Barleywine 2007
Legend Brewing Co.

Barleywine 2007Barleywine 2007
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From:
Legend Brewing Co.
 
Virginia, United States
Style:
American Barleywine
ABV:
12.5%
Score:
87
Avg:
3.85 | pDev: 10.91%
Reviews:
15
Ratings:
17
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 14, 2014
Added:
Jan 23, 2007
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by beerking1:
Photo of beerking1
Reviewed by beerking1 from Virginia

3.7/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Pours a deep chestnut brown, with a thin but dense cap of tan foam. Nose is fruity, apple character, with some significant malt and dark fruits (plums). Alcohol is apparent but subtle in the nose. Flavor is very roasty with notes of figs, plums and raisins. Green apple returns in the finish, but not too much so. Tail is just a little cloying, but with lots of chocolate. Body is medium
Jan 05, 2008
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.5 by ncaudle from Virginia

Jul 14, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by VeganUndead from Virginia

Jan 30, 2014
Photo of brentk56
Reviewed by brentk56 from North Carolina

3.58/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
For the record, this bottle's ABV is 12.5%

Appearance: Pours a clear copper color with a creamy head that drips some lacing; not bad for the abv and the age

Smell: Caramel, fig and some alcohol

Taste: Opens with caramel and a piney hop character that adds some figgy elements by mid-palate; after the swallow, the alcohol comes on rather strong

Mouthfeel: Full bodied, with moderate carbonation

Overall: For a four year old barleywine, the Legend has aged fairly nicely; surprised by the alcohol burn with this much age on the bottle
Jul 02, 2011
Photo of BigMcLargeHuge
Reviewed by BigMcLargeHuge from Arizona

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours deep clear copper with nice tan head. The aroma is nice and rich with caramel, sticky sweet malts, mildly roasted malts, mild pine hops and faint dark fruity esters. The taste has sweet sticky malts followed by a load of roasted to caramel malts and mild melded blunted pine hop bitterness. Very nice. Near the finish the dark fruity esters show up to create a pleasing bookend to the experience.
Nov 17, 2008
Photo of ChainGangGuy
Reviewed by ChainGangGuy from Georgia

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: Pours a clear, dark amber body with a thin ring of white bubbles.

Smell: Aroma of dark caramel with a tiny touch of roast. Fruity notes of raisins and plum skins. As expected with Legend, there's a distinct butteriness, but far less than I was prepared for.

Taste: Dark caramel with a definite taste of butterscotch and a slight overall nuttiness. Full dark fruitiness. Spicy, earthy bitterness. Sweetish finish with a pleasant lingering maltiness.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Medium-low carbonation. Chewy mouthfeel.

Drinkability: Not a bad barleywine. Thankfully, the slight touch of diacetyl didn't spoil the barleywine proceedings.
Sep 09, 2008
Photo of Crosling
Reviewed by Crosling from Colorado

3.97/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Dark amber/tawny color with a thin, mostly lasting foam. Mostly malt accented nose, with hints of caramel, dough and toffee. Flavor is nicely balanced, very malty sweet, with hints of caramel and toffee, even a confusing hint of spice. Fairly complex and well crafted. It's a nice offering.
Jun 21, 2008
Photo of boston2bburg
Reviewed by boston2bburg from Virginia

4.19/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Exceptionally dark brown with ruby highlights and 2 fingers foamy tan head, decent retention. No real lacing to speak of unfortunately.

Very different aroma than the standard caramel barleywine. Esters of dark fruit and strawberries, figs, cocoa are most apparent. Some citrus, apple, pastry, and earthy hops. Props on the unique nose.

Taste of fruits and fig carry over in the flavor. Taste is lighter than most American barleywines, but complex. Slight alcohol up the nose, but it still doesn't seem like an 11.5 (or 12.5?)% beer. Bitterness isn't overpowering for such a young barleywine and I definitely wouldn't mind saving one for a year or two (if I had the patience).

Mouthfeel is a little drier than I would've hoped, another trait that should improve with age. There's a warm spiciness from hops, alcohol, and carbonation that is pleasant. Certainly very easy to drink for a barleywine. Save one, if you can.
Mar 05, 2008
Photo of Metalmonk
Reviewed by Metalmonk from North Carolina

3.68/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Just for the record, the label on this 2007 release says 11.5%. Local-ish barleywine, alright!

