Oktoberfest - Legend Brewing Co.

tdm168

North Carolina

3.38/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A - dark ruby amber with a large, off white, brownish head that is dense and foamy and has good retention

S - caramel and bread

T - fruity, creamy, butterscotch, caramel, faint bitter hops

M - medium bodied, well carbonated

This had potential, but the creamy, diacetyl notes aren't complimentary to the rest of the flavor profile. There is a nice underlying beer here, but utlimately, I'll be avoiding this one in the future.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 11:57:52 | More by tdm168

oberon

North Carolina

4.03/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a becker a deep amber/bronze with a sticky one finger slightly off white head atop,great clarity and richness to the body of the beer.German malt aromas of lightly sweet bready dough,iron,and caramel malts.Not overly sweet on the palate like it should be,it's toasted and doughy with caramel being in the background not over bearing.American O-fest brewers should take a lesson from Legend,it's sweet but underlying sweet with its bready malt profile.I could fill a stein all day with this offering.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2012 22:32:04 | More by oberon

maki88

4.05/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

+

12oz bottle poured into a tumbler. Enjoyed at home.

A: A clear, rich amber color with a thick, off-white head, which lingered significantly for some healthy lacing. The color was striking, and the overall appearance inviting. The appearance strikes me as quintessential "Oktoberfest" -- a body that appears bold and pronounced, with a head that suggests a certain softness.

S: A sweet, caramel-like, malty smell. I found the smell somewhat underwhelming, especially considering how impressive this brew was in other categories.

T: A rich, healthy flavor of caramel malt. A tinge of sweetness hits the mouth "on impact," while the finish is significantly maltier. Very balanced and distinguished among other Märzens and Oktoberfests I've tried. This beer's taste had a unique quality that was both intriguing and enjoyable, without being overpowering.

M: Light-to-medium body. Smooth and drinkable. Clean and creamy, engaging various parts of the palate.

O: A solid Oktoberfest that is well above average. This beer is easily drinkable -- distinguished enough in character in flavor to stand out from among the Oktoberfest crowd, while not so overpowering that it can't be enjoyed throughout the course of an autumn afternoon or evening. By this time in the season, beers labeled "Oktoberfest" can tend to blend together or be easily forgotten -- not this one. Heartily recommended.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2012 01:13:36 | More by maki88

paulginva

Virginia

4.03/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

APPEARANCE: This beer, poured from a tap into a pint glass, produced a light tan creamy, bumpy and uneven 1" head that dissipated slowly leaving good head lacing. Carbonation was moderate in a cloudy brown body. Looks terrific!

AROMA: Moderate caramel malts with lighter nutty sensation. Not all that strong an aroma but tantalizing.

TASTE: The caramel taste was a bit lighter than expected. Light notes of nuts and toffee as well. Good balance between the sweet and toasted flavors.

MOUTHFEEL: This beer has a light to medium body with a smooth texture, soft carbonation and good body lacing that dissipates slowly. The initial flavor is lightly sweet with a lightly dry finish that lasted for a moderate length of time.

DRINKABILITY: Quite repeatable and easy to drink, as a Märzen should be. This beer had great balance -- just enough hops to support the flavor of the rather heavy malts. It had a firm flavor that kept me wanting more. I believe that it is comparable to some of the good German Märzens, though certainly not best of breed. The price to value metric was very good and I'll definitely be back for more of this brew.

Serving type: on-tap

03-09-2012 17:01:42 | More by paulginva

zaphodchak

Virginia

4.2/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Two fingers of fluffy whiteish head (an an Aventinus glass) atop a body that gradients from deep goldnrod to ruddy amber. Retention is great, plenty of bubbles throughout. Some slippery lace. Darn fine-looking beer.

Nose is nutty, tart malt. Smells much more British than German, but I always thought German beers lacked in that department anyway. Something else there too, almost marshmallow or cardamom.

Taste is full, tons of nutty malt, yet still crisp. Sort of a pumpkin-seed undertone as well. Faintly metallic, but that's not a real complaint.

Mouthfeel is light, almost thin. Surprisingly so, considering how much body it has. Not my personal preference in a beer, but for the style, as well as for easy drinkability, it's pretty spot-on.

