roasted malt is a tad too much without some sweet vanilla or toffee to balance.

12 oz bottle. Pours black with a thick brown head. Wow what a strong aroma. Complex chocolate, dark fruit, caramel, toffee, and a creaminess. Dark chocolate, truffles, caramel, espresso, molasses and a light bitterness. I haven’t had an RIS for awhile and what a great one to have. Well done.

Bottle thanks to DrBayern. Pours black with a nice tan head on top. Aroma is chocolate, dark fruit, cherries, roasted malts, and alcohol. Flavor is bittersweet up front with chocolate followed by the dark fruits. Tobacco and smoke come in towards the end giving it a really dry finish. The flavor profile of this imperial stout is different from what I have had. I am starting to enjoy the beer more now than initially. The alcohol content in the beer is not hidden as most beers that contain the same amount but its not unbearable by any means, just noticeable. I will have to sit on the other bottle and see where it goes.

12 oz. bottle. Pours pitch black. Medium-sized, frothy, dark khaki head. Pungent aroma of alcohol. It’s tough, but there are some roasted notes hiding in the background. First sip is bittersweet. As the beer opens up, hints of berries, toffee, and smoke really come to the forefront. Finish is smooth, with bitterness sticking to the roof of your mouth. Wonderful dessert beer.

Bottle from nolankowal. Pitch black color. Nice super creamy microbubble tan head. Nice chocolate aroma. Flavor is very very harsh. Roasted. Acidic, dry, bitter. Unpleasant, and hard to drink. Don’t need to say anymore.

Appearance: Pours an opaque black body with a medium-sized, dark tan head. Smell: Whew! I rather pronounced alcohol aroma -- I could smell it as soon as I cracked open the bottle. Well, there’s some dark fruits, tobacco, leather, and coffee in there, but you’ve got your work cut out for you to smell it past all that booze. Taste: Dark roasted maltiness with a flash of sweetness, smoke, and spicy anise. Sharp, tart fruitiness. Loads of leather and tobacco, but rather lacking in chocolate flavors. Hint of soy. Earthy hop bitterness. Plenty of alcohol and burnt coffee roastiness on the finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: Some stouts, you just feel compelled to revisit to drink and enjoy every waking moment of the day. I totally understand if Rabid Duck was that for many (many) people. I dunno. I just wasn’t taken with it.