Legend Barleywine

Brewed by Legend Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Richmond, Virginia USA

perhaps the best barleywine I’ve ever had, barleywine fans should NOT pass up a chance for this one!

Dark red color with particals floating in it. Smell of malt, spice, pumpkin, prunes and little alcohol. Tastes very sweet with alcohol, spice, nuts, prunes, some hops and a heavy creamy chocolate??? Bitterness at the end of this wonderful barley wine. WOW! If I knew this was that good I would have bought more in Virgina.

2006 bomber. Pours a golden orange with brown highlights. Aroma is wonderful and very sweet, with sugar, perhaps some cherries, plums, cinamonn and some caramel. Flavor is not malty like most barleywines, just a bit of hop bitterness in the finish. Caramel, slight hints of chocolate, some roasted brown sugar, and just an overall sweetness. One of the best BW’s I’ve had.

2007 Bottle. Pours burgundy a medium short lasting head. Aroma of strong banana cream pie. Sweet with an earthy undertone. More banana, some brown sugar. Excellent.

2007 VIntage Deep ruby-brown beer, no head left. Sweet, lots of alcohol & fusels in the nose, raisins and madeira. Sweet-ish taste, nutbread, blue cheese, cardemoms, dry, and generally a lot of (dark) malts. Pretty complex. Very full bodied, oily & slick to viscous. Excellent barley wine, obviously of an excellent vintage. Many thanks to the American generous donator!

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.

bottle from tchrome shared with the boulder assasins. poured dark reddish brown with a thin skim of dark grey head. chocolate raspberry aroma with noticeable alcohol. love the aroma, it reminds me of raspberry creme. mild intricate flavor that is a mix of chocolate, berries, vanilla, and warming with a touch of tounge slapping spice. finish is toffee, vanilla coke and chocolate cake, and with some spices, nice.

2006 Vintage: Poured a dark amber color with a medium beige head. Sweet and fruity malt aroma with notes of cherries and chocolate. Light alcohol in the nose. this smell right on for an English BW. Sweet fruity malty flavor. Some warmth but you don’t taste the alcohol. Not hot. Well done. The best beer I have had from them.