A fantastic example of the style. Strong scottish yeast dominates the profile, along with a perfect balance from caramal malts, with a nice alcoholic warmths. 2017 advent calendar

Intensely bitter Black IPA, but lacking in the deep, rich, roasted malt notes you usually want in the style, instead offering up a clingy, overpowering hop bitterness offset by a metallic fruitiness and a not-altogether-welcome vegetal vein. Some espresso and bakers chocolate, but also a clingy copper-like harshness accented by citric hops and yeast, cherry, and raisin streaks. Lacks definition beyond its all-encompassing bitterness. Pours a dark, dark brown with a brief beige head and modest lacing. Surprising how much chocolate is in the nose, since it doesn't translate very far into the flavor. Perky texture with a medium body, good for the style. Overall a pretty rough Black IPA.

12 ounce bottle. Translucent dark brown color. Small creamy tan head. Mild roasted malt nose. Flavor upfront is roasted malt and unsweetened cocoa. Nice creamy mouthfeel. Though it's a Milk Stout, it's not overtly sweet, as I expected it may be. The lactose balances this nicely. Very tasty.

Craft Beer Advent Calendar 2017
Clean amber color. Candy caramel aroma. Caramel flavor, moderately sweet, moderate depth of malts, some burnt sugar in the final roasted nuts.
Clean, quite good.

12 oz. bottle, pours a deep dark amber with a small beige head. Aroma brings out caramel, bready malt, and a touch of brown sugar. Flavour is along the same lines, with bready malt, caramel and light brown sugar. Finishes on notes of toffee, with moderate sweetness. Very light on the palate despite all this. Nice stuff.

Bottle - Lots of sticky toffee with a hint of cooked orange, clear copper with a small off white head. Sweet toffee, light marzipan and some orange. Rich and quite nice, although a touch on the sweet side.

355ml bottle. Pours a clear red-amber with a small, short lived, beige head that fully dissipates. Sweet aroma of caramel malt, dried fruit and alcohol. Sweet flavour of caramel malt, dark fruit, molasses, brown sugar and light spice with a dry, warming alcohol finish. Medium to full body with an oily texture and soft carbonation. Nice.

From Jan 2008

I got this bottle in a trade with leftmindedrighty. Thanks Aaron!

This one pours from 12oz bottle a clear deep amber/brown with about a 1" layer of foam after a careful pour. There's some nice lacing and the foam is receding ever so slowly.

The smell is not shy at all. Lots of caramel malt along with some dark fruit and notes of whiskey.

The taste on first sip and the malt and dark fruit is there in abundance but whoah, so is the alcohol. Lots of warming during and after the swallow. Smaller sips are in order here. ;^)

Further sips in and the whiskey smell I noted is in the taste as well and it's pretty darned nice. I don't believe I've had an example of the style quite like this. Oh, and in the background and somewhat subdued is some chocolate goodness.
It has a thick body and it finishes with some hoppy zest that somewhat balances the sweetness from the malt. Interesting brew but I *know* I couldn't drink more than 1 at a sitting.

From Nov 2007

I got this one in a trade with Wasatch. Thanks again John!

This pours from 12oz bottle( looks like best by 01/08. It was hard to read the "notching: on the dates on the label) a pitch black with a hefty tannish head of foam that eventually shrinks to, well, it disappears all together deep into the session. A quick swirling of your glass will fix that. ;^)

The smell is of chocolate, dark fruit, and caramel malt.

The taste has big notes of chocolate and roasted malt with smaller helpings of coffee, dark fruit, citrus, molasses, toffee, and cocoa. Pretty darned tasty. It has a full body and the carbonation is medium. It finishes on the bitter side mostly from the ample hop presence. In fact, the more I sip on it, the more I notice how hoppy this RIS is. Dang. It works for me. And..the alcohol is there but it's not obtrusive. Just a slight warming after the swallow. This is a very nice example of the style and I have to commend Duck-Rabbit for the effort that they put in this brew. I *just* can't get over how so many examples of the style are brewed in the US and they, pretty much all, have something unique in their recipe that puts their personal "stamp" on their product and the end results are my appreciating what is sitting in front of me, in my glass. It's bloody amazing.

Bottom line: Another RIS that is worth seeking out. Buy it locally, or trade for it. You should not be disappointed.

Draft at Duke's Counter 3-19-17