Stout
Legend Brewing Co.

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From:
Legend Brewing Co.
 
Virginia, United States
Style:
English Stout
ABV:
5.3%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.69 | pDev: 8.94%
Reviews:
11
Ratings:
11
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Aug 15, 2008
Added:
Mar 06, 2005
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by doerickson:
Photo of doerickson
Reviewed by doerickson from Virginia

3.31/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
NB: I haven't reviewed a beer in ages...my reviewing skills may have eroded.

Served from a 22oz. bomber. For weeks I've been walking by the small craft brew section at Kroger waiting for the next Legend seasonal/limited edition to appear and lucked into finding the Stout today.

Pours a wall of black with maybe a bit of mahogany at the edges. Big, pillowy head takes a few minutes to settle down to nearly nothing. Mostly mocha in the nose, with some light vanilla .

Coffee and mild cocoa flavors, with a slight hint of some dark fruit if you let it loll on your tongue long enough. Very faint roasted malt. Short, dry finish.

I enjoy most of Legend's work but if there were such a thing as a "light" stout, this would be one. The flavor that's there is fine (although lacking in roasted character), there just isn't nearly enough of it. It's easily drinkable, but this is a very conservative offering. It's something you could give to a macro-drinking buddy who's afraid to try Guinness.
Mar 06, 2005
More User Ratings:
Photo of bkilpatr
Reviewed by bkilpatr from Oregon

3.66/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Poured from a 22 oz bottle into a pint glass. 08/14/08.

Pours a very dark brownish black with about three fingers of soft tan head. The head receded slowly and left some nice lacing. Aroma is toasted malt and milk chocolate.

Taste is pretty good. A lot of toasted malt and sweet milk chocolate up front, with a nice bitter dark chocolate in the finish. Not very complex flavor, but it's simplicity works for me.

Feel is a bit disappointing for me. It's a bit thin and watery, though it is well carbonated. A bit thicker and creamier and it'd be great. Drinkability is good though, since it's not too heavy. I could easily drink this all night.
Aug 15, 2008
Photo of JayQue
Reviewed by JayQue from Virginia

3.44/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Picked up a refrigerated 22 oz bottle at Grape and Gourmet in Va Beach. Did not know it was retired....don't think it was that old.

Poured a dense black, only a little ruby highlight at the very bottom of the glass. Big light tan head with a hard pour. Left some lacing on the glass.

Smell almost non-existent. Taste appeared a bit bland at first, then the roasted malts and slight bit of bitter chocolate kicked in. Nice, but very subtle flavor...even a bit of hops bitterness at the end.

Mouthfeel is the best part, nice and rich - no hit of thinness or wateriness. Drinkability is pretty good. The big bottle went down easy with some smoked salmon, cheese and crackers.

Not the best stout or most memorable, but not bad either.
Aug 01, 2008
Photo of InsolublePancake
Reviewed by InsolublePancake from Georgia

3.67/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
So, I haven't reviewed a Legend beer in a while, so I picked this one up at Total Wine. As it turns out, it's retired, so who knows how old this bottle is. Hopefully it's still ok.

A- Very dark brown with hints of red. Not quite black, but very close. A decent tan head forms upon pouring and stays for a good while.

S- Nice stout smell. Plenty of roasted malt flavors with bitter chocolate and coffee notes. Not much else going on, but it's still good.

T- Again, an abundance of roasted malt, with a touch of sweetness and hints of caramel. Finishes bone dry, though, with a little bitterness on the finish, although not much. Decent flavor, but it's lacking in complexity.

M- Fairly low carbonation and a bit thin in the mouth.

D- I could drink a decent amount of this. The ABV isn't listed, but it can't be much more than 6%, and possibly less. There's virtually no alcohol detectable at all.

I don't know how old this beer is, but it's still good. Not the best stout I've ever had, but I'd certainly take it any day over Guinness Draught. Anyway, if you see this lying around somewhere, don't be afraid to buy it (so long as it's refrigerated). Recommended.
Jul 19, 2008
Photo of PhageLab
Reviewed by PhageLab from Virginia

3.91/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
2008 batch, poured into a snifter.

A - Opaque black brew which produced a nice bit of froth. Retention was pretty decent, and the lacing was very attractive.

S - Some faint toasted malts, but there really isn't much here, middle of the road, can't give either side an inch.

