Duck-Rabbit Wee Heavy Scotch Style Ale - The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery

57md

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Pours a dark copper with a finger of beige head that enjoyed some retention around the very edges of the glass. The nose includes caramel, nuts, bread and an odd note that was hard to place. This offering has a malty sweetness to it that gives way to a chewy bitterness that includes a trace of alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2013 21:36:52 | More by 57md

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I had this on tap at O'reilly's tap room and Kitchen in Harrisburg, served in a snifter.

The color is deep copper with some bronze highlights and small thin head of beige which becomes a ring of beads yet revives with a swirl. There are legs on the glass as it is swirled. The smell is very nice with some light malt toasted odors and slightly sweet nuttty almost almond-like scents with a moderately alcohol influenced aroma. The feel is good with slight sweet entry and mild bitterness with not quite cloying feel and moderately high carbonation and semi boozy finish.

This is a pretty decent Scotch ale, a bit of roast and light bready toasted malt with mildly sweet almost caramel and nutty with a gentle bitterness to balance things out but the alcohol comes forward slightly in the flavor as it warms, not bad which might be expected of a beer 8% or higher, I like the dry finish. Overall a pretty good ale, not one I would want more than 1 snifter of however.

Serving type: on-tap

03-25-2013 14:03:19 | More by Slatetank

Darkmagus82

Montana

4.03/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on tap in a pint glass

Appearance – The beer was served as a golden amber color with a one finger off white head. The head faded relatively quickly leaving a lighter level of lace on the sides of the glass.

Smell- The aroma is big and sweet with a strong aroma of brown sugar and some lighter notes of toffee. With these sugary smells is a good presence of a dark fruit and a heavy malt nature with lighter hints of roast mixed within. Rounding all the aromas out is a light boozy smell which overall produces a sweet and comforting smell.

Taste – The taste follows the nose very swell. A big malty and sweet flavor of a lightly roasted malt and bready nature mixed with big flavors of brown sugar meet the tongue. Some flavors of toffee and a light amount of a dark fruit then hit the tongue more toward the middle of the taste. As the taste advances to the end, a very light alcohol flavor meets the tongue leaving an almost lightly liquored hard candy taste to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel- The body of the beer is creamier and smooth with a carbonation level that was on the lower side. This feel was quite nice for creating a slower drinker with it accentuating nicely all the sweet and malty flavors of the brew.

Overall – A rather enjoyable drink I must say. A bit on the candy sweeter side even for a wee heavy, but very enjoyable and pleasant to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

03-23-2013 20:01:28 | More by Darkmagus82

Bouleboubier

Pennsylvania

4.26/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A: burgundy liquid....tan head, somewhat creamy with an open structure, not much retention, decent lacing

S: dark, rich caramel....potent fruity esters woven in...bit of a toasty note, alcohol in the background ...really bright and inviting, overall

T: the requisite flavors seem to be all there...darker caramel malt, residual in the aftertaste....perhaps a little more alcohol-forward and malt depth/richness weak than it should be (if that makes sense) - there's a little something in there that gives it a true, characteristic Scotch ale flavor - and I hate to say it could be a "smoky" nuance - could be a yeast or special, adjunct malt character...there's some bubblegum, which should be there, and it's at a nice, mild ratio here

M: a little thinner than the aroma suggests... probably dead on with your average (within a small range) true Scotch ale.... has a sort of light velvety/satiny viscosity - not chewy.... quite dry otherwise, wine-like alcohol and spice feel

O: shit!... along with Bear Republic's Heritage Ale, one of the best, most textbook (not quite the word I was looking for, but close) Scotch ales from an American brewery. Very well done!

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 09:29:38 | More by Bouleboubier

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.21/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Thanks a while back to kwakwhore and Solomon420 for bottles of this, which I know is a couple years old by now. Enjoy by 08/09, so quite old actually... but hopefully being an 8% abv wee heavy, it held up.

