Duck-Rabbit Baltic Porter - The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery

Goblinmunkey7

Massachusetts

3.09/5  rDev -24.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: Black. Some super dark brown at the edges when held to light. Head is tan, bubbly, and loose. Drops to a small bubbly cap and creamy collar. Some notches of lacing. Smooth and slightly heavy pour.

Smell: Roasted malts. Dark chocolate and cocoa powder bitterness. Massively sweet. Some light milk chocolate. Slightly oxidized with hints of sherry and tart cherry. Some leather in the back. Loaded with dark fruit, some fig and plum, and bittersweet chocolate. Caramel, like the real thing. Some underlying hints of citrus and herbal hops.

Taste: Roasted and slightly burnt. Leather and dark fruit. Slightly tart cherry and plum layered over bitter cocoa and dark chocolate. Rich chocolate hits chocolate malt, milk chocolate, baker's and semisweet chocolate, it's all there. Raisins and some backing smoky char...almost. Warming pushes the raisin aspect up a bit too high. Some flat burnt, almost soggy malts.

Mouthfeel: Nice medium to full body with a moderate carbonation. Smooth and easy drinking. Relatively clean finish.

Overall: Impress me.

Not terrible. That's really where it stands.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 03:10:36 | More by Goblinmunkey7

sommersb

Tennessee

4.14/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Tasted On: 03-27-2013
Freshness: There's an 'enjoy by' part of the label but the markings there are not clear
Packaging: 12 oz. brown bottle, pry-cap
Glassware: Snifter
Purchased: Received in a trade

Black and opaque beer, with a small tan head. Retention is low and lacing is almost non-existent. Aromas start with chocolate, then move on to cherries, with somewhat of a sour note to them. Other smells are roasted malts and oak.

The taste fortunately is not sour, but has a bittersweet chocolate flavor, plus cherry wood. It has an earthy character to it, perhaps from the hops, but there is no hop bitterness. Also features some alcohol warming. The mouthfeel is creamy, like a milk stout, with a body between medium and full. Finishes semi-sweet, with flavors of light toasted malt and cherries.

Overall a rich and flavorful beer that is easy to drink. I'd recommend this one.

Thanks to Treyliff for this!

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2013 04:38:54 | More by sommersb

SolipsismalCat

Pennsylvania

4.09/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Poured into a pint glass.

A: Dark almost black with one-finger, tan, creamy head that lasted a few minutes and left a nice film. Okay lacing.

S: Raisins and coffee and alcohol.

T: Moderate to high sweetness and moderate bitterness. Roasted malt, then sweetness and alcohol. Finishes with bitterness.

M: Medium bodied with fizzy carbonation. Smooth and dry and warm going down.

O: You really feel this Baltic Porter. Not much to look at, but smells and tastes pretty good, and has a smooth, warm, alcoholic feel.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 02:04:57 | More by SolipsismalCat

chinchill

South Carolina

3.6/5  rDev -12%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle, with no notch on date strip, poured into a Avery nonic.
A: The beer is a deep dark brown color, with a moderate tan head that fades slowly. Thick lacing is left on the glass at first, but only spotty lacing after the head dies down.

The aroma has a very pronounced dark chocolate note, plenty of dark roasted malts, a little hops and coffee, and some dark fruit. It also has a faint but unfortunate hint of something like a cross between sour milk and rotten fruit; I suspect this could be an unfortunate artifact of the particular hop-malt combination.

T: The taste has a slight bit of sourness, but otherwise the off-note is much diminished. Otherwise, the aromatic components are repeated in the flavor, with the addition of a little smoky and earthy tint. The bitter-sweet and slightly smoky after-taste ;ingers for a good while and features chocolate, coffee and dark malts.

M: Full bodied and smooth, with somewhat high, medium carbonation. A light harshness and warming from the high ABV.

O: Rich and distinct version of this style will not appeal to all baltic porter fans.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2013 22:26:22 | More by chinchill

acsprouse

South Carolina

4.84/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A: black, dark strong looking brew here. Held up to the light you see some ruby red tones around the edges.

