Collective Arts Origin of Darkness
We’ve encountered Magic Hat’s Heart of Darkness, The Bruery’s Tart of Darkness, Surly’s legendary Darkness (a couple of times) and now apparrently, we’ve experienced the Origin of (all that) Darkness in this big imperial stout from Collective Arts. Weighing in at 11.5% ABV, the brew is crafted with white miso and aged in bourbon barrels.
How that white miso impacts the beer, I can’t 100% say, but there is a uniqueness to the swirling, opaque black goodness that fills my glass. The aroma of Origin of Darkness is wickedly smooth with cocoa, bourbon, light woody notes, a gentle roast and lingering sweetness. All of that translates from the nose to the flavor with decadent aplomb.
For a stout this big, alcohol-wise, it doesn’t quite drink that boozy. It’s quite decadent and smooth with loads of chocolate, bourbon, light wood, roast malt and a good bit of sweetness. I’m not sure if it’s the miso or not, but there’s definitely something else on the tongue that I cannot quite pinpoint. It’s almost a marshmallow-like influence, but event then, I’m not sure how I would describe it.
Origin of Darkness certainly is a grandiose moniker for a beer, especially considering that there have been some many other really excellent brews touting some variation of it on their own labels. But, damn, this is a stupid good beer with a great flavor and dangerous smoothness.