Surprisingly still carbonation, a nice ppsssttt as I crack the top, and a decent fizzy head rises up to almost 1/2 finger before quickly fading back like the style would expect, faint lacing, over a very sediment filled as expected for a 4 year old beer, coppery caramel colored beer.

Nose is pretty nice, surprisingly a bit of booze cuts in through it, with plenty of malts, sweet candy malts, caramel, little nutty, molasses and candy, caramelized brown sugar, toffee, etc. Then fruits, a bit of dark fruits a little fig paste and nutty raisins.

Taste starts with more malts, plenty of sweet brown malts, and the sweetness really held up, and brings a little booze with it, booze taste and warmth, perfect for the cold night tonight. Fruits in there again, figs and little candied raisin flavor. Sweetness comes also with the toffee, little molasses, caramel, and candy syrup flavors, and just a bit of an aged malt character with slight toasty bready taste. There is a faint hint of fusel like alcohol, which is surprising to last after this much time. A faint hint of an earthy hop in there with touch of bitterness. Finish is sticky and sweet, syrupy, more nutty sweet malts, fig and candied raisins, and toffee syrup flavors lingering, with a bit of booze as well.

Mouth is fuller bodied but not thick, syrupy with decent carb esp for the style and age, and plenty of warming slightly tingly booze.

Overall surprised how well this held up. Quite a nice beer with great dark malts, sweet flavors, fruits, etc. It has quite a bit of a Belgian Strong aged beer at this point with the flavor profile it brings, which is quite nice.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 22:30:31 | More by jlindros

AndyAvalanche

Massachusetts

4.19/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

12 oz. bottle poured into a Sam Adams Perfect Pint Glass. Nice gold to deep amber in color. Glows golden when held up to the light with excellent clarity. A thick orange creamsicle colored head with various bubble sizes and good lacing.

Smell is very good and consistent in representing the style, total malt bomb. Probably closer to the darker colored malts being used here. There's also plenty of dark fruit notes, not too boozy which sometimes this style can be. Slightly sweet, but overall well balanced in the smell.

Taste is very good, and 100% on par with the smell. Flavor is really good. I have to describe it as having a candied caramel apple, but it's not the classic granny smith, more of a slightly more than ripe Red Delicious or other non sour red apple, the good taste without the mess. In addition to that there's sweet toffee and hints of coco powder and maybe some slight earthy spice, nutmeg maybe. Super good.

Mouthfeel is good. Full bodied with a good carbonation level. Rich, buttery and only a slight bite to it. Well balanced for the style. Super drinkable, you could easily drink this faster than intended, but it's a nice sipper too. Another solid example of what Duck Rabbit is doing and doing right.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 02:46:58 | More by AndyAvalanche

undeadozzy

Pennsylvania

4.65/5  rDev +19.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Thick caramel darkness with a heavy cream colored head that gave way to lots of lacing. Beautiful color, serving it in a snifter definitely enhanced its already beautiful appearance.

S - Beautiful aroma on the nose. Instantly smell brown sugar, some dark dried fruit like figs and prunes, molasses, and a huge over powering malt smell that's nearly irresistible.

T - Hits hard with all the things I smelled AND MORE! Definitely picking up on an almost bran/pumpernickel mixed with a kinda malted milk ball sweetness, and some bite from the ABV, but nothing too much. A delicious elixir.

M - Smooth and creamy, almost sticky. Very heavy beer, but I wouldn't expect anything less from this style.

O - Never had a Wee Heavy before, but I think this was a good one to start with. Definitely very interested in the style now and want to try more!

Serving type: on-tap

01-06-2013 05:28:17 | More by undeadozzy

JWU

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz. bottle, poured into a curved porter glass.

A- A dark amber, with ruby highlights, almost clear, with chill haze present. a nice dense light tan head sits on top. Very nice lacing.

S- Typical scotch ale aromas, dark sugar, toasted bread, this one has a candybar sweetness to it though which differentiates it.