S: sweet, alcohol is there. You get a creamy smell, mixed with alot of dark fruits. Chicolate an maybe some anise. Kinda odd dark fruit

T: chocolate, creamy, dark fruits straight forward. Malty sweet well balanced. Maybe some milkiness

M: thick, full bodied beer. Crramy, silky

O: great baltic. Well balanced. Exceptional beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 08:17:12 | More by acsprouse

inlimbo77

Delaware

3.73/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

12oz, enjoy 10/14
Riedel tulip

A: Pretty much pitch black. See some reddish hues on the edges and bottom of the glass. Initially some tan head. Fades into a ring around the edges.

S: Getting really dark chocolate in the nose along with some dark fruit. Strangely getting some dark raspberry. Roasted malts.

T: Tight dark fruit and chocolate on tip of the tongue. Pretty tasty. Creamy dark chocolate. Definitely some fruit character is there. Fairly dry finish.

M: Full bodied. Creamy. Some oxidation.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 14:20:10 | More by inlimbo77

Boski

4.45/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

A: Black with minimal head that quickly dissipates. Not a lot of head retention either.

S: Smells sweet and rich. The alcohol is very present in the nose.

T: Very full bodied dark fruit flavors. Kind of a caramel sweetness from the malts. The alcohol is definitely not hidden.

M: Thick and syrupy... sticks around for a while.

O: I love this beer. I would say it is one of my top 2 I have tried from Duck Rabbit. It is a hot beer not for the faint of heart... but the complexity of it is fascinating. My only complaint is the alcohol is not well disguised... easier said than done though.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 02:20:45 | More by Boski

Daktah

North Carolina

4.83/5  rDev +18.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

An almost perfect beer. Pours deep brown, almost black, with a tan head. Low carbonation and a little lacing. The smell is almost all dark fruit, with a touch of chocolate or something else sweet. Taste is more dark fruit and a richness that doesn't overwhelm. Delicious dark cherry notes. This beer is exactly why I love Duck-Rabbit. Intense flavor in perfect balance.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 21:43:55 | More by Daktah

axeman9182

New Jersey

4.03/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle, allowed to warm before being poured into my Dogfish Head signature glass.

Duck Rabbit's Baltic Porter pours solid black, with just a hair over a finger's worth of mocha foam capping the beer. Head retention is alright, and lacing is minimal. The nose features aroma of cocoa powder and black licorice, and while the former is dominant, the latter definitely has its fair say as well. The dark chocolate that leads off the flavor profile is exceedingly smooth, I actually find myself wishing there was just a little bit of a roasty edge to it. The star anise that follows is joined by a light earthy hop presence to form the finish. The body is surprisingly not heavy for a big porter, and that combined with the lack of appreciable alcohol makes this one impressively drinkable. The modest, understated carbonation just completes the picture. Baltic Porter is just another entry in a very solid lineup from Duck Rabbit. Now, if they would just bottle The End of Reason...

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 07:41:41 | More by axeman9182

brentk56

North Carolina

3.68/5  rDev -10%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours dark as a stout, with a creamy tan head that lays upon the liquid, leaving a few strips of lace behind

Smell: Plum and black raspberry, with chocolate undertones

Taste: Dark fruit flavors forward, with the dried plum and black raspberry elements dominant; subtle chocolate tones add some depth, but the sugary malt flavors really take over in the middle and through the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Overall: A little too one-dimensional on the sweet fruity side; would prefer to see more chocolate and other flavors adding depth and balance

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 22:00:40 | More by brentk56

jaasen64

Massachusetts

3.35/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle thanks to jmarsh123. Poured into Founders snifter.

A- Pours a dark reddish brown almost very dark red mahogany color that is pretty much black. A very thin layer of slightly reddish mocha brown head forms that quickly recedes to leave no head. Slightly above average carbonation. Leaves some very spotty lacing that slowly recedes back into the glass.

S- Dark fruits, raspberries, cherries, chocolate, some lightly roasted malts. Pretty well balanced, about average aroma strength, a lot more dark fruits then I was expecting- kind of interesting and a little bit complex for a baltic porter.

