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

mattbk

New York

3.83/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

A - Mostly opaque, nice dark tan head, a bit watery looking.

S- Some roast, some caramel, strong lactose aroma. A bit of vanilla.

T- At first, nice strong roast, then fades to a bitter dark chocolate roast, finally ending in the sweet milk sugar. This has a very nice taste, enjoyable. The bitterness is faint and fleeting, and not distracting to the overall flavor of the beer. Maybe a bit of piney hoppiness too. Nice.

M- The beer falls down in mouthfeel, way too thin, and overcarbonated. Not appropriate for the style.

O- A good beer, nice tasting, the mouthfeel/viscosity needs a lot if improvement to call this great though, and it might prevent me from buying this again.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2012 01:30:10 | More by mattbk

rexxin

New York

4.05/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - Very dark chocolate color, with a nice light brown head.

S- A nice coffee smell

T- Actually tastes like how it smells. Coffee flavor with a chocolate spin, and a light bitter bite to it. Pretty enjoyabe.

M- In my opinion, this is the best part of this beer. Its very smooth, and has an nice feel with good body however has just enough bite at the same time. I enjoyed it.

O- I enjoyed this beer as mentioned above, I would suggest atleast giving it a go. It was nice, and something I am not really used to.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2012 22:48:09 | More by rexxin

notchucknorris

California

3.8/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a dark mahogany color with a fluffy one finger tan head. Great retention.

S: Dark roasted coffee, roasted malt, some pumpernickel and a little bit of chocolate milk. A pretty nice blend of things in here. Definitely gets a lot better as it warms up.

T: Roasted malt with some chocolate covered currants, which lead a touch of tartness. Some watered down coffee and cola nut on the finish. A little light on the mouthfeel but still has a nice creaminess to it.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2012 22:03:08 | More by notchucknorris

jtd1969

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - dark chocolate in color with light brown head with decent carbonation and head retention. Good Lacing.

S - Malty, slight sweet coffee

T - slight coffee, creamy, some bready, maybe a tad chocolate with a light grassy hop character

M - full bodied but not an imperial style. Full bodied for a "regular" stout. High light carbonation to low medium. Smooth

O - Delicious "everyday" stout. I like others by Duck Rabbit better, but easily see why this is their most marketable beer! Good one.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 03:31:19 | More by jtd1969

flagmantho

Washington

3.9/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 12oz bottle into a pint glass. Best by November 2012.

Appearance: extremely dark brown; impervious to light except around the edges where a dark ruby-brown shows. Head poured a thick finger of frothy tan foam that has decent retention. Attractive.

Smell: sweet, chocolatey aroma which I like. There's also a big hit of vegetal hop aroma toward the end; usually, a little of this is fine, but it seems relatively pronounced here.

Taste: again, sweet and chocolatey, but there is more balance and nuance in the flavor than in the aroma. A light bitterness helps balance the sweetness, and the vegetation is nicely toned down. A good beer.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a good carbonation and a delightful if somewhat evanescent creaminess. Not bad.

Overall: I like this beer quite a lot. The aroma could be improved, but it's a solid sweet stout.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2012 16:23:15 | More by flagmantho

ezterry

North Carolina

3.2/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: nice dark black in color with half an inch of head, retaining a small layer

S: strong coffee smell

T: rich coffee like flavor very little sweet from the milk, bitter

M: full feeling a bit less watery then most beers good.

O: nice color but coffee flavor a bit overpowering.

Serving type: on-tap

08-30-2012 23:20:50 | More by ezterry

claytri

Maryland

3.73/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 2.5

The beer poured a dark rich mahogany with a tan head and lacing. The aroma is of sweet toasted malt. The taste is very toasty, almost smoked, with a sweet finish. The feel is heavy and wet.

This one was more of a smokey stout than a milk stout. The smoke really took away from the lactose. The sweet had almost been used to patch up the smokiness. It's a nice beer, but not exactly what I'm looking for in a milk stout.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2012 01:46:58 | More by claytri

klhope89

4.43/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

I am a huge stout guy and this one surprised me. Picture Guinness but a tad smoother, assuming because the milk infusion. It's also noticeably strong. In conclusion, this is the stout I compare others too, including Guinness.
If there is.another that anyone knows of that is similar, I.would be more than happy to try it out.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2012 03:31:49 | More by klhope89

macrosmatic

Florida

3.45/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to dogdoc for sharing this one! Reviewed from notes. Poured from 12 oz. bottle into pint glass.

A: A mostly opaque dark brown, with minimal visible carbonation and a thin ring of tan foam.

S: Coffee, a little sweet with some background spiciness.

T: Coffee, cacao, warm spices, caramel, toffee. The hang is somewhat bitter, a little tangy, and nearly astringent.

M: Creamy yet thin mouthfeel, and relatively low carbonation even for the style.

