beersipper.com

The second contender; (here’s the first) Weighing in at an overwhelming 11% alcohol by volume and donning a brilliant amber-red shade this heavyweight unassumingly rose from the hushed farmlands of Eastern North Carolina, from the little town of Farmville! Duck-Rabbit Brewery’s Barleywine Ale.

I think, possibly aided by the fact that i was trying to compare this beer to the Bigfoot Barleywine, my immediate reaction to this beer was particularly smooth and drinkable. The head was golden to tan in color and quickly diminished, but a little stubborn ring stayed with me for the whole glass. The midstream taste whispered honey and caramel, but finished with the bitterness of English hops. In fact in several ways this beer spoke with an Englishman’s accent. I wouldn’t call it a session beer, but I don’t think I could drink just one if I picked up a sixer.

In the bout of the barleywines Duck Rabbit takes it over the Bigfoot. I’d say in about 5 rounds with a KO. The Bigfoot came into the fight and on paper it might have been a crowd favorite, touting unique features and character to spare. But in the end it just seemed schizophrenic beside the Duck-Rabbit. The Duck-Rabbit delivered the knockout punch when after noting how smooth it was compared to the 9.5% Bigfoot I looked down at the label and was informed that I was enjoying an 11% brew… and enjoying a second one of these right now wouldn’t be out of the question.

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 16th, 2008 at 12:17 am and is filed under Random Beer Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.