Duck-Rabbit Hoppy Bunny American Black Ale - The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery

MacQ32

South Carolina

4.03/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours virtually black with a nice mocha colored head, retention and lacing both very good.

S - Plentiful roasty malts and resinous earthy hops

T - Roasty/slightly sweet chocolate, roasty coffee like bitter malts and piney earthy hops hold their own with a more robust malt profile

M - Medium body with moderate carbonation, mouth feel is where it should be

O - A very solid prototypical black IPA, nothing super special about this one but it does what it does as well as any black IPA that I have had the pleasure of indulging in

Serving type: on-tap

06-20-2012 03:01:43 | More by MacQ32

cgarcer

Georgia

4/5  rDev +2.6%

06-20-2013 02:39:17 | More by cgarcer

KevinGordon

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +9%

06-18-2013 02:35:13 | More by KevinGordon

nosavingsaccount

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +9%

06-17-2013 01:28:24 | More by nosavingsaccount

GrantBrennan

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +2.6%

06-17-2013 00:41:39 | More by GrantBrennan

tedho21

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -23.1%

06-14-2013 22:06:54 | More by tedho21

Phillyz

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -3.8%

06-14-2013 19:14:01 | More by Phillyz

Brenden

Ohio

4.14/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A black ale it is, though some light barely sneaks through at the edges. It shows the body it ought to have; not heavy and viscous like a stout, but sturdy. The tan head that grows reaches close to a finger and a half and is rich and heavy-looking, dense and creamy. Retention is good, but most impressive is how incredibly sticky the lacing is, dropping in a thick sheet and, when left sitting, leaving a heavy ring where the head has spent any time still.
The aroma has all the elements I would hope for, but it seems a little more strength would do to pull it all out. They're more fully developed and realized in the flavor, though. It doesn't go in-your-face crazy with overly harsh bitterness or roast, but each element coincides nicely and complements. The gentle pine and mildly resinous and floral bitterness melds with the roast that in some of this style can go too far or go tangy or acrid. This avoids those flaws and instead is simply a nice, flavorful, balanced, and fairly deep version of the style. The roast is all there without any hard char, just a light bite of it that isn't too hard. It really does marry malts and hops, roast and leaf, very well.
The crispness I'd hope for is in this medium-bodied ale, but it's also got a very nice smoothness. A bit of an almost English-style tea-like quality leads into a drier finish that lingers softly.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2013 14:27:10 | More by Brenden

carolinared

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -3.8%

06-10-2013 14:30:35 | More by carolinared

HattedClassic

Virginia

4/5  rDev +2.6%

06-07-2013 22:27:38 | More by HattedClassic

RobertColianni

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -3.8%

06-06-2013 14:50:35 | More by RobertColianni

Oakenator

Pennsylvania

4.26/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A: Pours a dark black with no light showing through. A decent head at pour retains well - a good film on top. Significant lacing.

S: Hoppy and earthy. Roasted malts.

T: Hoppy, bitter bit up front - grass and celery. Malts do not sweeten this beer.

M: Relatively light flavored.

O: Good brew - nice combination of dark, roasted malts and bitter, grassy hops.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2013 01:34:28 | More by Oakenator

GuinnessAtRogerWilco

New Jersey

3.7/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

12oz bottle given to me by one of my good beer customers who got it in NC while in that area. Thanks, Steve. Poured into a pint glass.

AP: Almost straight black in colour, but I discern some really dark brown and chocolate tones, too. Looks very close to being a Porter or Stout. Not much of head on this. Only a 1/4" tan head that fizzles out to just a dusting on the surface with minimal lacing when the glass is tilted.
AR: The aroma is surprisingly very chocolately. I wasn't expecting this. And it's not a cocoa or baking chocolate smell, either, but sweet milk chocolate. Interesting. Also roasted malts/grains and toffee as well. Not really getting any hop aromas as the chocolate is dominating any other aromas. It smells like it should taste good, however, this being labeled a hoppy Ale I was expecting some hops in the nose. Hope they are there in the taste.
T: It doesn't quite taste like the smell. The sweet chocolate aroma is not there in the taste. The main flavour is roasted malt/grains. The chocolate takes on more of a cocoa or baking chocolate taste. The hops are discerned on the finish with a brush of Earthy bitterness with a hint of pine. I also get a bit of cola and nutty notes towards the finish on the second sip.
M: Fairly crisp and carbonated and dry for the most part. Body is on the lighter side.
OV: An interesting brew and I'm glad I got to try this one. Can't recall having something similar to this before. Some nice flavours in this beer, though I'd have liked the hops to have been more assertive as I think that would have really balanced this nicely. It's decent and worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2013 04:40:14 | More by GuinnessAtRogerWilco

Gatch

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +9%

06-03-2013 02:50:37 | More by Gatch

Morockm

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +2.6%

06-01-2013 18:15:36 | More by Morockm

calcnerd

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +9%

05-30-2013 00:53:32 | More by calcnerd

Darkmagus82

Montana

4.06/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from bottle into a pint glass

Appearance – Pours a super deep brown color that looks black in the glass with only light able to shine through at the bottom of the glass or when held in front of the light, allowing a little bit of a ruby color to be seen. Upon pouring there is a one finger cream head that has a moderate level of retention, but which fades to leave a good level of lacing on the sides of the glass.

