Rustic Leaf Amber
Rustic Leaf Brewing Company

16 ounce crowler into tulip glass, filled on 2/24/2019. Pours slightly hazy deep orange/amber/light copper color with a 1 finger fairly dense and rocky light khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of caramel, brown sugar, toffee, brown bread dough/crust, roasted nuts, and toasted biscuit; with lighter notes of chocolate, cocoa, raisin, plum, fig, date, pear, apricot, red apple, wood, mint, herbal, grass, peppercorn, pine, and yeast/toasted earthiness. A bit too fruity/yeasty aromas, but not overwhelming. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/bready/light roasted malts and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast notes; with solid strength. Taste of big caramel, brown sugar, toffee, brown bread dough/crust, roasted nuts, and toasted biscuit; with lighter notes of chocolate, cocoa, raisin, plum, fig, date, pear, apricot, red apple, wood, mint, herbal, grass, peppercorn, pine, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate pine, herbal, floral, woody, minty, grassy, peppery hops; and light roasted bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of caramel, brown sugar, toffee, brown bread dough/crust, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, chocolate, cocoa, dark fruit, pear, apricot, red apple, wood, mint, herbal, grass, peppercorn, pine, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready/light roasted malts and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance, and no cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering bitterness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy, fairly sticky, and slightly chalky/resinous mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol for 6.3%. Lingering minty cooling after the finish. Overall this is a very nice Amber ale. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready/light roasted malts and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the mellowly bitter/drying finish. Leaning more into the English style realm. Feels like Northern Brewer hops. Very clean and nicely rich English malts, balancing earthy English hops, and restrained English yeast fruitiness. A very enjoyable offering, and well made style example.