Legend Imperial Stout

’07-’08 vintage. Beautiful pour, black with a thick dark brown head with good retention and lacing. Sweet malty aroma of molasses with some sweet and sour lactose and a good roasted malt character with the attendant expresso and some woody notes. Flavor is more assertively roasty and dry than the aroma with again some lactic sourness. Full bodied and smooth (with perhaps some contribution from the oatmeal), with relatively high carbonation. No real alcohol presence, although at 8% it is on the lower end of an Imperial Stout. Solid imperial stout, although the sourness/sweatiness (which may be partially due to the aging) cuts it down a notch below the top tier beers.

Thick dark brown liquid fills the glass. Initially fizzy head, settle to a fingers with of dense brown bubbles. Rather intense scents. Roasted malts, pine, hazelnuts, toasted white bread and butter. Not sure I really like the aroma, but it sure has me thinking. Not as thick in feel as the pour showed. I actually find it a bit fizzy. Starts with lightly charred plums. Middle has some citric hops and pale malt. I need a bit more backbone from the malt in this one. Some more fruit moves in and out with some dark berries. Acidic and fairly dry in the finish. Some citrus, pine and touch of black malt in the linger. Not the linger I want from my impy. Perhaps too hoppy for me.

Bottle poured into a snifter produced a finger worth of tan colored head that trailed of to a respectable lace. The body of the brew was the obligatory black in color. The aroma is that of roasted malts molasses’ and coco. The flavor is a little bitter and strong roasted malt, which is what I expect from and IMP Stout. I didn’t notice the 8% alcohol at all. The feel in my mouth is medium to full with light carbonation. A solid Imperial stout, nothing to spectacular; but represents the style well. I think the bomber was quite enough in one sitting. I would drink it again if I saw it

Daytona 500 tasting. Bomber. Black with a tan head. Dark chocolate and coffee nose, roasty, some dark fruit. Flavor comes off rather dry, bittersweet chocolate and coffee. Decent offering from Legend.

Bomber. Pours a thick near black with a foamy layer of tan head. The aroma is pleasantly dry and roasty with coffee and dark chocolate with a fair amount of molasses for balance. The palate is slick and pretty heavy. The flavor is good with dark chocolate, hints at pine, earth, coffee, everything stays pretty dry and heavy. The finish is bittersweet, lingering, smoky, and very satisfying. This is not a very epic beer as far as imperial stouts go, but man it is executed well.

Bomber courtesy of Kinz. Good aroma of chocolate and had a carbination cola aroma also. Black body with creamy milk shake head. Creamy chcocolate milk flavor with some dry bitter and coco on the finish. Good brew thanks pal.

Pours almost opaque black, with a great milk chocolate brown head that diminishes to a thin soapy ring. The nose is of lots of dark fruits, roasts and chocolates. The flavors are dry roasted, bittersweet chocolates and smoked grains. The finish closes with smoky roasted hops that leave a bolder bitter than the rest of the flavors that precede it. It doesn’t "feel" quite bold enough for an Impy Stout, as the mouthfeel is thinner than expected... not watery, but much lighter than the roasted bitter back needs for support. All in all, a decent sampling, but not quite on the level of top-tier Impy Stouts just yet.

Black and very low carbonation. Good, thick palate. Simple flavors with coffee and chocolate. No perceivable flaws, not alcohol presence and very easy to drink.