Philadelphia Pale Ale - Yards Brewing Co.

mikeg67

New Jersey

2.95/5  rDev -20.9%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

12 oz bottle from Trader’s Joe. Pour pale straw with a long lasting white head. Aroma is of perfume hops, citrus fruit and biscuit malt with some hints of pairs. Body is medium and crisp. Piney, earthy hops, followed by biscuit malt on the palate, some sourness is present. The finish is medium and dry. This brew needs some caramel malt for color and flavor.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2012 14:24:48 | More by mikeg67

microbrewlover

Pennsylvania

2.93/5  rDev -21.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This brew pours a golden honey yellow color with a 1.5 finger head and no lacing. Medium carbonation.

The smell is of floral hops, orange a little bit of grass and a little bit of sweet malt.

The taste was as expected, orange and floral hops combined with sweet malts.

The mouthfeel was creamy, clean and crisp.

Overall I was not impressed by this brew. It is a standard American Pale Ale but not a memorable one; there are better examples of this style out there. On the plus side this brew will go down easy on a hot summer day.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2012 23:39:06 | More by microbrewlover

NardiByNature

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +20.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Note: realized I put this review under the wrong category (Yards IPA) a few months ago. Just moving the review to the proper place...

Reviewed on: 01-05-2012 05:31:27

Got to say it: I loved this beer.

Had this on tap at Irish Pub on Walnut during a trip to Philadelphia yesterday.

A fingers worth of head sits on top of a light, slightly hazy, honey colored body. The lacing on this brew is wonderful - I love it when the circular residue follows your sips all the way down like the notches on a tree. It smells great - grassy, candied citrus. Taste follows the nose with a little hop but not that much. It's fruity and even kind of creamy. Leaves a great taste behind.

I've never heard of this beer and it was delicious. I'm sure it was a fresh batch on tap, but maybe this beer is also underrated.

Give it a shot!

Serving type: on-tap

Reviewed on: 01-05-2012 05:31:27

Serving type: on-tap

03-25-2012 18:30:49 | More by NardiByNature

CuteZombieDoll

New Jersey

3.4/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- Hazy golden. Holds a decent centimeter head.

S- Citrusy and floral.

T- The citrus flavor is most prevalent, but not overwhelming. Floral on the finish. Crisp and clean.

M- Well carbonated, lighter but not too light.

O- A good overall beer. I was worried it would be too perfumey and floral, but the floral notes are well balenced with the citrus flavor. Not a bad one to have on hand, but not a must-have either.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2012 03:35:38 | More by CuteZombieDoll

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A-cloudy pale yellow with a sticky white head

S-citrusy hops. fairly grainy. faint scent.

T-comes in with a creamy and lemony taste of hoppy grains. its fairly buttery. not bad. has a good crisp matching after-taste. easy drinking, small flavors.

M-creamy medium carbonation with a creamy finish

O-not a terrible pale ale, very drinkable as a pale ale should be. not very exciting either, as most pale ales aren't. its a safe pick, something okay to end a session with.

Serving type: on-tap

03-02-2012 19:52:06 | More by AdamBear

JerseyKirk

New Jersey

4.13/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: straw crystal clear. Carbonation bubbles a little slow. White creamy 1 finger white head.

S: lemon, grapefruit, pine, citrus. Resin hops.

T:malty sweet upfront, nice backbone balnce malt with hops. Hops enter in middle as a slight bitterness on back of the tongue. Easy to drink pale ale.

M: balance of sweet and dry. Bitterness is refreshing and soothing.

O: excellent pale ale. Sessionable. Easy to quaff multiple bottles in a session.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2012 20:42:22 | More by JerseyKirk

mynie

Indiana

4.05/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

VERY pale pour, for the style. From across the table this looks like a dark macro. But it's got a nice head on it...

Smells crisp and citrusy, not nearly as British as Yards' other beers.

Tastes light and very crisp, but surprisingly unique and complicated. Starts off the the aforementioned citrus hops, prominent grapefruit, against a very English malt profile. This moves into a middle that's a mix of lemongrass, and a finish that's a wonderful combination of grassy herbs and lemon against sweet, biscuity malt. Nothing's very strong, and nothing blows me away, but it's very well balanced and unique enough to keep me interested.

This is the textbook definition of a wonderful session: lively and interesting and light.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2012 04:33:41 | More by mynie

garuda

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz brown bottle, no freshness dating

A - Pale gold, hazed with numerous floaties throughout the body hurts the appearance. Thick white head has good retention, and ok lacing.

S - Nice floral hops on the nose, finished with some pine and sweet bready malt.

T - More pine flavor in the taste, with slight hints of grapefruit, and some floral bitterness in the finish with some more citrus flavors. Light caramel malts underlying the dominant hops.

M - Light/medium body, a little high on the carb level, finishes clean with a moderate bitterness.

O - Solid pale, packing a bunch of flavor into the relatively low abv. If it had a freshness date, I'd buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2012 23:01:27 | More by garuda

J23hc

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours yellow gold w/ good foamy head. Smell is flowery and sweet sweet citrus, a little bitter pungency. Taste is bright and sweet citrus with spice and bitterness, moderate carb, wet feel. Different, original, little bit of a champagne booziness in the finish, would drink again

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2012 18:24:00 | More by J23hc

NiceTaps

New Jersey

3.98/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A -nice dark golden color with a 1.5 finger head that held up.

