Commercial Description: Winter is big beer season, when breweries bring out their heartiest and heaviest offerings, and Legend is no exception. Along with our regular lineup, we currently and proudly serve up our Imperial Stout and Belgian Tripel, with the massive Barleywine on deck for an early January release.
Our seasonal beers are very popular and so with the rapid disappearance of this year’s Chocolate Porter, were faced with the need to fill a slot for a “not so big”, but still exciting beer to keep things interesting.
Why not an E.S.B. (Extra Special Bitter)? This is a British style that understandably is a bit confusing by name…
”Oh, Legend makes an extra special beer…oh they call it bitter…hmmm, I’ll try something else”.
Actually, an English Bitter is not what it sounds like. It is a medium bodied, somewhat malty brew with the hop character coming primarily from bittering hops. The result is low hop aroma with a little bite of bitterness on the finish. Not present are the intense hoppy flavors and aromas of a Pale Ale, for example. An E.S.B. refers to a brewery’s finest version of a Bitter, usually a little higher in alcohol and malt flavor.
History lesson aside, Legend E.S.B. serves as a medium octane winter warmer that brings flavor without chaos.
Legend E.S.B. pours a deep reddish orange and possesses a nose ripe with fruity aromas. The body is medium, as is the carbonation. The flavor is at first of fruit (apples, pears, berries), then turns in a warm caramel toasty direction provided by the specialty malts. The finish is dry and earthy.
Malts: Two row malted barley, light roast malt, caramel malt, aromatic malt, wheat malt.
Hops: British East Kent Golding
Yeast: British premium bitter yeast strain
Legend E.S.B. is available on draft and in 22 oz. bottles
Mar 17, 2009 Was looking for something easy to drink and that would appeal to many, this fit the bill... sorta. Pours a slightly transparent, maple brown with a soft, creamy, slightly off white head. Nose is all malt, caramel, toffee, sticky fruits, but no citrus. Hmm. Flavor is all malt, brown sugar, caramel, some light toasted notes but no citrus. Finish is lasting sweetness and some sticky sugar. What’s an ESB with no bitterness? This was the sweetest damn ESB I’d ever seen in his life. The result was an OK beer, which disappointed me a bit.
Bottle consumed some time ago - date not noted. Pours a solid dark orange color with a white head. Aroma is notes of citrus and hops, with a nice roasted malt aroma. Flavor is a light malted roast flavor. Not bad a beer that I wouldn’t mind revisiting some day.
(Sample Date: 3/14/2009 Source:Legend Brewery) Pint at the Brewery. Chocolate roast aroma with some earthy hops. Clear dark amber brown. Chocolate and roast with a bit of roast astringency and dark fruit notes. Earthy spicy hop flavor. Medium body and mouthfeel. Dry bitter finish that is slightly oak and wine.
Bottle shared at jimmacks Beer Wars preparty. Poured an orange body with a foamy white head. Aroma of citrus, apricot and grains with an overall soapiness about it. Medium body with bubbly carbonation. Flavor different then the aroma but still no real improvement, chocolate and grain. Meh average brew at best.
Jim Mack’s Pre-Beer Wars Gathering. Pours a brune amber body with a tan head. Burnt and toasted malt, cherry a bit medicinal with some grain and fruity finish. Not so good.
22oz bottle-pours a foamy tan head and amber color. Aroma is medium fruit, medoum malt-toffee, some sharpness/spice hops. Taste is medium malt-toffee, medium fruit-cherry, some sharpness/perfumy/spice hops, yeasty.
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