quinceaneraLast night, Legend Brewing turned 15 years old, marking the important transition from girlhood to womanhood, as is custom. I don’t know why I made that connection and decided to post it, but consider this RT: Faulkner-style. 

It was their 15th Anniversary party, featuring plenty of food, live music, and of course, beer. Unseasonably warm, plenty of people were gathered out on the deck as the light of day began to give way to the bright, round moon coming up over the Richmond skyline. With the city all lit up and the river shining in the moonlight, it reminded me of what a great spot Legend selected for their brewery and restaurant, and how beautiful this old town really is.

Something else I realized, is that despite its ups and downs, Legend really is a Richmond institution. Learning that a few individuals got their start at the brewery and then moved on to other beer-filled careers in the area definitely says something about what can happen when the right people run with an idea and inspire others to do the same.

Sorry to wax all philosophical like that. I’ll get back on track here.

Being fairly familiar with their regular lineup, I naturally went for the special beers on offer. Besides, it’s a celebration, right?! So at the suggestion of Steve (yeah, you don’t know him. I swear I have friends), I ordered an ESB which came in lovely plastic drinkware. While I won’t give you official tasting notes that’d bore the face off your skull, I will say that it had much more body than what I typically expect of an ESB. It’s an Americanized take on the style, if you will, and it reminded me of another I had recently. Only sweeter. After one, I really didn’t want another.

I took a small sip of the Hopfest before placing my next order and decided it was too skewed toward the hops without enough malt to balance it out. Then, the ol’ lightbulb went off, and I finally had one of those elusive original thoughts. Why not combine the too-sweet ESB with the too-bitter Hopfest? Genius. Half and half of both and it blended perfectly, becoming a rather harmonious affair in a cup. I think I even convinced others present to do the same without even knowing it. If they’ve got any left, I recommend giving it a go.

Of course, they had the Belgian Quad on tap, in addition to their Chocolate Porter. Based on the experience of a few weeks ago, I revisited the former and skipped the latter. We got to frolick amongst the fermenters downstairs, looking around for signs of the latest expansion, and all the while bagpipes blaring in the background as kilt-clad musicians performed a Scottish cadence.

Later in the evening, I was able to chat with a higher-up at Brown Distributing (which also has a presence in West Palm Beach… did you know this?!), the Anheuser-Busch affiliate that recently acquired the Legendary Distributors portfolio. Tom Cizauskas penned a good run-down of the situation over at Yours For Good Fermentables. So basically, instead of being carried out as an arm of Legend Brewing, the task of getting brands like Weyerbacher, Clipper City, Southern Tier, and Victory out to thirsty Virginians is now squarely on Brown’s shoulders. Lest we forget the ones currently in their stable, such as Starr Hill, Old Dominion, and Richbrau. It was great to gain some insight from someone in the industry who has a passion for getting better brands out to the public, and a genuine enthusiasm for good beer. If that’s any indication of where things are headed, then specialty beer seems to be on the right path in terms of successful growth.

So that’s what I did with my Sunday night. Sorry I can’t think up a more epic ending than that. There goes my writing career, I reckon.

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