Legend Imperial IPA

Brewed by Legend Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Richmond, Virginia USA

Serve in Shaker, Snifter

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First, this is a delicious beer. However it brings up the fuzzy line between barleywine and the imperial IPA with some brewers. To me an imperial/double IPA should be absolutely about hops, with the malt strong enough to support but not overshadow the hops. In this example, the malt takes on some of the sweetness, esteryness and body characteristic of the unfermented dextrins of a barleywine. That said, it’s still delicious.

Clear dark gold body with a ring of white lace. Strong, pefumy aroma of hops. Dominant flavor of hops with a bitter finish. The palate is light and dry with low carbonation.

UPDATED: MAR 9, 2006 The Lure:
Bright hop illuminations infuse oranges and other various citrus fruit into the dry wood. Tons of C-hops playing gleefully without going overboard.

The Festivities:
A svelte body harbors oranges aplenty, but little fruity sweetness and shy accompanying malts. Bitterness from the hops is portentous, but hop lovers will not be assailed, as this is done with taste. Could use more malt to add a little size and sweetness to thus achieve balance, but that may not be what they were looking for anyway.

Transcendence:
How can you not like the sight of a bunch of children laughing and playing?

Addendum: A slightly aged bottle (1.5 years?) was assailed by wilderness, destroying the IPA part of the beer, making it a grossly churned out Belgian ale with brettanomyces. Will not change the score for now, but I hope they find out what’s causing this.

Pours with a golden-orange body topped by a thick head with lots of lacing. It’s sweet, fruity and full of grapefruity hop notes with a slight maltiness. Medium to full bodied, warming and surprisingly smooth.

Well made DIPA, Thanks The_Beer_God! Honey colored with a moderate white head. Aroma is sweet, fruity, piney and citrusy. Flavor is fairly bitter, but the malt in this beer does a good job softening up the bitterness. The body is thick almost syrupy. Hops dry out the finish.

A hazy amber beer with an orange head. The aroma is sweet and very hoppy - with the hops giving it slight notes of citrus. The flavor is sweet with quite a lot of hops, giving it a citrus note, but there’s also notes of caramel from the malt. The end is hoppy dry.

Orange pour, hazy reflects, the head is white and quickly diminishes to a ring. A very aromatic model, showcasing explosive orange, woody and floral aromatics of fresh and bright American hops. Their qualities don’t seem to be as energetic in mouth where the bitterness gains in importance, the aromas, on their side, die off a bit faster. Not much to say about the malts despite that they certainly serve as a good mouthfeel support, providing a medium body with creamy carbonation. Feels quite direct and citric in mouth, but otherwise quite pleasant.

Pours a cloudy orange hue with a light tan head. Aromas of Grapefruit????? hops a little plastic and spice. Flavors of raspberries, apples, hops..........Nice

Bottle: Courtesy of The_Beer_God via trade. Aroma is very citrusy. Lots of orange, apricot, grapefruit hops, and melon Pours a transparent bright orange with a small off-white head. Quick initial orange and apricot sweetness is instantly dominated by a huge grapefriut hop finish. Hops linger in the aftertaste for some time. A little more malt would improve balance.

Amber gold and brown, nice looking body with a buttery white head with decent lasting power. Fragrance is exquisite, with melon, pineapple, pine needs, apricot and tangerine. Taste confirms much of the aroma, but does so without being too sweet; all of the aforementioned flavors along with light caramel and maple. Very hoppy instead. Sweet ruby-red grapefruit is very pronounced now, both on palate and aroma. Aftertaste is roasty and piney hops. Good beer, picked this one up at Norm’s Beer in Vienna, VA.