Van-Choc-Straw
Rustic Leaf Brewing Company

16 ounce crowler into tulip glass, filled on 3/15/2020. Pours dense opaque dark brown/black color with a 1 finger dense and rocky tan head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a small cap that lasts. Thick foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, lightly tart strawberry, vanilla, cream, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of molasses, dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/black/roast/bready malts, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and light earthy hop notes; with big strength. Taste of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, lightly tart strawberry, vanilla, cream, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of molasses, dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roasted earthiness. Light-moderate pine, herbal, grassy, roast, charred bitterness; and light fruit tang/tartness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, lightly tart strawberry, vanilla, cream, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, dark bread/crust, molasses, dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with a great 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 fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready and fairly sticky/chalky/tangy mouthfeel that is great. Mild increasing warmth of 9% after the finish. Overall this is an awesome imperial milk stout. All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth and easy to drink for the big ABV, with the modestly bitter/charred/drying finish; nicely soft and not aggressive. Awesome balance of super rich malts, chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry flavors; with great earthy hop balance(75IBU). Mild residual sweetness with lingering dryness. A really enjoyable offering, and impressive style example as expected of the brewery. Wouldn't have minded less bitterness, but it works well with the body.