Origin of Darkness - Equilibrium
Collective Arts Brewing

 

 

355 mL can purchased from the brewery a long time ago; dated Sep 16 2021 and served barely chilled.

Pours black as night, kicking up one finger of soapy, frothy tan head that lasts for two or three minutes' time. By that point, it has been worn down to a modest collar and some filmy suds on the surface; a small amount of lace clings to the glass. Bourbon and booze are the standouts on the nose, but there are also notes of chocolate fudge, cacao nibs, wood and vanilla; the black cherry and port wine are considerably more subtle.

There are literally layers of flavours to describe here. The cacao nibs and bourbon barrel assert themselves effectively, but dig a little deeper and notes of black cherry, molasses, vanilla, port wine, grapeskin & wood tannins are also discernible, the last two particularly on the back end. Very boozy conclusion with suggestions of cherry and port obscured by persisting cacao and vanilla. Full-bodied, with low carbonation that weakly agitates the surface of the tongue; feels smooth, thick and a little oily on the palate. Definitely a slow sipper - this might be the booziest OoD I've had so far, but I won't hold that against it.

Final Grade: 4.26, an A-. I've been reviewing one of these Origins every day for the last week, so you'd think I'd be sick of imperial stouts by now - but each iteration brings something new to the table, which keeps things fresh and interesting every time. I wouldn't say that Origin of Darkness (Equilibrium) is one of the more memorable OoDs, but it's still an excellent BBA stout in its own right, and I'd definitely recommend it to bourbon barrel fanatics. I would've liked a little more cherry, but I'm still quite happy with this stout and would be delighted to drink it again.

 

12oz can. Bottom of can stamped 'BB:SEP/15/2022', so drinking this beer ten months past the brewer's best by date.
Black colored body with a mahogany back lit edge. One finger of brown head, which disappears after a few minutes. No lacing.
Aroma of a mix of bourbon and port barrel, with cacao, cherry, and vanilla.
Taste profile is long in duration. The bourbon and port barrels meld so well together. Cacao and cherry, sweetened by the vanilla. All continue in the aftertaste.
Thicker mouth feel, with some syrup. Other than the barrel vapors, the higher ABV% is imperceptible. Good carbonation.
The port barrel and the cherry work well with the bourbon and cacao. The vanilla adds to the sweetness. Still drinking well, well past its best by date.

 

Collective Arts/Equilibrium collab 'Origin of Darkness' @ 11.8% , served from a 355 ml can
A-pour is black from the can to glass with a small size tan head , dissipating into a fine spotty minimal lace ring along the tulip
S-Bourbon , Tawny Port - barrel aging
T-Bourbon dominates the start , sweet cherries vanilla & chocolate thru-out , with a Tawny Port on the swallow
MF-mild carbonation , big full body
Ov-sweet double barrel aged Imperial stout , no wow factor
prost LampertLand

 

(12 oz can, BB SEP/15/2022; gifted by Quinn… poured into a fat tulip)

L: dark brown liquid, foam frittered away quick… no collar, no lace; looking still

S: bourbon barrel aging immediately apparent, character helping to enhance sensation of booze… cacao nibs and cherries only perhaps barely discernible… roasted barley providing a charred accent

T: port barrel aging immediately apparent upon first sip, somehow enhancing some sense of woody dryness… curiously hardly sweet in the aftertaste; trying to discern cacao, cherry, vanilla, and I’m not getting much of any of them, aside from a soft hint of the latter, but seemingly derived from the bourbon barrel… after a minute, some cacao and bourbon/ethanol surface in the aftertaste, evaporating on the palate… about ⅓ through, and a burnt-out match char-ness emerges… latent salinity?... it does open up and express a bit further as it goes, but it really tastes like flavors are canceling each other out rather than accentuating

F: medium-bodied, maybe approaching full, but a relatively taut body… spiked plushness, but with little roundness or residual legs/viscosity… the roast provides maybe just enough bitter bite, but mostly a peppery tingle which I'm sure is driven in part by the alcohol

O: real muddled, hushed, dried-out expressions… almost sounds appealing on paper… not something I would want to have again, let alone finish an entire glass of (1997)

 

Pours dark black with brown head and some lacing.

Smells of dark chocolate, caramel, faint dark fruit, some vanilla.

Taste follows the nose and is very good. Lots of chocolate, coffee, vanilla, sweet caramel upfront with cherry in the background. The alcohol is present but not overpowering (modest bourbon character).

Medium-full body with medium carbonation. Really good mouthfeel.

This is a pretty good imperial stout/porter. I feel like this is more in the style of stout especially in terms of mouthfeel. This is definitely worth picking up.

 

 

 

Best by 2022/09/15
Pours a brown frothy 1/2 finger head with moderate retention, a bit of lacing, thick pitch black beer with fair legs

Nose loads of buttery oak and vanilla, toasted vanilla, buttered popcorn possibly diacetyl, cocoa, a bit of dark cherry fruity notes, dark roasted slight charred malt, sweet but tangy like Tawny port even, a little raisin prune character

Taste lots of rich dark malts, and very dark chocolate cocoa, a little roast and coffee, chocolate covered cherry, a bit more of that port with raisin prune and tangy oxidized red wine but not a lot, but rich and sweet fruit, some vanilla, buttery toasted vanilla oak but no buttery popcorn, fair bitterness from roast and a little spicy hop, touch of alcohol, sticky sweet finish, bit more alcohol, very rich

Mouth is fuller bod, rich but not too thick, med to lighter carb, light warming alcohol

Overall not bad, I do actually get tawny port interestingly, not much bourbon but plenty of barrel, nose got tons of butter that I was worried about diacetyl but didn't really get that on the taste, nice vanilla, cherry is very light but adds a nice chocolate covered cherry, generally decent stout

 

 

355 ml can served cool into a tulip. Cost was $5.75 CDN. Canned September 16, 2021.

Appearance - Midnight black with two fingers of deep brown head. Good staying power and rocky bits of head get stuck to the glass and from some brown lacing.

Smell - Boozy and full of bourbon on the nose. Booze soaked cherries and chocolate on the nose too. Vanilla lurks in the background. Grapes (port) filter in as well as well. Complicated nose that works pretty well together. Just a hint of graham cracker right before sipping.

Taste - Bourbon, booze soaked cherries then plenty of port and grapes. A little dark chocolate too. Flavorwise, reminds me of some of the Christmas chocolates, (dark chocolate) any of them filled with alcohol soaked cherries. Pretty good. Some additional berries and toffee especially as it warms more.

Mouthfeel - Full bodied, a little chewy, tremendous heat in the back of the throat. Carbonation is moderate. Not super slick like an imperial porter would be. More chewy as it warms (which is great).

Overall - I feel like there is one too many flavors preventing this from becoming astonishing. Less barrel impact, less port, less chocolate or less cherries, pick one of those and this would be even better. I really like the interplay between port, cherries and chocolate in this brew already, so for me the answer would be to turn down the bourbon barrel just a bit. With that said, still an excellent brew and well worth the price of admission.

The jet-colored can pour is opaque and has almost no visible carbonation.
The aroma is faint with a a bit of sour cherry detected.
The flavor is full, both rich and complex. Bourbon and tart cherry are most prominent with toasted chocolate malt as a base.
The mouthfeel is smooth and the body is light for the style.
This is quite pleasant and the 12oz format is appreciated.