238. The Duck-Rabbit Marzen

Cracked open this bad boy while watching my beloved NC State Wolfpack in a rivalry game against UNC.  Needless to say, I wasn't terribly interested in drinking after the 1st quarter.  But I'm not one to let a good beer to waste.

Beer was poured into a stemmed snifter glass.  One finger of dirty-white colored head.  Ended up getting moderate to long retention with this one, leaving splotches of lacing along the sides.  There are aromas of caramel, biscuit, maybe a faint whiff of apples.  

This doesn't taste quite like a marzen, although it hits many of the same notes.  It starts out with the caramel sweetness and the finish is more hoppy and bitter than I recall from other beers of this style.  The apple taste is also more pronounced at the end.  Medium bodied with medium carbonation.

Imagine a marzen that's a little more extreme on the front and back end and I think this is what you would get.  To me, if I was served this at Oktoberfest or something, it would be a pretty good beer but I don't know how sessionable it would be for me.  That said, if I was comparing this not against this style but as a beer that I would drink, it's pretty good.

Grade: B-

Price Paid: $1.79 (12 oz bottle)

  

150. Duck Rabbit Hoppy Bunny ABA

Duck-Rabbit's mantra is that they only focus on dark beers.  When I think of Duck-Rabbit, I think of porters, stouts, beers that are more malt forward than hop forward.  When I noticed that they had something called the Hoppy Bunny ABA, it looked like an excuse to foray into more hoppy beers, which I'm totally okay with.

I had this to go with dinner, and it was poured into a pilsner glass.  It poured a deep brown with two fingers of soapy, khaki colored head.  It had moderate retention, leaving some decent streaks of lacing on the glass. I detected aromas of roasted malt, pine, a touch a citrus.  There's an earthiness to the aroma as well.  

There's a slightly sour/bitter bite that first hits you as you take a sip, probably stemming from the hops.  I found it to be less piney, more citrusy in that aspect.  You can taste some of the roasted malt and I detected a hint of chocolate.  Oddly enough, I was reminded of a Scharzbier I had a while back and it reminded me of that, with a little more hop pop.  Still, I found the beer to be tasty and easy to drink.  The mouth feel ranged from light to moderate, with moderate carbonation that gave the beer a spicy feel to it.  A very good beer, I'd be glad to have again.

Grade: B

Price Paid: $1.89 (12 oz bottle)

50. Duck-Rabbit Schwarzbier

Duck-Rabbit hails from Farmville, NC and considers themselves dark beer specialists.  Their website (http://www.duckrabbitbrewery.com) needs some serious updates and upgrades.  I think very highly of their brews, it's a shame that their website is amateurish and not current.  Heck, if you tried to go there right now, you wouldn't know they offered a schwarzbier.  I think I got this particular bottle from The Beer Dispensary, but I could be wrong..it's been a while.

Anyway, this was my first time with a schwarzbier, so I wasn't sure what to expect.  It also didn't help that I'm pouring this thing almost two months later than the best-by date.  I'm crossing my fingers, hoping for the best!  It poured a near black color, with some light able to penetrate the edges.  There was a thin, tan head, with very light retention and no discernible lacing.  I could smell toasted malt, coffee, and chocolate, very similar characteristics to a porter or stout. 

And that's where the differences end.  It might smell like a porter/stout, but it doesn't taste like one.  I can still pick up the coffee and chocolate on the front end.  On the back end, it gets a sour finish.  There's probably a better way to explain it..maybe a hoppy finish, but the finish is mild and doesn't last like other beers I've had.  It's also not unpleasant..it's different and unexpected, but not unpleasant. The beer is also very light bodied, making this beer very drinkable.  I'll have to keep my eye out for other schwarzbiers..this one was very good.  I also need to try this beer when it's not two months after the best-by date.

Grade: B

Price Paid: $2.39 (12 oz bottle)