Legend Pale Ale

Brewed by Legend Brewing Company
Style: American Pale Ale
Richmond, Virginia USA

Serve in Lager glass, Shaker, Tulip

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Largish draught sample at the brewpub. Solid amber-broze, a bit hazy with a light retained head....funky/pungent nose....Simcoe perhaps? with some interesting touches of old dried peaches and wet moldy hay....bitter, dry on the tongue but with lots of old overripe fruits, hints of fig and more than that of apples and apricots, pineapple....quite woody, somewhat harsh, lightly acidic to finish....full hefty body, almost too heavy for a pale ale but just this side of problematic, low to medium carbonation, really quite memorable overall if a little too odd for greatness.

Draft - Cask conditioned. A very nice way to have this beer. Poured at slighly above room temp with minimal carbonation. Clean sharp bitter taste. Couldn’t taste the alcohol at all.

Tangy tangerine, citrus, tropical fruit punch aroma with a sharp vinegary note underneath. Opaque copper-amber coloured body topped by a fizzy, off white head that recedes to a thin cover. Salty, acrid flavour features harsh citrus-orange hop character with very strong bitterness. Plenty of residual sweetness. Medium body is quite dry with moderate carbonation. Bottle (trade, Aug-05) sampled with GonZoBeeR, MartinT, Rastacouere and Siroy. Thanks, Kinz!

Bomber. Pours gold with a hint of orange. Big white head that quickly diminishes. Nose is Slightly floral, but mostly pink grapefruit and something sweeter (pineapple?) Flavor starts out citrusy, but settles down into a slightly sweet malty flavor, with caramel and brown sugar notes. Although it recedes, the grapefruit tones never go away, just drop to the background. Mildly bitter finish. Mouthfeel is somewhat lively. Pretty good overall.

Draught at Brewery: Aroma was spicy and hoppy, like Amarillo hops. Pleasant scent. Amber. Good white head. Clear and sparkling. Good lacing. Tasted of hops, chocolate, toasted, nutmeg and was a bit spicy. Lasting sour finish. Medium body. Lively carbonation. Decent pale ale, but more of an APA. Spicy.

Pours a golden color with sizable off-white head. Strong hop aroma of grapefruit, pineapple, and grain. The flavor is sharp with bitting hops. There is strong caramel malt that relaxes the hops but it is slightly out of balance. Still one of my favorite Legend staples.

[ Bottled ; chilled ; dates are unknown ]
A mostly diminishing average fizzy white head tops up a muddy medium orange body. Moderate lacing. Few thin particles. Few small bubbles. Bottle conditioned. Aroma presents malt being moderate grain /caramel while hops are moderate citrusy ... Yeast character is heavy dough. Also, there are evident evocations of sulfur and roten acidic fruits. Initial flavor is moderate sour/citrus while development leads to phenolic impressions. Finish is medium Light to medium body... oily texture... Soft carbonation...

Aroma:good hopy nose,tangerine,grapefruit.... Appearance:Light hazy amber,small head... Flavor:light sour flavor,exotic fruit,bitterness...

Any first impressions?
-A lofty head settles over the muddy orange.
-Tropical fruit, wooden hops and caramel malt are bothered by an oncoming pickle juice.
-Citrus fruitiness from the hops and tartness from the yeast farts. Something’s amiss.
-The lively carbonation offers a frothy mouthfeel.

What if you dig digger?
-There is no way to tell on the bottle, but this one must not be young.
-Some saltiness in the back recalls Gose.
-The leafy, citrusy hoppiness, which could be very pleasant, is diseased. Rampant wilderness mocks it.
-I hope these guys figure out what’s happening to their bottles. Their interesting recipes (Imperial Pale Ale, Doppelbock, and now this) are destroyed by time, an obvious sign of earlier problems in the process.

Bottle; no date!

Bottle-conditioned, orange hued covered by a fully diminishing off-white head. Peppery, fruity nose full of tropical fruits, highly yeasty with full on sourdough nuances. It speaks of problems, but ceteris paribus, I find it quite appealing. In mouth, it grows quite catastrophic. I’ll be happy to give a go at a fresher sample, but since the whole range of legend we’ve tried showed drastic poor aging issues, I guess it has to be said they ought to be drunk as soon as possible. Possible yeast autolysis in this particular example where a sulphuric character chimes in with the gummy, citric fruits to lead us into a long lasting tart and phenolic/medicinal finish. Light-medium bodied, highly effervescent, airy textured.