The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery - The Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout

The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery specializes in full-flavored dark beers. An obvious case-in-point is their Milk Stout. Brewed in small batches, their version just may be a new classic example of the style—it’s right on the money! Milk Stouts are brewed with milk sugar (lactose). Because this sugar is unfermentable by brewers’ yeast, it remains in the beer, providing a subtle sweetness and fullness of flavor which nicely balances the sharpness and highly roasted grains. Expect distinct notes of warm cocoa and coffee in the aroma and flavor. A nice dessert beer to accompany fruit cake.

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.