Dark Seas Bourbon Barrel Aged
Mission Brewery

Dark Seas Bourbon Barrel AgedDark Seas Bourbon Barrel Aged
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From:
Mission Brewery
 
California, United States
Style:
Russian Imperial Stout
ABV:
11.25%
Score:
87
Avg:
3.9 | pDev: 11.28%
Reviews:
16
Ratings:
86
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 17, 2020
Added:
Dec 19, 2013
Wants:
  9
Gots:
  28
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 4.25 by mpenske from California

Dec 17, 2020
 
Rated: 3.78 by BerryKumquat from California

Nov 02, 2018
 
Rated: 4.05 by 22Blue from Kansas

Jun 20, 2018
 
Rated: 3.75 by brittanylicious from Indiana

Mar 11, 2018
 
Rated: 3.75 by heysuz from Indiana

Mar 11, 2018
 
Rated: 4.16 by JuiceMan818 from California

Dec 14, 2017
 
Rated: 3.79 by mattreitz49 from Florida

Jun 22, 2017
Photo of DucksFan16
Rated by DucksFan16 from Tennessee

4.04/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
05/19/2017
May 20, 2017
Photo of ovaltine
Reviewed by ovaltine from Indiana

4.18/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
This hits all the right notes for a BA RIS - jet black, dark tan head, beautiful beer. The bourbon is pretty forward on the nose, so I was a bit leery, but my concerns were ill-founded, because the taste had the bourbon, but also loads of dark chocolate, cocoa, oak, and stone fruit.

I had low expectations when I got this, but it exceeded them, and left some money in the bank. I'd buy this again, especially in the winter in Minnesota. After the 8" of snow we received yesterday, this is helping me recover nicely.
Mar 14, 2017
Photo of mjwellman
Reviewed by mjwellman from Texas

4.03/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Overall I think it's a good beer. Nice dark color with a good head. A light aroma of coffee & malt. A sweet aroma but it is lacking the bourbon. It's a nice drinking beer and there is a slight hint of bourbon but much less than what you would expect. A good beer but misses the mark in being a great beer
Feb 04, 2017
Photo of DragonsMilk
Reviewed by DragonsMilk from Kentucky

3.1/5  rDev -20.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 1
Don't waste your money! This is a good beer but....

Tastes exactly like Stone RIS which is a great beer but Stone RIS is $6.99 and this was $21.99

Didn't deliver in the Bourbon department, had no influence that I could detect.

Overpriced Overrated

(I edited my initial taste from 4 to 3.25 because I couldn't detect the bourbon influence and this is a bourbon barrel RIS not a standard RIS)
Jan 24, 2017
Photo of IvoryFoxhole
Reviewed by IvoryFoxhole from Virginia

4/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
2014 bottle I held for a while. Poured into Carton Dubvariant glass. Little head, very dark, anything knocked down quickly by ABV. Bourbon barrel smell along with roasted malts. Taste is mostly bourbon and oak with roasted malts and vanilla on back end. ABV disguised reasonably well, but some warming. Medium to full-bodied, slow drinker. Balance is OK, but nothing to write home about. Flavors mellow and soft after aging, which I think brought this up to a decent standard vis a vis earlier reviews.
Dec 20, 2016
 
Rated: 3.9 by Ctb6582 from Maryland

Oct 11, 2016
Photo of ccg
Reviewed by ccg from Virginia

3.53/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
It doesn't look barrel-aged, but it does look like a decent stout. Not much lacing, but the head retention is pretty good. Plenty oily looking with a layer of tiny bubbles clinging to the surface.
Unfortunately, it doesn't follow up with much of interest to smell. At first, there was a generic grain scent, and then it started turning into olives.
A bit of a generic stout flavor upfront with a bit of bitterness on the end. It gets a little bit of chocolate and vanilla going in the middle as it starts to warm up. Still not a whole lot of evidence of the barrel-aging.
Mouthfeel is OK, but it's rather thin for a stout, let alone a barrel-aged stout.
Overall, I'm sorry to say, this beer was a letdown. It not _bad_; it just doesn't stand out at all in what has become a crowded field. I'd be less upset if I hadn't paid the BBA price and dealt with the annoying waxed bomber.
Sep 29, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by crob3888 from California

Sep 18, 2016
 
Rated: 3.41 by nvbrew from Nevada

Aug 12, 2016
Photo of WesMantooth
Reviewed by WesMantooth from Ohio

3.39/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
Waxed top bomber.

Pretty thin headed fizzy pour.

Smells like charred chocolate malt with a hint of sweetness.

Very strong tobacco flavor. Also a lot of ashy/charred taste and cocoa powder. A touch of vanilla. No bourbon at all. My brother even said "I thought this was barrel aged". I even checked the bottle again. Literally nothing.

The body and carbonation borders on sucking. Very fizzy and prickly. Almost like there is something wrong with it.

Not a bad tasting beer overall, but nothing that stands out, and very disappointing from a bourbon barrel perspective.
Jul 01, 2016
 
Rated: 3.35 by carlso_aw from Indiana

May 01, 2016
 
Rated: 3.94 by MDDMD from Pennsylvania

Mar 17, 2016
Photo of Gryphon69
Reviewed by Gryphon69 from Michigan

3.03/5  rDev -22.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.75
A- The highest mark I gave it, looks good and dark with light lacing

S- Some dark roast, and vanilla, typical RIS but kinda muted

T- Pretty disappointed for a BBA at any price. Some decent RIS flavors of roast, vanilla, dark fruits and hardly any BBA detecting on the nose or palate.

F- Nice full feel and slickness that coats the tongue

O- Like I said, pretty disappointed in it as a BBA, decent flavor but as a BBA sourly lacking and wont ever buy it again in the BBA price.
Feb 28, 2016
Dark Seas Bourbon Barrel Aged from Mission Brewery
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 86 ratings