Smell- Overall the aroma is rather light consisting mainly of roasted malt and pine. With these aromas comes other aromas of a grapefruit hop and a sweeter chocolate smell.

Taste – The taste starts out with a smooth roasted malt taste mixed with some nice pine hoppiness upfront. The hop is not strong, but complements the roasted flavors nicely. Some dark chocolate begins developing more toward the middle, along with some more pine hop and an entrance of grapefruit hop. The pine remains rather light and is soon overshadowed by the grapefruit hop more toward the end. The chocolate also increases in intensity till the end with it sweetening up some toward a more semi-sweet chocolate. In the end a very pleasant dark and roasted but lightly sweetened hop flavor is left on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is on the slightly thicker and creamier side with a carbonation level that is rather average. Overall it was a nice feel as the fuller body was great for the roasted and chocolate flavors while the carbonation added a bit of tingle to complement the hop nicely.

Overall - A rather tasty ABA. It was actually a nice pairing upfront in the taste of the drier roasted flavors with the pine followed by another nice complementation of the grapefruit hop and chocolate toward the end of the taste. This was a rather tasty drink and is one to try.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2013 01:06:43 | More by Darkmagus82

metter98

New York

3.94/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Thirsty Monk, Asheville, NC

A: The beer is very dark amber (near black when viewed from afar). It poured with a thin than head that died down and left a collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Moderate aromas of dark malts are present in the nose along with notes of roasted malts and hints of pine resin.
T: Like the smell, the malts stand out in the beer with notes of pine resin hops in the background. There is a light to moderate amount of bitterness.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation. It's not crisp and some smoothness is noticeable.
O: This beer seems a little maltier compared to other beers in the style and isn't hard to drink, especially if you aren't a big fan of very bitter beers.

Serving type: on-tap

05-27-2013 13:44:55 | More by metter98

smithj4

New York

4/5  rDev +2.6%

05-26-2013 19:35:04 | More by smithj4

TheMultiYeast

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +2.6%

05-20-2013 23:49:45 | More by TheMultiYeast

Zimm

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -10.3%

05-15-2013 17:38:58 | More by Zimm

SerialHiker

Illinois

4.16/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Appearance: Pours a very dark, dark brown to black…head is mocha colored and made of tight, tiny bubbles…it starts thin and dissipates after only a few minutes...has a nice color, but lacks a bit of carbonation…(3.25/5)

Smell: Yum, tons of aroma here! Lightly roasted malt and a light dry chocolate up front…it’s really got a light, airy smell…balanced with fresh, light lemon peel citrus hops…as it warms, I catch a bit more of a earthy, roasted coffee bitterness…a very inviting aroma! (3.75/5)

Taste: Yum! Roasted malt, oats, lemon citrus, mild piney hops up front…I also get some dry, bittersweet chocolate and roasted coffee bitterness notes as well…it’s a very fresh taste, that is very balanced with tons of flavor…both the malt and hops are strong and could easily stand alone but combine to create something fantastic here…while it’s not overly complex, it’s simplicity is delectable…(4.5/5)

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body with light carbonation…it fluffs up a tiny bit bringing roasted malt and mild roasted coffee bitterness to the palate…my mouth waters after every drink…a malty, roasted bitterness lingers in the after taste…(3.75/5)

Overall: This thing is fantastic! I’ve been loving the black IPA’s lately and this is definitely one of my favorites…the flavor is fresh and zesty while being full of roasted malts…though the exuberant hops keep this from straying too close to a porterish stout...Duck Rabbit likes to say they specialize in dark beers and this limited edition brew is more proof of that...having been one of my favorite microbreweries for the past few years, I always look forward to trying their seasonals/small batch brews…if you are in the N.C. area or anywhere where D-R is distributed, pick up a sixer of this solid beer and enjoy! (4.25/5)

www.brewreport.blogspot.com

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 02:47:36 | More by SerialHiker

Hoptimus-Prime

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +2.6%

05-10-2013 13:03:05 | More by Hoptimus-Prime

troy138

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +2.6%

04-30-2013 23:45:22 | More by troy138

roywilliams

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +15.4%

04-30-2013 16:09:12 | More by roywilliams