Origin of Darkness - Burial
Collective Arts Brewing

Two twelve ounce cans were emptied entirely into a clear glass liter mug. There's an appropriate brown/dark tan head produced, but it didn't last long. There's so much to smell: whiskey barrel tannins, rich roasted barley malt, coffee, dark chocolate and even a hint of pecan pervades. This might even be a shade darker than black coffee brown and it's densely colored. The first register on the taste buds is how rich this is. Amazingly, the coffee and roasted barley malt stand up to the tannins, which often dominate brews they're included in. Even the pecan presence is noticed, albeit at a lesser level. However rich the flavor and heavy the mouthfeel first seems, this is very smooth and ends up lighter across the tongue, especially during the finish, than could possibly be expected. Most coffee infused brews run much more thinly. It probably should be a sipper, but it's so tasty and drinkable, it goes down much faster than it probably should. There's no glass lacing, as neither coffee stouts, nor high ABV beers rarely provide. It might accumulate a little too much sweetness and a little stickiness by the end of more than a pint, but it's worth all the great flavor.

 

355 mL can purchased from the brewery a long time ago; dated Sep 12 2022 and served barely chilled.

Pours utterly black, stirring up a quarter-inch layer of bubbly, dark brown-coloured suds that disintegrates within seconds. A thin collar lives on, managing to deposit some lace after a couple of sips; looks alright, but it turns out that pecans aren't great for head retention. Fairly orthodox aroma compared to the last couple of OoD variants I tried, but it's still complex and inviting. I'm getting dark chocolate, coffee & roasted grains, with hints of fudge, treacle, pecan, honey, whisky/booze, wine and wood.

A truly decadent-tasting stout - rich dark chocolate, fudge, toffee and molasses flavours come through initially, joined by roasted grains, honey, banana & grape-like dark fruitiness. Plenty of coffee roastiness by mid-sip, with whisky, wood, vanilla and pecan dominating the back end; boozy-sweet, tooth-rotting aftertaste with lingering chocolate, honey and coffee bitterness. Full-bodied, with a viscous mouthfeel that feels slick, oily and coats the tongue with each sip; minimal carbonation. I love this, but the sugars and abv make for a slow quaff.

Final Grade: 4.31, an A grade. Origin of Darkness (Burial) is thick and delicious, but it's one of those beers that makes you want to brush your teeth afterwards. My only real complaint, other than its mundane appearance, is that this stout is unrelentingly saccharine - but even that is mostly forgivable in context. That is to say, of *course* a nearly 11% Madeira whisky barrel-aged stout with pecans is going to be sweet, there's no away around that, but this one almost crosses the line... not quite, but almost. A fantastic beer with which to sate your sweet tooth - highly recommended to imperial stout lovers, and a brew I'd love to drink again some time.

It's a damn fine beer...

This has for me the most perfect mouthfeel of any beer I have had to date - thick, creamy, lightly carbonated, and full-bodied. The look was the other impressive feature - poured beautifully like motor oil - what a sight. Booze forward to the nose and tongue round out an incredible experience...

12 oz can with a 12 September 2022 canning date stamped on the bottom.

The essentially black and opaque ale was poured into my Belgian snifter where there was no head or other sign of carbonation. Nonetheless, the RIS did not feel entirely dead, and the very full, smooth and oily mouthfeel did not suffer for lack of carbonation. The aroma suggests a rich brew with notes of roasted nuts. The flavor is sweeter than expected and will prove to sweet for some.

 

 

 

Almost no head. Body pours thick.

Very strong whiskey-forward aroma. Up close, notes of pecan and coffee blend with the oak and mash, as well as notes of molasses, chocolate, and red grape from the malt base.

Flavor is rich, sweet from the whiskey, and bitter from ... well, everything else. It's an earthy, roasty bitterness, as a contrast to bright hoppy bitterness. Tasting notes include marshmallow, molasses, brown sugar, chocolate, red grape, whiskey mash, prune, cherry, pecan, coffee, chewy caramel, honeycomb, banana, vanilla. It's a really complex profile; you can keep pulling notes for as long as you're willing to savor it.

Thick and sticky on the palate.

Overall, an outstanding flavored stout and one of the best in the OOD lineup - and one of the more unique ones, thanks likely to the Madeira whiskey.

12 ounce can at room temp, I had it straight from the can at a Miami house party while everyone else was drinking Stella.,,
Aroma of a Hostess chocolate cupcake, dark stone fruit, pecan pie, molasses swirls in the middle.
Taste is Madiera wine front, prune, rich caramel chocolocino, a little barrel but no bourbon. Very balanced series of tastes, each element gets their turn in the spotlight.. Nice & chewy. Drinks bigger than its ABV. Sticky, elements continue to unfold in a lingering finish. The pecans leave a tasty, not overly sweet and dry finish. Really good stuff!
Mercifully low carbonation, a full rich mouthfeel.
Overall, I wish I savored this creative collab it in a snifter. More could have been revealed. Damn nice Stout.

