Black No. 1
Rustic Leaf Brewing Company

16 ounce crowler into tulip glass, filled on 2/24/2019. Pours nearly opaque dark brown/black color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky khaki head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Thick soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of molasses, dark fruit, smoke, char, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/black/roast/bready malts and light-moderate earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of molasses, dark fruit, smoke, char, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate pine, herbal, woody, grassy, peppery hop; and roast/charred bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, dark/brown bread/crust, smoke, char, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with a great roast/hop bitter/sweet balance, and no acrid/astringent flavors lingering after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering hop/char bitterness. Light-medium carbonation and medium body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready, and fairly sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 5.8%. Overall this is an excellent American porter. All around great dark/black/roast/bready malts and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the mellowly bitter/charred/drying finish; nicely soft feel. Very clean, rich, and well rounded malt complexity; with nice earthy hop presence/balance against sweetness. A very enjoyable offering, and spot on style example.