The Duck-Rabbit Wee Heavy Scotch Style Ale

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

Serving: Draft. Appearance: Clear, deep amber color with a foamy, off-white head. Aroma: Caramel malt, alcohol, and fruit notes I wasn’t expecting. Flavor: Malty with notes of caramel, some peat, wood, almost scotch like, alcohol, and again with the fruitiness. Sweet with a very light bitterness. Palate: Medium carbonation with a medium-rich mouthfeel and a medium, sweet finish. Overall: Not a terrible example of the style, but the fruit flavors tended to throw me off.

Experienced via draft in a hexagonal pub glass. The beer pours a deep brown color with a moderate off-white head. Malt aromas come through in the nose, as does a surprising amount of fruitiness, a definite detractor, given the fact that the style calls for ester-free aromas and flavors. The palate begins with a nice malt complexity, showing some high-crystal notes, along with perhaps a touch of Munich. However, it is rounded out by a harsh hop bitterness (strikingly similar to what was found in this breweries ghastly brown ale) and a level of fruity esters that made it almost seem as though they had used a Belgian Trappist yeast. The esters become more displeasing as the beer warms, to the point where it is difficult to finish the drink. Overall, it really seems as though the brewers lack a basic understanding of the process involved with making beer. Terribly disappointing.

From a bottle poured straw color with a good amount of head. Nice strong malty flavor with a lasting finish.

12oz. Bottle: Aroma of light alcohol, malts, light spices, slight wood, light dark rum, slight whiskey, molasses, and a hint of nuts. Poured deep amber/deep orange in color with a small, dense, off-white/tan head that lasted throughout. Cloudy. Lightly sparkling. Many tiny and small-sized particles throughout. Flavor is medium sweet. Tastes of malts, light wood, light burnt caramel, burnt sugar, molasses, light scotch, nuts, and a hint of tobacco. Medium body. Viscous, syrupy, slightly dry texture. Soft to average carbonation. Malt, light spice, burnt caramel, and nut finish.

Courtesy of JCB, Thanks Jason! Burnt amber color with an ivory head. Aroma is actually dominated by apples, with a touch of sweet toffee and butterscotch. I was not expecting the fruit in this style. Initial taste of toffee, sweet malts and apple. Moving into burnt caramel. Finishing warm & malty. Very Nice beer, but again a bit surprised by the fruit.

Nice scotch ale. Aroma was very good. Thick chewy caramel malt which carries through to the taste. Hints of roastiness and brown sugar come out as it warms. Good carbonation rounds it out.

Pour s a dark brown with ruby highlights. Aroma of roasted malts, chocolate, caramel, and brown sugar. Flavor of chocolate, caramel, roasted malts, with some nuts. Very nice offering. Rich and well-balanced.

Bottle picked up in NC. Deep reddish-amber color with a small white head and some lacing. Aroma is sweet with caramel, toffee, dark fruit, and a little smoky peat. Flavor is caramel, toffee, brown sugar, nuts, and mild roast. Sweet for the style. Palate is medium-full and carbonation is medium-low. Pretty solid example of the style overall.