The Favored Echoes Of Eternities Unforgotten
Burial Beer Co.

500ml bottle poured into a Treehouse Teku glass

Appearance: Oh yes, that's quite dark. Spent motor oil, almost completely still but a hint of carbonation suspended along the side of the glass. A faint ring of quite small bubbles hang out along the side. Decent legs after a swirl, no lacing. Oh yeah, the light test! Yep, it's pretty dark alright.

Aroma: Familiar dark stout aromas at the forefront. No real burn for the 14% but maybe slightly warm. Chocolatey up front. Perhaps getting the rose water. I'm not getting the cardamom. Pistachio, cinnamon? Not getting either of those. Lemon zest, maybe. Cocoa nibs for sure. Hmm, I'm not sure about this one just yet. It's a slightly hot cocoa nib rose water mix on the nose. This will be interesting. I usually fall in love with Burial stouts but I'm coming at this one with a little hesitation.

Taste: Pleasantly surprised! There was no mention of coconut but you could have fooled me. It's like an almond joy with added goodness. Getting definite pastry stout vibes. Flavor is much more balanced than I was expecting. Rose water can easily overpower most things. The more I sip, the more I am enjoying this. I still have a lot left to get through but I'm pretty sure this is going to be yet another win for me from Burial. It's complex and not at all how I would have approached things as far as an adjunct stout, but so far I'm thoroughly enjoying this. I'm still not finding the cardamom or cinnamon anywhere. It really kept getting better the more I drank it. I'm not sure that it's balanced, but it isn't glaringly unbalanced. There are a few pretty strong tastes that come in waves. As one begins to fade, another comes and wallops your taste buds.

Mouthfeel: There is a slight burn on the tongue which does take away from the experience. Hell, it's 14% abv, what do I expect? Slightly less than medium viscosity. It's certainly not thin, but it isn't syrupy either. I think the carbonation level is just right for the body and flavor profile. I'm unsure if it's the alcohol, the rose water, or a combination of the two but there is a pretty strong lingering...something in the background. There's a little bit more burn than initially experienced. Pretty solid, not perfect.

Overall: I really like it. I always have high expectations for a Burial stout, and the description, appearance and aroma were giving me a slight cause for concern. The first few sips, although very good, were pretty complex. The more I drink, the more I like it. It's certainly been growing on me and I keep enjoying it more. I would certainly drink this again. I'd probably buy it again if there were no other Burial stout options. That being said, if I have to choose between this or something else from this company, I'd probably go with the latter. I'm shocked that there isn't coconut in here. A solid, complex, slightly off balance and very intense stout offering from an amazing brewery.