T- Grapes, raspberries, cherries, some light chocolate in the background, finishes with cherry cough syrup and raspberries. Interesting flavor that was decently balanced, but just finished way too syrupy for me and didn't have the traits I usually like in porters.

M- Fairly smooth, abv well hidden, goes down easily, decent carbonation, maybe slightly over-carbonated.

O- This was an okay baltic porter. It reminded me way too much of cherry cough syrup though more then anything which I didn't particularly like. Overall interesting to try, but definitely not my favorite baltic porter and not something that I would go back to right away.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2012 00:50:08 | More by jaasen64

buschbeer

Ohio

3.88/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle
Served in a perfect pint glass

A - It is very dark brown. No light permeates this libation. About three inches of cocoa head is perched on top.

S - I get some roasted malt. There is some dark chocolate and dark fruit smells.

T - The first thing that strikes me is the taste of tart cherry. The roasted malt flavors come into play at the end and in the aftertaste.

M - Moderate.

O - It is a different taste experience from what I initially expected. The tart cherry taste was a nice surprise. You would never know that this is a 9% beer. The alcohol is hidden.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2012 16:53:36 | More by buschbeer

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Once again, I am reducing the backlog of inventory laid upon me by my most excellent local beer trader, tone77. He loads me up every time he stops by and I am incapable of keeping up at times. Many thanks!

From the bottle: "Proudly hand made in small batches"; "The Dark Beer Specialist".

Wow, but the head looks more like a stout! I got a finger-and-a-half of bubbling, deep-tan head with limited retention. Color was a deep, dark-brown allowing ZERO light penetration. Nose had a dried dark-fruit scent, like prunes, raisins, dried blueberries, you get the idea. Mouthfeel was medium and the alcohol heat was the first thing that was evident on the tongue. Getting past that, it was really like a fruitcake with lots of dried fruit flavors like the aforementioned as well as cherries plus a nice maltiness. Finish was literally breathtaking as the alcohol burn really led the way, followed by all of the fruitiness. I would only need one or two of these to get where I am going. Nicely done.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2012 02:57:18 | More by woodychandler

jmarsh123

Indiana

2.28/5  rDev -44.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Pours black with a small tan head fading into just the edges.

Smells of roasted malts, a bit of smoke and raisin.

Some roasted malt up front along with a touch of smoke. Intense dark fruit flavors on the back end create a horrible clash of tastes.

Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.

This one went to the sink. There were some good things up front, but the dark fruit flavor at the back end did not mesh well with the other flavors at all and ruined it for me.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2012 00:01:47 | More by jmarsh123

ThickNStout

Georgia

3.88/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz botte. Served in a Founders snifter. Bottling info is vague on Duck Rabbit's offerings but my brother said this was from 2010. 

Pours near black brown with a thin half finger tan head. No lacing to speak of. 

Smells of subdued raisins, malt and smoke. 

Dark fruits are the dominant flavor. Figs and raisin followed by bitter cocoa, leather, smoke and an almost coffee creamer note. 

Medium bodied with a a nice zest of carbonation. Only a tiny alcohol burn at the end of each swallow to remind me that this is 9% abv. Long bittersweet aftertaste. 

This was an enjoyable brew. I'll need to try a fresh one for comparison but this drinks like a "light" Russian imperial stout. Many of those same dark fruit and cocoa flavors but with a smaller body and still pretty high alcohol. Well done. 

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2012 15:20:43 | More by ThickNStout

tobelerone

New Jersey

4.15/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Another fine offering from this underappreciated brewery. Very dark brown, nearly black body; totally opaque. One finger tan head that settles slowly, lots of creamy lace.

Rich and complex in both aroma and taste. Ample roasted malt character with a trace of subtle smokiness. Dark fruits; plums and raisins; brown sugar and toffee; bittersweet chocolate. Hints of floral hoppiness noticed in the aftertaste, which lingers a bit with a pleasant mix of sticky sweetness and bitterness.