As I was walking from the cellar to my second floor office/fun-room, I noticed that, even in the bottle, the liquid shined a ruby hue any time it hit light. And sure enough, in the glass it's a stellar ruby/burgundy beauty, with a soapy head that lasts longer than most others in the style.

Aroma is huge malts and hops, something like dark fruits soaked in sherry and caramel/toffee, plus a pleasant earthy, woody tone.

Something boldly pungent lashes out at the onset of the sip and stays there. Not pungent as in aggressive hops or wild yeast, but something grassy/weedy, kinda soapy, also something like funkier sour-fruit jams. It is unique; nothing "wrong" or "off" about it...but an acquired taste within a style that is itself an acquired taste. I wonder how time will treat it. I certainly enjoy it. Lots of pleasant molasses, vanilla, grapefruit and boozy elements. Not too sweet, and the malt/hops, both of which are here in force, mingle well. Finish leaves sticky hops, drunken fruits and, curiously, cocoa on the tongue.

For 11.5%, this drinks pretty well, but that peculiar flavor sets it apart from others in the style. Probably not a barleywine I'd want all that often, but one I'm glad I tried and one I'd love to do a vertical tasting with.
Mar 02, 2008
Photo of asabreed
Reviewed by asabreed from New York

4.52/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
The 2007 bottled version states that the ABV is 10.5%, just for the record. Bomber into a snifter and consumed from right out of the fridge and finished at room temperature.

Appearance: Amber with orange highlights, with a quickly dissipating head, and not much lacing to speak of.

Smell: A complete barrage of fruit and citrus initially, with much more to follow: ripe apple, cherry, strawberry, banana peel, orange and lemon zest, caramel malts, sweet chocolate, molasses. All of it's ripe and in your face but balanced.

Taste: I have to admit I'm biased when it comes to the English style, and this surely shies away from the American. Too many American versions are, in my opinion, way too hoppy and way too bitter, hardly letting any of the malt flavors come through, and I don't like my barley wines that way. Here, however, is where the ripeness of the fruit and the malt flavors come through, with the bitterness at the end, almost curbing the malts flavors for once. Pear, sour cherries, strawberry, orange lemon, and grapefruit dominate, with the long finish sliding from semi-sweet to semi-dry with the orange and grapefruit rind hope flavors kicking in, balancing everything out. And again, from right out of the fridge to a few hours later, it's letting each sip do its thing, and wonderfully at that.

Mouthfeel: Medium to heavy-bodied with enough carbonation to let the flavors do their thing, also without being too sticky or cloying.

Drinkability: There's a group in Richmond that despises Legend, and there's a group that loves it. More and more I'm finding myself in the latter, and I'm not sure what the deal is with the former... This is an excellent barley wine, hands down. Flavorful, complex, highly drinkable, with the alcohol almost undetectable, at least for me, even at its warmest. I don't know how much better this is going to get cellared, and this is my only bottle, but wow, fresh is the way to go. Grab it if you can find it...
Feb 23, 2008
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Reviewed by davidt from Virginia

4.17/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Late 2007 batch, ABV 11.5%. Pours an attractive chestnut-brown with a thin head. Head soon drops but leaves a persistent ring. Complex aroma of caramel, raisons, plums and a light detectable alcohol. The taste matches the aroma; caramel maltiness, dark fruits like figs and plums. There's a light hoppiness in the background. The mouth feel is smooth with a light carbonation. This barleywine leans towards the English style rather than the high-hopped American versions. Very nice.
Jan 29, 2008
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Reviewed by sinistrsam from Maryland

4.35/5  rDev +13%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Barleywines tend to be overdone I think; the sweeter, the mroe alcoholic the better some brewers tend to think. This was a good example of how not to fall into that caveat.
Poured a dark golden brown with a medium tanish head and good lacing.
Smelled the typical sweet honey and vanilla, mild fruits and hops, and sweet malts. Mayeb some anise in there. Very enjoyable.
Tasted much of the same, with floral hops and sweet malts mixing with dark fruits, caramel and alcohol.
The feel was very good for the high ABV; but bitter and not too sweet but rather a great balance and a good masking of the alcohol content. Overall a great beer to drink, but be careful, more than one and you'll be pleasantly dizzy when you stand up.
Jan 07, 2008
Photo of timtim
Reviewed by timtim from District of Columbia

