Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout - The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery

ao125

Virginia

1.13/5  rDev -70.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

This is by far the worst thing I have ever drank in my life. The beer smelled and tasted of burnt microwave popcorn. I couldn’t even finish a single bottle. This is the only beer that I wish I could un-taste.

It's really hard to go into a more complete review on this one, because it was quite literally something I had to pour out.

The color wasn't bad? That's not saying much though.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2011 14:18:19 | More by ao125

drcarver

Pennsylvania

1.95/5  rDev -49.2%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

I tried. I really tried to like Duck-Rabbit, but when they continue to ship sub-par cases to Pennsylvania I just can't get behind them. This is the second case I have purchased that was awful. Every bottle in the case of milk stout was bad. It poured with no head, had an extremely watery body, and smelled like stale cigarettes. The exact same thing happened to a case of amber I purchased a few months ago. I will not be buys their beer until I can get closer to their brewery.

The numbers in this review not only reflect the beer, but also how the appear to run their bottling, shipping, and distribution.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2009 13:25:35 | More by drcarver

MadScientist

New York

2.08/5  rDev -45.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

a: Very dark brown with garnet highlights with with a cream tan head. The head settles to half a finger with a a decent retention period.

s: There is a mild roasted aroma and nearly an equal metallic off aroma. There are some dark fruit aromas in the background, mostly plum like and a slight diacetyl.

t: There are flavors of dark roasted malt and coffee and moderate levels with a moderate lemon cider off-flavor going on. The is a moderately low sweetness and a medium bitterness. the balance finishes off-dry and slightly roasty.

m: very slick and prickly, so I'm thinking more diacetyl, which is ok per style, and some astringency, is not ok per style.

o: I enjoy that this beer is leans towards the bitter and roast side but there are several flaws that should be corrected before I could appreciate the beer and raise the score. I'm not that great a describing the off flavors and aromas I sense but something isn't right with this one.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 22:33:38 | More by MadScientist

vfgccp

New York

2.2/5  rDev -42.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

A – Light for a milk stout; almost lighter than Duck Rabbit’s brown ale. Dark brown body with cherry highlights. Bone white head settles into a light dusting, but leaves a nice sheet of lace.

S – Sweet milk layered with walnuts and light-roasted coffee. Touch of mulling spice.

T – Looks like this bottle took a turn for the worse. Sour throughout; almost oppressively so at the start. There’s a milky middle with some dark chocolate after the brunt of the funk fades, but there’s still enough sourness to overpower the rest of the action.

M – Medium/light body with low carbonation.

O – Clearly a bad bottle. I’ll have to come back and try this again next time I can find a bottle.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2011 23:01:14 | More by vfgccp

womencantsail

California

2.23/5  rDev -41.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

A: The pour is extremely overcarbonated and produces a massive off-white head with a very dark brown beer below.

S: Smells strangely metallic. Lots of roasted malts (maybe a bit ashy) with just a slight lactose sweetness underneath. Certainly some coffee notes too.

T: A decent enough lactose/sugar sweetness, but not all that impressive. Again, quite roasty with a slight acidity and definite metallic notes. Strong ash characteristics are also present.

M: The body is medium and the carbonation is on the high end of medium.

D: Not something that I'd really care to have again. Mediocre or worse in just about all phases.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2011 19:11:55 | More by womencantsail

Jbonzee

North Carolina

2.25/5  rDev -41.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Very average beer that had a funky taste of spoiled milk curds and baby cribs. It tasted like a shot of milk was poured in a glass of coca-cola and then infumigated with breast milk. How do I describe this other than ick? Just an average beer. How it got a 3.8 rating I'll never know.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2008 22:32:18 | More by Jbonzee

Khazadum

Illinois

2.25/5  rDev -41.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 2

Huge thanks to Bill for including this beer in a recent trade with him! Been waiting too long to try this bad boy. Poured into a snifter to enjoy.

A-Many little bubbles formed an average amount of head. Quickly dissipated down to a thin collar and singular lily pad of bubbles. Color of coffee grounds. Liquid is inky darkness with imaginable red hues. No lacing to speak of.

S- Heavily laced with roasted, burnt, and metallic grains. Very dark in terms of aroma, and I can detect pennies behind that. Faint coffee of the generic store brand variety.

T- Awfully oxidized. The opening notes are copper, iron, and nickel. Should a beer ever be that way to start? As the metals fade the grains come forward only momentarily with a hint of mocha for the finish. Minimal hops, and nothing else. This is almost unpalatable.

