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Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery
Whimsy
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with dignity:
Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery carves out niche for dark beer
By Mackenzie Tewksbury Mixer Magazine
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September | October 2018
Mixer
Paul Philippon isn’t trying to do something new. In fact, the brewmaster of Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery in Farmville, said it’s actually quite the opposite. “We’re trying to make our version of something old,” Philippon said. For 14 years, he and his company have worked hard to capture their own interpretation of a dark, English style beer. And with milk stouts, porters and black ales on draft and a wall full of awards for many of them, the company has certainly seemed to earn their title as “The Dark Beer Specialist” that’s marked on all their labels. The brewery first opened it’s doors in August of 2004, marking 14 years of crafting beer for the people of eastern North Carolina. “We’re starting a dark beer only brewery in rural eastern North Carolina; there’s a little bit of an uphill battle there,” Philippon said. Luckily, they won the battle, he said. They were able to convince people to not only buy full-flavored beer, but their full-flavored beer. And they did that by what Philippon describes as working diligently between the interface of art and science. “The creative, culinary aspect is enormously important. But, having the foundation of science understanding that were not just making dinner for our family tonight — we’re making something that needs to travel a long distance and still taste right,” he said. And much like Philippon himself, his brewery’s marketing strategy and beer itself plays on their motto: “whimsy with dignity.” “It’s gotta be playful. It’s gotta be fun. But for Duck-Rabbit, there’s a serious purpose. We don’t do anything that we wouldn’t be happy
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It has never been our goal to be the biggest. It has never been our goal to be something for everyone. We are carving out a niche within this sector of craft beer.
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to share with our mothers,” he said, laughing. “As much as anything I think that’s a reflection of who I am. I take enjoyment of the things I eat and drink seriously, but that doesn’t preclude playfulness.” Duck-Rabbit prides itself on 14 years of making their best version of craft beer, but the brewery and it’s people do more than that. They create brewers. The breweries in Greenville are now full of Duck-Rabbit alumni; Cam Medina at Pitt Street Brewing Company, Grayson Williams at Trollingwood Taproom and Brewery and Benjamin Self at Uptown Brewing Company all have roots as dark beer
specialists. And Philippon said that’s just the beginning; there’s Duck-Rabbit alumni all over the state and beyond. “I think that’s kind of neat, and that’s just Greenville. The johnny appleseed affect of Duck-Rabbit grows past that. ” he said. “It makes me proud. I like the fact that people can move from here to sort of do something on their own.” “It has never been our goal to be the biggest. It has never been our goal to be something for everyone. We are carving out a niche within this sector of craft beer.”
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September | October 2018
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