I acquired a bottle each of the
Duck-Rabbit Rabbator and
Rabid Duck, cellared them for a few weeks, and last night was the night to drink them.
The Rabbator pours a deep and dark brown; I've heard doppelbocks referred to as "a loaf of bread in a glass" and this beer looks the part. Even with a bright neutral white behind it, you can't see through this beer at all. This is how a doppelbock should look IMO.
The nose was a bit of brown sugar, sweet malt, a bit of overarching breadiness, and a touch of chocolate. It is a very full smell, but not rich to the point of decadence. The components compete, but they do not overpower each other. Certainly this is a balanced nose.
The Rabbator opens the taste with toasted malt, fades a bit into sweet malt, then a hint of chocolate, and I thought I caught a bit of caramel there towards the end. My previous doppelbock experience with the Bell's Consecrator made me a bit wary of the sweeter side of the style, but the Rabbator did not reach that level of sweet. The malt quality was more toasty than sweet, which I enjoyed thoroughly. I acknowledge that doppelbocks are generally going to be a tad sweet on account of being significantly malt-forward, but this beer keeps it all in check. It also handles the 8.5% ABV very well; the maltiness completely overrides the alcohol.
The mouthfeel on the Rabbator was lighter than I was expecting. With all that "loaf of bread in a glass" talk, you'd think a heavy and thick/chewy mouthfeel would accompany it. That is not the case with this one. I would describe it as moderate (again, sorry for the lazy terminology), but leaning towards the heavier side. The beer tastes and feels like a substantial beer, but not quite as substantial as some other doppelbocks that I have consumed.
The Rabbator finishes with toasted malt, some sweet malt, a hint of chocolate, and touch of bitterness that lingers briefly. It was a subtle finish for a big beer.
The Rabid Duck also poured a deep and dark brown.
The nose opens with a bit of sweet malt, fades into a robust roasted malt, and for some reason I was picking up a hint of dark fruit in there. (I checked the website afterwards and apparently the Rabid can have "brandy-like" qualities at times. That makes sense...) The intriguing nose was a sign of good things to come.
Roasted malt is definitely showcased in this beer. It opens with a very roasty note, then some sweet malt, a bit of chocolate, and then a bit of that "brandy-like" alcohol presence. The beer handles the 10% ABV well, but it does come through on the back end of the taste. It is a rich and complex taste, one which I sipped for a little while and probably still didn't pick up everything.
The mouthfeel is heavy and warming, exemplary of the Russian Imperial style. It feels like a full and intense beer.
The finish is roasted malt, some sweet malt, a bit of chocolate, a touch of coffee, and then some lingering bitterness. I didn't notice the bitterness until the finish, maybe because the alcohol warmth was messing with my taste buds a bit.
Duck-Rabbit claims to be a specialist in dark beer and I believe them. The Rabbator and the Rabid Duck were two of the better dark beers that I have had lately. I remember enjoying their Baltic Porter and their Barleywine as well. If you want a full, complex, and heavy-hitting brew, Duck-Rabbit has the stuff for you. Very good indeed.