I'm forced to continue saturating the metal taste receptors to force myself to enjoy this beer. If I keep sipping at a more than comfortable pace, I'm left with what might be something half-decent. However, I fear that each drink will bring about the stabs of vomit-inducing molecules.

M- Full bodied, creamy, smooth, and velvet. The carbonation was along the lines of beneficial. This is actually well done in terms of feeling. If only the taste was as good.

Some of the residue is absolutely fantastic. I must note that. Sweet candies that remind me of cream and milk.

D- No. If this ever is opened in front of me again, I will only sip it if I'm promised these awful metal flavors are gone. There is something disgusting about this beer, and I hope it isn't intentional. If I had no taste buds, and relied on feeling alone I'd be happy. Sad for me I actually do.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2010 00:06:13 | More by Khazadum

plutobandit

2.33/5  rDev -39.3%
look: 1.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Cola appearance, visible head at the beginning but quickly vanished giving it just a carbonated soft drink effect. I see none of the "ruby red" appearance when held to the light, honestly looks like CocaCola.

I think there must be some kind of issue with this beer-- as it appears that folks on this board are literally writing about two different beers. Some are saying it is a great milk stout, sweet, chocolaty, savory, etc. (aka the beer I wanted to buy) However it simply is not that. This beer is hardly a milk stout, basically a brown ale with coffee. (can we make up a word for this? A coffee ale?) It is more sour and bitter than should be expected which leads me to similar questions to some other negative reviews have asked: "has it gone bad?"

However, looking at Duck Rabbits info on the beer- at 70-80 IBUs (depending on where you look) it isn't even really fall under the taste and style for that kind of beer. Most Milk Stouts are between 25-40 IBUs. (So if it is purposely unusual, maybe say something about it on the bottle?)

Anyway, maybe someone might like the sour chocolate tones of this beer, but I found it pretty unpleasant (especially when expecting something else). Smells better than it tasted. Either there are quality control issues, or Duck Rabbit needs to address why this isn't up to par with what I would expect from the "Dark Beer Specialist"

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2012 03:00:48 | More by plutobandit

Pencible

Virginia

2.35/5  rDev -38.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This poured a dark brown with very little tan head. It smelled like spoiled milk and licorice, with a hint of chocolate and berries. (There's a chance this was skunked, but I think this is just the nature of a milk stout versus a standard stout.) My first impression was that it tasted like ragweed. It had a little bit of chocolate flavor, no coffee, and some slight hops in the aftertaste. It had good carbonation, but it was still watery and thin for a stout. Overall this was a strange tasting beer, and a unique stout.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2008 23:03:45 | More by Pencible

MiScusi

California

2.42/5  rDev -37%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5

Bottle notched as best before 7/08. Dammit, I'm just a bit late.

A- very dark brown with a light tan creamy head that needs some pretty vigorous pouring to get going.

S- big time lactose, with the standard combination of chocolate and slight roastiness. Overall a really sweet smelling beer.

T- Roastiness hits initially, followed by this sweet twang. Seems to lack much depth with this strange, I don't want to say sour, but tangy flavor.

M- much lighter than I expected by it's look. Probably a good medium to heavy-medium.

D- not.

This was stored pretty well so I don't believe there can be too much of a problem with it due to poor storage conditions.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2008 04:07:27 | More by MiScusi

Frozensoul327

Michigan

2.45/5  rDev -36.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

A: Dark reddish black color; reminds me of Coca-Cola. Smaller head of tan foam had mild retention, but ultimately dissipated after only a few minutes. No lacing. Medium low levels of carbonation.

S: Dark malts, cocoa, sweet fermented grain, a touch of vanilla. Not overly complex, yet still right on for the style.

T: Strong sour fruit flavors, mild dark chocolate and malt. Mild roasted grain and malt flavors, but the sour flavors seem to drown everything out.

M: Too thin. This was very light on the palate, like bubbly water. I'm used to a bit more when thinking of the style.

D: Naw, this is more like a baltic porter than a milk stout. Thanks, but i'll have something else first.

