Legend Barleywine (through 2008)

Formerly brewed at Legend Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Richmond, Virginia USA

Serve in Snifter

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Bottle, thanks to alexanderj. Clear ruby pour with head that dimished rapidly. Aroma is sugar, sweet caramel / fruit, some alcohol, nuttiness. The flavor is the same, very sweet overall, and probably like drinking some carbonated wort. Enjoyed it though.

Nice barley wine from Legend. Pour was red, good tan head. Nose was fruity and caramel and dark fruit. Good hidden ABV.

(Sample Date: 11/19/2008 Source:Legend Brewery) Resampled 01/21/2009. Caramelized sugars and malts dominate aroma. Dark amber golden with small fine off white head. Hints of dark fruits in the flavor. Rich deep caramelized malt sweetness, big alcohol warming with fairly high bitterness. Full body and mouthfeel. Finish dries quickly and is a touch hot.

Beer pours deep rich red, dark mahogeny color with a well retained tan colored head. Aroma is also rich with lots of malty sweetness, a bit of wood and caramel. Flavor is pretty big with lots of butterscotch, maybe too much. Some nice hop astringency and alcohol notes. Butterscotch finish is a bit overdone, other than that pretty good.

UPDATED: APR 16, 2006 2005 bottle thanks to The_Beer_God sampled 9/17/05: Murky, near opaque rusty brown with a small tan head. The aroma has a great blend and balance to it, not quite featuring one scent over another. It does smell very much like an English Barleywine as rajendra82 has noted. Scents of sweet, earthy, and roasted caramel malt blend with figs, alcohol, and hops that become noticable when inhaled rapidly. The taste is alcohol-soaked figs, fruity chocolate, ripe fruit, tobacco, a hint of yeast towards the middle, butterscotch, and a hint of oxidization that blends perfectly with the malty alcohol to give off some wood & sherry qualities. Midway through the beer I also pick up some distinct legend house yeast (fruity, salty) that works quite well in this one. The hops are present, but only in enough quantity to keep the sweetness in check. Finishes sweet and sticking to the palate with notes of dates, tobacco, and then later light fruits. This is by far my favorite from Legend, and probably the best American example of an English style barleywine I’ve tried. This will age quite well. *Update without changing rating 4/16/06* Trying a 2004 bottle that did not age well at all. It’s very possible the recipe changed slightly from year to year, I don’t know enough about the beer to speak to that. I can tell you that my 2004 bottle is not excessively watery, astringent, and is starting to get a bit acidic and stale, possibly showing signs of a small, but lingering wild yeast or bacteria. Hops have faded, of course, but the caramel and malt have faded as well leaving a bitter acidic beer that is bad enough where I can’t finish the 22oz bottle. Very possible I got unlucky here too.

Thanks to whomever brought this to the Backus Backyard Bash! Pours a thick dark brown with a little red tint. The alcohol is a little overpowering, taking over the figs, dates and other dried fruits you’re used to tasting in a barleywine. This is a tough one and the alcohol level isn’t very balanced with the other flavors. Not terrible, and maybe needed a little longer to age and mellow out.

reddish brown with mild white head. medium-low carbonation. sweet malty nose. flavor of crystal malt with mild hop bitterness, finishes overly sweet due to some unfermentable sugars that results in a cloying beer as drinking continues. the alcohol is well hidden and likely the most impressive aspect of this beer. not great

Bottle courtesy Degarth. Pours a clear amber with a one finger light tan head that leaves good lacing. Aroma of sweet malt, caramel, and a hint of floral hops. Taste is sweet malt, caramel, earthy hops, and toffee. Medium mouthfeel with a moderate amount of bitterness and well hidden alcohol. Very good.

Bottle, courtesy jdubfl. Dark copper kettle pour, big white head and frothy lacing. Nose is caramel, some brown sugar and a decent amount of heat. Flavor is very sweet, sticky malts, with brown sugar, bright heat in the finish. Young, full-bodied, not so easy to drink, but I wanna try it with some more time on it.

Pours a dark amber, no head. Aroma is fruity and floral, malts and toffee as well. Flavor is dominantly hoppy, with lots of sweet caramel and toffee to balance. Slightly sweet/bitter finish.