Duck-Rabbit Barleywine Ale - The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery

beerforbears

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

I enjoyed this beer when I tasted it at the ACBF. Lighter carbonation, complex but not overwhelming taste. It was pleasant to sip on while the flavors sorted themselves out. All in all, an interesting beer, one of my fonder memories from that (somewhat blurry) night.

Serving type: on-tap

01-10-2013 01:16:11 | More by beerforbears

Cyberkedi

Georgia

4.03/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Comes out of the tap an opaque light reddish chocolate-brown with a fine-bubbled, pale yellowish tan head. Strong, malty, fruity-sweet aroma is rather inviting. Flavor is strongly fruity and, like a proper barleywine, has a fierce alcohol bite. Texture is lively, edgy and tingly.

Serving type: on-tap

12-12-2010 01:28:45 | More by Cyberkedi

ImusBeer

Georgia

4.58/5  rDev +20.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

ordered this at my Mall of GA favorite

I fugues it would come in a small glass but no. Very dark amber in color, you can just see light through it. Almost NO head.

As it approachs your lips the smell of sweet malt assalts your nose.

The first sip shows you a thick malty taste with a serious alcohol bite. Some molassas in there as well. The mouthfeel is heavy and malty almost warm like a Guiness.

Drinkability is great I like it but only one a night!

Serving type: on-tap

08-30-2009 02:12:58 | More by ImusBeer

kuranes

Ohio

4.05/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Looks pretty, nice dark amber with light head that stays around.
S: Floral and citrusy.
T: Floral, citrusy grapefruitish notes with some sweet/bitter interplay at the finish.
M: Full, little sticky.
D: Pretty smooth for a barleywine. Mine cost $3, it's a pretty cheap buzz.

Serving type: on-tap

05-14-2009 22:49:58 | More by kuranes

Klgkenny

North Carolina

3.73/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had this beer at the 2009 duckrabbit barleywine release party at the brewery. They had a great three year vertical tasting. I am reviewing the 2007 (aged one year) here.

Poured from the tap into a room temp pint glass, a thick creamy head rests atop an amber body. A fairly transparent beer, I can see a few bubbles of carbonation. A decent appearance.

Smells and tastes like equal parts pine sap and malt mixed with a healthy portion of ALCOHOL! The aromas are very simple, but the taste is a bit more complex. Malty up front with a slight buffer of piney hops before that powerful wave of alcohol. Nicely balanced barleywine. A lot of the time, balance is great, but I think here, a bit of something over the top would be great.

The mouthfeel on this was just eh... Slightly oily, it was as if there was actually pine sap in the beer! The flavors lingered, which was nice, but that clingy feel was almost unpleasant.

With all of the above elements falling together the way that they did, this is a drinkable beer, but... If you are a barleywine freak, then give this a shot. It just seemed as if it was one step off the whole way.

SIDE NOTE: I was informed at the brewery that between the 2006 and 2007 season, the recipe for the barleywine changed. The 2006 was UBER-sweet. The 2007 (aged one year) was balanced, and the 2008 was very hoppy. If you are a hop worshipper, then you might really like this barleywine. Otherwise, you're going to want to set this aside for a year.

Serving type: on-tap

01-12-2009 01:06:56 | More by Klgkenny

shivtim

Georgia

3.7/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had on-tap at Taco Mac Metropolis.
Looks nice. Hazy, gold/brown with red tinges. Small sand-colored head and solid lacing. Smell is quite sweet. Heavy honey, sugarplums, molasses. Taste is deep roasted malts balanced with dark fruits, and an alcohol finish. Doesn't have the sourness or bitterness found in many barleywines. On warming, alcohol becomes more apparent, and fits the beer well. Mouthfeel is pretty good, feels like a barleywine.

Serving type: on-tap

10-15-2008 15:11:31 | More by shivtim

CrellMoset

Virginia

4.05/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Stopped by Trapeze after hitting up Five Points Bottle Shop on my way through Athens. They served 16 oz. of this beauty in a traditional American pint glass.