T- Candybar sweetness (nougat) carries through to the flavor. Almost a sweeter Old Chub, but without the faint smokiness. Also has a dark fruit note that is very nice. Very subdued hops on the end lend a balancing bitterness that is pretty much beaten back by the malt.

M- Creamy slick, with a nice light carbonation.

O- A nice take on the style that doesn't follow the crowd. Duck Rabbit rarely disappoints.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 19:43:24 | More by JWU

Flounder57

Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle was poured into a tulip.

Appearance: This beer poured a one finger head that reduced to a small creamy looking head. It is a crimson brown color. It has some clarity with vision of bubbles coming up through the glass. Crazy lacing on the glass as the beer was drank.

Smell: Toasted malts, caramel, toffee, molasses, fruity notes, dark fruits, and a bit of tea.

Taste: All of the above with some booze and lingering bitterness in the end.

Mouthfeel: Creamy silky smooth, full bodied, medium carbonation, a nice sipper on a cold winter night, and easy to enjoy.

Overall: A nice SA/WH that I scored over Thanksgiving. Happily to have finally enjoyed some beers from this NC brewery.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 22:51:50 | More by Flounder57

lurpy1

Minnesota

3.9/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First sampling of Duck-Rabbit,muled back for self from the Philly area. The wife and I split a 12 oz bottle.

Pours amber-orange, good 1/2 inch head which quickly dissipates. Leaves a lot of nice, sticky lacing.

Aromatically, very bready, sweetening coming in at the end. Leaves kind of a caramel roll smell. Nice, maybe not what I was expecting.

Shitload of malt shows up in taste, as do caramel, and a vague tea-like flavor. Sweet over bitter, but not cloying.

Medium mouthfeel, low carbonation.

I liked this beer. Didn't knock my socks off, but a pretty good rendition of the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2012 22:11:22 | More by lurpy1

buffs9

Colorado

3.4/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Rec'd in a trade from someone (got it months ago)

A: mostly ruby and burnt orange. Off white head that is an inch and a half thick. The lacing was very good, head faded rather quickly

S: Fig, caramel, burnt sugar. Slightly bready as well.

T: initial taste was almost unpleasant, but gets better w/ some time. Not as nice as the nose, mild caramel. Some light fruit notes.

M: Only a mild hint of booze. A bit oily, but a very dry finish.

O: A bit disappointing.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2012 02:16:43 | More by buffs9

axeman9182

New Jersey

3.58/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle with a freshness date of November 2012. It was allowed to warm some before being poured into my Brooklyn Brewery tulip.

Duck Rabbit Wee Heavy pours a clear maroon with plentiful cherry highlights. Maybe two fingers of khaki colored foam forms on top of the beer. Head retention is just OK, but lacing is left stuck to the glass in good sized chunks. The nose is fairly one dimensional, but what's there is a nice blend of caramel and brown sugar. Similarly, I wish the flavor profile was a bit more varied. Some nutty or light chocolaty malty notes or a touch of fruity esters from the yeast would really liven things up, but it's all caramel and brown sugar, all the time. The mouthfeel is nice for the style, with a full body and subtle carbonation. Duck Rabbit's Wee Heavy is an alright beer, but it's one of the least impressive from a brewery who puts out a lot of beers that I enjoy.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 06:28:36 | More by axeman9182

tdm168

North Carolina

4.05/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap at Village Draft House.

Pours a dark amber with a thin lacing of soft, white head. The nose has note of caramel and baked apples. The flavor opens with caramel and baked apples, quickly follows with some intense toasted malt, and then finishes smooth with a little more caramel. There is just a faint alcohol note in the finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, smooth, warm, creamy, and has little carbonation.

This is a solid, flavorful, drinkable beer. It's not extremely complex, but it is to style. In my opinion it's worth checking out.

Serving type: on-tap

03-01-2012 02:13:40 | More by tdm168

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served in a Gale Sayers shaker pint glass.

