Birthday Blend
Rushing Duck Brewing Company

 

Released for Rushing Duck's 7th Anniversary. Poured from crowler two days after canning. Served at nearly room temperature. It pours a color between dark cola and walnut with a fluffy, light khaki head the dissipated quickly leaving a thin sheen of lacing. A super fragrant nose with roasted malt, brown sugar, fresh coffee, toffee, freshly-cut nuts, vanilla, oak, and ripe cherries. The taste opens with a surprising amount of dark fruit: ripe cherry, raisin, and perhaps some fig. Then the flavors come one after another. There's burnt coffee, chocolate, vanilla, toffee, oak, and hints of leather and smoky peat. The Kola nut is evident and it tastes very fresh and tropical. As the ale breathes in the glass the flavors seem to evolve so that with different sips I get different tastes. The feel is more like a Barleywine than a Stout; it's creamy but not as thick as some of Rushing Duck's big stouts. It has mild but pleasant carbonation. While the 10.9% ABV is warming it's by no means overpowering. Overall, Birthday Blend is superb - as I expected it would be. Rushing Duck has really mastered this style and I look forward to its anniversary release every year. My only regret is that RD didn't bottle this blend; it was only sold in crowlers so it's hard to age.