Milk Stout
The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery

Milk StoutMilk Stout
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From:
The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery
 
North Carolina, United States
Style:
Sweet / Milk Stout
Ranked #530
ABV:
5.7%
Score:
86
Ranked #19,189
Avg:
3.84 | pDev: 12.76%
Reviews:
816
Ratings:
2,196
Status:
Active
Rated:
Apr 21, 2023
Added:
Oct 08, 2004
Wants:
  140
Gots:
  415
SCORE
86
Very Good
Milk StoutMilk Stout
Notes: The Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout is a traditional full-bodied stout brewed with lactose (milk sugar). Because lactose is unfermentable by brewer's yeast, it remains in the beer. The subtle sweetness and fullness of flavor imparted by this sugar balances the sharpness of the highly roasted grains that give this delicious beer its black color. All year long, Milk Stout is our number one selling beer!
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of ramseye4
Reviewed by ramseye4 from Virginia

3.62/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.75
A- motor oil black, minimal head that quickly dissipated, decent lacing. Looks enticing

S-Dark roasted malts hit up first. Tobacco, smoke, espresso

T-Roasted malt, a teeny bit of chocolate, burnt remains of a meal made in a cast iron skillet. For a sweet stout it’s more roasty than sweet

M- hella weak. Not as full bodied as a stout should be

O- it’s decent. Looks and smells great but falls flat otherwise. It wouldn’t be a bad intro to someone new to stouts as it’s relatively mild
Apr 21, 2023
Photo of C199_t_
Reviewed by C199_t_ from South Carolina

4.62/5  rDev +20.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
Nothing special about the look or smell to me. Tastes refreshing and dubs as a meal replacement for its heartiness. Smooth all around. Good messaging from the company on recycling. Overall, a well done stout to have in place of a meal. Great middle of the day beer. Great beer to have with a dessert. I would buy this one again !
Mar 29, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by Hellpop65 from Kansas

Jan 01, 2023
 
Rated: 5 by Greg_Eans from Kentucky

Jul 26, 2022
Photo of superspak
Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina

4.15/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
16 ounce can into tulip glass, canned on 2/8/2022. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and fluffy tan head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing and moderate streaming carbonation. Aromas and flavors of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, roasted nuts, toast, dark bread/crust, wood, pepper, pine, herbal, floral, grass, light dark fruit and yeast earthiness. Moderate pine/herbal/charred bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation/body. Balanced creamy/grainy malt, sticky hops, and chalky roast in the mouthfeel. Fairly clean finishing. Lingering hop/char bitter dryness, no acrid/astringency. Super drinkable and almost refreshing for a Stout, just feels like a straight up dry stout, didn't feel much lactose body to it, but I loved it. Just like drinking straight roasted barley.
Jul 21, 2022
Photo of LesDewitt4beer
Reviewed by LesDewitt4beer from Minnesota

3.21/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
12oz bottle enjoy by date Aug 2022 into a 12oz glass.
L: Pours black w/a medium dark khaki head that goes quickly to a thin skin. Low carbonation, minimal lacing.
S: Dark roasted/toasted malts, lightly floral, a suggestion of molasses.
T: Toasted caramel malts, sweet, light cola, gentle bitterness lingers, moderately clean tasting, a hint of molasses.
F: Slightly wet med-light bodied mouth feel w/an airy finish and a light linger. Smooth but not creamy. Finishes clean.
O: Overall a lighter milk stout with a palpable flavor. Very easy drinking and is more like a porter. Good tasting and good in it's style.
Jun 16, 2022
 
Rated: 3.6 by cold_beer

May 20, 2022
Photo of kieranhynes
Rated by kieranhynes

5/5  rDev +30.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Delicious
May 18, 2022
 
Rated: 3.71 by TP2MSU from Michigan

May 10, 2022
Photo of Leboman
Reviewed by Leboman

4.3/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a bottle into an Imperial Pint glass. Very dark color with little to no head. Smell is consistent with black coffee. Light carbonation and smooth in the mouth. There is a slight burnt taste and it is not as sweet as one would think. Somewhat bitter and sour but still drinkable. I like to have one or two a year but it isn't a regular.
May 05, 2022
 
Rated: 2.89 by RichardOrmiston from North Carolina

Feb 24, 2022
 
Rated: 3.02 by Pens1866 from Pennsylvania

Feb 19, 2022
Photo of md3kcn
Reviewed by md3kcn from North Carolina

4.13/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Purchased as a single bottle from The Fresh Market for $2.09. Poured into a nonic pint glass.