O: This was OK, but left something to be desired. This had some off flavors - not enough to ruin the beer, but there's some flaws here. Worth trying, but my first experience with Duck-Rabbit was less than stellar.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2012 23:38:31 | More by macrosmatic

psuKinger

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle poured into one of my Rivertowne Irish Tulips.

A: Murky deep shade of brown, with a moderately thick, lightly-tanned head on top, about 1 fingers worth.

S: Coffee with cream. A whiff of vanilla. All at a moderate volume.

T: Roasted malts and java arrive early, but are quickly shouted down by vanilla cream. A touch of grapefruit bitterness is detectable on the back end.

I really like milk/sweet stouts. I love how smooth they are. And I love hops. Particularly grapefruit hops. But I really wish there was a little less vanilla/cream and a little more roastiness here. And the grapefruit bitterness that I generally enjoy most everywhere, including dark roasty/creamy/chocolatey concoctions like Founder's Porter, really isn't working for me here.

It's all fine. It's got character. I like it. I just don't love it.

M: Light and creamy in the mouth, carbonation seems appropriate, and the finish is very dry and sticky/bitter-sweet thanks to the generous serving of hops in this bottle.

D/O: It's fine. Certainly not something I'd refuse if offered. But I feel like there are better options available elsewhere.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2012 19:37:01 | More by psuKinger

MadScientist

New York

2.08/5  rDev -45.7%
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

BlackBelt5112203

South Carolina

3.6/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle poured into a snifter at cellar temperature.

L – Deep brown color with a 1-finger tan bubbly head that dissipates moderately quickly into a bubbly film that lingers at the surface throughout. No lacing.

S – Mostly sweet aromas of lactose, plums, raisins, molasses, and chocolate. A little bit of roasted malts with coffee and dark chocolate notes. Smells really nice.

T – Very sweet with flavors of plum, lactose, molasses, and a little bit of chocolate. A tiny bit of bitter roasted coffee flavors appear at the finish. A very, very tiny bit. This is definitely on the sweet side of the spectrum.

F – Light-to-medium-bodied with lots of carbonation (almost like soda), a creamy and tingly mouthfeel, and a slightly dry and sweet finish. Creamy and fruity sweetness lingers, as does the throat-tingling sensation of carbonation.

O – This is a pretty good milk stout. It’s very drinkable for sure, but there are a few weaknesses. For one, I would like to see better head retention and lacing. Also, the taste just doesn’t have as much complexity as the aroma. I was expecting a bit more milk chocolate in the taste, but I mostly got fruits and milk sugar. Finally, the body is a bit too light for a stout with a little bit too much carbonation. Regardless, this is a tasty beer and a decent example of a milk stout.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2012 15:32:16 | More by BlackBelt5112203

lnashsig

Texas

2.65/5  rDev -30.8%
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

bubseymour

Maryland

2.48/5  rDev -35.2%
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

rudzud

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Received this bottle as an extra in a trade. Poured into my Duvel tulip.

A - Holy cow is this awesome. Pours a massive, massive 3-4 finger mocha head that leaves sudsy yet thick side lacing and a thick blanket atop that dark black pour. Excellent.

S - Okay, back to reality. There is some light roasted malt and chocolate aroma. Some slight caramel sweetness as well. There is an odd slight metallic and alcohol aroma though.

T - Yep, there it is. Like the nose there is some light chocolate and roast, and like the nose though there is some slight off metallic taste.

M - Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy, and then here comes that metallic aspect. Kills it.

O - Overall, that weird metallic taste and aroma really destroyed this beer for me. So unfortunate.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2012 18:36:38 | More by rudzud

OMGTheyKilkenny

Connecticut

3.88/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Draft into a pint glass.

A- Nearly opaque black, then rays of blood red sneak in around the edges. Pours a thin, light khaki-colored head with virtually no lacing.

S- Nicely toasted malts, chocolate, oatmeal, and heavy cream. Fairly robust nose. Sweet aromas, vaguely reminiscent of campfire.

T- Rich and luscious, extremely toasty. Mellow at first with a very sweet finish. Taste matches the nose, and the whole composition comes together almost like a porter. Aftertaste lingers for some time.

MF- Fills the mouth, coats it, and takes up residency there. Medium to heavy carbonation, strong for a stout. Swishing it around, the beer becomes especially creamy in the mouth. Definitely has a presence.

D- Heavy and hearty. A pleasant drinking experience, but one or maybe two a night is just fine. After finishing this up, I was definitely in need of a pilsner to cleanse the palate.

Serving type: on-tap

06-30-2012 21:50:48 | More by OMGTheyKilkenny

jzauder

Florida

4.35/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance is dark black with a little brown on the edges. But mostly black. How complicated do these reviews need to be? Let's not overdo it here. Just enjoy the beer. Just a little bit of lacing that disappeared quickly.

Aroma was chocolately with lots of malt.

