Duck-Rabbator
The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery

Duck-RabbatorDuck-Rabbator
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From:
The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery
 
North Carolina, United States
Style:
Doppelbock
Ranked #42
ABV:
8.5%
Score:
89
Ranked #11,077
Avg:
3.99 | pDev: 11.03%
Reviews:
161
Ratings:
352
Status:
Active
Rated:
Oct 15, 2023
Added:
Jun 22, 2009
Wants:
  55
Gots:
  32
The Duck-Rabbator Dopplebock is a powerfully malty German-style lager. The malty / grainy flavors so dominate this beer, it's like a whole loaf of bread in every glass! Is it a beverage or is it a meal? It's both.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of LifesAnesthesia
Reviewed by LifesAnesthesia from Virginia

3.93/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
L - Deep brown with copper highlights with a tan head that dissipates somewhat quickly, leaving behind a thin cap
S - Dark caramel malt, some notes of chocolate, raisin and other dried dark fruits, slight yeast
T - follows the nose - dark caramel malt and chocolate up front and throughout intermixed with dried dark fruit and raisin with bready yeast notes
F - medium bodied with light to moderate carbonation
O - A decent doppelbock - I let this one sit a little while so I'm not sure if that had any effect on the flavor, but it's an ok brew
Oct 15, 2023
 
Rated: 3.94 by flgimp from Pennsylvania

Oct 07, 2023
Photo of Neil_Dalton
Reviewed by Neil_Dalton

1.36/5  rDev -65.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1
Imagine my disappointment when I purchased what was advertised as a true doppelbock and then found out it had been aged in bourbon barrels without being told that had been aged in bourbon barrels. This is labeled and marketed as a true doppelbock. But when you open and pour, it’s got that too-dark color and red stain of the unnecessarily barrel-aged experiment. I guess all these breweries are doing this now to get the alcohol content up, but it’s utterly unnecessary and misused when it comes to a traditional Belgian double, triple, or quad. Same with the German bocks. I was looking forward to trying this beer, and very disappointed with the results, especially when nothing on the labeling tells me that it’s been barrel aged. If I want something aged in bourbon barrels, it will be bourbon. Not beer.
Oct 07, 2022
Photo of UrbanCaveman
Reviewed by UrbanCaveman from Ohio

3.16/5  rDev -20.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
12 oz bottle, poured into a teku at ~40 degrees F, and allowed to warm during consumption.

L: Pours a deep opaque hickory nut brown, and forms a finger and a half of tan head with okay retention.

S: Cocoa-dusted cherries, with dark bread and raisins. As it warms, a medicinal note suffuses the cherry.

T: Opens as a mouthful of dark bread slathered in a cherry-fig jam, Behind that, notes of tobacco leaf, cocoa, and chestnut waft along. As it warms, the cherry takes on a more medicinal tone, and the tobacco and cocoa become more prominent.

F: Medium to full bodied, and somewhat sticky.

O: Definitely not a Celebrator or Korbinian, but not a terrible take on a doppelbock.
Oct 28, 2021
 
Rated: 3 by 1971bernat from Virginia

Oct 18, 2021
Photo of Brutaltruth
Reviewed by Brutaltruth from Ohio

4.08/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
From the 12 oz bottle in a snifter. This mighty brew pours a rich
dark brown with a nice head of khaki foam that settles to a thick ring, thin
clumping layer, and displays some faint lacing. Nose of dark breaded malts,
raisin, dark brown sugar, and a touch of molasses. Flavors expand on the nose
with dark bread, dark brown sugars, raisin, dates, subtle black strap molasses
notes, and faint herbal hops. Nice mouth feel; medium body, smooth, faintly
creamy, light soft carbonation, and a subtly dry and balanced finish.

Overall, a solid little brew from a great little brewery

Cheers
Jun 26, 2021
Photo of crazyspicychef
Reviewed by crazyspicychef from Pennsylvania

3.91/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Not my favorite example of this style.
Something is off.
Flavours of dried fruit, figs, dates, pumpernickel and toffee.
It is missing the German smoothness that a great Dbock should have.
It is not horrible, but there are far better domestic options available.
Too much of something in there.
Jan 09, 2021
Photo of DanO1066
Reviewed by DanO1066 from Maryland

3.8/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
I've had a couple of draught 8oz snifters here at The Brass Tap here in Baltimore over the last few weeks. This seems to be a case "of the whole being greater than the sum (average?) of the parts". NOT my favorite example of the style, but an interesting take nonetheless.
Nov 09, 2020
Photo of hman43
Reviewed by hman43 from North Carolina

4.09/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Look: It pours dark brown with reddish highlights. It has a brown head with low head retention.