Appearance: A deep, dark ruddy brown body with garnet and ruby hues, hints of orange around the periphery even, a truly gorgeous, foamy tan head - seriously, I had to ask if this was on nitro-tap, it's so immaculate and immobile and meringue-like - with great retention that leaves huge three-dimensional lacing. An amazing-looking beer.

Aroma: Spicy hops dominate, interestingly enough. Tons of light fruit in the followup, white grapes, golden raisins, pears. A faint alcohol permeates the whole ordeal, but blends well with the light fruits and the spicy hops, lending a rum-like note.

Taste: Very sweet, though again leaning more towards the light fruits - pear, sweet cherry, apple skins - with some slightly tosatier qualities (in the form of faint cocoa powder, light springy coffee), hints of toffee, and a little bit of bitterscotch. Plenty of hops too, with piney and citrus zest being the dominant flavors. There's also some rounded nuttiness in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Chewy, thick, syrupy, intense, with low carbonation, and a surprisingly medium body.

Drinkability: What a great beer. One of the few Duck Rabbits I haven't tried, and it's a shame I hadn't before now. This is a complex, balanced, interesting, fruity barleywine, and another very impressive offering from what is, in my opinion, the best brewery in North Carolina (and that's saying a lot). Recommended, along with all their other offerings!

Serving type: on-tap

10-08-2008 22:41:49 | More by CrellMoset

maltphile

North Carolina

4.18/5  rDev +10%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Loved this beer for it's rich characteristics. That said lets get down to, er, my opinions.

The review was conducted in Flying Saucer Draught Emporium (ok it's been awhile) on a partly cloudy day, outside temp. in the mid 50's. No smoking inside.

Serving: draught,
Color: Dark Amber,
Carbonation: lower than normal, not much at all,

Head and retention: mostly fine bubbles with some med. bubbles, head of approx. 1/2inch disipates quickl leaving lace.

Overall appearence: glinting amber light around edges of glass, warm and clear.

Smell: Initial notes of sweet malt yielding to a flowering hopiness with a hint of fruit.

Taste: Mimics scent, initial maltiness cloaking alcohol flavor yielding to hops, creating a dried cherry-esque flavor, hops aroma lingering in nose.

Mouthfeel: Thick, malt stickiness stays around

After a few oz.s definite alcohol warmth in chest, mellowed by the maltiness. hops are present throughout as an underlying note. Malts become very strong by bottom of the glass.

Serving type: on-tap

08-12-2008 02:02:09 | More by maltphile

ruckzuck

Georgia

4.43/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap tonight at BSP. I was very glad to be there to inaugurate Duck Rabbit into GA.

A - deep red, off-white head

S - citrus, chocolate, roasted malt, hops

T - same as smell; really great; taste was really enjoyable at the pub; I love this beer!

M - medium body, nice carbonation

D - incredible! My notes from the pub say "should be illegal!" and that's probably about right. Duck Rabbit can do no wrong and I'm proud to have met the brewers tonight!

Serving type: on-tap

02-13-2008 03:58:58 | More by ruckzuck

sinistrsam

Maryland

4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This barleywine poured a nice ruby-brown color with a medium tan head and excellent lacing.
The aroma was tons of brown sugar and raisin, but notes of alcohol and possibly some plum? Decently complex, and surprising.
The taste was very sweet caramel and malt, with mild hop presence and notes of citrus, raisin and spice. Very enjoyable.
The mouthfeel was very sweet throughout, and unfortunately the downfall of this brew in my opinion; just simply too sweet. I look for a good balance in a barleywine and this simply wasn't balanced as well as it could be.
It was an enjoyable beer but its very high ABV and sweetness leaves this beer only decently drinkable. That having been said, I still applaud the take on the style and the attempt by DR; still an excellent local NC brewery.

