The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery - The Duck-Rabbit Porter

Porters can range in color from medium brown to nearly black, and this one is an example of the latter—it's darker than many stouts out there! This porter has a complex nose with notes of dark chocolate, roasty sweetness, chicory and a woody, fresh-cut pine note. The rich, creamy mouthfeel helps this beer go down easily—this beer has body, and honestly, many porters these days are a bit thin for our liking. The flavors evolve as it warms, developing additional coffee & chicory notes, with a slight citrus & pine twang in the middle, and subtle fruit notes of plum and raisins in the end. Good with bread pudding, chocolate desserts, & coffee cake. A tip of the hat to brewer Paul Philippon for yet another knock out brew.

Farmville, North Carolina is home to one of the newer microbreweries in the country. Founded in 2004, the Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery is the brainchild of founder Paul Philippon. Before becoming a professional brewer, he taught philosophy at the university level. One of his favorite philosophy texts, Philosophical Investigations by Ludwig Wittgenstein, contains a Gestalt-style image referred to as the Duck-Rabbit diagram. Depending on the viewer's perspective, the diagram looks like, you guessed it, a duck or a rabbit. Now, we're not really sure what it means if you see a duck or if you see a rabbit, but we do know that if you're looking at one of Paul's Duck-Rabbit beers, you're in luck—before you is a guaranteed small-batched brewed, extremely tasty beer. This is the 2nd time we've featured Duck-Rabbit brews, and we are consistently impressed—Paul is one hell of a brewer! We've surmised that the meaning behind the Duck-Rabbit duality is essentially that 'what one sees depends on your state of mind.' This idea can be applied to one of the brewery's unique features: they're one of very few microbreweries to exclusively brew "dark" beers. Sure, some might see this as a limiting factor for a new brewery, reducing their market potential, while others might be quick to highlight this valuable quality as a conduit for connecting with a niche market within the already niche market of microbrewed beer. Wow, we're getting all philosophical over here… but that's Paul for ya—always trying to make you think! A curse or an advantage? Another dichotomous duality similar to the whole Duck-Rabbit diagram philosophy. Oh man, get these freggin' ducks, no wait, rabbits, no wait, definitely ducks—whatever—out of our heads! (and into our pint glasses where they belong!) For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (252) 753-7745 or check out their web site at www.duckrabbitbrewery.com.