L - Deep & dark brown - almost black. One-finger tan head.
S - Lightly roasted coffee and milk chocolate. Sweet.
T - Flavor follows nose. Well-balanced. Little bit of charred wood. Light brown sugar.
F - Silky. Easy-to-drink. Medium body with medium carbonation.
O - I've had this brew before. Believe it or not, this is the beer that made me despise milk stouts with a passion. A couple years back I bought a six-pack of this stuff, and really enjoyed the first bottle. Then I realized I had to drink the rest throughout the week. Believe me when I say that milk stouts get old, really fast! I got really sick of milk stouts ever since then. With that story aside, enjoying a single bottle of the stuff from Duck-Rabbit isn't half bad. I recognize it's a good beer, and it hits all the marks of a good milk stout. It's a good dessert beer, without being too heavy. Will I ever buy this again? No. Not because it's a terrible beer, but because I generally dislike milk stouts. I'd recommend it, though! Great beer.
Dec 03, 2021
 
Rated: 3.71 by DVMin98 from North Carolina

Oct 22, 2021
 
Rated: 3.85 by Danzifer from Ohio

Oct 05, 2021
Photo of HoppingMadMonk
Reviewed by HoppingMadMonk from New Jersey

3.64/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Solid black rich deep appearance.
Just above average body with over average carbonation which is the weakest part of this beer.
Aroma is mild but a nice hit of toasted marshmallow, roasted malt,toasted wood, an odd but pleasant baked apple.
Taste is very similar to aroma,mild sweetness with wood and toasted marshmallow.
Overall its very good but the high carbonation overtook the flavor a bit.
Sep 29, 2021
 
Rated: 3.5 by JohnnyForeign from New Jersey

Aug 08, 2021
Photo of akaizer
Reviewed by akaizer from Virginia

3.84/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
From a beer of the month club. Pour had a vast dark brown foam head and body. Scent sweet malts with notes of espresso, dark chocolate, and a touch of burnt. Taste matches well with the burnt sensation coming along nicely. Feel is on the drier side giving it a bit lighter of an impression. Enjoyable, especially since it is a milk stout that is on the less sweet side.
Jun 16, 2021
Photo of NiceTaps
Reviewed by NiceTaps from New Jersey

3.9/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
12 ounce bottle in an English ale style Imperial pint glass.

Pours a dank reddish brown color with a very modest off white cap, no lacing.

Roasted malt aromas of coffee, licorice, and sweet milk chocolate.

The lactose makes for mostly milk chocolate.
There’s some licorice and a little toffee.

Lighter side feel for a stout, attributed to the lactose. Sweet creamy chocolate.

Better than I expected for the style and I would not shy away from this brew.
May 14, 2021
Photo of HarlotBronte
Reviewed by HarlotBronte from District of Columbia

4.17/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Thin mouthfeel which isn’t a bad thing. Low carbonation. I liked that I was able to drink two without feeling drunk or weighed down like with many stouts. I generally hate lactose in beers, but love it here. For $11 a six pack I’d definitely buy this again.
Apr 17, 2021
 
Rated: 4.25 by drt72 from Virginia

Mar 11, 2021
 
Rated: 3.75 by Chipwells from Georgia

Feb 06, 2021
 
Rated: 3.74 by Jaasoares from Virginia

Dec 10, 2020
Photo of Weisenbeer
Reviewed by Weisenbeer from Ohio

3.6/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Cold weather moving in means I try to branch out on beer styles ... Poured this into a traditional handled beer mug ... Not very frothy and a bit flat .... Decent tasting ... In a word, "Meh" ... I'll be moving on looking for other brewers of this style
Oct 26, 2020
 