T - Sweet, malty body, with some dark fruits and smoke characteristics. While not overly complex, it is quite refreshing and well balanced.

M - Fairly light bodied, crisp feel, sharp carbonation level, nice dry finish.

D - Excellent, I could easily make a night of this one. If you stumble upon a bomber of this stuff, don't pass it up, reco.
Apr 25, 2008
Photo of Phillyduke
Reviewed by Phillyduke from Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Picked up a bomber of the 2008 release on a recent trip to the Shenandoah Valley. Pours a thick, deep coffee brown with a beautiful two-finger head of mocha-colored foam. Excellent retention and moderate lacing. Smell is of coffee and roasted malts with a hint of toffee. Taste is more of the same, with coffee and a dark roasted malt flavor dominating the palate. Faint buttery toffee undertones provide an interesting note, but the taste is rather one-dimensional overall. Carbonation is perfect and provides a nice smooth mouthfeel. All-in-all a highly drinkable and very enjoyable stout despite its lack of standout qualities. Perfect to accompany a rich meal or for a night out at the pub.
Apr 18, 2008
Photo of Braudog
Reviewed by Braudog from Virginia

3.33/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Draft at the brewery. Dark as night with barely any head, what there is is a nice light brown, fizzing at the top. Not much aroma, but a nice bitter coffee snese. A bit chalky maybe and not nearly as delicious as their imperial, but a good stout. (#2763, 3/25/2007)
Mar 27, 2007
Photo of arguemaniac
Reviewed by arguemaniac from Virginia

4.42/5  rDev +19.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Pours an opaque black with a rich, frothy light brown head. Strong, appetizing notes of vanilla and sweet caramel in the aroma, as well as hints of chocolate. The smooth yet rich palate features a delicious and creamy caramel maltiness, chocolate flavors, and a nice touch of burnt coffee bitterness. Caramel and coffee in the mellow but lingering finish. Creamy mouthfeel with mild carbonation.

And again, Legend produces yet another truly delicious beer with a notable caramel maltiness, from the enticing aroma all the way to the satisfying finish. What a tasty brew, perhaps one of my favorite dry stouts. Highly recommended.
Jun 29, 2006
Photo of jaluria
Reviewed by jaluria from Connecticut

4.14/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Another bottle I picked up at the Whole Foods in Vienna, VA. This was my first beer from Legend.
Poured an opaque, black color with a light brown colored head that was frothy and covered in small bubbles. Quite a bit of lacing was left behind in my pint glass. Aromas of chocolate, expresso, alcohol, and nuts. Semi-sweet taste with hints of bitter coffee beans and expresso in each sip. Smooth and rich with lasting power. Long after I stopped drinking this, I could still taste it. Somewhat viscous and chewy in my mouth. The flavors in this beer were right on and worked very well together.
Jun 12, 2006
Photo of pentathlete
Reviewed by pentathlete from Virginia

3.63/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Dark, opaque brown with a large beige head that falls to a firm 1/2 inch table of medium bubbled foam (no cascading effect). Nose is a touch of burnt malt and some mild hops. The taste is dead on for the style, light bodied, some ashy malt. This is a very easy drinker, perhaps a little watery in the finish. This is certainly sessionable and is nice alternative for Legend. They've been doing a fine job with their one-off releases.
Mar 26, 2006
Photo of Px2GrafX
Reviewed by Px2GrafX from Virginia

3.68/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
pours an extremely dark brown, borderline black, with a nice tan 2 inch head in a stein mug. head is pillowy and tight on top while loose on the bottom. laces well. a pretty stout. aroma is of coffee, roasted malt and dark chocolate. as the head goes, so does the aroma. first sip is thin in body and mostly coffee. roasted malts as well with a mild earthy hop character. bitterness is very tame. irish yeast flavor and dry in the finish. carbonation is a little high, but with no nitro i can accept it. thin to style and clunks in the swallow. drinkability is high as the only thing that may hinder slamming this stout is maybe the carbonation. overall, this beer is definitely to style. however, i'm taking some liberty in rating this as it's not one of my favorite styles and this example isn't changing my mind. if irish stouts are your thing, then this is a must try, but if you're just looking for a tasty session stout, i'd recommend picking up a sixer of sierra nevada's stout.
Mar 17, 2006
Stout from Legend Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 11 ratings