Dark Seas
Mission Brewery

Dark SeasDark Seas
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From:
Mission Brewery
 
California, United States
Style:
Russian Imperial Stout
Ranked #317
ABV:
9.8%
Score:
91
Ranked #6,602
Avg:
4.09 | pDev: 9.05%
Reviews:
183
Ratings:
731
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jul 03, 2022
Added:
Dec 08, 2011
Wants:
  45
Gots:
  123
The ancient legends that abound the Russian Imperial Stout of yore are filled with tempestuous romance, sinful thievery, and scurvy, too. So highly regarded was this historic recipe, the Russian Kings tried to keep it all to themselves. They failed. Today we bring you our own dastardly dark version, with a rich and roasty aroma, notes of plum and port and a velvety texture so luscious it just might make a grown man weep

2021 GABF Gold medal winner.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by BuxMontBeerLover:
Photo of BuxMontBeerLover
Reviewed by BuxMontBeerLover from Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottle was purchased at The Vintage Cellar in Blacksburg, VA on a recent visit to southern Virginia.

Poured and sampled from a DFH Signature Glass

A - Beer pours a totally opaque, midnight black color. A nice, foamy, beige colored one finger head on the initial pour. Lots of sticky lacing left after drinking.

S - A roasted malt, coffee-like aroma. Smells really good.

T - A very tasty stout that has a ton of flavor. The beer is a mixture of heavily roasted malts, coffee, and a sweet chocolate taste that ends with a mild bitterness. A very smooth, creamy brew. The ABV is lurking there in the background but it never overpowers the taste or enjoyment of the beer.

M - A thicker consistency. Low to medium carbonation.

O - This is my first beer from Mission Brewery and I was impressed. It is a top-notch stout that hits all the right notes. I'd gladly have this again. Recommended.

Cheers!
Nov 20, 2012
More User Ratings:
Photo of WunderLlama
Reviewed by WunderLlama from Massachusetts

4.02/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
New brewery for …..Bottle received in Bif15 from @beersnake1

Brewers Notes: The ancient legends that abound the Russian Imperial Stout of yore are filled with tempestuous romance, sinful thievery, and scurvy, too. So highly regarded was this historic recipe, the Russian Kings tried to keep it all to themselves. They failed. Today we bring you our own dastardly dark version, with a rich and roasty aroma, notes of plum and port and a velvety texture so luscious it just might make a grown man weep

2021 GABF Gold medal winner.

Dark brown liquid , sudsy two finger brown foam crown , recedes to a taupe ring

Aroma is roasted malts , roast coffee

Taste is roasted malts, some char, hint of pepper, hint of licorice, hint of bakers chocolate

Sudsy , the char and bitterness from the roast malts lingers through to the finish

Good beer , thanks @beersnake1
Jul 03, 2022
 
Rated: 3.75 by TMoney2591 from Illinois

Feb 18, 2022
Photo of snaotheus
Reviewed by snaotheus from Washington

4.09/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
2022-01-02
12oz bottle served in a footed pilsner glass. If there is a date on it, I don't see it. Received from @Beersnake1.

Pours black with a general, dark tan head, medium carbonation. Nice looking beer. Smell is super roasty, lots of anise and coffee aroma.

Taste is very bitter, more burnt grains than roasted grains, still strong anise character. If I try, I can turn spin some of the flavor toward very dark chocolate or cacao nibs.

Mouthfeel is medium, maybe leaning toward heavy, but surprisingly seems to be somewhat effervescent. Overall, this is a really solid RIS.
Jan 02, 2022
Photo of Viaduck
Reviewed by Viaduck from California

4.13/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Dark as a moonless night with a thick tan head. Sweet aroma: dark chocolate, brown sugar, ripe fruit & roasted malt. The taste is beautifully bitter. Flavors: dark chocolate, coffee, licorice, prunes,pepper, Roasted malt. Medium bodied , no heat. No tears were shed during the consumption of this stout but it was thoroughly enjoyed.
Dec 26, 2021
Photo of Coronaeus
Reviewed by Coronaeus from Canada (ON)

4.03/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Pours a cola black with a moderate head that dissipates slowly. Baker’s chocolate and mild creamy coffee on the nose. A slight, not quite burnt toast aroma follows. Enticing. Bitter black coffee, cocoa and a moderate bitterness on the tongue. The body is a little thinner than I expect of late from the style but is no way thin. This is a very solid, very enjoyable, straight ahead Russian Imperial stout. I’d certainly drink more if San Diego were a little closer to Toronto!!
Dec 05, 2021
Photo of Harrison8
Reviewed by Harrison8 from Missouri

4.35/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Pours black with a finger and a half of tan foam. Aroma is roasty, toasty, nutty, caramely, and earthy malts. Malts create an expressive aroma without the use of flavor additives. Flavor profile is toasty, nutty, earthy, caramely, bready, and roasty malts. Great expansive of flavor and nuance without diverting from straight malts. Mouth feel is medium-thick with a hearty creamy start that breaks down to a more velvety finish. Overall, a sublime stout that does well to just focus on malts. Easy drinking, dark, and expressive.

Served in a 15.5oz Speigalau tulip from a 12oz bottle.
Nov 28, 2021
Photo of Beersnake
Reviewed by Beersnake from California

4.35/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured at fridge temp. Pours jet black with a good amount of tan head. Nose is super smooth. Roasted malts, black licorice, dark chocolate, coffee grinds, and some dark fruit.

Taste: Wow. This is such a nice traditional Russian Imperial Stout. Huge notes of roasted malts, burnt toffee, charred wood, licorice, and oak. Prunes, tobacco, and a nice layer of tree sap. Just a really nicely balanced stout. Not overpowering but not underwhelming. A great beer.

