The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery - The Duck-Rabbit Brown Ale

This American Brown Ale is a real treat! We loved its hoppy and beautifully bitter nature. Amarillo hops in the boil provide a spicy citrusy bitterness, while Saaz hops in the fermentor provide a refined flowery aroma during this dry-hopping step. While we weren’t provided with a detailed list of the malts, we understand that no less than 7 varieties went into the making of this superbly balanced Brown Ale. Nice work Paul! We’re going to suggest partnering this with a bowl of spicy chili—so nice!

Out in Farmville, North Carolina you’ll find one of the newest microbreweries in the nation. Founded in 2004, the Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery is the brainchild of founder Paul Philippon. Years before becoming a professional brewer, he taught philosophy at the university level. One of the philosophy texts that he admires, 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 beer that is guaranteed small-batched brewed and extremely tasty! 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.