Medium full bodied with moderate carbonation and a smooth and creamy overall feel. A delicious and nuanced brew with a ton of flavor; one of the very best of the style.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2012 16:43:36 | More by tobelerone

Arborescence

Finland

3.48/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Appearance: Completely black as far as I can see. Pours a rich and thick, lively head, with a brownish tint.

Aroma: Interesting mixture of alcohol, light chocolate, and cream. But there's also a not so nice side aroma that I can't quite put my finger on.

Taste: Whoah, pretty rich stuff, chocolate, malt, alcohol. There's not much in depth to it though, and the aftertaste is disappointing. Initially very promising though.

Mouthfeel: Creamy, heavy bodied.

Overall: Not quite to my taste. It's a little bit different, but it's lacking in the roast department, and the high ABV comes through too much.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2012 16:59:38 | More by Arborescence

Jimmys

Pennsylvania

4.4/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle into tulip. best before either 05/12 or 12/12.

A: definitely opaque. definitely dark brown. head is tan and comprised of tiny bubbles. starts big, retreats to a rim. lacing is minimal.

S: caramel, toffee. lots of toffee. cigar wrapper. port. dark fruits include prunes and currants. a little bit of alcohol comes out at the tail end of a deep wiff.

T: grapes. black cherries. the bulk of the body is more dark fruit sweet, rather than roast. a lingering blend of tobacco, roast, and coffee comprises the finish. i cant get over this finish, very unique, very tobacco. i can almost a hint of smoke.

M: a fine carbonation on a full body.

D: big, without being RIS big. and the abv/flavor certainly could play with the RIS's. glad i was able to try this brew from duck rabbit as it can be a little more difficult to find than some of there other offerings.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2012 01:03:08 | More by Jimmys

SLeffler27

New York

3.93/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A huge, three-inch, dark chestnut foam glistens as it slowly turns to seafoam over a dark brown, almost black, beer with brown highlights. The cascading action on pouring is long lasting in a Harp pint glass.

The aroma is rather muted with roasted malt and fusil alcohol and some coffee.

Black coffee with some light chocolate and well balanced. This is a nice beer with no “wow” factor.

A light body that is almost flat with well-controlled alcohol.

An easy drinking beer, reminiscent of a brown ale.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2012 21:29:35 | More by SLeffler27

Friskybeerrapist

Florida

4.7/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I want to start and say this is a very good beer from Duck-Rabbit, like most of the other reviews this brew is true to style and all the flavor notes are there. This beer is so well balanced and drinkable than lesser baltic porters, it deserves to be cherished. Saying you're "The dark beer specialist" is a bold statement but, they get it right with this one!

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2012 19:09:06 | More by Friskybeerrapist

Phelps

Arizona

4.15/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Duck rabbit baltic porter

Bottle sent by tobelerone, poured into my Bell’s tulip.

Burnt brown-black, with nary a ray of light visible. One inch of oaky head is fuzzy and dense, descending only slowly. When it gets to half an inch tall, it resembles a fleece blanket and would probably last as long as one if I let it.

There’s a reason Baltic porter is my favorite style, and it’s the complexity displayed here. Milk chocolate, prunes, yogurt raisins and smoke exist in perfect proportion and harmony.

The flavor begins a little too tangy for me, with the raisiny/pruny dark fruit character taking over the front of the flavor, along with a sweet cola note. As it warms up, however, savory chocolate and roast rises up and balances the tang. The swallow smooths things out, adding to the chocolate touches of vanilla and smoke.

The mouthfeel is, in a word, fluffy. It’s light and creamy as whipped cream, with a soft tingle of carbonation and a little alcohol burn in the nose. Very nice stuff.

Duck Rabbit has themselves a nice example of the style here. The flavor’s solid and the mouthfeel is out of this world. Glad I got to try it.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2012 05:33:42 | More by Phelps

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle into a standard pint glass. The brew appears black in color with a thin tan cap that quickly recedes. When held to the light, there is some faint redness and lighter brown clarity vaguely along the outer most edges. The small head hardly gets a half finger of froth when violently swirled but it does produces some spots of lace on the glass.

