The Duck Rabbit Brewery

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Tasting Notes

Amber Ale

Wonderfully caramel nose really brings you in. This very flavorful ale has fruit tones and caramel mixed together to create a delightfully bright amber ale that we really enjoyed!

Milk Stout

The flagship for Duck Rabbit, this dark and heavy stout is a very well-balanced milk stout that does the style proud. A touch of coffee and sweetness on the nose belies the thick mouthfeel and sweetness of this stout.

Duck-Rabbator Dopplebock

A loaf of bread inspired dobblebock, has aromas of spent grain from the brewing process. This beer seems to be more dark fruit than bread, with a very deep flavor that reminded us of the Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, but even better. At its 8.5% ABV, it will sneak up on you!

Baltic Porter

The nose of this beer definitely has booze and barrel. The alcohol heat does not linger around the pallet too much with more fruit tones than expected. This is surprisingly well balanced and warms not only the tongue, but the body and soul.

Rabid Duck Imperial Stout

This beer has a huge hop presence right off the bat. If we didn’t know better we would have thought we had a black IPA with hints of roasted malt, citrus, and floral tones. Flavorwise we got a lot of lemon peel and it does not taste as heavy as it is. If you like hops and stouts, this is a good beer to have, but the more standard stout flavors seem to be lacking. A truly unique take on an Imperial Stout.

Final Thoughts on The Duck Rabbit

Duck Rabbit really understand dark beers, but it was their Amber Ale that really took the show for us. This was one of our very amber ales of all time. Travis enjoyed the Baltic Porter and Amber Ale the most. All of the beers were very good and unique. We will definitely be revisiting them later this year and would highly recommend you do the same!

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Trophy Brewing

Abigail? Annabelle? Not sure, but she likes beer…we think.

Tasting Notes from Trophy

Trophy Wife

Delightful easy drinking session IPA helped turn Kim onto IPAs. Not piney at all, with lovely tropical fruit notes that make this beer a wonderful summer ale for all beer drinkers.

Cloud Surfer

A “modern” twist on an IPA with a citrus and pineapple nose and similar flavor profile. A heavy dose of dry hopping give this beer a lovely smooth finish without the standard IPA bitterness.

Check Your Head

This Beastie Boys inspired beer has a lovely tropical fruit nose with notes of pineapple and mango coming to the forefront. Again, the nose and tongue agree on the flavors, but this beer has a very sweet finish.

Head Cleaner

Please be kind and rewind this VHS inspired Double IPA! Very similar to the Check Your Head, but with a slight astringent aroma on the nose. However the flavor itself balances smoothly and it tastes almost identical to the Check Your Head.

Final thoughts and Beer of the Night

All four beers we tried were tropical IPAs, and each were well made. These even made Kim want to try more IPAs! We do know they have a wide variety and would recommend everyone swing by for a pint. We really enjoyed our tasting and would highly recommend visiting any of their locations for some excellent beer, pizza, and food! Kim and Andrew’s favorites were the Trophy Wife and Check Your Head while Laura preferred the Cloud Surfer and Head Cleaner.

Weeping Radish

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Tasting Notes from Weeping Radish

Pinked Lemonade OBX

Nice lovely lemonade aroma and flavor. This beer is a really good Kolsch-style shandy and great all-day beer for those hot beach days.

Bitter Bee

A very thick foamy beer with aroma of honey and piney goodness. The flavor also has a lovely west-coast pale ale floral and orange flavors with hints of honey. This beer has a much greater bitterness on the pallet than expected from the IBUs.

Black Radish

Roasty chocolate and coffee on the nose were excellent primers for this Schwarzbier. Unfortunately the flavors do not match the heavenly aroma. A faint background of coffee, but mostly dark fruits and bell peppers dominate on the tongue. We were rather disappointed with this beer as we mostly tasted grape.

Christmas Bier

Very clean nose with mostly malt and lager tones. Like the Schwarzbier, this Dobblebock also tasted of purple grapes much to our chagrin. We got some basic lager and breadiness on the frontend and a touch of caramel on the backend, but the grape flavors overpowered nearly everything, and not in a good way.