Serving type: on-tap

08-25-2007 18:06:12 | More by sinistrsam

Georgiabeer

Georgia

2.73/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

I'm a big fan of the other Duck Rabbit big beers, so I was really looking forward to trying this one. Unfortunately, this beer is out of whack and in my opinion not at all in the same caliber as their other beers. Next time I'll try it again from the bottle and let it age some and see if it improves. Pours dark amber with a big head that lasts surprisingly long given the high abv. The smell is surprisingly light and has a vegetal note to it, (tomato?) that is a little offputting. The taste has more tomato and on top of that is way too sweet. Strong, alcoholic sugar water with a tomato tinge? No thanks! The flavor is just bizarre. I would put this down to the keg being off if it hadn't been served to me by the brewery at the Hickory Hops fest. The mouthfeel is creamy, but also a little too slick. This one is not utterly bad, but its got some flavors going on that I just don't find that palatable. I'm not sure what went wrong here, but I think this beer probably doesn't belong on draft.

Serving type: on-tap

06-27-2007 18:19:12 | More by Georgiabeer

Dope

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Best by 2/14

A: A clear, deep red pour with a large fluffy tan head.

S: Big raisin bread aroma.

T: Raisins up front, followed by a nice toasty, almost burnt bread flavor. In the finish, the sweetness drops out, really giving you that acrid, burnt toast flavor. In a good way, that is. Very grainy from start to finish with lots of toasted malts. Surprisingly not boozy.

M: Nice robust body. Hearty.

O: A pretty simple barleywine but I really liked the toasted bread notes. They really come through strong and sharp. Tastes like you're drinking alcoholic liquid bread. The raisin is just enough to add another layer in with some raisin bread quality. Surprisingly tasty.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2013 03:07:49 | More by Dope

crewfan16

Minnesota

3.74/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

thanks triagestat for this beer in a great trade. poured a 2012 vintage to a snifter after a rough day at work....hopefully it will cheer me up.

a- pours a dark ruby/brown color with surprising clarity. aggressive pour produces an inch of off-white foam that fades quickly leaving some nice lacing. a nice looking beer.

s- sweet raisin and lots of malty sweetness. there is some citrus hop aroma that balances it out nicely. smells about like i would think a barleywine should.

t- sweet raisin is there, but way more hops than the nose, again in a citrus fruit like variety. lots of malty sweetness as well but not overpowering.

m- enough booze that i can tell its high abv, but nothing that takes from its drinkability. a bit of a oily, sticky mouthfeel that i would expect. a dry finish. moderate carbonation.

overall, a very nice barleywine. decent complexity, and i like the hop-forward profile. if it was distributed around here, i would have a few more in the cellar, but wouldnt go out of my way to trade for it.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 05:34:28 | More by crewfan16

AmitC

Indiana

4.29/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a snifter.

A very nice pour. Deep amber color with an excellent off white tan colored head - about two fingers thick. Nice head retention. Excellent lacing that is just awesome with every sip. Very beautiful looking. Clear and transparent.

Aroma is full of malts. Strong booze. Piney, spicy and herbal hops. A little bit of fading citrus and grapefruit. Some wooden character. Strength is good. A good mix of hop and malts. Aroma reminds me of Big foot. Very close.

Taste is of bitter hops upfront. A silent malt middle. Very boozy and warm. Hops and malts combine really well to deliver a bitter taste that is very likable.

Mouth feel is medium bodied with a nice amount of oily and boozy touch. Warmth from alcohol is somewhat strong. Low to moderate carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 02:59:43 | More by AmitC

HardTarget

Texas

3.99/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Appearance: Light amber glass shows good clarity and has a sticky white foam cap that laces my glass like a pro.

Smell: Rich rum raisin, deep sweet malt, and a whiff of leafy hop to keep it all in check.

Taste: There's a slight off note, but it's quickly drowned in sweet grainy malt and slightly earthy hops. The off note is a bit solvent, maybe a fusel alcohol of some sort. It's mildly distracting, but there is a lot of goodness around it so it's easy to forgive.

Mouthfeel: Very still, little gritty carbonation seems a bit flat, even for style.

Overall: A tasty tasty beer. A heavy hitter with a soft glove.

Big thanks to Illudium for the sample!

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 01:48:59 | More by HardTarget

brewdlyhooked13

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 3.75

This bottle has no dating but must be at least eight years old. It's been well-cared for; I think it was my last one so I held off drinking it, but the time has come.