Taste-I get a little too much carbonation at first but it's certainly full of chocolate malt flavor. Some raisiny taste. Mouthfeel was not too thick but just right for a stout. The milk does smooth and sweeten the flavor, and perhaps that's where I get the raisin flavor from.

A very drinkable sweet stout, I love it. It's a fairly simple beer, in that I could only detect a couple of flavors but all the flavors were fully developed. This is a great beer for people who don't drink a lot of stouts as the sweetness balances out the malt really well. I'll definitely pick this up whenever I can and will seek out other Duck-Rabbit beers. Hopefully, Duck-Rabbit will be distributed in FL soon.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2012 13:47:26 | More by jzauder

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.98/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

dark brown, almost black pour with 2 fingers of tan head.

smells of cocoa, toasted oats, light floral hop presence, light caramel, hint of tobacco. in other words, this smells awesome.

smoky flavor, dark chocolate, coffee, tobacco, earthy, toasted oats.. very nice flavor.. not too sweet for a milk stout, which is a surprise.

medium body with a creamy mouthfeel, dry finish. very flavorful, very easy to go down.

overall this is a phenomenal session stout. very flavorful which makes it pretty complex in comparison to most milk stouts. wish we got this around nj!

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2012 22:34:42 | More by facundoCNB

estlinska

Arkansas

3.5/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Served in a 16oz standard pint glass. Pours a deep brown color with hazelnut appearing head that froths and then disappears rather quickly. The nose is rather astringent, but with a deep coffee character. The body was rather lighter than I would have expected, but not too light; middle of the road I would say. Taste was full of deep, roasted malt; lots of coffee flavors that carry over from the nose. Lots of alcohol taste.

Serving type: on-tap

06-19-2012 08:11:53 | More by estlinska

Jamesthebrit

Michigan

3.7/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours pretty dark but not as much as other stouts. Good brown color. Cream colored head stays for a while.

S: Lactose dominates. Some roast.

T: Very nice here, the roastyness really stays separate from the lactose. A little lingering sweetness is a offputting as it seems un natural. Would give it a higher score around 4 or 4.5 if not for this.

M: Sits very well with a medium body. Some flavor development but it doesn't overwhelm. Bubbles are about perfect only a little too much carbonation.

Overall a pretty good beer. The taste is great at first but that lactose really cuts though as the beer warms and it's a little too much.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2012 20:44:57 | More by Jamesthebrit

antique

Virginia

3.25/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from one of their pretty distinctive bottles. The logo is perhaps a bit disconcerting.

It pours a pretty dark brown that does let in some small amounts of light when held up to a bright light source. A fairly thin, soda-like head stands about a fingernail high, but it dissipates quickly and doesn't leave behind much lacing. Altogether not the most particularly good-looking brew.

Smells of roasted malts, chocolate, and some coffee. It's not particularly pungent.

What it lacks in demonstration, the brew begins to make up for in taste and feel. It's a lighter stout, but it doesn't lack for strong flavors -- coffee in the nose, somewhat obscured by the pretty heavy carbonation -- but once that lets off, dark fruits and a bit of a nutty, caramel-tinged flavor laces the mouth and lingers for a good while. It's certainly a somewhat unusual stout.

Overall it's a bit on the light side, which makes it very drinkable, but I feel like the carbonation hides some of the more subtle flavors, and the presentation is uneventful to say the least. Still, it's a solid brew despite, and one I'd recommend for the price, but probably not something I'd buy regularly.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2012 06:14:28 | More by antique

plutobandit

2.33/5  rDev -39.2%
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

YouSkeete

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -21.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Transparent dark brown with a very light khaki colored head. Smoked sesame seeds, milk chocolate, roasted coffee and rolled oats. Odd and robust sesame seed and burnt malt tang on the initial sip, followed by smoother tones of milk chocolate, heavy cream and oats. Cleaner, drier, chocolaty finish. Medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation. This brew almost tastes like it went sour but the exp. date is this year.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2012 02:40:33 | More by YouSkeete

Dope

Massachusetts

4.23/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

My last bottle, it's a bit old (best by 6/11, almost a year ago). Hopefully still good!

A: Pours a very dark brown with a big dense chocolate milk colored head adorning it. Fades slowly, leaving fluffy lines of lacing behind.

S: Lots of milk chocolate and a nice coffee bean to go with it. A little bit of char but the creamy chocolate dominates here.

T: Loaded with wonderful creamy milk chocolate. Hints of coffee and char help balance it and keep it from being chocolate syrup. A bit of coffee and dark chocolate bitterness lingers in the aftertaste.

M: A little thin but it's only 5.7%. Silky smooth.

O: Ahhh what a great milk stout. One of the best, maybe second only to Moloko. It's silky smooth, creamy and loaded with chocolate. Just what you want for the style. If it were a little bit of a bigger beer it would be a 4.5+ in every category I think.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2012 05:09:51 | More by Dope

tonbarmcc

Delaware

2.83/5  rDev -26.1%
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