The Duck-Rabbit Barleywine

Brewed by The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery
Style: Barley Wine
Farmville, North Carolina USA

(Bottle 35,5 cl) Courtesy of boboski. Clear, dark, amber golden with a creamy, beige head leaving some lacework. Fat aroma of caramel and aroma hops. Quite full-bodied, somewhat sticky sugar and caramel accents. Some floral accents and some bitterness in the finish. Not very balanced. 171107

01 Nov 07, BW Tasting. 12oz bottle. Reddish hue, huge light tan head. Aroma of an IIPA. Big residual sugary sweetness. Super Sweet. Its all sugar. Needs age...but this beer is just too filtered. No bottle conditioning?? Super sweet.

Considering the style, Scores ranging from 1 to 5, 5 being the most intense
Appearance:
Body:   Clear(1)->Murky(5) : 3     Golden(1)->Dark brown(5) : 3     Still(1)->Sparkling(5) : 3
Head:   None(1)->Large(5) : 4   White(1)->Tan(5) : 2   Lasting: 3   Lacing : 3
Aroma:
Intensity : 3  
Yeast : 4   Bread : 1   Tropical Fruits : 3   Soap : XX   Diacetyl : XX Sulfur : XX   Fusel : XX  
Malt : 4   Biscuity : 2   Hay : XX   Toasty : 3   Caramel : 4   Fruity : 4   Nutty : XX   Honey : XX   Maple : XX   Molasses : XX   Cereals : XX   Grainy : XX
Hops : 2   Noble(1)->American(5) : 1   Leafy : XX   Spicy : 2   Floral : 1   Lemon/Lime : XX   Grapefruit : XX Orange : 3   Herbal : XX   Grassy : XX   Pine/Spruce/Resin : XX  
Notes :   Peach/Apricot : 1   Earth : 1   Mint : 1   Butterscotch : XX   Smoke : 1   Dates : XX   Bourbon : XX   Bubblegum : XX
Flavor:
Initial Flavor : Dry(1)->Sweet(5) : 4   Finish Dry(1)->Sweet(5) : 3   Sourness : 2   Bitterness : 2   Complex : 3   Length : XX
Palate:
Light(1)->Full(5) : 3   Flat(1)->Fizzy(5) : 2   Clean : XX   Sharp : XX   Watery : XX   Oily : XX   Chalk : XX   Astringent : XX   Alcohol : 3   Mineral : XX   Oxidation : XX   Metallic : XX

Comments: A surprisingly yeasty, musty, cheesy? BW that goes beyond the regular BW fruitiness and ventures into slightly exotic territory on top of its usual beefy duck rabbit, well put malts.

Wow, is this one aging well! On its release I was impressed with the commitment to the English style - generous malting doesn’t exactly hide the hops but certainly puts them in their place. Now, at almost a year, there’s still a lively and piquant quality that’s detectable. But what really emerges is a lovely combination between a nutty flavor at the fore, a deep and mellow port-like quality that tends to radiate from the center, and a slightly tart finish, almost like dark cherry. An odd and unique combo in an American barleywine, and another superb DR beer.

(Bottle) Pours a clear amber body with a small beige head. Aroma of cherry, butterscotch, apple, mango, and caramel. Flavor of cherry, caramel malt, peach, light citrus, toasted malt, and toffee with slight metallic in the finish.

Bottle. Body-dark almandine body with a medium foamy body and nice lacing. Very attractive. Nose-spoiled milk, cabbage, and something odd that I can’t put my finger on but that I would not call good. Taste-much better than the nose, lots of metal, brown sugar, metal, apple, peach, coconut, metal, marshmallow, medium to high sweetness, corny, medium dark fruits and spices, cherry liquor, cherry syrup, amaretto, big berry flavor, fruity, cantaloupe, powdery.

Based on the ratings, I can only assume that this one either doesn’t travel or age well, or perhaps it is too Thomas Hardyish in its makeup. Thanks to Ross for this. The pour was hazy ruby/coppery with a huge 3-finger khaki head and amazing head formations on the repour. The aroma is sour mashy, with caramel malt, fermented figs, cognac, cabernet, hops, and even cheddar cheese, which is a descriptor that I believe I hage only used with Thomas Hardy’s in the past as far as aroma goes. The taste is caramel malty, figgy, hoppy, sour mashy, with cognacy notes, plus some tart berry and funky notes that even seem to get a bit vegetal at times, but in a good way. Very complex, but I do understand those that rate this low. I don’t agree, but I understand. The palate is tart, sticky, funky, fruity, hoppy, and feety all at the same time, and that makes this one of the more unique brews I have yet quaffed.

GABF 2007. Again, I don’t know why this is rated so low. Clear in the tasting glass with lots of sub-surface "racing" belying the body. Huge smells of toffee, cream, butter rum, and port drenched raisins; nice full smell. Sweet and fruity in the front, then takes a pause before settling into a toffee, sugar cane, and butter rum finish, which lingers on the back of the tongue for quite a while. Very solid, sweet barley wine.