Legend Hopfest

Brewed by Legend Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Richmond, Virginia USA

22oz bottle acquired in trade with The_Beer_God (thanks!). Poured a darker copper color with a larger sized off white head. Aromas of caramel, citrus, biscuit, pine, somewhat spicy and grapefruit. Tastes of oranges, caramel, with a spicy and somewhat grapefruit finish. Body a little on the thin side.

Bottle... This beer rocks!... Clear, deep amber ale with copper highlights. Small, frothy, beige head. Great retention. Fruity nose with a medley of mango, apricot, grapefruit pulp and a kiss of pine sap. Lots of grapefruit bitterness in the flavor. Full-bodied with an ultra-satiny mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Although the malt is heavy and impressive, the true backbone of this beer is the massive lupulin. Finishes bitter and grassy. Excellent, world class beer! No diacetyl in my bottle... not that it would bother me as I love butterscotch and butterd toast.

HWOH. Not many people liked this one, as it was pretty much loaded with diacetyl. Hoppy aroma but overshadowed by the butterscotch/buttered popcorn aspect. Flavor is more diacetyl along with a fair amount of citrus pine and apricots. Sweet malts throughout, with a finish that is dry and moderately bitter. Would probably be good if not for the diacetyl.

Draught at the Brewery: Aroma is hoppy and spicy. Smells like Amarillo hops. Intense amber color. Small white head that lasted. No lacing. Tasted soley of Amarillo hops. Spicy flavor. No malt taste at all. Dry. Easy drinking. Medium body. Lively Carbonation. Good IPA. Spicy all the way through.

This poured a copper color with a small off white head that left light lacing on the glass. Aroma of floral hops, citrus fruits, light pine and a bit of diactyl in the background. Taste of some grains, tart citrus, light pine, and sweet caramel malts.

Bomber - A light caramel color with a big white head. A lot of hops in the beer, aroma and flavor. The grain has a hard time keeping up with the hops.

22oz bottle: Pours to a mostly clear medium amber with redish tint. Sitting atop is a small beige head, rocky, and short lasting. I’m surprised at how awesome this aroma is (not that I was expecting it to be bad): juicy, fresh hops, resiny sticky hops, it’s very pungent yet never overwhelms, feeling bright and fresh in the nose, with just a bit of sweet grapefruit leading to some juicy, ripe fruit notes towards the end. It’s like sticking your head in a bag of fresh bitter hops that somehow never gets to be too much. I could smell this all day but I have to dive in and drink this bad boy. Well it definitely has the legend house yeast character (light diacetyl within limits, slightly salty, very mild esters), it’s quite bitter from the start, the IBU’s have to be way up on this one, though surprisingly the actual hop flavors show up a bit later - grapefruit, citrus, sticky pine - then there’s a quick burst of earthy hops, then back to the hops assault with a bit more of house yeast. A bit of bready malts sneak through in the finish which feels just a bit watery to me. Medium bodied, medium carbonation that really can be felt on the tongue, finishes with residual hops and sticky resin in the mouth. For me the best part is truely the aroma here, but this is very good all around. With a more creamy & full body that finishes a bit more dry, this would give Pizza Port or Russian River a run for their money.

Draft, Baja Bean, Staunton VA. Reddish amber with white head. Bright, fresh hops nose of both grapefruit citrus and pine. Medium-sweet malt body with a healthy touch of piney bitterness and full citrusy hops on the tongue. Great balance, great carbonation, great beer.