Tommyknocker Legend

Brewed by Tommyknocker Brewery
Style: American Strong Ale
Idaho Springs, Colorado USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

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Copper colored pour with a small off-white head. Nose is caramel, maple syrup, and bread. Some oak, chocolate, a bit of vanilla, toast, and a hint of smoke. The flavor is fairly sweet and malty. Caramel, maple, chocolate, and toast. Light vanilla, charred oak, dark fruit, and some smoke.

March 28th, 2010 - In spite of the mountain charm of Idaho Springs, I never found Tommyknocker to be part and parcel of that charm. It’s nice that there’s a brewery there, and it’s wonderful (and probably not coincidental) that it’s within walking distance of Beaujeau’s Pizzeria, but otherwise I’ve never really clicked with Tommyknocker. I blame both the beers and my palate. The Legend was one of the beers that impressed upon me how discordant with my tastes their brews were. This beer was supposed to be one of their greatest achievements, made with Hungarian Oak (reputed to be highly sought after for ship building, though why that makes it good for beer I’ll never know), and it was a let down anyway. I must give credit to producing a REMARKABLE bouquet. Emanating from that thick cedar brown head is a concoction of smells, part raw beef and pork, part soy sauce, part black pepper, and a generous squeeze of orange juice with a bith of orange pith for a bitter pin prick. The flavor is what really let me down. It’s a weaker, attenuated version of the aroma, and it tastes unbalanced and chaotic. When I don’t look forward to the next sip I know something has gone awry, and something went awry with the Legend. Writing this review today, I know that eventually I came back to try more Tommyknocker brews, but this definitely was a sour note for my evaluation of their beers.

Bottle. Seems to be pouring clear, with a copper colored body and a finger-thick off-white head leaving lacings. Soy sauce, sweetness, oak notes, salt, maltyness, vanilla and a whiff of coffee in the aroma. The flavor is sweet and lightly salty, with vanilla and a touch of coffee. Full-bodied and lighlty warming. Lasting finish that is mostly on the sweet side, leaving little room for bitterness. A wonderful one, needing some time to finish. 111209

Bottle:   Deep brown, moderate to large sudsy head, sparce lacing.   Looks like an aged beer.   Strong woody aroma, oak, a bit of caramel and fig/prune.   Wow, very woody and oak like on the tongue.   Not a moderate body, but not thing either.   Lets just say its not syrupy, but goes down like butter without being sticky at all.   Brown sugar and light caramel bring up the backside.   I can see this being like maple syrup, without being syrupy.   Wished it were a little thicker, and a bit more sweet.   As is, very woody, big time oak, slight caramel and brown sugar, and even a little maple syrup.   Enjoyable, but would be better if a little thicker with a bit more malt backing.

Bottle. Brown colour with a beige head. Aroma is vanilla, oak, alcohol, licorice, roasted malt, caramel. Flavour is oak, vanilla, licorice, roasted malt, caramel, alcohol. Medium to full body. Nice beer.

’09 (15th Anniversary) drunk on 12/29/11. Gorgeous brown and deep magenta. Good carbonation. Nose is all malts and wood. Big full palate of more of the same with the maple sweetness and some very subtle black pepper on the finish (presumably from the oak). This is very, very similar to their oak aged butthead bock (which is one of the best beers from a fairly mediocre brewery, IMHO), but with the maple showing through. There is something kind of resinous about the oak on both of these that never quite sits completely right with me and never wants to make me have more than one at a go. Anyway, still a nice beer and unique, but glad I didn’t buy more than one at the $15 price point for a 12 oz.

Date: April 23, 2010
Mode: Bottle
Source: Knightly Spirits, Orlando
Appearance: opaque dark brown, frothy beige head, drippy lace
Aroma: sweet caramel and molasses aroma, touch of chocolate, good dose of oak with light vanilla, touch of smokey character
Flavor: rich chocolate and caramel flavor, vanilla sweetness with a touch of oak, lots of dark caramel, touch of alcohol
Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.4/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **+ /4

Bottle.Pours dark brown with a small off white head. Aroma of vanilla, oak, coffee, soy sauce, roasted malt, caramel and alcohol.Flavor is sweet and malty with some coffee, vanilla and roasted malt.Medium body, average carbonation.

(2009 bottle, sampled 4/1/10). Dark brown color, with ruby hue. Medium tan head. Moderate oak and caramel aroma. Flavor of the same, wtih moderate bourbon/alcohol. Avg duration. Very smooth finish. Slick/thin texture. Moderate carbonation. Spare lacing.

Pour out of 375 wax dipped bottle, 2009. Pour was murky and dirty brown with a thin off white head, pretty unappetizing looking. Aroma had notes of chocolate, dark fruit, lots of deep toffee and caramel, vanilla, oak, some slight toast/burnt notes, and a touch of alcohol. Taste is fairly smooth but fairly messy, some oak and vanilla, sweet caramel, some bitter dark fruit, smoky notes, and a slightly sweet dry finish.