I was really surprised. I think I tried this before, but this was much better than I remembered or expected and something about it makes it drink as well as a German Oktoberfest while smelling much better.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2011 01:38:51 | More by zaphodchak

Shumania

Virginia

3.53/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

bomber poured into a sam adams perfect pint

a: dark armber color that leans towards brown. Very nice, half finger head that dissapates quickly.

s: not much on the smell. some sweet caramel malt

t: much more flavor than expected based on smell. Good balance between sweet and toasted flavors.

m: on the heavier side for an oktoberfest. Some creaminess in there, but doesn't diminish the beer.

this is a good offering and probably one of the better offerings from Legend. Not brewed exactly to style, but enjoyable

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2011 21:32:34 | More by Shumania

fo5s

District of Columbia

3.83/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle served in an oversized tumbler. Bottling date (?) of 8/23/11 printed in black ink on the bottle...barely visible once the bottle is empty and held up to a light.

A- pours a hearty amber. Gentle pour yielded little head.

S- thick caramel, toffee. Pretty robust for a marzen.

T- lots of caramel. Sweet and sticky. Feels closer to an underhopped amber than a marzen.

M- Body is on the thin side, perhaps on par for a marzen but seemingly in contrast to the flavor of this one.

O- Overall a tasty brew, albeit off-center for the style.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2011 03:08:13 | More by fo5s

Chaney

District of Columbia

4.22/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a bomber into my trusty Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale pint glass.

A: Poured an attractive, clear, gold-amber color, with a large beige foamy head that not only retained itself... the foam actually stayed idle for a good while.

S: Strong whiffs of toffee, nuts, and German malt. This smelled like a loaf of fresh baked bread, through and through!

T: I got a small splash of a fruity, hop character upfront, meshed through a strainer of classic, German maltiness. Very fresh, refreshing, and crisp. There was nothing rough about the finish whatsoever.

M: Not much sweet lingering left on the palate.... more like a banana nut bread, without the bananas. The lacing was splotchy at best.

O: For what I was expecting, this one actually blew me away. Legend should produce sixers of this stuff.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2011 20:45:48 | More by Chaney

AndyAvalanche

Massachusetts

4.15/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle poured into a Sam Adams Perfect Pint Glass. A dark and hearty amber color. With the exception of the color, it's 100% completely clear, almost like it was triple filtered. Off white colored head with a little bit of lacing. All in all a very good looking beer.

Smells like it's pretty good, but it's not very strong. Malts very present, the feature here. Mostly toasted and caramel malts, probably lightly toasted, like toast just browned on the surface. A little bit of butter and spiciness, no real hop presence though. I like the smell, however it's not very strong.

Taste is a huge step up. Again, not a whole lot in the hop department going on, this ones a malt bomb. Slight spiciness again and a mix of buttered up malts. Caramel and toffee with the slightest bitterness at the end.

Mouthfeel is pretty good. Full bodied, feels buttery, creamy, yet somewhat clean at the same time. I guess that's because there's a slight bitter finish.

Strong and solid brew all around, one of the better Oktoberfests I've had in quite some time. Thanks CuriousMonk for the extra!

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2011 00:35:23 | More by AndyAvalanche

droomyster

Virginia

3.83/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a clear, dark copper body with an eggshell colored head with decent retention. Aromas are primarily of toast and tea and less intense than most oktoberfests. I also catch a faint whiff of lavender or some similar floral note. Taste is toasty through lightly sweet on the front and mid palates, with a finish that brings out earthy and leafy flavors that provide a bit of balance but still allow it to be malt-forward (as an oktoberfest should be). Medium body isn't bad but could be a bit fuller. Overall a solid member of its style and a good value.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2011 08:01:10 | More by droomyster

Rhettroactive

Virginia

3.03/5  rDev -20.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

From 12oz bottle to Bruges hybrid glass on 9/19/11
*From notes

A: I would never has believed this to be a Märzen, as it looks just like a Brown Ale. A standard pour yields a 1.25 finger head and decent lacing.

S: Oddly malt liquory on the nose. Honeycomb, wheat bread and toasted almonds round out a strange bouquet.

T: It's kinda just there. Really nothing to it. Very, very bready, with a touch of sweet malt. The finish is too neat, it falls off on the back end and leaves me wanting more. Pretty plain Jane.