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
not sure how old this one actually is. it is the end of december 2007, and the bottle says 2007 barleywine. abv is listed on the bottle as 11.5%. the description ba gives it is 12.8%, but it also says it is brewed only once. the bottle also says that it is aged for six months. the way it tastes is as if it has matured a little from what the other reviews describe. who knows? i'll find out, but if anyone can fill me in, beer mail me please... dark amberishy red. cream colored head with pretty good retention, but not much lace. nose seems like it could be stronger, but is still very nice, giving off scents of caramel and hop. taste is well balanced caramelly hop, and has that almost vinous, wild grape thing going on that is the thing that sets apart good barleywines to me. mouthfeel is on the lighter side of full, and not very carbonated, which makes it seem fuller than it is. 11.5% abv is fairly well masked. overall, a good beer, but not what i've come to expect from legend, who i think makes kick ass one-off's.
Dec 16, 2007
Photo of arguemaniac
Reviewed by arguemaniac from Virginia

3.72/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
A very tasty barelywine with lots of raisin fruitiness, loads of sweet caramel malt, some nice roastiness, and a surprisingly sharp and nicely balancing citrusy hop spice. Fairly intense alcohol as well.

Very nice, not the most traditional barelywine what with the nice hop bite, but it is rich and quite delicious. A little raw and unrefined, I bet aging this brew might do it some good. But, like I said, it’s very nice and I had little problem finishing this one in no time.

Highly recommended….
Apr 07, 2007
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Reviewed by WesWes from New York

2.58/5  rDev -33%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
The beer pours a cloudy dark amber/brown color with a thin offwhite head that fades to lacing. The aroma is pure alcohol. This is a young beer and it's very aggressive in the nose. The taste is awful. It's a rough drink right from the start. It punches you in the nose with alcohol and never lets up. It has some malt sweetness, but not enough to balance the elevated abv. . The mouthfeel is average. It is a full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This one is heading for the drain right now.
Mar 30, 2007
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Reviewed by OldSock from District of Columbia

3.99/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Appearance – 22 oz bottle from my local Whole Foods ($7.99). It pours a deep amber/red with a thin tan head which sinks pretty quickly.

Smell – A hint of alcohol with big dark fruit flavors and caramel. Smells surprisingly mellow and well put together for such a young 12.5% abv Barleywine.

Taste – Nice balanced beer, with solid hop bitterness countered by strong sweet malt. The alcohol is present, but not too disrupting to the overall flow of the beer. The flavors need some time to mature and mingle. Could use some more maltiness as well

Mouthfeel – Nice and full with a solid, but not overpowering, carbonation.

Drinkability & Notes – Between the bitterness and a hint of hot alcohol this is a sipper, but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt as this beer is their 2007 and its only January 10th. If I were to get another one of these I'd lay it down for a few months before cracking into it. I've had a couple of beers from Legend since moving down to DC, and they always seem to be right on that cusp between decent and really tasty, hopefully they'll be taking that next step soon.
Feb 06, 2007
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Reviewed by mmmbeer from Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
I've been looking forward to this one as I liked last year's version so much. This year's vintage starts with a hefty original gravity, having been boiled for 24 hours with additional mash added near the end. It is hopped and dry-hopped with Fuggles, fermented on two strains of yeast, unfiltered, and aged for six months prior to release. From the 22 oz. bottle it pours a hazed crimson, topped with a short-lasting, light brown head that reduces to a small collar, eventually fading completely. It has a medium bead but becomes less active as I drink, and the second pour turns it opaque, leaving some dregs on the bottom of the glass. The first aroma is chocolate-covered cherries, but soon, from deep within the malty body arises a piney, almost citric quality from the hops, along with apricots, anise?, raspberries, and maybe some other red berries. Upon tasting, I find an immense body with a hefty hop presence, contributing oily/perfumy, almost soapy notes, with pine, light white grapefruit, and a green, floral/spicy character. Behind the hops there are flavors of cherries, redcurrant, anise, and maybe some caramel. The body is thick, with almost tingly carbonation that, along with its tannin-like dryness, numbs the tongue and sucks the moisture from my mouth. It has a long finish, and after several sips I can feel it warming me from the inside. This is a huge beer, and one I probably should have shared, not only due to the alcohol, but also because of the extremely drying effect it had on my palate, which I think was its main default. It is big in both the malt and hop departments, and fairly drinkable for a barleywine, hiding its alcohol well. Didn't like it quite as much as last year's, but still a fairly solid brew - I've got another bottle for cellaring, so we'll see how much it matures with age.
Jan 23, 2007
Barleywine 2007 from Legend Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 17 ratings