Somehow that tam works on that creature... This stuff pours a clear sunset garnet-amber topped by a finger of light tan foam. The nose comprises caramel, lightly toasted toffee, light Belgian candi sugar, and an underlying suggestion of dark, earthy, spinach-y greens. The taste follows suit, though now everything comes off a touch sweeter, save the greens, which now come off fruiter, figgier. Some mild maple syrup seems to bubble up in some spots in the back. The body is a light-leaning medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a generally smooth, generally creamy feel. Overall, a pretty nice wee heavy, though one that just pleasantly satisfies: it doesn't really impress. I'd take another, but not excitedly.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2012 17:57:37 | More by TMoney2591

tobelerone

New Jersey

4.33/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A gorgeous dark amber/burnished gold color with a reddish tint. Semi-opaque but clear and not cloudy. Tan fluffy head that falls slowly, leaving a thin band and slippery lace.

Sweet, malty, lightly boozy aroma continues to the flavor; profoundly big, toasty maltiness, slight boozy finish, fruity and sweet without any bitterness. Slowly receding sweet aftertaste. Medium full body, good carbonation, maybe a touch prickly for my taste but just by a smidge.

Another real winner by Duck Rabbit, a terribly underrated brewery in my book.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2012 19:45:55 | More by tobelerone

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.13/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Pours a crystal clear dark amber with the just the slightest amount of visible carbonation. The head is pretty thin - light tan about a quarter of a finger tall - and dissipates almost immediately leaving just the slightest hints of bubbles around the edges of the glass. Moderate lacing is observed.

S: Aromas of sweet malts, caramel, and toffee. Some presence of alcohol, just burns the nose a touch.

T: Sweet malts with hints of candy sugar and honey. Almost cloyingly sweet. Hints of caramel, toffee, and burnt sugar. The alcohol is present but not overpowering.

M: Medium bodied with light to moderates amounts of carbonation. Kind of creamy.

O: Good representation of the style but it is not one of my favorite styles. Sweet and boozy so not a real easy drinker.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2012 01:10:03 | More by dbrauneis

azdback

Arizona

3.98/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Port pint glass. Light golden brown color. Very few large carbonation bubbles lead to a small off white colored head that is a small one finger in size. Lace is minimal initially and doesn't improve with consumption.

Smell is of very sweet malts. Caramel and toffee come to mind. Toasted sourdough bread topped with honey or corn syrup. Just a bit of alcohol too.

Taste is like the smell, sweet malts. Sweet hard candies, honey, some darker burnt sugars of toffee or molasses. Just a hint of alcohol. Very well masked for 8.0%.

Mouthfeel is creamy and the carbonation is light. Body is balances to heavy and the finish is long and wet.

Overall this is a great representation of the style. I haven't had a beer of this style that I didn't like but this one represents well. Super sweet and a bit boozy, how can't you like this. Thanks to McNuts for this extra.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2012 06:21:12 | More by azdback

CHADMC3

Connecticut

4.1/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a toffee colored brown body with a light tan head that quickly dissolves leaving almost no lacing behind.

The aroma consists of sweet caramel malt, dark fruit such as raisins or cherries, and hints of spice.

The flavor is similarly sweet with caramel malt and a more subdued version of the dark fruit and also features hints of spice, bordering on woody. As it warms, bread notes appear as well.

Medium to fuller in body with a syrup like finish and medium to low carbonation.

A very nice example of the style with plenty of traditional character to offer the senses.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2012 02:01:44 | More by CHADMC3

WMEugene

Virginia

4.13/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A - Reddish copper color with a off-white head and great lacing.

S - Malts, sweetness and spices. A little bready.

T - Nice malty taste, a little bit of sweetness mixed with spices. A nice bready/biscuity taste as well.

M - Medium bodied, great carbonation, really smooth and drinkable.

O - Duck Rabbit has made a really good Wee Heavy here...highly recommended!

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2012 00:55:05 | More by WMEugene

gkatsoris

Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Very clear dark copper. Thin, whispy, white head.

