Beer of the Week: The Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout
What is all the hype about The Duck-Rabbit? Why their Milk Stout?
So what’s the big deal about The Duck-Rabbit? People in-between the nation may have not heard, but becoming a big deal on the east coast, this beer has finally made a name for itself in the last 10 years of its release. Originally a local craft beer from Farmville in eastern North Carolina, this beer can be found on tap as far west as Tennessee, north as Pennsylvania, and south as Florida. Still, people report finding bottles in places such as California and Colorado. It’s no surprise it has got their attention. To many local Carolina Craft enthusiasts, Duck-Rabbit is a renowned brewery, comparable to popularity to other top names in North Carolina: Highland Brewing Company, Foothills Brewing, Birdsong Brewing Company, NoDa Brewing Company, and The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery. Some say Duck-Rabbit’s Milk Stout is comparable to the Milk Stout Nitro by Left Hand Brewing (located in Fort Collins, Colorado). It is no doubt this beer has a unique taste that is certainly “delicious” by all regards. Creamy, dark, refreshing and sweet, the Milk Stout is prominently Duck-Rabbit’s most popular purchase. Over the years, The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery has worked hard to create a beers that are tasty, dark, and altogether, full-flavored. What have they done right? Besides perfecting the taste by beer professional, branding is certainly one thing. Though simple in design, Duck-Rabbit takes on a look for its bottles that are not only attractive to the customer, but it also matches the original product. The name is unique and follows a philosophical concept behind the brewery. What do they need to do? Though they take pride in being a small microbrewery, they have every right to expand and they should. With the right investors, distributors, and marketers, Duck-Rabbit has every potential of becoming a nationwide beer. Rising after 10 years of a lengthy product, they should be able to have the money to finally do so. What else? Besides their specials and seasonal beers, they need to expand outside their four main beers: Amber Ale, Brown Ale, Porter, and at last, the Milk Stout. Their goal is to continue a theme of dark, full-flavored, beautiful beers, but they will need to step outside of some simplistic measures in order to achieve that, which means every brewery’s fantasy (or nightmare): experimenting with the batches of brew. Of course, when you find something you taste to be perfect, the last thing you want to do is allow it to change. So what? This is the 21st century. When it comes to beers, it’s all about experimenting around.
Location: Farmville, NC
Style: Milk / Sweet Stout
ABV: 5.7%
Untappd (2014) User Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars—20209 Ratings
BeerAdvocate (2014) User Rating: 86% — 1,410 Ratings
Brewery Description of Beer: “The Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout is a traditional full-bodied stout brewed with lactose (milk sugar). The subtle sweetness imparted by the lactose balances the sharpness of the highly roasted grains which give this delicious beer its black color.”