Final Thoughts on Weeping Radish

We were amazingly disappointed in both lagers, however we think there may have been an infection or something off in the process, as both had the same grape flavoring. Both ales were excellent and we can say for certain we would drink another of Uli’s kolsch or pale ales again. We would definitely be willing to try more lagers from Weeping Radish, however we were not fans of the cans we had. But we really want to get hold of house made Wurst!

Stone Brewing

Tasting Notes from Stone Brewing

Tropic Thunder Lager

The pineapple and coconut hit you first on the nose, making you think this will be an ale. The beer itself has a lovely breadyness that balances the fruit well, and is a very refreshing beer.

IPA

A piney and slightly dank nose, this beer smells like one would expect a West-Coast Style IPA to smell. Flavorwise, everything you expect from the style, bitter and piney, with a touch of dankness. A great example of the style.

Delicious IPA

The lemon-drop hop does not disappoint as this beer gives a lovely fresh lemon and hop spice aroma right off the top. Starting off like lemon candy, this beer finishes with lemon pith, giving that burst of lemon bitterness to help it stay so delicious. We really enjoyed this standard from Stone.

Scorpion Bowl IPA

This cocktail-inspired IPA has a lovely tropical fruit nose and it is very fruity on the nose. Juicier than we expected, with a lot of tropical fruit flavors especially pineapple. The pineapple really hangs around on the backend of the taste.

Arrogant Bastard Ale

This beer is not supposed to be enjoyed (per the label) as it is overly hopped to the extreme! Amber in color, but a slight astringent aroma, belies this beer. The pallet is not as heavy as the beer label implies, with notes of caramel and citrus that help to offset the bitterness. This is a beer everyone should try for the historical style.

Xocoveza

The cinnamon and nutmeg blend well with the pepper spice to create a delightful nose. Flavors of chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, coffee, and chili are all there and easy to pick up and are perfectly balanced. A formerly rare beer, the Xocovesa is a delight to have and should be easy to get a hold of regardless of where you live!

Final Thoughts on Stone and Beer of the Night

Our beer of the evening was the Xocovesa, but everything we had was excellent. Our preferred order:

Xocovesa
Delicious
Tropic Thunder
Scorpion Bowl
IPA
Arrogant Bastard

Stone is a very IPA heavy brewery, and is fairly ubiquitous. It is definitely a great brewery with no bad beers to be had. We would highly recommend finding some Stone beer at your local store or bar!

Irish Beer Week

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Tasting Notes From Irish Beer Week

Harp

Straw colored and highly effervescent, this beer is a standard European lager. A very easy drinking beer with some wheat flavor and little to no bitterness to speak of.

Smithwick’s & Sons Red Ale.

This red ale truly is ruby red in color. This low-alcohol session ale has great legs and slight caramel and roasty aroma. There is a slight bitterness to it, but it is slight. THis beer could easily be an all day sipper for any function.

Wexford Irish Style Cream Ale

This beer poured like cream soda, but eventually fell out to resemble a cream ale in color and opacity. Having a head similar to a nitro-poured beer, the aroma is very odd and we could not place it. Sort of chalky and smooth, this beer should be skipped as there are almost no redeeming qualities here.

Murphy’s Irish Stout

The original Irish Dry Stout, this dark and medium bodied beer is our favorite of the Irish stouts. Coffee and toffee tones are on the nose with just the barest amount of cocoa detected. The coffee and roasty notes continue on the pallet, but the beer itself is fairly thin in the mouth compared to an American oatmeal stout, but this is very creamy.

Guinness Draught

Not as much on the nose as the Murphy’s, creating a more subtle beer. While the flavors are less, this beer is much heavier than the Murphy’s and fills one up much faster. This is a plain beer. A little bitterness, a little coffee, and nothing that stands out.

Guinness Foreign Extra Stout

Lovely nose with dark fruit and fig notes and touch of coffee roast. Flavorwise, this beer is heavy figs, with a bittersweet middle and dry finish. This is much better than the standard Guinness Draught.

Final Thoughts on Irish Beer

All in all, Irish beer has been greatly stunted by the predatory practices of Guinness, and Irish craft beer is nearly impossible to find in the states. We look forward to future small Irish breweries, but this St Patty’s day, if you need an Irish stout we recommend a Murphy’s or Foreign Extra.

