The Duck-Rabbit Barleywine

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

This one is a real treat. The Duck-Rabbit folks consistently brew top-of-the-line products. I can only surmise that living and working in Farmville, NC inspires the brewers to spend long, long hours at their work indoors (where it is presumably air conditioned and has more interesting landscapes..).

Appearance: Russet-copper color. Mahogany, really. And as one would expect, no appreciable head to speak of.

Aroma: A real treasure-trove here: leather, tobacco, hops, cloves, allspice, and even a hint of oregano.

Taste: Banana, clove, caramel, allspice, grapes, brown sugar, and hops. Oy vey pass me another snifter!

Palate: A dry and warming finish.

Overall: Well-rounded for sure. This is one to cellar in bulk! Drinking this makes me long for winter -- seated in front of a roaring fire with my D-R Barleywine in one hand and a nice cavendish pipe in the other. Wearing a wool waistcoat, to be sure.

Serving type: bottle

I had been planning on this for 1900, but hey, I only missed by one. Clear amber, slight head fades quickly. Just what I expect from this style. Aroma is a rich shot of caramel malts and some spicy hops. Flavor is a mtach. Way more complex and satisfying than I am giving it justice for. Perfect palate. Excellent brew with great aging potential. Wish i had another one. Huge thanks to dkachur’s generosity for this one.

This new arrival in Georgia was picked up at Green’s on Buford Highway today. As I poured the beer into an over sized wine glass, I was surprised at the level of carbonation and head retention in this 11% ABV brew. The body was burnished copper in color, and clear. The aforementioned head was a good three fingers thick, and was creamy enough to form a volcano cone above the rim of the glass. The smell was soft caramel dipped fruit. The spicy hops were also quite strongly evident in the smell. The taste was wondrously earthy sour, and my fears of confronting any cloying sweetness dissolved away as the warmth of the alcohol seared down my throat. The dryness was like sipping on some fine sherry. There were some lingering dry fruits in the finish. The body felt a little small, but it made this fine beer all the more drinkable. All of the ingredients felt a little bit disjointed at this young age, but I can clearly see the greatness this beer will achieve with a few years of aging. Welcome to our state Duck-Rabbit.

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.

I’m not a ale guy, but this American made strong ale is pretty good. This is coming from a guy who loves stouts.

A nice barleywine from the Dark Beer Specialist! Dark amber with great head retention! More like an English Barleywine! Sweet, but not too sweet! Made me wish I had another to follow it with!

’09 bottle poured into a snifter... Duck Rabbit has some really good beers... and this is one of them. This English Barley Wine is highly underrated... it is very dynamic and brings some flavors that aren’t typically found in a barley wine... this pours a beautiful red with a half inch off white head. there is quite a lot going on in the aroma... some sweet malts, banana, tart cherries, and a touch of bubblegum. medium body, almost chewy, with caramel, dark fruits, along with more banana, some lingering bitterness up front and a touch of sourness throughout. the finish brings some alcohol forward with a touch of spice and mild bitterness. overall I really enjoyed this one.... such a solid little brewery in the middle of nowhere NC.

Pours out a darker amber with a small white head. Aroma is actually really awesome, smells like citrus but sweeter with some pine in there as well as an earthy smell to it. Taste is sweet but still has some nice hops that make themselves known just fine. Mouthfeel is really silky and one of my favorite things about this beer. Plus, I thought the alcohol was very well hidden. Cheers to the guys at Duck Rabbit you did it again.