Noctem Aeternum
Rustic Leaf Brewing Company

 

16 ounce crowler into tulip glass, canned on 2/24/2019. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1 finger dense and rocky tan 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 big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of molasses, licorice, dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, wood, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/black/bready malts, and light-moderate earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of molasses, licorice, dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, wood, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark/brown bread/crust, molasses, licorice, dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, wood, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/black/bready malts, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with an awesome roast/hop bitter/sweet balance; and no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering hop/char bitterness. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/velvety/bready, and fairly sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 6.5%. Overall this is an awesome American stout. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/black/bready malts, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the mellowly bitter/charred/drying finish. Very clean, rich, and well rounded stout malt complexity; with balancing earthy hops against sweetness. A really enjoyable offering, and impressive spot on style example.