Notes: Thanks to mikesgroove for the 12 oz sample via No Name BIF.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2007 00:39:19 | More by Frozensoul327

wac9

Pennsylvania

2.45/5  rDev -36.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2

dam so wanted to taste this beer and what a disappointed smells boozy taste boozy but does nothing for me i dont to drink anything by duck rabbit any more yes its dark but i dont taste anything in this beer that makes want todrink it again just taste like a high octane beer read the othe reviews because i did i just dont like this beer

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 01:24:49 | More by wac9

bubseymour

Maryland

2.48/5  rDev -35.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

A- very dark purple black wit 1 finger head

S- nice mix of malt chocolate coffee and roasted burnt scents

T- kind of sour with dry roasted flavors and a dry hoppy finish

M - thin and watery

O- NOT A BEER I care to finish
Not one of the better stouts out there.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2012 00:18:55 | More by bubseymour

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

2.53/5  rDev -34.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

First had: on tap at Tavern 17, Philly, PA

Standard milk stout, and I didn't care for it much. Poured dark brown to black with a small, tan head that dissipated about halfway through. Aroma was sweet and malty, as was the taste, with traces of chocolate and a bit of coffee. Somewhat thin and watery for a stout, despite the decent color, and a bit of a stale and bitter finish. It was kind of difficult to get all the way through this stout...perhaps I just wasn't in the mood, but it didn't make a good impression on me.

Serving type: on-tap

05-04-2011 03:03:17 | More by Rifugium

craytonic

District of Columbia

2.63/5  rDev -31.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: Almost opaque, if you hold it up to the light a little seeps through. Large head, which slowly dies and turns into deflated swiss cheese.

Smell: Coffee, Chocolate, fake vanilla

Taste: Taste is the same as the smell, but an unpleasant and unbalanced bitterness. I also get what seems like lactic acid.

Mouthfeel: Feels like skim milk! Could be a little thicker.

Drinkability: I did not finish it and won't be purchasing this again.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2008 16:45:45 | More by craytonic

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

2.63/5  rDev -31.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Poured into Duck Rabbit snifter. Enjoy by 09/2010.

Pours one finger of light brown head. Decent retention with some lace rings. Color is pretty much black.

Aroma: Heavy lactose flavor up front followed by some roasted malts and dark chocolate. There is a sharp flavor that I can't determine. It could be unsweetened chocolate.

Taste: Again lactose up front followed by smokey, almost burnt, malts. It has a sour taste to it, maybe it is the unsweetened chocolate I picked up in the nose. Some creamy flavors near the end.

Mouthfeel: Fizzy and crisp. Medium bodied with a surprising high amount of carbonation. Ends very dry and roasted.

Overall, I just wasn't a big fan of this one. Bottle was drank before sept, but maybe something was wrong with it. The flavors just didn't match up really well. Not something I want to drink a lot of.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2010 02:48:30 | More by mothman

lnashsig

Texas

2.65/5  rDev -31%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

#BOTG 91

Poured from bottle into NB tulip glass. Has a dark cola appearance, very little head. Not great. Smell- smells like Dr. Pepper and liquorice, not much else. Taste- tea leaves, liquorice, Dr Pepper, with a metallic and bitter ending. This is unremarkable and falls short of my standard for milk stout (left hand). I'll pour this out in favor of something more tasty tonight. Also, has a stingy mouthfeel. Not many great redeeming qualities here. Blah.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2012 00:37:57 | More by lnashsig

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

2.68/5  rDev -30.2%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass.

A- DR Milk Stout poured flat as can be. A very hard pour yielded nothing which is surprising. Is this intentional?, because this looked like iced tea or pepsi after it's been sitting for hours. A dirty brown color.

S- Nothing to special, just a small dose of roasted malt with some cocco, light chocolate and some milk/cream. This one just does not smell too lively for me.

T- Not my thing. The feel does not help things but the flavors do not mesh well together. getting more milk/vanilla cream taste then in smell. The malt addition is what I think is putting a off flavor in this.

M- Was not expecting any feel based on the look and did not get any. This one is flat, bland and boring. The taste does not help either putting this on the verge of the drain. Less than a medium body, pretty thin with no carbonation, needs alot of work.

D- Low abv works for me, the taste does not so I won't be going back for this one. Perhaps this was a off batch, either way not a good look in my book.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2009 05:59:50 | More by onix1agr

sonicdescent

Pennsylvania

2.73/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Edit: While my second bottle was better, it is still too flat and thin. One isn't a problem without the other, but together, it makes this difficult to drink. Second pour brings A from 2.5 to 3.5 with a much better head, still little retention, Smell and taste remain same, Mouth from 1.5 to 2.0 with seemingly a tad more carbonation, Drink from 1.5 to 2.0.

Pours an interesting cola like tint with nearly no head, even after a rather aggressive pour. In the event that this is a bad bottle, I will updated this rating on the second go round, but this lack of head is a big harbinger of issues to come.

Smell is about normal for a milk stout, caramel and creamy scents, a hint of a sour smell, no booze or hop presence.

Taste is similar to the smell, an average milk stout.

Mouth has huge issues, carbonation is nearly non existent and this is incredibly thin.