Appearance - pours a murk reddish amber with a thin short-lived cream-colored head. In seconds it's at a few bubbles and thin collar.

Aroma - caramel and syrupy citrus.

Taste - sweet, vinous with raisin and fig. Sherry on the swallow, notes of oxidation are evident. Tart cherry on the finish and a fine warmth at the end along with a note of cocoa and toasted grain.

Mouthfeel - low end carbonation, good weighty feel and smoothness.

Overall - aged amazingly well, though the tartness at the end gets lengthy after a while, approaching cough syrup like flavor at times. Overall, a successful aging experiment in my book.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2013 02:05:09 | More by brewdlyhooked13

merc7186

New York

3.78/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

2010 12oz bottle into pint glass.

A: Burnt Orange Hue, Passes Some Light, White Head Ring, Mild Lacing

S: Boozy, Plums, Sweet Bread

T: Caramel, Dark Fruit, Sweet Bread, Boozy

M: Average Carbonation, Medium Bodied, Mildly Boozy, Mildly Sweet

Overall, for a properly aged bottle, it still packs quite a kick on both taste and booziness. Probably one of the better Duck Rabbit beers that I have had.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2013 01:51:13 | More by merc7186

roundthewaygirls

Virginia

3.28/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

poured into a tulip glass

A: poured half a finger of off-white creamy head. beautiful auburn, burnt orange color. translucent, a little light gets through. a few bubbles.

S: bready malts. caramel. ethanol. a hint of dark fruit, fig or apricot.

T: surprisingly fruity. slightly sour. deep, smoky malts. hops are only noticeable in the dry finish. booze is well concealed.

M: fine carbonation. medium body. sour going down and sticky on the lips.

O: pretty decent. liked the fruity character. i love the body of most barleywines, but this one was a little thin for me. there's a lot of confused malty character that has potential. could be developed with aging?

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2013 00:46:44 | More by roundthewaygirls

BeerDocT

Georgia

4.16/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25

Appearance 4.0: Beautiful, deep golden amber in color. Nice head for a growler pour, about 1/2". Lots of little bubbles floating around and a decent amount of particulate matter, which is usually a great sign.

Smell 4.25: Lovely bouquet. Very upfront hops with some appealing deep caramel sugars. I could almost place this particular hop... . Regardless, this is a wonderful way to begin a session... .

-Taste 4.25: Front is spicy and very lively on the tongue. Middle is where the hops come in and mingle perfectly with the big barley punch. Lots of residual sweetness here that the obvious dry-hopping balances out. Finish also benefits from dry-hopping as the resiny taste of the hops perfectly accentuates the caramel taste of the malts. Finish is long and dry and all alkaline hop residue. Nice.

-Mouthfeel 3.5: Carbonation/conditioning was spot on for this beer. Usually barley wines are flat, but the added bubbles helped the enjoyment of this complex brew.

-Overall 4.25: Excellent brew. Complex, big and delicious. The 11% (!) ABV is completely invisible in the hazy swirl of hops, malt and yummy goodness. The dry-hopping was stroke of genius as was the added level of CO2. Excellent beer.

Serving type: growler

03-04-2013 04:05:33 | More by BeerDocT

SolipsismalCat

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a snifter.

A: Clear dark red-brown with two-finger, off-white, creamy head that lasted more than several minutes and left a nice film. Fantastic lacing.

S: Black cherry, and citrus.

T: Moderate sweetness and light bitterness. Roasted malt, citrus hops, alcohol.

M: Medium to full bodied with fizzy carbonation. Slightly dry, and warm going down.

O: Compared to Weyerbacher Insanity which I recently reviewed, this beer looked way better - beautiful to behold. The nose was comparable, but I didn't like the taste of this beer quite as much as the Weyerbacher. Really good English Barleywine, but I think I like the Weyerbacher better.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 02:33:40 | More by SolipsismalCat

kagent777

Utah

4.31/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle traded from Sonofalime, thanks man! Poured into my CCB snifter after a little while outside of the fridge. I have had the bottle since November of 2011, but I am not sure how much older it is beyond that.

