Duck-Rabbit Paul's Day Off

This is one of the best beers and definitely the biggest surprise of this past year.
Got this beer twice at the Common Market in Charlotte NC, once when it first came out and tonight, 8 months later.
This beer pours much like any typical stout. A dark black body but with a clean consistancy. Thin white head comes atop the body.
Smell is wonderfull! A thick belgian aromatic flavor, full of funky wheat sweetness with hints of caramel and cocoa. There is also a heavy load of sweet hops in the nose, in the later version, this is more subtle but the chocolate and mocha notes stand out more.
The taste is unlike any other beer. There is a huge punch of crisp and extremely clean cocoa and dark belgian malts. Lots of caramel and munich malt flavors, blended through a slight bit of coffee and sweet mocha. It's not sweet like a stout, but like a strong belgian but with the dark malts used in a stout. In the older version, the hops are more texture and the bitterness is more subdued but very obvious in the young age.
Mouthfeel is extremely clean and crisp, not thick and foamy like it appears.
Will age well and is very easy to drink, hard to drink just one!

Serving type: on-tap

Reviewed on: 11-29-2009 04:56:36 | id: 1048317

This is probably the best offering from Duck Rabbit. The nose of this dark chocolate brew is an exquisite aroma of flavours...woodsy, roasted malts, fruity sweetness, and a hint of bourbon barrel aging... There is not just one well defined flavour, you get a mouthful of everything. Definitely a sipper, savour this moment, savour the sip...because there's not much around!!

Serving type: on-tap

Reviewed on: 08-18-2009 23:46:59 | id: 978456

Had this on-tap at the 12th anniversary celebrationj at the Brick Store Pub's 12th anniversary celebration. I was highly anticipating this beer, and I mostly thought it was what I was waiting for. 10oz pour into a snifter. Poured a dark brown with a fairly good head that eventually faded to a thin ring and left some nice lacing. Smells very austere and woody and very, very dry with some wood and banana notes playing against one another, Definitely less lush than I was expecting in the aroma. Tastes similar, that is austere and very dry and quite woody with very firm but restrained malt. Reminds me of a dry, light, austere scotch like Clynelish a bit. These impressions carry through in the mouthfeel as well, This one is a sipper forsure. Not heavy or brooding, more contemplative.

Serving type: on-tap

Reviewed on: 08-01-2009 05:40:00 | id: 966637

Draft at Revolution Pizza Charlotte NC. Very nice almost black pour into a snifter. Good sized tan head. Roasty aromas, malt, light coffee and nut. Some toffee, tea and barrel like aroma. Taste is a very smooth blend of roast malt, tea, tobacco, smokey oak, some molasses. Finish has most of the barrel qualities though they are subtle. Mouthfeel is not nearly as thick as the appearance would leave to believe, but still very filling. Drinkability is good in that the alcohol is well hidden, but this is a sipper and it would be an effort to have more than a couple of these.
As a side note, the American Strong Ale does not have to have a huge hop presence, that's what IPAs should be for.

Serving type: on-tap

Reviewed on: 07-27-2009 01:23:22 | id: 963030

On tap during the final day of the Brick Store 12th Anniversary festivities.

Pours a deep chocolate brown with light only showing through at the edges. There's a big, creamy tan head that shows excellent retention and lacing.

The aroma doesn't mess around and has all kind of things going on. There first thing I got in the nose was the bourbon which I could smell from pretty far away. As I got closer, the next wave of aromas is the citrus and floral hops, and finally the huge caramel malt and dark fruit sweetness. Big, bold, but fairly well integrated nose.

The taste is big and probably bigger on the sweetness and bourbon than the hops. The toasted caramel malts form a backbone with lots of sugar-coated fruit on top. The finish is very boozy with plenty of oaky tannins.

The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied and well-carbonated.

This was one of my favorites of the day and had plenty of bourbon presence. A bigger hop presence in the taste could have put this one over the top, but it's still one of the best beers I've tasted from Duck-Rabbit.

