Red Headed Siren
Rustic Leaf Brewing Company

16 ounce crowler into pint glass, filled on 3/17/2019. Pours slightly hazy deep orange/copper/amber color with a 1-2 finger 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, brown bread dough/crust, and toasted biscuit; with lighter notes of nuttiness, toffee, raisin, peach, plum, pear, red apple, wood, herbal, floral, grass, pepper, 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 malts, light-moderate fruity yeast, and light earthy hop notes; with solid strength. Taste of big caramel, brown sugar, brown bread dough/crust, and toasted biscuit; with lighter notes of nuttiness, toffee, raisin, peach, plum, pear, red apple, wood, herbal, floral, grass, pepper, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Light herbal, floral, woody, grassy, spicy bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of caramel, brown sugar, brown bread dough/crust, toasted biscuit, nuttiness, toffee, fruit, wood, herbal, floral, grass, pepper, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malts, and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; with a solid malt/bitterness balance, and no cloying flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy, and lightly sticky mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 5.5%. Overall this is an excellent Irish red ale. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malts, and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; very smooth and pretty refreshing to drink with the mildly bitter/drying finish. Great soft feel, and very flavorful for the ABV. Great clean/rich English malt complexity; with solid earthy English hop presence/balance, and restrained fruity English yeast character. Light residual sweetness with lingering dryness. A very enjoyable offering, and impressive spot on style example.