Hoppy Bunny A.B.A. (American Black Ale)
The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery

Hoppy Bunny A.B.A. (American Black Ale)Hoppy Bunny A.B.A. (American Black Ale)
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery
 
North Carolina, United States
Style:
Black IPA
Ranked #98
ABV:
7.3%
Score:
87
Ranked #17,871
Avg:
3.85 | pDev: 10.91%
Reviews:
149
Ratings:
598
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 02, 2022
Added:
Apr 23, 2012
Wants:
  24
Gots:
  89
The Duck-Rabbit Hoppy Bunny American Black Ale is both intensely hoppy and intensely black! Eight separate hop additions offer delicious bitterness and beguiling hop aroma/flavor. Heavily represented among these hops are Chinook, which provides deep pine and sticky citrus components, and a New Zealand hop called Motueka, from which we get bright fruit and spearmint notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of Khocolate
Reviewed by Khocolate from Tennessee

5/5  rDev +29.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
I never had an American Black Ale before, oh boy, it’s very good. It is very easy to drink and pack a powerful punch at 7.3% ABV which is within the range of IPAs. Impressive.
Dec 02, 2022
 
Rated: 3.51 by Allurex from Kansas

Nov 02, 2021
Photo of michaelsmith11
Reviewed by michaelsmith11 from Illinois

3.83/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
This one had the aroma that was malty with some chocolate and a little nutty. The taste reminded me of a lighter stout only it did have a hoppiness to it and a little bit of bite at the end.
Oct 24, 2021
Photo of WoodBrew
Reviewed by WoodBrew from Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
I got a bottle of this beer from my good friend and old neighbor from the 'Wego. It poured an opaque dark with tan head that is leaving some lace. The scent had roast and chocolate notes. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with roast and dark chocolate with slight coffee acidic notes....with bitter hop highlights . The mouthfeel was medium in body with big fizzy carbonation. Overall it is a good beer.
Aug 24, 2021
 
Rated: 3.5 by Chilmer from Iowa

Jun 27, 2021
 
Rated: 4.25 by JohnnyForeign from New Jersey

Jun 22, 2021
Photo of rclangk
Rated by rclangk from West Virginia

4.08/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
BOM 5/2021
Jun 19, 2021
Photo of akaizer
Reviewed by akaizer from Virginia

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From a beer of the month club. Pour has a dense tan foam head with a black body (checks out). Scent is a rich with malty and hoppy bitterness: dark coffee, cocoa, burnt charcoal, a bit of piney zest. Taste is follows with an excellent bitterness that mostly focuses on malt flavors noted in the scent but a bit of herbal hop now present as well. Feel is medium bodied, smooth, and a nice sweetly bitter aftertaste. If you enjoy black ales (by whatever name they go by) you should enjoy this one too!
May 26, 2021
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.5/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Black colour, moderate beige head. Moderate aroma of roast malts, hints of liquorice and chocolate. Decent dry flavour, notes of roast malts, coffee and bittering hops, hints of liquorice and chocolate.
Apr 19, 2021
Photo of milkshakebeersucks
Reviewed by milkshakebeersucks from Maryland

3.64/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Totally dark with a large, thick, mocha colored head and good lacing. Passing whiff of coffee before the aroma of resinous, citrusy hops took over. Some roasted malt in the taste with a hint of bittersweet chocolate before the switch to dry, piney hops. Slightly sour aftertaste beneath the dark fruit and hops. Medium bodied, nicely carbonated mouthfeel with a lingering finish.
Aug 25, 2020
 
Rated: 3.87 by jjboesen from Maryland

Jul 08, 2020
Photo of ChrisMon02
Reviewed by ChrisMon02 from Ohio

3.67/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Pours dark brown with a huge fluffy tan head that lasts for like 100 hours. Lacing is impressive as expected.

Smells of cocoa and sour berries.

Taste Follows the nose. Cocoa and sour berries with a bitter dry finish.

Carbonation is high and reminded me of soda. Sharp with a bite.

Not my thing. It’s unique but not in a good way. Odd sour-bitterness and that sharp finish detracts from the experience. Pass.
Apr 30, 2020
Photo of JohnniEMc
Reviewed by JohnniEMc from Pennsylvania

3.86/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Pours like a dark brown ale. Deceptive, as I got almost none of the maltiness I anticipated. A nice delivery of hops with a slightly sour bite. The sour fades before the hop bitterness. Nice.
Apr 30, 2020
Photo of Singlefinpin
Reviewed by Singlefinpin from North Carolina

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Drinking this from a bottle poured into a pint glass.
Appears black with a nice foamy tan head and lacing.
Smells roasted malty, bready, citrusy.
Taste follows the nose.
Mouth feel is medium plus for the style.
Overall a very nice American Black Ale, malty, hoppy, and tasty. I would definitely order again.
Feb 22, 2020
Photo of BB1313
Reviewed by BB1313 from Ohio

3.54/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5
12oz bottle poured into a tulip. Pours black with a big creamy and rocky head that sticks around leaving great thick retention and sticky frothy lacing. The aromas have some roasted malts along with some hints of berries. The flavors basically follow the nose for the most part. It's slightly sweet and tart. Some cocoa. Mild hints of pine. Solid bitterness. Malts do their thing. Alcohol basically goes unnoticed. Mouthfeel is nice. It's medium-bodied with moderate to active carbonation. It's very fluffy, slightly creamy velvety, sharp and smooth.

This is a solid "Black IPA". Nice aromas. It's slightly sweet and tart, but the hop bitterness cuts down on that. Not bad.
Oct 21, 2019
 
Rated: 3.68 by Nunya from Ohio

Oct 18, 2019
Photo of Bouleboubier
Reviewed by Bouleboubier from New Jersey

3.52/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
(12 oz bottle, enjoy by 4/18, purchased today, sitting at room temp... poured into a nonic)

L: ton of tan foam on the pour (took up almost half the glass); very dark black-cherry red colored liquid... foam collapsed slow, keeping a chunky, rocky contour... several thins strands of crystalline lace

S: mellow, perfumy-floral hop, bit of a polyester(?)/carpet note... maybe a little roast, but not much at all... mostly a hard-candy like malt aroma far in the back... bit of oxidation

T: clashing static up front: intertwining layers of flowery, piney hops; smooth, sedate, berry hard-candy malt middle; hints of light caramel and dried grass in the finish; very faint peppery spice in the aftertaste - their description of spearmint seems right on, especially in that aftertaste (also on the nose leading up to each sip)... the flavors are so polished and married at its age; features more of a spectrum blend than hard-angled contrasting elements

F: quiet, a little too quiet... soft foamy touch up front, short syrup swoop in the middle, disappearing finish with a touch of bitter and booze warmth lingering through the finish... silky-resiny, silky soft

O: despite the age, had to try it; I don't often encounter (the broad range of) DR beers in my travels; as far as reviews, I had 2 of their core line on their main 'current' list here left to do... interesting, boldly-flavored, but perhaps its age has resulted in mellowed/muted expression... will track down a fresh(er) bottle considering its (hop counterpoint) novelty within their lineup (1404)
Jul 17, 2019
 
Rated: 1.61 by Oh_Dark_Star from Washington

May 10, 2019
Photo of flgimp
Reviewed by flgimp from Pennsylvania

4.16/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours boldly black, medium body with khaki lacing. Nose is earthy, peat, pine. Taste is malty, with pine, citrus and yes spearmint notes. This is now one of my favorite black ales.
Feb 21, 2019
 
Rated: 3.85 by KMcGrath from Massachusetts

Dec 03, 2018
Hoppy Bunny A.B.A. (American Black Ale) from The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 598 ratings