Legend Imperial IPA

Brewed by Legend Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Richmond, Virginia USA

Bottle from Williamsburg bottle shop (actaully, 6 bottles) while on vacation. The pour is medium coppery/dark strawish colored with 1-finger off-white head. The aroma is intense, complex, and just heavenly; a mix of huge hops, bready caramel malt, spicy peppery notes, orange marmalade, and watermelon. The flavor is hoppy, fruity, black peppery, with a lot of tangeriney, mango hints, plus some berry notes late. Smooth, complex flavor profile. This one is outstanding.

Bottle; Poured a darker gold with a medium to large white head. Lacing. Aroma was really, really good; Mango fruit, citrus, pine and caramel/vanilla. Initial flavor was mango; fruit and citrus. Dry finish. Good mouthfeel; a little oily and syrupy. Legend as a brewery in general is impressing me more than it used to. This was on the more unique side of the style.

It is a funny thing, Legend’s normal beers are competent enough but never dynamic tot he point where I will search them out purposely. Their seasonals, however, are nearly all fantastic, or at least made with a more deft touch that gives them extra zing. Now with my two-cents laid squarely on the table, let me actually taste this thing. Nice, nice golden body that hugs the glass and leaves wet, sticky finger prints of lacing as it slides seductively down the rim. Aromas of slight hop oils are hammered down by a sickly overripe papaya/mango musk, not in a bad way though. It merely serves to alert the senses and remind the brain that this here beer is a big motha. Viscous, rich mouthfeel swaddled in tropical fruits coats the tongue, with resins cutting through and leaving a drying finish. Seems a bit sweet and unrefined, but, yup, gulp, I do think I will drink the rest of this bomber without much trouble. By the way, did I mention it was 9:20 in the morning? Don’t judge, it is my day off. End result= I wish this was a year-round offering, but I will enjoy it in the window it is offered.

5/23/07. 22 oz bottle. Clear yellow-orange with a trace of white foam. Nose is standard orange-grapefruit with brown sugar. Tropical fruits abound with the first sip; mango predominant. A piña colada martini? Gentle drying with some metallic. Tingly carb counters a slightly syrupy body. A tasty offering from Legend.

on tap-pours a white head and deep gold color. Aroma is citrus hops (cascade), sweet. Taste is citrus hops-bitter grapefruit, dry finish. OK carbonation.

22oz’er ... medium amber with a fortress of a foam head. Wow, this has one of the purest hop aromas I’ve experienced, like pure hop oil. And the beer is simply delicious, not too strong yet fully flavorful, grapefruit, pine, grass and white grapes. Solid-enough malt backbone in this finely made beer, yet another great brew from Legend. (#2843, 5/6/2007)

Draft. Translucent, orange-brown color. 1/4" head that slowly evaporates. Hoppy, fruity, with hints of pineapple and apricot. Thin body and limited staying power past the tongue. More citric-acidic sensation to the tongue than expected. Pleasing beer and quality mid-range selection.

You know what to expect with an IPA or IIPA, the only question is how is it executed. I let this one sit in my refrigerator for quite awhile, expecting that it wasn’t going to be well done. But they’ve produced an IIPA that provides enough backbone for me to get past the hops. In fact, there were some wonderful combinations of smells and flavors, making it seem like a well-done English barleywine or something else with that malty complexity. The aftertaste wasn’t problematic at all for me and it paired very well with some home-made pizza. Enjoyable.