The Duck-Rabbit Sour Porter

Brewed by The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery
Style: Sour Ale
Farmville, North Carolina USA

Cask at Milltown, had this on two separate nights. B.O.S.S. Sits dark with copper edges in a quaint but sturdy snifter. Despite cask serving produces a one to two finger frothy tan head. Wonderfully pungent and complex nose. Vinous with notes of tart cherry skins, sweet caramel, milk chocolate, spicy oaky tannins, vanilla, mellow bourbon. Flavor is tart and acidic with flavor of cherry skins and a mild roast and bakers chocolate, oak and bourbon exist in undertones and pay wonderful compliment. Aroma and flavor both a fantastic integration of each of the individual aspects of the beer. Palate shows a pleasingly sessionably acidity and a nice crisp finish. Absolutely wonderful.

So the word from the brewers is that this was a cask of bourbon barrel-aged porter that turned a bit funky, so they dumped some sour cherries in. It was a bit of a mystery before the tasting, but damn it was good. Luckily it didn’t get tapped out the first night, so I met TURDFERGUSON there on Friday night and then shared another glass with the Carolina Crew on Saturday. Poured with a decent head the first night (big frothy bubbles), but closer to still the second night. Hazy dark brown pour. Nose is acetic... vinegar, cherries, oak, and some bourbon and roast, but not overpowering. Definitely more oud bruin than porter, but the porter notes were there, too, particularly in the form of a great cocoa presence running underneath the tart sour. So much going on with this beer, but it’s surprisingly balanced. Dry finish made me simultaneously think of bitter baker’s chocolate and super sour cherries. Amazingly good.

Enjoyed on cask at Milltown, with a bunch of the Carolina Crew on hand. As David wrote, the still pour - with only a few lonesome bubbles - was the first thing noticeable about this brew. Strong oak and cherry in the aroma, and my immediate impression was that this beer might be closer to an oud bruin than a "sour porter." Either way, it’s really delightful. You get hints of the barrel in a sweetness that unfolds in the beer’s heart, ever so subtly providing balance to the acetic qualities elsewhere. Assertive fruit presence, and robust wood character. Dry as hell in the finish too. Really fine stuff.