Tasting from Four Saints Part 1 and 2

00000IMG_00000_BURST20190121145413727_COVER — Our full tasting from Four Saints with new and old style cans!

Tasting Notes from Four Saints

Yoga Pants Latte

This beer is spicy in the best since! Pumpkin spices on the nose and the palate truly make this beer a pumpkin spiced latte dark ale. Vanilla, baking spices and coffee are all on the nose. Heavy pumpkin with clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, and all-spice flavors abound in this easy to drink pumpkin latte. Unlike many pumpkin beers, this one finishes cleanly and is a new favorite.

Stout One

Heavy smoke nose with some vanilla and whiskey tones, similar to a smoked sausage or scotch. This is not a sweet stout, but it still retains flavors of smoke, chocolate, and a touch of whiskey, vanilla, and charred meat. Perfect beer for a grilled steak.

MVIMG_20190121_212616 — Things get a little heavier and darker with part 2!

Impending Grace

Faint honey on the nose with some smoke and dark cocoa notes as well gives this pitch black stout some excellent aromas. This stout has a bit bolder flavor profile compared to the Stout One, with smoke still being a part of the palate.

BBA Impending Grace

More subtle than some bourbon barrel aged stouts, the barrel aging seems to have removed the smoked notes on the aroma and replaced them with some bourbon tones. The bourbon really shines through on the tongue, giving strong bourbon flavors without losing the stout tones. The bourbon does thin this beer out though, in a manner we thought odd, but tasty.

Final Thoughts on Four Saints Brewing

We really like Four Saints.We love their beer, their commitment to their community, and their willingness to talk to us. Our only regret is that we do not live closer to the brewery! Their beer is excellent and we cannot recommend this brewery enough if you find yourself in Asheboro, NC visiting the NC Zoo, or just cruising looking for breweries!

Gibb’s Hundred Brewing

Tasting Notes Gibb’s Hundred

Rock 92 Session Ale

Paceable session ale with nice caramel and banana tones on the nose. The flavor is very malt forward, with a bit less caramel than expected.

Guilty Party ESB

This gold-medal winning ESB has a big nose with nutty and caramel aromas which translate into a very good ESB. The nutty flavors are the biggest addition to this beer on the tongue.

Monkeysphere IPA

Very floral nose with meaty tropical fruits and a touch of citrus zest on the nose. The tropical fruits and a touch of biscuity goodness are discernible on the pallet. This hop-forward beer is a nice departure from their standard style.

Final Thoughts on Gibb’s Hundred Brewing

Thanks again to Mark Gibb for joining us and we would definitely recommend visiting the brewery in Greensboro, NC. This is a great change of pace brewery, with a heavier rotation of malt forward beers that while certainly delight folks who are tired of hop-heavy beers.

Season 2! Happy Brew Years!

For our first episode of season 2, Andrew and Laura traveled to Asheville, NC to give everyone a taste of the east coast brewing mecca. Listen along during their travels and Happy Brew Years!

The first flight of the trip took place at Brevard Brewing. The Schwartzbier and Rye Pale Ale were very tasty

Hefty flight from New Belgium Brewing at the Asheville Liquid Center. One of our favorite places to grab a pint!

The Archetype for this trip. we enjoyed Archetype brewing a ton!

This oddly colored blonde bock from Hi-Wire and Bond Brothers was a very good treat to find at the Big Top!

Winner of our favorite brewery of the trip, Hillman! We cannot recommend this brewery enough. If you are ever in Asheville please swing by!

Year End Review Part 3

Going back to Clown Shoes, Dogfish Head, Sweetwater, Terrapin, and Lagunitas, the crew finishes up 2018 in style!

Clown Shoes Blaecorn Unidragon (2016)

The smokey and hoppy nose on this beer create a unique aroma. However the smokeyness is heavy in the flavor as well. This beer is very sweet with a slight hoppy bitterness on the back end. Additionally some baker’s chocolate and very little coffee. The Smoke really overpowers the other flavors in this beer.

Dogfish Head Burton Baton

On the nose this odd beer blend has mostly IPA notes with a touch of oak, similar to Chopsecutioner by Terrapin. When we got to flavor, this beer is odd and unique, and with the unique blend you wind up with a beer that has similar qualities to a triple or imperial IPA. The back end is very astringent with heavy hop notes, and the bitterness stays with you.

Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron

The wine notes on the nose are very evident with lighter bodied red tones such as a syrah, pinot noir, or even a heavy rose, with undertones of dark fruit such as black current or figs. This brown ale blends well with the fig and fruit tones while balancing with the brown ale exceptionally well. There are minor notes of caramel and vanilla, but is a great blend of beer with wine flavors.

Sweetwater 21st Anniversary Ale

This sour funky wild ale is strong on the nose with funk, and is fairly consistent with the Oud Bruin style from Belgium. The nose does this beer justice as it is both funky and tart on the palate. This beer is a sour symphony with notes of cherry, but mostly sour.

Terrapin Raspberry Truffle Wake-N’-Bake

The nose is as advertised with heavy raspberry truffle tones, lovely chocolate and fruit balancing with each other and a touch of bready-ness to remind us of a cheesecake. The flavor is similar in that this is a chocolate cake with a heavy dose of raspberry jam.

Lagunitas Wilco Tango Foxtrot

This brown ale was not at all what we were expecting. Heavy hop tones on the nose, with citrus, pine, and dank aromas like an IPA. This beer tastes like a very malty IPA, more like an English IPA than a brown ale. Malt, citrus, and a touch of pine round out the flavor of this beer. Honestly the best way to describe this beer, it is a blend of the Brown Shugga and Maximus IPA from Lagunitas.

Beer of the Tasting

Andrew really loved the 21st Anniversary Ale, the Raspberry Truffle Wake-N-Bake, and the Palo Santo Marron for very different reasons, and would recommend all three depending on your preference at the time. Travis was a bit more picky and chose the Palo Santo Marron as his beer of the tasting.

Brewery of the Year

Andrew and Travis gave Brueprint their surprise brewery of the year award as they far exceeded his expectations and continued to surprise us as the year went on. Andrew gave Dogfish Head his Brewery of the Year award.

Year End Review Part 2

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We cover some rare (and heavy) beers from Oskar Blues, Sierra Nevada, New Belgium, and Founders brewing!

Oskar Blues Ten-Fidy

This pitch black beer pours like motor oil, but has a roasty chocolate nose. The flavor is bitter coffee and bitter chocolate with nice caramel tones as well. This beer is very boozy, but the flaked oat provides a nice rounded finish to prevent the Ten-Fidy from being too boozy and sharp.

Sierra Nevada Trip in the Woods Maple Scotch Ale

There is no question this beer is maple syrup based, as the nose let’s you know right off the bat with a touch of scotch ale tones. The flavor starts out with earthy scotch ale tones, but transitions to maple syrup sweetness. This beer is perfect for the fall and winter months as not being too heavy, but boozy enough that it could sneak up on you.

New Belgium Oakspire

Rye bread notes flood out of the glass on the nose. Flavorwise, the bourbon is muted, but the strong ale flavor is very forward with oak tones including vanilla, and lacking a standard rye ale’s peppery quality. This beer is not particularly boozy tasting, and is very unique compared to other bourbon barrel aged beers.

Founders Backwoods Bastard

Big, boozy, nose with oak, vanilla, and bourbon tones. Spiced well with nice baking spices throughout the flavor and a liquor heat finish, this beer is more scotch than bourbon with hints of dark fruit. This is a good fire pit sipping beer that will not sneak up on you.

Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS)

The nose is heavy coffee with notes of chocolate, creating more of a mocha feel. It is everything you love about the regular Founders Breakfast Stout, but now with more flavor! Lots of coffee and bitter dark chocolate mix well with the vanilla from the bourbon.

Founders Better Half

Very maple syrup nose, you know you need some pancakes with this beer that actually looks like maple syrup. Booze and maple syrup are the predominant flavors, and this beer may need to sit for a year or so before it starts to mellow out. This beer works well with the barrel they aged it in and is a very unique experience.

Beer of the Tasting

All of these heavy beers were really good and really well made with Unique flavors. Travis’ preferred beers were the KBS and Trip in the Woods while Andrew preferred the Oakspire from New Belgium. Listen, like and subscribe to the Brew News Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Anchor, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Stitcher, or whichever Podcatcher you enjoy! The Brew News Podcast is listener supported and you can join the Brew News Crew on Anchor or on Patreon.