This is a great recipe and makes a delicious beer. I would recommend you support your local shop if you have one nearby, especially for the liquid yeast. But if you don't have one close by then MoreBeer or Williams (both are in California), offer decent prices and fast and free shipping if you hit their minimums - at least $59 for MoreBeer and at least $99 for Williams.
How dark are you talking about? I've brewed this a number of times, often tweaking the recipe to see what different ingredients bring to it. My SRM (per Beersmith, and depending on my tweaks) has varied between 14-19, but always looks quite red without looking too dark. Given time to clear it's a beautiful looking beer. Also, through my tweaking I've learned I can make a good tasting beer, but never as good as when I follow the original recipe, but scaled to my set up.