The Duck-Rabbit Rabid Duck Russian Imperial Stout

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

Fruity smell with a metalic taste to it. Medium head and body. (I like mine just a wee bit more full bodied) A bit unbalanced in bitterness.

12oz bottle. Pours black with a thick brown head. Aroma is of chocolate, coffee, dark fruit, roasted malt, and molasses. Lots of alcohol present in the aroma as well. Taste starts off with lots of dark fruit and bitter chocolate. Strong roasted malt backbone with lots of coffee, molasses, and caramel. Big alcohol presence behind all the flavors that tends to detract from the overall experience. Mouthfeel is medium and oily. It takes a while to warm up to the harsh booze presence, which took away from this beer for me. Still, it was decent.

Draught at Capone’s: Aroma of malts, chocolate, slight alcohol, roasting, and light hops. Poured pitch black in color with a small brown head that lasted throughout. Opaque. Not sparkling. Flavor is lightly sweet. Tastes of alcohol, roasted malts, chocolate, wood, vanilla, light tobacco, and a hint of cherry. Medium body. Sticky, then dry texture. Soft to average carbonation. Chocolate and roasted malt finish.

Pours oily black with a tan head that is very well retained. Roasty aroma of molasses, brown sugar, and earthy coffee. Flavor of coffee, nuts, cedar. Very vinous and moderately acidic. Lots of ash and earthiness in the finish. Full bodied, with just a tingle of carbonation. (12 oz bottle)

Big and bad. Poured black with a brown head. Aroma of coffee and chocolate. Lots of coffee with some chocolate and booze finish.

Thanks ogglethorp. Pours brown-black with a tall beige head, nice retention, only temporary lace. Aroma is dusty, lots of roast cherries and chocolate, hot with alcohol. Large, well rounded roast malt flavors, chocolate and cherries again, only flaw is being a bit too hot. Full bodied, sparkling palate. Wonderful impy.

bottle, sampled 3/16/07. Pours a dark black color with some amber highlights. Not as thick looking on the pour as many Imp. stouts. Quarter-inch or so of thick tan head that sticks around nicely. Aroma somewhat lacking... muted notes of toasted bread, light hints of booze and some lactic sourness. Oddly light in the flavor department... thin notes of roasted grains and some light semi-sweetness. Very little depth. Palate is on the oily side, and not as heavy as one would expect. Overall a rather odd Imp. stout, though interesting.

12 oz bottle from Beerlando, an extra remaining from our first trade back in the fall. Excited about this bad boy. Pours a very thick ruby over midnight hue with moderate straight brown head that is a bit cakey and laces vaguely after dying down to a film. I would have liked more here. Aromas are potent, thick molasses sweetness mixes with bitter chocolate, coffee, roasted malts, and vanilla with a bit of warm booziness. Initial is full bodied with some powerful roasted malts up front, moving into a coffee ground bitterness and roast, dark semi sweet chocolate, vague dark fruit. This brew’s strength lies in it’s roast, shying away from over sweetening and cloying qualities. Alcohol hides well among the roasted malts and coffee and light chocolate sweetness (that is also bitter), gives a sort of balance and roast and bitterness on the palate and finish. A bit of dryness or roast and ash further in. This brew is good, leaving a strong aftertaste and a warming quality in the throat. I liked it. Cheers!