M: Too oily and thin for my liking. It's autumn for God sakes - put some oomph and body into your Märzens, people.

O: Legend's Oktoberfest isn't really a bad beer, not at all in fact. Rather it's just boring. There's nothing here worth getting excited about. Every facet of this beer is average or a slight bit better, leaving nothing to keep this brew from being easily forgotten.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2011 23:41:53 | More by Rhettroactive

engagechad

Virginia

4.15/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Purchased as a single from Wine and Beer Westpark in Glen Allen, VA - ST tulip

Pours a brilliantly crystal clear, well filtered tobacco color with nice heavy head that dissipates moderately quick with not a whole lot of lacing. Smells awesome, it's different than the others I've whiffed, almost a salty meatyness to it.. in a good way! Taste is full and malty with pefect hop balance for an american oktober.

Overall - I loved this beer and this may now be my new favorite offering from my homer brewery, second now being the porter.

two thumbs up

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2011 22:54:45 | More by engagechad

nandemo1

Virginia

3.3/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a clear copper with a modest amount of head. Not highly carbonated and really doesn't leave any lacing in the glass.

Smell is heavily caramel and taste follows up with extremely sweet caramel and breadiness.

Mouthfeel is full bodied and creamy.

I'd say this is a bit too sweet to be drinkable through the day but it makes a nice change of pace for a fall day.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2011 02:38:12 | More by nandemo1

homebrewer88

Virginia

3.88/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

I have not tried alot of beers in this style but this had the color I was expecting, copper colored with a white head that didn't last very long. The aroma was toffee caramel and toasted malts, nice. The taste followed with the toffee and caramel it was very sweet up front with a nice balancing hop bitterness on the finish. I did enjoy the beer and would buy again

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2011 06:46:24 | More by homebrewer88

CuriousMonk

Virginia

3/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Copper/orange color with creamy, long lating full head. Aroma is heavy caramel with bread and toffee notes. Malts really dominate the flavor. Smooth caramel maltiness attempts to balanced by the hops which are in the background but contribute just barely the right amount of flavor. Some bready and/or nutty flavors are present also. Medium to full bodied, creamy, but could been better stacked up against other Oktoberfests I've had. A disappointment from this brewery.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2011 16:29:30 | More by CuriousMonk

billab914

Virginia

3.93/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into my Sam Adams pint glass. It poured a caramel amber color with a bit of ruby highlights to it when held up to the light. It had a thin and spotty head to it that lasted well into drinking it. The color was especially very cool and appealing, but it could have used more head and lacing.

The aroma has a lot of toasted malt and bready flavors coming through with some caramel sweetness to it as well. It had a lot of flavor for being a moderate alcohol content lager.

The taste has toasted malts, toffee and caramel all playing major roles. The sweetness really comes out towards the finish with just a bit of balancing bitterness.

The mouthfeel is on the lighter side overall, but perhaps a little heavier then a lot of others in the style. Carbonation is moderate, maybe a little lower for the style.

Drinkability is good, it was a crisp, easy drinking beer with a lot of good malty flavors. It definitely seemed to have more flavors then most in the style that I've had. A very good version of the style and one I'd buy again.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2010 01:16:51 | More by billab914

rootbeerman

Virginia

3.93/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle into duvel tulip

A: pours dark copper with a thick finger of tan slow falling head,
S: smooth sweet malt like sweet nut bread.
T: taste backs up the flavor with the sweet bready malt and an ever so slight hop bitterness.
M/D: smoothe carbonation, very sessionable. just as good from the bottle as it is from the brewery

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2010 00:06:00 | More by rootbeerman

SaCkErZ9

Florida

2.63/5  rDev -31%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Served on draft at the Brewpub in Richmond, VA.

Arrives to the table a clear, dusky red color with blood orange colored highlights and a small white head. Hints of lacing.

Aroma was okay. Kind of sweet and bready. No other real characteristics than it smells like beer; slightly sweet beer.

Taste was sweet and off. Kind of a sickly sweet stickiness to it with some rancidity and other "off" flavors. I dont really like this. I dont know if there is something wrong with this one or I just dont like this version, but it wasnt good.

I sent this one back and was luckily brought another beer without any complaint from the staff. Something weird about this one and I dont like it one bit.

