The Duck-Rabbit Rabid Duck Russian Imperial Stout

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

12 oz bottle from a sixer I picked up at Whole Foods, Raleigh. Pours an opaque black with a brown head. Rum raisin, roastiness and some sourness in the nose. As for flavor, it has a massive sharp roastiness then a ton of lactic sourness, acidity and general tartness, which I found distracting. Dark roasty coffee and ends with a partially burnt, salty character. Full, round and creamy with moderate carbonation. I just couldn’t get into this one.

Sample from a 12oz bottle. Fuesal char and smoke nose - caustic even, but I find this in nearly every Duck Rabbit bottle I’ve had. Pasty, lactic milk notes, lightly sour, and in an imperial stout that is a huge turnoff. Sure it’s full of smoke, char, burnt wood, burnt coffee and campfire, but I think it’s missing some chocolate malt sweetness. Fizzy on the tongue but not thin. My biggest complaint it just how messy and disorganized this beer is, from the lactic sourness to the reliance on heavy, biting roast and high alcohol.

Bottle@chris_o. Sweet coffee aroma. Black color, light brown head, good lace. Sweet coffee flavor, roasted, full and sandy mouthfeel. Nice.

Dark Brown Color with Dark Tan Head. Tart Fruit/Chocolate Aroma. Heavy Coffee Roasts..Sweet Chocolate Flavor...Balances Well with Bitterness of Roasts.. Bitter Coffee Aftertaste. Overall Slightly More Raw Than the Baltic Porter, Nice Warming and Still Very Smooth Overall. Solid Brew.

Bottle sampled with Mad_indian, thanks to DrBayern for sending this to me. Pours Dark ith a tan head. Aroma of Roast, fruit, slight chocolate, and alcohol. The flavor is mild sweetness upfront, Roast, dark fruit, and finishes with a moderate bitterness.

acquired in trade from ucusty...pours nearly black with a crimson head. big charcoal aroma with some roasted coffee and red apple. body is surprisingly crisp. flavors start with char and mild coffee when cold. as it warms leather, chocolate and roasted malt flavors come out. there’s a strange aspirin character that really keeps this one from being great...

Bottle sampled with stegosaurus, care of trade with drbayern. Black pour with brown head. heavy roast aroma and mild hop. Over the top roast with the taste. Should have been blended better. Its ok.

12 oz bottle

This was sent in a trade. Thanks to the person who sent it; once again I lost track of who deserves it. I’ve been looking forward to this one for a while. Duck Rabbit has a nice thing going in North Carolina. If they ever expand to Wisconsin I’ll be the first in line to pick up a sixer. This particular release was good but a little unusual for an imperial stout. Despite that I found it good. It’s not quite on par with the baltic porter in my opinion but it is pretty close.

Aroma / Appearance - As befits an imperial stout it was dark. This one was more on the fluid side than most; unlike some which spin like molasses this one moves freely. The pour started with a one finger mocha colored head and dense creamy lacing. Cocoa, expresso, raisins and figs are the first scents to greet the senses. Next come anise, smoke and plum. The finale is vanilla and pecan pie. It’s not the most complex imperial stout but it is very satisfying.

Flavor / Palate - The first sip was smoke, vanilla and chocolate dipped coffee beans. A mild bitterness balances everything out. Caramel dipped fruits, anise and then hoppiness create a nice second wave of flavors. It lingers on the palate for a long time with a split personality - dry in the back and moist towards the front of the mouth. For an imperial it was very easy to drink. The finish reminded me of oats, coffee and cocoa as it finally faded.