Chocolate Conspiracy
Rustic Leaf Brewing Company

16 ounce crowler into tulip glass, filled on 3/15/2020. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1 finger dense and rocky khaki head with great retention, that reduces to small cap that lingers. Nice dense foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of molasses, dark fruit, smoke, char, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/black/roast/bready malts, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast notes; with big strength. Taste of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of molasses, dark fruit, smoke, char, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate herbal, grassy, peppery, roast, charred bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, dark bread/crust, molasses, dark fruit, smoke, char, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast 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/bready, and fairly sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 5.9%. Overall this is an awesome oatmeal stout. All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the mellowly bitter/drying finish; awesome soft/silky feel from the oats. Awesomely clean and rich malt complexity; balancing earthy hops, and restrained fruity yeast. Light residual sweetness with lingering hop/char bitter dryness. A really enjoyable offering, and impressive spot on style example as expected of the brewery.