Hoppy Bunny A.B.A. (American Black Ale | The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery
Brewed by:
The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery
North Carolina, United States
duckrabbitbrewery.com
Style: American Black Ale
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 7.30%
Availability: Rotating
Notes / Commercial Description:
The Duck-Rabbit Hoppy Bunny American Black Ale is both intensely hoppy and intensely black! Eight separate hop additions offer delicious bitterness and beguiling hop aroma/flavor. Heavily represented among these hops are Chinook, which provides deep pine and sticky citrus components, and a New Zealand hop called Motueka, from which we get bright fruit and spearmint notes.
Added by Jason on 04-23-2012
View: Beers | Place Reviews | Events
Ratings: 566 | Reviews: 130
3.75/5 rDev -4.1%
bexley10, Oct 04, 2013
3.93/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured into a new belgium chalice, color is black, solid, head is tan, thick, presented 1+ inch thick, dissipates to lace and 1/8 inch thickness.
Smell is coffee, roasted malt, light toffee, hints of chocolate, pretty clean and not overly sweet; hops are present, lightly strong bitter notes, grass and pine.
Taste is bitter, roasted malts, coffee, hints of toffee and chocolate (dark); hops are not too fruity, mostly grass and piney notes. THere is a lingering sweetness, not caramel but
Mouthfeel is spot on for black ipa, bitter, strong flavors on tongue.
Overall, a very good take on this style, a little sweet or a touch too much roasted malt maybe, but good mouthfeel.
679 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured into a new belgium chalice, color is black, solid, head is tan, thick, presented 1+ inch thick, dissipates to lace and 1/8 inch thickness.
Smell is coffee, roasted malt, light toffee, hints of chocolate, pretty clean and not overly sweet; hops are present, lightly strong bitter notes, grass and pine.
Taste is bitter, roasted malts, coffee, hints of toffee and chocolate (dark); hops are not too fruity, mostly grass and piney notes. THere is a lingering sweetness, not caramel but
Mouthfeel is spot on for black ipa, bitter, strong flavors on tongue.
Overall, a very good take on this style, a little sweet or a touch too much roasted malt maybe, but good mouthfeel.
679 characters
4.5/5 rDev +15.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
deep brown in color, rich mocha head with good retention, nose of rich chocolate roasts with coffee undertones, dark caramel and bittersweet chocolate, earth, heady hops blend pine and citrus rind, heavily aromatic and sporting a great hop/roast meeting
mouthfeel smooth, medium carbonation with a silky effect, medium-full body
body big on the roasted malts provide flavors of cocoa and coffee, some caramel sweetness with a dark chocolate coating, thick flavors of pine tea hops, well bittered with lingering chocolate and bitter cocoa powder, rich and complex
a winner of an aba in my book, great focus on deep, dark roasted flavors with a pungent, dark hop side
668 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
deep brown in color, rich mocha head with good retention, nose of rich chocolate roasts with coffee undertones, dark caramel and bittersweet chocolate, earth, heady hops blend pine and citrus rind, heavily aromatic and sporting a great hop/roast meeting
mouthfeel smooth, medium carbonation with a silky effect, medium-full body
body big on the roasted malts provide flavors of cocoa and coffee, some caramel sweetness with a dark chocolate coating, thick flavors of pine tea hops, well bittered with lingering chocolate and bitter cocoa powder, rich and complex
a winner of an aba in my book, great focus on deep, dark roasted flavors with a pungent, dark hop side
668 characters
3.94/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
From a Bottle to a pint glass.
A: pours a tiny head that dissipates quickly. Very black in color.
S: malt, English toffee and some grassy notes
T: burnt toffee and caramel blends into carbonation and minor grassy notes.
M: all malt and lots of carbonation.
O: not very hoppy and over carbonated.
298 characters
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
From a Bottle to a pint glass.
A: pours a tiny head that dissipates quickly. Very black in color.
S: malt, English toffee and some grassy notes
T: burnt toffee and caramel blends into carbonation and minor grassy notes.
M: all malt and lots of carbonation.
O: not very hoppy and over carbonated.
298 characters
3.71/5 rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
poured friom 12oz bottle into standard pint glass. Best by Sept 2013, so no worries on freshness.
Looked excellent when poured. dense black body, even when held up to the light. About a inch of thick coffee caramel coverd head.
Smell....well....not too much. a faint whiff of hops, and a roasted malt edge.
Taste was all roasted malt, no hop detection at all. Not unpleasant, just expecting a bit more balance.
Mouth was medium. Roasted malt stayed around on the mouth for quite some time.
Overall, this is a reasonably drinkable beer. However, I must confess to being irritated by two things. One, the lack of hops in a beer called "hoppy" Bunny (I guess "Malty" Bunny wouldn't sell as well) Also, and this isn't just Duck Rabbit, I'm beginning to wonder if Black IPA's are worthwhile. There are certainly tons of better IPA's out there, and tons of better Porters/Stouts. If you want to combine the two, both elements need to come through. This just doesn't cut it. It's more of a porter/stout. Not unpleasant, just not as advertised.
1,044 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
poured friom 12oz bottle into standard pint glass. Best by Sept 2013, so no worries on freshness.
Looked excellent when poured. dense black body, even when held up to the light. About a inch of thick coffee caramel coverd head.
Smell....well....not too much. a faint whiff of hops, and a roasted malt edge.
Taste was all roasted malt, no hop detection at all. Not unpleasant, just expecting a bit more balance.
Mouth was medium. Roasted malt stayed around on the mouth for quite some time.
Overall, this is a reasonably drinkable beer. However, I must confess to being irritated by two things. One, the lack of hops in a beer called "hoppy" Bunny (I guess "Malty" Bunny wouldn't sell as well) Also, and this isn't just Duck Rabbit, I'm beginning to wonder if Black IPA's are worthwhile. There are certainly tons of better IPA's out there, and tons of better Porters/Stouts. If you want to combine the two, both elements need to come through. This just doesn't cut it. It's more of a porter/stout. Not unpleasant, just not as advertised.
1,044 characters
Hoppy Bunny A.B.A. (American Black Ale from The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery
3.91
out of 5
based on 566 ratings.