Smell: It has deep malty rich aromas with an equal amount of dark fruits. There are toffee and licorice aromas with plums and raisins. There are hints of chocolate in the background.

Taste: The flavors are malty rich with toffee and notes with a bit of licorice. There are also flavors of plums and raisins. There is a very low level of spice.

Feel: It is full bodied and smooth.

Overall, a great combination of complex flavors in this beer.
Oct 03, 2020
Photo of jdstehly
Reviewed by jdstehly from Kazakhstan

4.27/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
I have had a lot of German dopplebock since this beer and so many of them have been just disappointing. This beer has a real hearty overall presentation. As a strong beer and so filling it's great weakness is that it is a one beer night.
May 03, 2020
 
Rated: 4.05 by Scottsbeer from Florida

Jan 06, 2020
Photo of jmdrpi
Reviewed by jmdrpi from Pennsylvania

4.24/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
12 oz bottle

ours a very dark brown, can't see through the glass, with ruby highlights. Tan head that fades fairly soon. Rich malty sweet aroma - toffee, dark caramel, brown sugar. Taste is similar, moderately sweet, not cloying. Medium bodied, sticky feel. Overall very nice.
Nov 28, 2019
Photo of Bouleboubier
Reviewed by Bouleboubier from New Jersey

3.94/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
(12 oz bottle; 35/8 B1 0733; purchased single off shelf... poured into chunky-fat tulip)

L: crystal-clear, deep ruby red liquid; tight, tan head formed on poured, and quietly disappeared; thin collar remains, but not one lick of lace

S: old velvet upholstery; desiccated leathery caramel, its concentration rich and intense... vibrancy seems lost, malt layered but old/oxidized

T: not nearly as sluggish sweet as anticipated - dry, dark doughy, bread-crusty malt slunk to the bottom, with a hard-cut dry, vaguely coffee-like, toasty, slightly evergreen-woody top end to the sip... second sip brings more dark caramel and perhaps a subtle prune note leaping forward; the aftertaste still that leathery bread crust, and maybe a vague embery note at the back... magnificent malt richness, perhaps slightly bloated, perhaps slightly snuffing out the edge to its rigid bitter/boozy blast

F: delicately bouncy, jelly roll to its body up front, but bounces on its way out quick, with a restrained but sturdy booze thinning out the back end while emanating comforting warmth in reverse to the back of the teeth... a little off-balance as far as its flow, but ultimately rather clean, swift, and strident

O: a quintessentially DR version of a doppelbock, for sure... a bottle of this with a lil age on it may arguably benefit the contents... I would most certainly get this again, but won't necessarily go out of my way for it, but it's almost worth crossing state lines twice again to try another bottle (1549)
Oct 08, 2019
 
Rated: 4.09 by JamieDuncan from Maryland

Oct 04, 2019
 
Rated: 4.12 by hyuga from North Carolina

Jun 04, 2019
 
Rated: 3.61 by curlybird from Pennsylvania

May 11, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by khargro2 from Tennessee

Oct 22, 2018
 
Rated: 5 by Kwright from North Carolina

Oct 08, 2018
Photo of Buck89
Reviewed by Buck89 from Tennessee

3.99/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On tap into a snifter. Deep brown color with a modest off white head. Malty aroma with hints of raisin and caramel. The taste followed closely. Rich bready malt with some spiciness and caramel notes. Clean and dry on the finish. Medium bodied and easy to sip.
Oct 06, 2018
Photo of hoptheology
Reviewed by hoptheology from California

3.93/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
12 oz bottle poured into Thulsa Doom.

The deep toffee-caramel color on this is just amazing. It reminds me of caramel apples. Strikes of light coming through the sides, with a 1/2 finger of head resting stable at a fingernail.

Lots of gorgeous aromas here. Caramel-glazed fig, toffee-covered raisins, slight red grape/merlot, apples, hot caramel topping, light tobacco, light chocolate.

Flavor is spiced, hot, and fruity. Not nearly as good as the nose though. It comes rushing with alcohol burn, then some carbonated water, red grape, banana bread/dark rye bread, spices, lite caramel, light brown sugar, ending with some heavy vegetal off-flavors.

Feel is thick and chewy, with a good burn and a nice thick starch on the finishing palate.

Overall, really great up until the flavor where it falls a bit flat for me. Definitely worth checking out though, I can be picky sometimes.
Sep 27, 2018
Duck-Rabbator from The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 352 ratings