Tap Handle #793: Legend Brewing - Twenty Year Anniversary Imperial Brown Ale

December 22, 2022

Tap Handle #793: Legend Brewing - Twenty Year Anniversary Imperial Brown Ale

Tap size: 10.75"

Rarity: 10 or less seen

Mounting: internal 3/8' nut

It's been quite some time since I last profiled a tap, so for this new post I have something special to present. The tap came to me a few years ago from friend of the Museum Jeff H., and features a large unicorn horn as the design. It's pretty cool! There are grooves in the sculpt that make the horn appear to be spiraled, and the brewery name appears as sculpted, raised black and gold letters down the front of the horn. Below that is a rectangular space for the label, which displays a "XX", a rearing unicorn, and the name of the beer. Why a unicorn on the label and unicorn horn for a tap? A unicorn was chosen by Tom Martin, the founder of Legend Brewing, to be the brewery's logo. The unicorn is the coat of arms animal of the House of Scotland. King James VI of Scotland became King James I of England, and he is the James of Jamestown and the James River in Richmond (where the brewery is located). So the unicorn horn ties into the brewery's iconic unicorn logo and has a local connection to named landmarks. The tap was created only for Legend Brewing's 20th Anniversary Party - hence the "XX" on the label - and very few were ever made. In fact, I've never seen another.

Legend Brewing Company was founded in 1993 in Richmond, Virginia by Tom Martin. Martin grew up surrounded by beer and breweries, so it was only natural that he turned to that career. His father was the Vice President of European Brewing Operations for Anheuser-Busch, as well as the original brewmaster at the Budweiser plant in Williamsburg, Virginia. Martin knew he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and earned a Master's Degree in Brewing Science from the University of California, Berkeley. After graduating, he went to work as a brewer for Anheuser-Busch, but he felt the desire to craft his own recipes and left to start Legend Brewing Company.

Martin started Legend with just four beer recipes he concocted on his own - with a little help from his dad. Brown Ale was the first release, followed by a Lager, Pilsner, and Porter. The concept was to brew high-quality, fresh beer based on traditional styles without making them too heavy. He delivered his first keg of beer to the Commercial Taphouse in Richmond. In 1994, Martin opened a tiny tasting room/pub off of an old gravel road in Richmond, Virginia’s Old Manchester District. He happened to be visiting the city and walked out to the hillside, noting the stunning skyline view of Richmond next to the James River. At that moment he knew he wanted to build the brewpub on the river. He served the Legend beers there, along with a few sandwiches and pub fries, and it quickly became popular, though it could only hold about 20 people at a time. An iconic unicorn was chosen by Martin to be its logo, which has adorned all of Legend’s labels from the beginning. The unicorn icon was selected in honor of a deep, historical connection to the James River, which was named after King James of Scotland, whose coat of arms featured a unicorn.

In 1995, Legend had its first anniversary party, which would become a yearly tradition. By 2014 they had reached their 20th anniversary, throwing their biggest party yet. To mark the occasion they brewed a special 20th Anniversary Imperial Brown Ale, a very limited amount of which was aged in bourbon barrels. A unicorn horn themed tap handle was created for the special Imperial Brown. The brewery also released a special edition of their Urban Legend series. Four guest brewers joined them to produce beers based on legends from the hometown of their breweries. And finally, on the 20th of each month, they hosted special events, including celebrities from the Virginia beer world creating Firkins.

In 2016, Legend Brewing opened a brewpub in Olde Towne Portsmouth along the waterfront in a historic building that previously housed an art gallery, a Mexican restaurant, and The Max. In Portsmouth, patrons had a view of the Elizabeth River and could see downtown Norfolk’s skyline. This new 4,300 square foot location operated a 3-barrel brewing system which was used to create unique, one-off beers, including an Oyster Stout. The site also featured a full service restaurant with 80 seats inside and a 70-seat outdoor patio. The full line of Legend beers was available on draft.

Currently the Richmond location has transformed into the largest independently owned craft brewing company in the state of Virginia. The space that used to be the entire pub is now just the prep kitchen for a restaurant with a full menu. It also includes a pub deck, dining area and a large warehouse space for the brewing operations. The restaurant seats 180 people with another 200 outdoors on the deck next to a small beer garden. The brewery serves 8 flagship brews, multiple seasonals, and a recent line of beers called Urban Legend, featuring unusual local legends such as the Bunnyman and the Richmond Vampire. Legend also bottles, cans, and distributes all of their products themselves out of the garage below the restaurant. Their products can be found at grocery stores and specialty beer shops across the state. The brewery has partnered with the Richmond SPCA to brew a beer in support of the care of homeless pets; they also partnered with Friends of the James River Park to brew a beer in support of the FJRP organization.

In September of 2022, Legend Brewing closed its Portsmouth restaurant and brewery five years after it was opened. The company’s lease on the premises had expired and they decided not to renew it. Challenges included Covid shutdowns and the distance from the Richmond site which made remote management difficult. Near the Richmond site, a developer had planned for 2 apartment buildings to be constructed on the James River that would obscure the brewery's view of the river. Closing the Portsmouth site allowed Legend to devote more focus to issues impacting the Richmond site, such as the proposed apartment construction.

To understand Legend's Imperial Brown Ale, it must be acknowledged that the standard Legend Brown Ale has been their most popular beer for many years. The "Imperial" addition to the Brown Ale describes a beer that is the ramped-up version of the original style, containing more malt, more hops, more alcohol, and more flavor. Using their in-house ale yeast, Legend Imperial Brown has an intense malt background including seven types of malt for a huge, rich backbone. Look for flavors of caramel, chocolate and coffee, backed up by dark fruit (raisin, currant). Overall undercurrents of bready, biscuit flavors last from start to finish. Malt is nothing without hops, and this beer offers a pretty serious hop balance in flavor and aroma. The bittering hop is Perle, a solid, British style. This is accompanied by Ahtanum for the mid to late boil hop for a little floral-citrus character. The whole thing is then dry hopped on Fuggles (30 days) for a nice combination of British and American hop influence. In short, expect a big, brown, chewy beer.