Appearance: A nice burnt orange to ruby with a slight haze. White finger wide head settles to foam cap in the middle of the glass and leaves a little lacing as I go. Smell legs appear after a drink.

Smell: Rich dark smells. Dried fruit, caramel, a touch of vanilla and some citrus.

Taste: Nice dark spiciness that I do not recall having tasted in a BW before. Hints of tobacco and rich leather go along with the deep fruit and caramel. Alcohol is present but well hidden for 11 ABV. The beer is bitter, but not to the extent of, say, fresh Bigfoot. It is needed to balance the malty sweetness.

Mouthfeel: A velvety solid drink but not over thick on the body. The flavors are so dense and coat the mouth for an extended time. The carbonation is smooth and present but subtle.

Overall: I very solid English Barleywine. I do wish this one was available here in Utah.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2013 04:10:30 | More by kagent777

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.91/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 2.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4

Pours muddy dark amber, or light brown with cloudiness. Looks a little greasy. Practically no head.

Rich caramel, black cherry, sherry, perfumy hops, and rye malts. Nice nose.

Follows the nose deliciously. Tastes like a rye wine. Bitterness is pretty firm. Very caramelly. Dark fruitiness, like fig and raisin, meshes with black cherry nuances. Sherry flavors are nice and seem to assist in bringing out cola, rhubarb, and rotten banana. Something else here that I can't put my finger in. Maybe a touch acetic that I kind of like. Spicy finish shows the booze. Pretty good stuff.

Drinks a notch over medium, but the feel is on the thin side. Lots of carbonation bullies a bit in the backend.

Drinkable barleywine with a signature all its own. Spicy, fruity, sweet, and sherried. Delightful.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2013 01:51:54 | More by thecheapies

wisrarebeer

Wisconsin

4.7/5  rDev +23.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Enjoy by January 2012

A: nice copper color, clear, poured with beautiful, rocky, off-white head that kept all the way to thin veil
S: deep, sweeter malt, some burnt malt noticeable, medium nose, port-like
T: deep, rich roasted malt with well-balanced hop finish, full,
M: very full mouthfeel, very, very, drinkable, incredible rich and moreish

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 23:51:35 | More by wisrarebeer

axeman9182

New Jersey

2.58/5  rDev -32.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

12 oz bottle with a notched "best by" of June 2013. It was allowed to warm some before being poured into my Duvel tulip.

Duck Rabbit Barleywine Ale pours a color that's something between amber and mahogany, with no visibility through the glass possible. Maybe two fingers of cream colored foam top the beer and hang around for just a bit before fading. Lacing is spotty. The nose features aromas of caramel, fig, and alcohol. There's also a background fruitiness that's just... odd, and a little out of place. The flavor opens with a healthy swirl of caramel. Just as a little bit of bitterness is coming into the picture, what certainly tastes like an infection comes into the picture. There's a slight medicinal twang to it, and a lime fruitiness that just clashes with everything that came before it. The infection hasn't impacted the mouthfeel too badly yet. The body is a little bit lighter than it should be, but the carbonation isn't too active yet. I've had other vintages of Duck Rabbit's barleywine that were pretty nice, but something definitely went wrong with at least part of this batch.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 08:53:13 | More by axeman9182

yourefragile

District of Columbia

3.78/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2008 vintage sampled 12/2012.

Did I intend to save this bottle for 4ish years? No. Did I expect this to be any good when I "rediscovered" it at the 3 year mark? No. Did I expect it to magically get better by throwing it in the back of my fridge for a year before sampling? YES.

Pours like a barleywine. Muddy amber brown with a quickly fading light tan head. Smells like cherry, leather, sherry, gently smoked fine meats, cardboard and bread. Slightly oxidized as expected but I'll be damned, it doesn't taste awful. Chewy and leathery body with delicate and thoughtful carbonation. Less fruity than the nose, more malt forward and proper British. Hell of a lot more enjoyable than the 2008 DR Baltic Porter I threw out my window. But seriously, what jerkoff ages Duck Rabbit beers?

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 02:23:07 | More by yourefragile