The aroma is dark and chocolate-like with some pleasant roasty quality. As the nose opens up, it gets very nutty with a hint of raisins and licorice. Towards the back is a faint note of citrus, minerals and sulfur. All in all a very pleasant and well rounded nose to this. I was surprised and enjoyed the dark nutty aspect that showed itself from time to time in this.

The taste is pleasantly roasty that immediately gives way to hints of fruity alcohol. Raisins, molasses, licorice, plums... a bit of tobacco and back to the roasty earthy elements. There is a hint of citrus and the 9% alcohol is felt with a warmth down the back of the throat and slight fusel to fruity alcohol hit. The aftertaste faintly showcases the nutty aspects that I liked so much from the aroma and really draws out with an earthen flavor that really contrasts the fruited qualities this brew displays upfront.

This is a medium bodied brew with a modest to light level of carbonation. For a 9% lager, this is fairly well tamed yet has its edges about it that are bold. It is fairly crisp and easily approachable but I dont think I could drink more than a single serving at a time. This is a fairly decent brew that is worth giving a try at least once.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2012 02:38:29 | More by stakem

Chaney

District of Columbia

4.33/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Currently, this is the #15 ranked Baltic Porter here on BA. That may changed shortly since I honestly think that a lot of the ass clowns below my review don't know what they're talking about.

Served in a Duck-Rabbit snifter. Could that be any more perfect?

A: Not much head... rather anemic actually. The liquid is actually very dark, but not abysmally so.

S: Lots of dark, roasty malts on this sucker for sure! Also, I'm sure no coffee was used here, but I got some on my little snout.

T: Coffee, dark roastiness, and maybe a bit of dark fruit (figs). Some candy, caramel goodness was definitely in reach of my taste buds here also. Rock on!

M: I wish this were a tad thicker, but overall, this was thick enough. The carbonation was actually very prickly and cut through the ABV quite well. No lacing.

O: To be honest, I haven't tried many Baltic Porters in my life that I haven't liked. However, I'd rank this up there with the best of them.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2012 02:13:08 | More by Chaney

jegross2

Illinois

3.45/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Reviewing the Duck-Rabbit Baltic Porter from The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery.
Score: 83

Enjoy by December 2012. Served in a Surly Darkness snifter and enjoyed on 03/20/12.

Appearance: Pours an opaque deep brown color with less than a finger of creamy tan head that quickly settles to a ring around the glass and foggy cap that covers half the beer. Superior lacing, superior retention. 4.5/5

Smell: Huge notes of banana bread with a hint of roasted chocolate malt. Hint of barley, and a little yeasty funk. Not much else. 3/5

Taste: Roasted dark chocolate, milk chocolate, banana bread, banana and yeast. Some licorice and a moderate amount of Belgian-style fruit. There is a touch of dark fruit flavor and maybe a hint of oak. A little intensely flavored, especially as it warms. Tastes more like a Belgian-style beer with stout qualities than a porter. Lingering fruitiness and chocolatey banana flavor. Light booziness too. Definitely a sipper. 3.5/5

Mouthfeel: Near full bodied with high-medium carbonation. Creamy-ish mouthfeel. Sweet finish. 3.5/5

Overall: A solid, but uninspiring beer that is a little more intense than anticipated. Gets a bit unbalanced as the beer warms.

Recommendation: Worth trying, decently priced, but not worth seeking out.

Pairings: Banana bread.

Cost: $8.99 for a six pack.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2012 08:32:44 | More by jegross2

beerenjoyer1

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thank to Peabody's for having the Duck Rabbit Baltic Porter.

A. Dark with medium dark foam, a really nice look.

S. Coffee with some sweetness. The anticipation of a big beer.

T. Again, coffee with some bitter sweet chocolate and oaky flavor which is nice.

M. Big mouthfeel, big coffee flavor with some sour and acidity to the feel. I was not sure what to think.

O. Great beer with good complexity and after reading about the style I would say this beer is spot on with the English Baltic Porter recipe. Nice job Duck Rabbit!

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2012 23:40:36 | More by beerenjoyer1