During my first visit to The Great American Beer Festival in 2010 I came across the Souththeast section where I discovered The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery. The very first beer I sampled was Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout and it was so delicious that I had another 1 oz. sample and another. From that moment I knew that I had discovered one of my favorite stouts ever.

After I discovered this wonderful brew from a small brewery in Farmville, NC, I knew I had a problem: Duck-Rabbit beer is not distributed to California. Luckily, a few weeks later, I made some new friends at the 2010 Beer Bloggers Conference and I was able to enjoy an entire 12 oz. bottle, thanks to Doug Brumley, author of The Fledgling Brewer. Finally, in May 2011 I made a trip to Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina, the home of Duck-Rabbit, where the Milk Stout was be plentiful. I even had the opportunity to try Left Hand Milk Stout side by side with Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout. Both are great beers but I enjoyed the Duck-Rabbit just a little bit more.

After my trip to North Carolina, I was able to bring back a few bottles of beer including the bottle that I used to write and photograph this review.

Date Reviewed. November 2, 2011

Where I Found It. Sam’s Quik Shop in Durham, NC.

Serving Type. 12 oz. bottles into a nonick pint glass.

Appearance. Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout is opaque black through and through. It has a long lasting, frothy tan head with a color similar to latte foam lightly mixed with espresso.

Aroma. This beer smells like cream and chocolate with just a touch of coffee. The roasted malts come off with more of a rich dark chocolate aroma than a coffee aroma. Any espresso notes are very muted, much like an espresso con panna that is heavy on the whipped cream. The sweetness of the malt and milk sugar is apparent in the nose. It is very inviting.

Taste. Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout is a sweet stout with a rich, roasted bitterness that gives it a flavor more like a dark chocolate milk than a standard chocolate milk. The roasted malt comes off ever so slightly harsh and a touch like espresso but is very nicely balanced by the sweetness of the lactose and malt. It is a sweet, rich and for the style a bit more bitter than average, which is a flavor that I really enjoy.

Mouthfeel. This milk stout is a medium bodied that despite the milk sugar comes off a bit thinner than I expected. It is neither light nor heavy but it doesn’t have a rich thick velvety texture that I might have expected. It still has a very nice mouthfeel.

Overall. Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout is a fantastic beer that almost fits well within the style guidelines for a milk stout. It is a touch more bitter than average but I find this to a great way for the brewer to differentiate their milk stout from others. I always like to describe this beer as dark chocolate milk.

Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score.

Appearance (6%): ███

Aroma (24%): ███

Taste (40%): ███

Mouthfeel (10%): ███

Overall (20%): ███

Total: ███

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