ESB
Legend Brewing Company in Richmond, Virginia, United States 🇺🇸
Bitter - ESB / Strong Bitter Regular Out of Production|
Score
6.41
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Winter is big beer season, when breweries bring out their heartiest and heaviest offerings, and Legend is no exception. Along with our regular lineup, we currently and proudly serve up our Imperial Stout and Belgian Tripel, with the massive Barleywine on deck for an early January release.
Our seasonal beers are very popular and so with the rapid disappearance of this year’s Chocolate Porter, were faced with the need to fill a slot for a “not so big”, but still exciting beer to keep things interesting.
Why not an E.S.B. (Extra Special Bitter)? This is a British style that understandably is a bit confusing by name…
”Oh, Legend makes an extra special beer…oh they call it bitter…hmmm, I’ll try something else”.
Actually, an English Bitter is not what it sounds like. It is a medium bodied, somewhat malty brew with the hop character coming primarily from bittering hops. The result is low hop aroma with a little bite of bitterness on the finish. Not present are the intense hoppy flavors and aromas of a Pale Ale, for example. An E.S.B. refers to a brewery’s finest version of a Bitter, usually a little higher in alcohol and malt flavor.
History lesson aside, Legend E.S.B. serves as a medium octane winter warmer that brings flavor without chaos.
Legend E.S.B. pours a deep reddish orange and possesses a nose ripe with fruity aromas. The body is medium, as is the carbonation. The flavor is at first of fruit (apples, pears, berries), then turns in a warm caramel toasty direction provided by the specialty malts. The finish is dry and earthy.
Malts: Two row malted barley, light roast malt, caramel malt, aromatic malt, wheat malt.
Hops: British East Kent Golding
Yeast: British premium bitter yeast strain
Our seasonal beers are very popular and so with the rapid disappearance of this year’s Chocolate Porter, were faced with the need to fill a slot for a “not so big”, but still exciting beer to keep things interesting.
Why not an E.S.B. (Extra Special Bitter)? This is a British style that understandably is a bit confusing by name…
”Oh, Legend makes an extra special beer…oh they call it bitter…hmmm, I’ll try something else”.
Actually, an English Bitter is not what it sounds like. It is a medium bodied, somewhat malty brew with the hop character coming primarily from bittering hops. The result is low hop aroma with a little bite of bitterness on the finish. Not present are the intense hoppy flavors and aromas of a Pale Ale, for example. An E.S.B. refers to a brewery’s finest version of a Bitter, usually a little higher in alcohol and malt flavor.
History lesson aside, Legend E.S.B. serves as a medium octane winter warmer that brings flavor without chaos.
Legend E.S.B. pours a deep reddish orange and possesses a nose ripe with fruity aromas. The body is medium, as is the carbonation. The flavor is at first of fruit (apples, pears, berries), then turns in a warm caramel toasty direction provided by the specialty malts. The finish is dry and earthy.
Malts: Two row malted barley, light roast malt, caramel malt, aromatic malt, wheat malt.
Hops: British East Kent Golding
Yeast: British premium bitter yeast strain
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6.8/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 6
It’s baaaack! ESB on tap. Pours clear Amber, large creamy beige head, great residual and lacing. Aroma is a bit dusty, biscuit, hints of grass and pine. Flavors is light sweet, light plus bitter, perhaps a bit bocky, if that is a word. Lingering bitterness. Medium light body.
Tried
from Draft
on 13 Mar 2017
at 20:14
6/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 5
Flavor 6
Texture 4
Overall 6
Honey aroma, volatile. Crystal clear copper, medium yellow head, good lacing. Maraschino cherry flavor.Vanilla present. Alcohol apparent. Grassy finish. Decent.
Tried
on 08 Apr 2011
at 19:17
6.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Pours a clear reddish-orange color with a slightly fluffy medium sized white head. Aroma is notes of citrus and hops, with a nice roasted malt aroma. Flavor is a light malted roast flavor. A relatively solid ESB.
Tried
on 09 Sep 2009
at 03:39
5.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 5.5
22oz bottle-pours a foamy tan head and amber color. Aroma is medium fruit, medoum malt-toffee, some sharpness/spice hops. Taste is medium malt-toffee, medium fruit-cherry, some sharpness/perfumy/spice hops, yeasty.
Tried
from Bottle
on 22 Mar 2009
at 11:51
5.9/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 5.5
Was looking for something easy to drink and that would appeal to many, this fit the bill... sorta. Pours a slightly transparent, maple brown with a soft, creamy, slightly off white head. Nose is all malt, caramel, toffee, sticky fruits, but no citrus. Hmm. Flavor is all malt, brown sugar, caramel, some light toasted notes but no citrus. Finish is lasting sweetness and some sticky sugar. What’s an ESB with no bitterness? This was the sweetest damn ESB I’d ever seen in his life. The result was an OK beer, which disappointed me a bit.
Tried
on 17 Mar 2009
at 08:55
6.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
Thanks to decaturstevo for sharing this one at his Februmergency Tasting. Clear dark amber with a minimal off-white head. Sweet malt ginger-cookie aroma. Sweet malt flavor profile with a touch of dryness in the finish.
Tried
on 08 Feb 2009
at 19:59
5.5/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 4
Overall 5
Clear definitive copper coloured body with a light amber hue and a thinnish soapy, fast-dying tan head. Aroma of bubble gum, caramel, malt, alcohol, toffee and a touch of nuts. Medium-bodied; Strong assertive caramel and yeast up front with a bittering metallic twang followed by a bubble gum fake sugar twist. Aftertaste shows a lot of the malt bitterness, some alcohol roaming and a touch of metal too. Overall, not too exciting - good to try, but not one of my favourite Legend beers. Try this if you like all Legend stuff, but pass if they have other Legends in the store! I sampled this 65 cL bottle purchased earlier today at Whole Foods in Clarendon (Arlington), Virginia sampled at home on 06-February-2009.
Tried
from Bottle
on 07 Feb 2009
at 00:31
6.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 6
22 ounce bottle from Whole Foods Market, Charlottesville, VA. Pours a copper color with a medium head. Good head retention and lacing. Aroma is caramel, grain, bread and green apple. Taste is bitter hops, grain and caramel. Slightly tart. Medium bodied.
Tried
from Bottle
on 15 Jan 2009
at 00:49
6.8/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Called the Legend ESB, so I’m assuming this is the same. Clear amber body with a small white head. Dry malty aroma with a bit of floral hops. Dry caramel flavor with some light malt and a bit of floral hops on the end.
Tried
on 14 Dec 2006
at 10:55