Serving type: on-tap

09-28-2010 18:38:23 | More by SaCkErZ9

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.15/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours a slightly hazy orange amber with nice white head. Smell is vaguely of slightly sweet, caramelized malt, although there's not too much there. The taste improves on the small, but only to a small extent. Still just a touch of sweetness with nothing really accompanying it. Good medium body supporting what is otherwise a fairly common beer. Drinkability is so-so; no glaring factors but nothing too fantastic either.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2010 20:46:42 | More by Thorpe429

Mosstrooper

California

3.7/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 12oz bottle into 400mL Radeburger Seidel.

Appearance: Pours reddish-orange in color, with a large, off-white head that dissipates slowly and leaves behind spotty lacing.

Smell: Sweet caramel malt aromas, with slight touches of citrus and grassiness.

Taste: Begins with a sugary sweet caramel malt flavor, finishing with a balanced grassy bitterness. Unfortunately, there's also a bit of a metallic taste that takes a lot away from what is otherwise a damn good beer.

Mouthfeel: Lighter body with balanced carbonation and a refreshing finish.

Drinkability: I like this beer, minus the metallic flavor. Still, this is drinkable and worth a shot, plus it goes very well with the fall!

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2010 18:41:44 | More by Mosstrooper

FuzzyGuy84

Virginia

3.88/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

22oz bomber into pint glass.

A - Deep brownish-amber, slightly cloudy. Darker than I usually expect from the style. Coffee-colored, thin head.

S - Rich toffee, cocoa, and coffee tones on the nose without a hint of bitterness. Phenomenal smell.

T - Pronounced roasty-toasty flavor throughout - so much chocolate and toffee it's like biting into a Heath bar. Clean finish and extremely well balanced. My only complaint would be, as tasty as it is, it's not particularly evocative of a Märzen. I'll drop it from a 4.5 to a 4 for that.

Overall a well balanced beer that's well above Legend's average output. Highly recommend a try, particularly on a cool evening.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2009 23:03:58 | More by FuzzyGuy84

BeerSox

Virginia

3.4/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

22oz bomber into pint glass.

Crystal clear copper hue with amber highlights. A one finger tan head almost disappears, sort of low a density.

Highly toasted malts with a little bit of a burnt caramel flavor. The diacetyl is pretty high.

More heavily toasted malts, almost burnt. The burnt caramel is back, along with a little molasses. The diacetyl sticks around as well. Full bodied.

An okay beer, but maybe a bit outside of the Oktoberfest style. Worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2009 18:20:04 | More by BeerSox

garcia2a

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured a nice deep amber, clear with little carbonation. My bottle was a bit too cold, so we got quite a bit of head at the beginning, but it settled nicley,

Lots of malt and grain on the nose, with some earthy grass and bready yeast. This translated well to the taste as I got nice malts with a pleasand earthy bread aftertaste.

In terms of body, the beer was pretty close for the style. The mouthfeel was good, as I was expecting a bolder, chunkier feel. The beer did cloy a bit, but that did not detract from the enjoyment.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2009 03:10:24 | More by garcia2a

dirtylou

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle, shipped by blackness

appearance: poured into an imperial pint glass, big amber body with a frothy beige cap and nice retention

smell: sweet and earthy, buttery biscuit, toasted grain, caramel malt

taste: odd oktoberfest, but in a good way...very buttery, flaky and bready, sweet toffee and caramel...a style departure, but nice

mouthfeel: earthy, medium body

drinkability: good

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2008 03:58:26 | More by dirtylou

JayQue

Virginia

4.33/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Kevin at Grape and Gourmet, VA Beach said this is the best Oktoberfest he had this year - either German or American. After trying it, I'm inclined to agree with him. This beer has to be refrigerated - unpasturized or what-not. Pours a clear amber with a small head that fades quickly. No lacing to speak of. Smell is sweet malts, slightly floral.

Tastes very good. This is not a dramatic style. Light and crisp with a little bitterness. This beer is richer, full malty taste, slightly sweet and a good hops bitterness in the finish. This beer makes a statement and is still true to style.

Rich mouthfeel and still crisp. Very smooth. Drinkability is excellent. Areal winner!!

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2008 00:43:37 | More by JayQue