Serving type: on-tap

Reviewed on: 07-17-2009 01:28:49 | id: 956350

Reviewed on 06/05/2009. Handbottle at PPRBSG09. Pours a dark brown with a tan head. Aroma of roasted malt and iced tea. Flavor is boozy, with bourbon and iced tea notes. Very sweet and lacking the hops I'd expect from an ASA. I didn't care for this one.

Serving type: on-tap

Reviewed on: 07-11-2009 15:54:26 | id: 952494

Had this on my day off, at the Brick Store's 12th Anniversary shindig. It was one of my favorites I tried that day.

Deep black/brown, with a big thick khaki head. Looks fantastic. Nose is beautiful gentle chocolate malts, and a heavy dose of oak. Spicy rich toasty malt flavors. Decent hops come through. Complicated and nice.

Taste is lots of wood/oak. Heavy tannins. Nice aged bourbon and coffee flavors, slight vanilla, strong dry hop leaves. More wood on warming.

Very creamy, full mouthfeel. Pretty drinkable. Harmony of interwoven complex flavors!

Serving type: on-tap

Reviewed on: 07-09-2009 22:49:06 | id: 951427

Appearance: Very dark brown, near black body with a half inch of light tan-colored foam on top.

Smell: A true bounty of dark malts and pungent hops and a full-on bourbon barrel notes. Loads of chocolate, deeply scorched grains, roasty coffee, citrus, and bourbon (oh, the bourbon!).

Taste: Roasty, blackened malts with full tastes of bittersweet chocolate, licorice root, and coffee-flavored ice cream. There's a bold sweetness without too much sweetness, you know. Light touch of dark fruitiness. Citrusy, earthy hops, and, along with the roasted malts, provide a moderate amount of balancing bitterness. Fair amount of vanilla-infused oak. Finishes dry and bitter with some enduring hints of spicy resin and black malts.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium carbonation.

Drinkability: Flavorful and loaded with rich, malty nuances and hop complexities, to say nothing of the fine barrel-aging. At times I was reminded of Avery Fourteen and New Holland's Dragons Milk, though, having said that, I'll take this over them. A very pleasing brew and a fine way to kick off the Brick Store Pub's Anniversary Event! Paul needs to step out of the office more often.

Serving type: on-tap

Reviewed on: 07-03-2009 20:25:33 | id: 947408

Liter-sized growler shared on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Queens. Thanks for the sheets Paul. :P Spastically poured into my now famous Yard's mug.

A deep dark brown cup of mud with a touch of coffee creamer head.

Nose is of floral hops & melon-like fruit, with some sugar & milk chocolate as well.

Building on the smell(though not in the same proportions), more citrus, golden raisins & bitter chocolate. Wood chips. Glazed & bready, with a minor annoyance of coffee. Plenty of pine on the finish.

Grainy, slightly powdery feel. Iffy carbonation, but some heft to lean on.

Such a mish-mash, I'm surprised that I enjoyed it so much. I really came in wanting to wail on it. :)

Serving type: growler

Reviewed on: 06-03-2009 05:31:00 | id: 928556

Served in a standard pint glass at City Beverage.
Pours jet black with a light brown head that leaves nice lacing as you sip your way through this masterpiece of brewing.
Smelled really nice, the first thing that hits you is the bourbon. It's there but not too overpowering but its the most noticeable. Also some nice roasted barley, and chocolate malts in there as well, and a hint of vanilla.
Taste as good as it smelled maybe even a little better. Again the bourbon comes through strongly again, but also some more complexity, as I picked up the vanilla, and licorice as well. those flavors blended very will with the roasty chocolatey flavors quite nicely.
Feels nice and creamy and coats the tongue like a warm blanket.
Definitely could only handle one of these babies though I did think it was a touch "hot" from all that bourbon but all in all this is definitely best beer I've had from Duck Rabbit.

Serving type: on-tap

Reviewed on: 05-15-2009 22:55:56 | id: 915901