I have a second bottle of this because I bought a few of each Duck Rabbit bottles since we just got them here. If this was a bad bottle, I will re-review. If not, my second will be my last.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2009 02:54:24 | More by sonicdescent

PorterLambic

Florida

2.73/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours very dark brown with a medium tan head. In fact, if I hadn't opened it myself, I'd swear it was a glass of root beer. Same color, same head, same slight light penetration. Head even settles just like root beer. No lace at all.
Smell is roasted malt, coffee, light hops, a somewhat ashy note and a very light toffee note. Balance could be better. Coffee and ash standout quite a bit.
Taste is the same as the smell. Same notes with the same prevalence. Coffee and ash stronger than malt and toffee. Not sweet. In fact, if the label didn't say so I would not know this was a milk stout at all, more of a coffee-infused stout.
Medium-bodied start with a light effervescence. Slight wateriness. Finishes lighter than it starts. Aftertaste is like a cup of coffee with a cigarette in it and I hate both of those things. Won't be having this again.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2011 01:01:12 | More by PorterLambic

DearthVader

California

2.73/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

12 oz bottle poured to my Duck Rabbit snifter.

Thanks for these both Jebediahscooter!

Pours an opaque brown with a khaki head that never seems to leave the beer. You can slightly see carbonation bubbles when you bring the glass to the light. Very nice lacing.

Smell has a slightly burnt coffee hue to it with a sweet fudge based body.

Taste is upfront with the sweetness and finished with the coffee. Really, not much to it, but it's still decent.

I really could not stand the mouthfeel on this one. It was like watered down milk. Extremely thin with slight carbonation. Completely opposite of what I was expecting.

It is what it is. It's decent, I didn't enjoy it much, but I wouldn't be against having another bottle.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2011 01:06:06 | More by DearthVader

portia99

Massachusetts

2.78/5  rDev -27.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

12oz bottle received as an extra in a trade with TimmyP. Thanks Tim! Poured into a Portsmouth goblet. Enjoy before 10/09 on the label.

A - Pours an extremely dark brown, almost black that light struggles to make its way thru. A 1/2 finger of loose, cream colored, slightly soda-like head that disappears quickly leaving an uneven collar. No lacing on the sides of the glass.

S - Lots of roastiness, roasted barley, slightly acidic, floral and spicy hops.

T - Somewhat acidic/sour, dark roasted coffee, slightly bitter. Flavors are struggling to get past the tartness in this one. My first experience with this beer, so not sure if this is a bad bottle or not...not really enjoying the flavor here.

M - Highly carbonated, very prickly mouthfeel. A puckering experience.

D - Not very good. Really hope I just got a bad bottle on this one. I've enjoyed the other Duck Rabbit brews I've had. This one let me down.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2009 17:17:07 | More by portia99

Thickfreakness

New York

2.8/5  rDev -27.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A- Deep and dark... not much of a head on the pour. Little whisps of tan lacing line the rim of my Ithaca Excelsior tulip. Kinda flat!

S- Sweet iced coffee, roasted coffee, toasted cashews and macadamia nuts. It has a creamy sweetness that dominates. Not alot of depth on the nose. No citrus or hoppiness, just lots of sweet malts.

T- Sweet lactose, sugar and coffee... It has a nice bitter cocoa/coffee front end, back end and everything in-between! No real balance, just a bit of hops, but mostly sweetness and coffee bitterness that fill your mouth brilliantly!

M- Sweet and creamy... nice coffee bitterness... barely a trace of carbonation. Not sticky enough to be a stout, yet... such great flavor! Yum-Yum!!!

O- The lack of carbonation is so underwhelming!!! Tons of coffee... not a whole lot else going on here! Creamy mouthfeel, not really that much to write or brag about here! Average at best!

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2011 03:47:21 | More by Thickfreakness

tonbarmcc

Delaware

2.83/5  rDev -26.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

I like milk stouts generally, but this one is weird. I smell chocolate and coffee and toffee like I'd expect, but it seems a little too carbonated and not creamy enough for me. And strangely enough, it tastes very strongly of toasted sesame oil. Seriously--the beer tastes just like Asian noodles.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2012 16:44:51 | More by tonbarmcc

Leebo2007

North Carolina

2.85/5  rDev -25.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

COLOR: a really great stout color.

HEAD: little or no head with very low carbination, but typical for a stout.

SMELL: Rich carmel smell that has a wood burnt aroma. Great smell.

TASTE: When cold the stout has a smooth taste and you can really enjoy the flavor. But once it gets warm it loses some smoothness. It would be great for a Black & Tan.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2008 00:03:06 | More by Leebo2007