Mouthfeel and overall: Mouthfeel is medium to thick-bodied. Not a huge creamy stout like a lot of the modern pastry stouts, but that's perfectly fine with me. Overall, this is fantastic. There is a good reason this won gold at the GABF this year.
Nov 15, 2021
Photo of FBarber
Reviewed by FBarber from Illinois

4.46/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Pours pitch black, completely opaque and on the shinier side - it ends up looking like motor oil. Thinner one to two finger mocha colored head forms on the beer and then dissipates pretty quickly leaving just a spotty film on top of the beer. The aroma on this is stellar. Robust, roasted malts, dried tobacco, bakers chocolate with just a hint of smokiness. There are some light, dark fruit notes in the aroma as it warms up.

Taste follows the nose with lovely notes of robust roasted malts, with notes of tobacco and piney hops on the back end. There are notes of bakers chocolate, a light smokiness, and some dark fruit notes. It is rich, robust and delicious. Feel is medium bodied and silky, but that robustness of the flavors makes it punch above its weight. A somewhat drier finish. Moderate, smooth carbonation.

Overall this is an outstanding stout in the old school RIS tradition. Straightforward, no bullshit, but still incredibly flavorful.
Nov 09, 2021
Photo of BillAfromSoCal
Reviewed by BillAfromSoCal from California

4.59/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a goblet after purchase from a room temp. shelf as a single, then chilled. Could not find a brewed on date. Pours black or extremely dark brown with a fraction of a finger of tan head that lingers and coats the sides of the glass. I Reeaalllly like this one. Taste and smell equivalent with a really nice balance of roasted grains, slight coffee, slight bittersweet chocolate with hints of bitterness coming thru and the weirdest thing is the first impression was one reminiscent of the scent of smoked meat coming right off the fire. I don't know how else to describe it. The mouthfeel was not thin but not too viscous or oily with mild to moderate carbonation that exactly hit my sweet spot for what I look for in an Imperial Stout.
Apr 20, 2021
 
Rated: 4.55 by chrisofspades from California

Mar 13, 2021
 
Rated: 4.25 by jmbeerdude91 from Arizona

Apr 04, 2020
Photo of BucannonXC5
Reviewed by BucannonXC5 from California

4.16/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Type: 22-oz. bottle
Reviewed as: Russian Imperial Stout
Glass: Ball 16-oz. mason jar
Price: $8.88 (w/ Vons card, $9.99 regular)
From: Vons in La Mesa, Calif.
Purchased: Dec. 13, 2019
Consumed: Dec. 13, 2019
Misc.: No bottled on date

Picked this up on a whim. Was in the mood for a stout and saw it at Vons, then realized that, not only had I not reviewed it, but I had not even checked into it on Untappd. I know for sure I’ve had it before, including at a tasting at Mission with Chris, Lesley and Rachel. Anyway, not really a fan of this brewery overall, but I’m definitely a fan of RIS’. This one went down as, “The ancient legends that abound about the Russian Imperial Stouts of yore are filled with tempestuous romance, sinful thievery and scurvy, too. So highly regarded was this historic recipe, the Russian Kings tried to keep it all to themselves. They failed. Today we bring you our own dastardly dark version, with a rich and roasty aroma, notes of plum and port and a velvety texture so luscious it just might make a grown man weep.”

Poured a pitch black color with 2-to-3 fingers of khaki tan frothy head. Could see just a few bubbles creeping up along the sides of the glass. Average lacing. Outstanding retention. (Sight - 4.00)

Smelled rich roasty malts, dark fudge, dark milk chocolate, brownie batter, black coffee, dark fruit (mainly plum), hints of port wine, cocoa and lingering roasted barley. As always, not much of an addition from the bottle. (Smell - 4.25)

Taste followed the nose, but not quite as good. Got roasty malts, dark fudge, brownie batter, chocolate cake, dark milk chocolate, bitter black coffee, dark fruit, plum, hints of woody port wine, roasted barley, Cocoa Puffs and cocoa. (Taste - 4.00)

Full body. Sticky texture. Average carbonation. Long, smooth finish. (Feel - 4.50)

Just an excellent Russian Imperial Stout. Smooth, but full of flavor. So good. (Overall - 4.25)

4.16 | 93 | A-
Mar 09, 2020
 
Rated: 3.97 by smithj4 from New York

Oct 17, 2019
 
Rated: 4.1 by Nunya from Ohio

Mar 17, 2019
 
Rated: 4.54 by evanwoertz from California

Jan 28, 2019
 
Rated: 4.85 by AlFergie from Nevada

Jan 17, 2019
 
Rated: 3.97 by Eychung from New York

Jan 05, 2019
 
Rated: 4.13 by MjBrewhouse from Idaho

Nov 26, 2018
Photo of Beginner2
Reviewed by Beginner2 from Illinois

4.11/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
There is perfect and, then, there is close.
Dark Seas RIS is close.
The difference has a lot to do with what dessert is... or whether you are drinking your dessert.
Since this stuff is so powerful and the Dark Seas rendition was in bomber, I had it with dessert one night and no dessert the next. Dark Seas RIS is better with a sweet dessert because this RIS is too dry, too bittersweet for me to have it by itself.

My first from Mission, I went on their website and they seem to have a good story within San Diego's accomplished beer world. No distribution in the Midwest, so I am glad to sample their wares here.
Nov 19, 2018
Dark Seas from Mission Brewery
Beer rating: 91 out of 100 with 731 ratings