The Duck-Rabbit Rabid Duck Russian Imperial Stout

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

Bottle. Head is initially small, frothy, brown, mostly diminishing. Body is black (not opaque, flashlight tested). Aroma is moderately to heavily malty (chocolate, caramel, roasted grain), with notes of vanilla, plum, brown sugar, black cherry, alcohol. Flavor is moderately to heavily sweet, moderately acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly to moderately sweet, moderately acidic, moderately bitter. Medium to full body, creamy texture, lively carbonation, moderately to heavily alcoholic. I was all set to enjoy this one...the nose is quite enticing and rich. But it suffers from a pretty strong tartness, which all but ruins the flavor enjoyment. One of the most lopsided aroma-vs-flavor scores I’ve given in a long time, but it’s one of those rare cases where the aroma didn’t portend of what was to come.

(bottle, thanks Skyview) Pours black with very dark tan head. Aroma is very roasted with a lot of roasted coffee. Flavor is mainly coffee and roasted malt, with a little chocolate and alcohol present. The beer finishes nice and roasty with some hop bitterness appearing at the end.

[Bottle, thanks Skyview] Pours jet black with a nice dark head. Aroma is a little sweet with roasted malt coming through strongly. The flavor is not well balanced, and I didn’t find it to be very complex...but as far as beers that are very strong on coffee and roasted malt go, this one is good. Slight bitterness afterwards. Thick mouthfeel, long roasted finish. I liked it. Old Rating: 8/5/8/4/16=4.1. Re-rate: Pours dark brown with a tiny brown head. Aroma is quite sweet, with a lot of esters, banana especially. A little chocolate, roasted malt and anise, but mainly that estery sweetness. Possibly some spearmint notes too, but pretty faint. Taste is more chocolate and roasted malt, with a decent amount of hops to balance it out. A little hot, but not as bad as the previous bottle I had. Slightly thinner than I remember, but smooth and has a long finish. Overall not bad, but not one of my favorite imperial stouts.

Thanks to Skyview for sharing my nightly fix of motor oil!. Rich brown head on this baby as well. Sweet chocolate syrup nose. Intensely roasted malt body with a very well done coffee flavor. Faint sweet molasses. Bitter hop finish and a thick mouthfeel.

This is out of control. Super dark roasted . Over the top, with a bit of alcohol on the finish. Just not very balanced. It is a huge, slap-you-in-the-face beer, that I do not find particularly pleasant to drink. The burnt, woody finish is just a bit to much

Got to thank a few people for trading this one to me. Shigadeyo, MrBendo, and Styles. Thank you, thank you, and thank you. The pour and appearance is awesome. Black with a dark tan head and decent carbonation. The aroma is also wonderful. Deep ripened fruits, rich malts, cocoa, licorice. Flavor has a nice tartness to it. Also creamy malts, fermented fruits, smoke and light molasses. Mouthfeel was rich and creamy. Solid all the way around. Thanks again guys.

Pours black with a dark tan head. Looks pretty thick in the glass. Some dark chocolately aromas are present, but overall the aroma isn’t very strong or defined. Thick palate, low carbonation. Taste is of toasted nuts, dark chocolate, and a good deal of heat from the alcohol. Sharp bitter chocolate finish. A decent imperial stout, but not enough aroma and the alcohol is too apparent.

Pours midnight brown. Not sure a beer can get much darker. Thick and frothy head that was heavily tinted and dissolved down to a thick scuzz film. Nose is heavy with malts and caramel. Got smacked by a whaft of heat from the alcohol. Flavor is exquisitely complex and true to the style. Lots of dark caramel and dark chocolate in the malts. Heavy and dark fruits such as cherries, figs and prunes. Even something akin to a grape. Thick and vinuous mouthfeel. And none of this masks the heat. This beer will definitely balance down in time and mellow out a bit in my opinion.