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Legend ESB 3.12 38

Legend ESB


Percentile
58
overall

bottled
available

on tap
unknown

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RatingsAverageScoreSeasonalABVStyle PctlServe in
383.18/5.03.12/5.0Winter6.5%56.7English pint
Commercial Description:
Winter is big beer season, when breweries bring out their heartiest and heaviest offerings, and Legend is no exception. Along with our regular lineup, we currently and proudly serve up our Imperial Stout and Belgian Tripel, with the massive Barleywine on deck for an early January release. Our seasonal beers are very popular and so with the rapid disappearance of this year’s Chocolate Porter, were faced with the need to fill a slot for a “not so big”, but still exciting beer to keep things interesting. Why not an E.S.B. (Extra Special Bitter)? This is a British style that understandably is a bit confusing by name… ”Oh, Legend makes an extra special beer…oh they call it bitter…hmmm, I’ll try something else”. Actually, an English Bitter is not what it sounds like. It is a medium bodied, somewhat malty brew with the hop character coming primarily from bittering hops. The result is low hop aroma with a little bite of bitterness on the finish. Not present are the intense hoppy flavors and aromas of a Pale Ale, for example. An E.S.B. refers to a brewery’s finest version of a Bitter, usually a little higher in alcohol and malt flavor. History lesson aside, Legend E.S.B. serves as a medium octane winter warmer that brings flavor without chaos. Legend E.S.B. pours a deep reddish orange and possesses a nose ripe with fruity aromas. The body is medium, as is the carbonation. The flavor is at first of fruit (apples, pears, berries), then turns in a warm caramel toasty direction provided by the specialty malts. The finish is dry and earthy. Malts: Two row malted barley, light roast malt, caramel malt, aromatic malt, wheat malt. Hops: British East Kent Golding Yeast: British premium bitter yeast strain Legend E.S.B. is available on draft and in 22 oz. bottles
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 dkachur (2416), Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
3.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/56/104/512/20
Jan 15, 2009  
22 ounce bottle from Whole Foods Market, Charlottesville, VA. Pours a copper color with a medium head. Good head retention and lacing. Aroma is caramel, grain, bread and green apple. Taste is bitter hops, grain and caramel. Slightly tart. Medium bodied.


 EKGoldings (447), Radford, Virginia, USA
3.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
5/103/57/103/514/20
Nov 27, 2007  
My favorite from these guys but again this fails to grab me and get me excited about drinking a second. I’m enjoying it a bit less as the bottles age in my basement.


 hopdog (5611), Lansdale, Pennsylvania, USA
2.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/55/103/512/20
Jun 29, 2007  
22oz bottle acquired in trade with The_Beer_God (thanks!). Poured a medium to deeper copper color with a huge sized off white head. Aromas of caramel, nuts, and lightly fruity. Tastes of caramel and lightly fruity. Ended in a light tart, sourness.


 Trooper11 (467), Suffolk, Virginia, USA
2.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
4/103/55/102/511/20
Mar 13, 2007  
Deep caramel pour with foamy off white head. bready bitter malt aroma, like prunes. Great bitterness, kind of fizzy yet a bit watery feel. Bitterness is sharp with a small warmth.


 jasonp (1513), Sterling/Dulles, Virginia, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/104/515/20
Feb 17, 2007  
22oz bottle. Pours dark amber (almost red) with a huge billowy off-white head. Rich caramel and candy coated apples in the nose. Strong notes up front of caramel, toffee, wood and ends with earthy hoppiness and pleasant apple character. Has a satisfying bitterness but the light still shines on the malty aspect. Medium, creamy body with moderate carbonation. Has more oomph than your average ESB but is still very drinkable. Good head retention too.


 mephisto (1144), Taiwan
3.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
5/104/56/104/512/20
Feb 16, 2007  
copper hue with beige head, it has a nutty aroma with coffee nose. a hoppy body balanced by a decent malt profile.


 luv2brew (179), Chesterfield, Virginia, USA
3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/57/103/510/20
Feb 14, 2007  
I actually liked this. This wasn’t what I had expected because of the enormous fruit malt flavor. Was expecting a little more bitterness, but it never developed. It came across as a bit unbalanced because of the huge maltiness. Not a bad attempt at an ESB.


 golubj (1290), Sunnyvale, California, USA
2.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/55/103/511/20
Feb 6, 2007  
Bottle. Soapy aroma. Some malt and some bitterness, but somewhat bland for an ESB.



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