Rated: 3.18 by QuintusHorace from California

Oct 22, 2020
Photo of Mikemonett
Reviewed by Mikemonett from Ohio

1.25/5  rDev -67.4%
look: 1.25 | smell: 1.25 | taste: 1.25 | feel: 1.25 | overall: 1.25
I am a long-time fan of milk stouts. This is the worst I ever drank. It is sour and bitter, with no sweetness at all. These facts overwhelmed any other secondary flavor the beer might have.
Aug 31, 2020
Photo of dacrza1
Reviewed by dacrza1 from New Jersey

3.83/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
DATE: August 14, 2002... OCCASION: celebrating a nice visit with Mom and Dad with a beer I picked up in Tannersville, meant for reviewing solely because of its place on the Michael/Megan wedding two falls ago... GLASSWARE: Orioles mug... pours a cola dark black with tracings of off-white bubbles in single file to its smeary light oatmeal-colored head... the head is resilient, a half finger for much of the journey... roasted malts evoke coffee, chocolate milk, licorice, pudding, and rich toffee, suggesting a sweetness to the bill... easy drinking indeed, this holds the teeth's attention, offers a creamy swirl through the mouth, and finishes with a thick, malt-laden sway that remains long after the sip ends... deceptively hefty for its 5.7% ABV, in a pleasing way... sweet, malty, and lactic, a dessert and a drink in one swig... its toffee, chocolate and coffee bean meld nicely to produce a rich flavor profile where nothing is trying to one-up another... instead, this beer fits right alongside the fire I built, warming the memories of last fall's wedding of a former student whom I respect as much for his character and talent as for his beer and whiskey selections that night... stronger than its parts, a stout worth drinking in August--or any time of the year...
Aug 15, 2020
 
Rated: 5 by Simiy9 from North Carolina

Jun 30, 2020
Photo of Emichaelbray
Reviewed by Emichaelbray from Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -21.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.75
I wanted to like this one. I dig milk stouts, for context. One of my favorite styles. The appearance and smell of this brew is misleading. Black with auburn head pour. The head disappeared quickly. I get my beloved roasted malts, coffee, chocolate on the nose. Maybe milk chocolate. The taste isn’t awful but, as more than one reviewer has noted, there’s a strange sourness to this that has no place in a milk stout. It’s incongruous. It’s like almost spoiled milk. Ruins it for me. I can taste, if I get past the sour, much of what I picked up in the nose but it’s not worth the effort. Happily, it’s kinda crisp and the sourness fades quickly.
If you like this kind of thing (whatever it is - certainly not a milk stout as I understand it), you could probably do worse. I will never have another.
Jun 10, 2020
Photo of Tadwinks
Reviewed by Tadwinks from Virginia

3.23/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
I think I would have enjoyed this more if I hadn't known what it was. It had a sourness I wasn't expecting from a milk stout. It's like tasting a glass of what you think is bourbon and realizing it's iced tea. Not bad, but not what I was expecting. And exactly my cup of tea.
May 16, 2020
Photo of neenerzig
Reviewed by neenerzig from Ohio

4.13/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Got a 12 oz bottle of this recently. poured into one of my pint glasses, this beer pours a very dark brown color with a deep amber/ruby glow when held up to the light and a tan head that's 2/3 of an inch thick when first poured that settles to a nice big cluster swirl of a film layer of surface foam along with a pretty thick ring lining the inside of the glass and decent lacing. Aromas of roasted malts, with some chocolate and black coffee notes along with some oats and certainly lactose. A very similar flavor profile here, with roasted malts that give way to some chocolate sweetness and black coffee bitterness immediately followed by oats and lactose sugars. This is all rounded out with a bit of earthy hop bitterness. A well balanced flavor profile. The roasted not is very apparent here I feel. Has a somewhat minerally, grainy, also somehow smooth, slightly sticky, medium bodied mouthfeel with moderate carbonation. Has a roasted, black coffee and slightly sweet dark chocolate aftertaste. A good beer here.