S: Malty-balls/Whoppers. Raisney. Alcoholy. Apricot brandy.

T: Bread and malts. Pretty alcoholy. Peach brandy. Raisens. Dried apricots. Blonde brownie/blondie.

M: Super thick. Chewy and syrupy. Very thick. Borderline foamy.

O: Delicious. A definite sipper.

Thanks Redliner8!!

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2012 01:58:30 | More by gkatsoris

vandemonian

Maryland

3.9/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Duck-Rabbit Wee Heavy Scotch Style Ale is a pretty standard and nice wee heavy. It's nice, but not especially interesting.

A: Brown colour and a 5 mm head that lasts pretty well. 4

S: Malty and sweet with something else there too. A sweet biscuit aroma. 4

T: Malty with the slightest hint of yeast autolysis. The finish is like a vegemite sandwich, bread and umami. It's pretty dry. 4

M: Liquid with fine foamy bubbles. 4

O: 3.5

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2012 03:06:15 | More by vandemonian

SolipsismalCat

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass.

A: Clear amber color with one-finger, tan, foamy head that lasted a minute. Some lacing.

S: Sweet dark fruits. Almost smells like a Belgian ale. Very sweet.

T: High sweetness and light bitterness. Kind of spicy. Lots of fruit and caramel malt flavor that lingers for a bit. I taste the alcohol a bit.

M: Medium bodied with lively carbonation. Crisp and slightly dry.

O: This is a pretty good beer for the cold winter months. Very sweet and slightly warm.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 23:26:37 | More by SolipsismalCat

MacQ32

South Carolina

4.6/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a reddish caramel brown with a really nice caramel colored head, decent retention, steady carbonation. Nice lacing

S - Smells of caramel, molasses, figs, toffee and bready malts. Pretty sweet (after tasting it im now picking up on the fruity from pear I'm thinking)

T - Great! fruity pear sweetness up front, alocohol comes in and intense and sweet malts come in at the back. this is amazing

M - Kind of light bodied, as expected based on the constant carbonation and lacing sliding down the glass. Very drinkable, especially for the taste/abv.

O - 8%, super drinkable and tastes amazing. I dont know what else to say

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2011 01:01:56 | More by MacQ32

DaveBlack

Virginia

3.58/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Rich, reddish-brown color. Transparent, with many bubbles which cling to the edges of the glass. The head is small, but stays around as it's fed by the bubbles from below.

S: Big malty character, some alcohol and something that smells slightly metallic. Sweet and decent, though the metal smell is a bit off putting.

T: As expected, lots of toasty malts up front, with a hefty hit of toffee and a lot of sweetness. There's a bit of a chocolate flavor as well. Lots of malt flavors which bring a relatively large variety to the beer. The hops at the end balance the sweetness somewhat, though it is still rather overpowering.

M: Moderately heavy body with a moderate amount of small-bubble carbonation. It's sticky in the back of the throat, but relatively slick in the mouth.

O: The alcohol is nice, the malts complex. Some aspects of the beer leave a little to be desires, and the sweetness isn't kept in check well enough fr my taste. A decent stab at the style, but could use some tuning.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 23:15:39 | More by DaveBlack

JayS2629

Alabama

3.88/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dark amber with a two finger creamy white head that fades fast but leaves nice lacing.

The aroma is rich, caramel, toffee, over ripe pears, and other fruity notes. Nice does of grassy and herbal hops to balance.j

Flavor follows with super rich and sweet toffee, caramel, and honey notes. Malty but a good dose of herbal hops balances the heaviess out. A bit boozy with a few medicinal notes. Not quite balanced out.

Creamy, middle of the road on body. Nice.

The overall is I've had better Wee Heavys and I've had much better Duck Rabbit beers. Medicinal notes and booziness out of balance and throws things off from the style. Interesting and noteworthy, but not my favorite wee heavy. I've got five left though.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2011 05:05:23 | More by JayS2629