Served in a snifter glass from the can.

Appearance: send me thick body with a dark tan head which initially rose half a finger's length with a vigorous pour. Medium soft bubbles, looks like a black wine, if there is such a thing.

Smell: a ridiculously very rich naked aroma which always the nose immediately and honestly after smelling it you really want to drink the beer. Molasses mixed with fudge and hints of vanilla bean. Addicting aroma.

Taste: comes off a very complex caramel mixed with coffee and strong vanilla. It feels like it has a chocolate malt tone to the beer, you almost feel like your drinking a devil's fudge cake. Hazelnut and vanilla please.

Mouth: soft coronation with a ridiculously sticky body which can overpower anything you are eating.

Overall: cream of the crop, honestly I wish I grabbed a couple more. I guess I'm going to have to make another stop at Total wine and beer to grab at least two more four packs of this beast. Always in a glass, salud,!

Canned 9/12/22

I’m having this beer as part of a side-by-side tasting with the Cloudwater variant. For being the “same beer”, the adjuncts lead me to believe these will be two wildly different experiences. Port barrel aged with Vidal Ice Wine vs Madeira whiskey barrel aged with pecans and coffee? It sounds like a huge difference. Let’s dive in

Pours a very dark brown with 2 fingers of dark tan head that slowly fades to a ring and leaves decent lacing

The aroma between the 2 could not be more different, this one giving more or less what you'd expect from an American Imperial Stout. I'm picking up on aromas of earthy whiskey, dark chocolate, toasted pecan, cinnamon, burnt caramel, medium roast coffee, molasses, smooth oak, vanilla, and dark cherry. Good, but not as exciting as the Cloudwater version

This one remains pretty standard in taste too, though the vinous notes are more present which is nice. On the front end of the sip I'm tasting red grape, toasted oak, dark chocolate sweet vanilla, toasted pecan, light roast coffee, light honey, and caramel. The swallow brings notes of charred oak, cinnamon, dark chocolate, burnt caramel, Madeira wine, molasses, light pecan, and medium roast coffee. It plays it safe, but ends up being better than Cloudwater

A medium body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a smooth beer with a bit of a bite. Finishes mostly dry with some boozy heat. Much smoother than the Cloudwater version

This one was less "safe" than the other, but sometimes playing it safe pays off. This was the better beer overall, but it was a close call

Appearance: Pours black as the ace of spades with a bubbly beige film that fades to a collar; leggy but just a few speckles of lacing

Smell: Madeira more than whiskey in the aromatics, with fortified wine, dried plum and date tones; underneath, the chocolate and caramel provide a counterpoint

Taste: As in the aroma, the Madeira sets the tone for the flavor profile with the chocolate and caramel joining the flavors of fortified wine, dried plum and date; after the swallow, the Whiskey emerges and plays a much stronger role in the finish

Mouthfeel: Full bodied and creamy with low carbonation

Overall: I am familiar with Madeira and with Whiskey but I hadn't heard of Madeira Whiskey before; after a quick Google search, I presume that this beer was aged in Madeira casks that had previously been used to age Whiskey; whatever it is, it is fantastic and I love the marriage of those two elements with a stout; I would like to see other breweries give this a shot

 

12oz can poured into a snifter

A- pours jet black in color with a one-finger foamy khaki head that reduces to a ring around the glass

S- plenty of madeira on the nose, giving off notes of dark cherry, raisin, even some raspberry and blackberry. A bold espresso note immediately compliments the barrel, adding some herbal and earthy coffee aromas. The base beer gives notes of brownie batter, dark chocolate, caramel, molasses, anise & light char. Just a hint of nuttiness at the end

T- as with the nose, huge barrel notes up front; dark cherries, jammy raspberry, blueberry and figs. Mid-palate brings out some herbal coffee, but not as strong as the aroma, followed by sweet malty dark chocolate & caramel, brownie batter and a hint of char. The finish gives more jammy barrel notes, as well as sweet chocolate. The pecans can be found if you search for them on the linger

M- medium-heavy body with moderate carbonation leads to a velvety mouthfeel that continues into an almost chewy, warming finish

Can: Poured a pitch-black color stout with a medium dark brown foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of chocolate notes with some whiskey notes and floral coffee notes. Taste is also a nice mix of chocolate malt with floral coffee notes and some dry whiskey notes with light woody notes. Body is about average with good carbonation and light perceptible alcohol notes. Well brewed stout with a nice mix of flavors and solid barrel-aging notes.

 

 

 

Collective Arts/Burial collab 'Origin of Darkness' @ 10.7% , served from a 355 ml can , first of four
A-pour is black from the can to glass with a very small size tan head , quickly dissipating
S-barrel aged Madeira whiskey , the pecans & coffee are barely noticeable
T-big tasting Madeira whiskey Imperial stout , almost a sweet swallow
MF-mild carbonation , feels full bodied
Ov-whiskey dominates
prost LampertLand