Eric
Apr 26, 2020
Photo of SaltofOH
Reviewed by SaltofOH from Ohio

3.52/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Bottle best by April. Great Lakes 30th tulip.

A: pours and opaque jet-black, with little to no head formation. Slight sandy ring around the edge. No lacing, and this is a super clean glass. Perhaps an old bottle.

S: some dark, roasty notes rise up from the glass when you swirl it. A little lactose sourness, but maybe my imagination. A touch of that “flinty” taste I associate with my first experiences with dark beers.

T: surprisingly dry arrival, malty but not sweet. Roasty, but not overly so. Less profound roastiness than say, Founders porter. Surprisingly bitter finish, heavy hand on the hops here.

M: this is the real star of this show; smooth, wet, creamy. Lower carbonation than I’d expect. Hefty, but not super heavy mouthfeel. Lighter side of heavy?

O: a solid stout with all of the texture desired of a milk stout, with relatively low sweetness and higher than average roast and bitterness. GL’s Eddie Fitz porter is sweeter, but similar weight. Founders porter is probably the closest analogue for me, but I’d take Founders over this.
Mar 15, 2020
 
Rated: 4.25 by BabaBeer from California

Mar 04, 2020
Photo of Eamonn-Cummings3
Reviewed by Eamonn-Cummings3 from New York

4/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a 12oz bottle into a Trillium pub glass.

Look is a dark brown with cola highlights and an off white head.

Aroma is sweet roasted malt.

Taste is astringent roasted malt.
Mar 02, 2020
Photo of Brook82
Reviewed by Brook82 from Ohio

3.93/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Poured from 12 oz bottle, best by 04/2020. Solid black appearance, tan head that left moderate lacing. Sweet leaning aroma, taste mirrored the aroma. Quite smooth and easy drinking. Relaxed feel with nice touch of bitterness to balance it out. Pleasantly surprised with quality of this brew. Would buy again.
Feb 20, 2020
Photo of hman43
Reviewed by hman43 from North Carolina

3.81/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Look: It pours dark brown with a light brown head. Head retention is good.

Smell: It has roast aromas as the primary aroma. There are also coffee and a bit of sweetness in the aroma.

Taste: It has strong roasted flavors with some coffee richness. There is low sweetness in the flavor.

Feel: It has a medium body with a smooth texture.

Overall, it has roast and some coffee flavors with low sweetness.
Feb 09, 2020
 
Rated: 3.7 by Quadman from Ohio

Jan 28, 2020
Photo of SimplySinister
Reviewed by SimplySinister from Florida

3.55/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
A - Poured into cylinder. Brew is very dark black brown, nearly opaque (flashlight reveals it to be somewhat translucent), 1 finger quickly dissipating head with minimal lacing, and moderate carbonation.

S - Barley, chocolate, hops, malt, and coffee are present.

T - This is not your average milk stout. In fact, it seems there's a prevalent sourness on the frontend that, in some ways, almost seems acidic. Chocolate and coffee notes are somehwat lost in the mix. I detect a faint hint of walnut and malt. The flavor profile on this one seems slightly limited.

M - Finishes amazingly clean. The lingering mouthfeel of most milk stouts is absent in this one.

D - I'm on the fence. I'm not exactly sure that this beer is what I expected. Several other milk stouts I've enjoyed seem to contain a milky creaminess. This brew tends to be much, much more sour than those other's I've tried. In all truth, I have not had an abundance of experience with this particular style, so I'll refrain from further criticism. However, with all this being said, this is a good stout. It isn't exactly anything to brag about, but it certainly is enjoyable.
Jan 25, 2020
Photo of zoowatcher
Reviewed by zoowatcher

4.35/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Good flavor profile that is not overly sweet and gives the drinker a enjoyable stout experience. I find the smell of it to be like smelling a proper coffee ice cream, so sweet with coffee/chocolate hints.
Jan 20, 2020
 
Rated: 3.95 by vabeerguy from Virginia

Jan 02, 2020
Milk Stout from The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 2196 ratings