S -clean hoppy aroma, citrus, fruity

T -easy drinking malt backround with a hoppy finish, very friendly,not too strong

M -the clean hoppy finish lingers, the flavors hang on

O -This is a good drinking ale. The 4.3 abv makes it a go to if more than one or two pints are in order.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2012 18:50:25 | More by NiceTaps

hopsolutely

Ontario (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Although this bottle lists an ABV of 4.6% instead of the BA listed 4.3%, this remains the hoppiest American Pale Ale I have ever found with that low of an alcohol value. As someone who'd rather enjoy 8 beers than 5, that's a big deal - and this is quite an accomplishment...

Dark golden colour is not typical of the style, and disconcerting, although still attractive. Beautiful off-white head with a decent carbonation level and lacing.

Aroma of citrus and tropical fruits, including mango and pineapple. These are accentuated in the taste. Caramelized malt sweetness leads into a beautifully bitter, "west-coast" hopped finish.

Definitely a beer I would recommend and will attempt to find again!

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2011 22:15:44 | More by hopsolutely

tobelerone

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the brewery.

A very clear, bright gold colored beer with a fluffy head that has both good retention and strong lacing. Nice aroma that's faintly sweet and malty, but the hops, which are citrusy and a bit floral, come to the fore. There was a jar of nugget hops on the bar in front of me and it was obvious after examining it that nugget is indeed the dominant hop in this tasty beer, both in the aroma and the flavor.

Hop forward but still somewhat balanced; low bitterness, tasty pilsener malt. On tap this is smoother and creamier, with lower carbonation, than I expected and have experienced with the bottled version. Very different from the many west coast/SNPA style offerings on the market. Delicious, easy drinking, highly recommended. My favorite beer from this brewery so far.

EDIT: I've been back numerous times and I stand by my original impression that this is the best beer I've had from them out about 10 different offerings, by far.

Serving type: on-tap

12-15-2011 02:10:42 | More by tobelerone

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.7/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a Yards shaker pint glass.

Thanks to YaKnowBrady for this bottle (and the glass)!

Been quite some time since I've had something out of Yards. This bit pours a clear sunlight straw topped by a finger or so of lightly off-white foam and populated by a decent amount of floaties. The nose comprises cantaloupe, light honeydew, very light leek, and a soft touch of toffee in the background. The taste brings in more of the same, though the fruit notes are toned down a good deal (though by no means do they disappear) in relation to the toffee. There's also some light banana and orange peel tossed in for good measure. The body is a light medium, with a very light moderate carbonation and a silky feel. Overall, a nice pale ale, nothing that truly distinguishes it from many others, but a very solid offering nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 22:25:19 | More by TMoney2591

avalon07

South Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Had this one on-tap at P.J. Whelihan's in Cherry Hill, N.J. Had a bright yellow color and a clear consistency. There was a half inch of foamy, fairly long-lasting head. Average lacing.

S: A decent amount of citrus in the smell, with some hops as well.

T: Tasted of hops (very mild), a little malt, and citrus (grapefruit). This beer had an alright, serviceable flavor, but did not jump out at me.

M: A highly carbonated beer with a dry finish. Medium-bodied.

O: While this beer isn't horrible, it's not particularly memorable either.

Serving type: on-tap

11-15-2011 13:27:20 | More by avalon07

jtierney89

New Jersey

2/5  rDev -46.4%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Not sure how old this bottle is, its been sitting on the shelves at my job for a while now. Pours a brilliant gold color with really good clarity and a monstrous clingy head. Initially smelt some skunk and then very subtle hints of oily hops. Nothing impressive on the nose.

Some tropical fruit tastes are the star of the show even though their subtle. Has a pleasant sweetness on the tip of the tongue. Finishes with a mild floral hop presense that goes pairs well with the fruit flavors in the beer. Tastes are all very mild though.

The drinkability is quite amazing. Super smooth, super clean, good carbonation and light in body. Would be good as a mild summer session beer.

Well balanced and flavor beer but nothing spectacular.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2011 01:20:40 | More by jtierney89

CowsCanBark

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a standard pint glass from a 12 oz. bottle.

Appearance: Poured a dark, golden yellow with a two-finger head, fluffy as clouds. I let the beer sit and the head took about four minutes to recede, leaving a great sticky lacing on the glass. Even as I drink there is still a half-finger head remaining.

Smell: This smells delicious. There are notes of pine, grapefruit/citrus, hops.

Taste: I like it a lot, actually. You get the taste of the citrus and hops pretty well, with a noticeable citrus linger in the back of your throat. Really tastes like grapefruit to me. There are not really any overpowering hops, and a barely noticeable bitterness that lingers.

Mouthfeel: Overall a good mouthfeel, it has medium-light carbonation and a nice light mouth feel. For some beers, this might not be good, but it just really works with this one.

Overall: I am definitely pleasantly surprised from this offering. It would be great on a hot day and is just nice and citrusy and refreshing. Definitely recommended.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2011 04:58:28 | More by CowsCanBark

JohannBock

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured from a bottle into a mug. Golden yellow color and clear all the way through. 2 fingers of head that recedes to a ring around the top. Not much lacing as it went.

S: Earthy, citrus hops. Possibly some grapefruit there too. Relatively average.

T: Tons and tons of juicy grapefruit and grapefruit rind. Very much dominated by the citrus flavors here. Sticks around for a while too. By no means an unpleasant amount of grapefruit but it seems to be the only flavor.

M: Medium mouthfeel with a long finish.

O: If you are looking for a session beer this might be a great bet. Very easily could throw back a lot of these and it has a nice flavor to it as well. Nothing stand out IMO but still a nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2011 02:24:04 | More by JohannBock

JunkYardJake

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle into pint glass.
This is my second time having this brew and this time it seems alot fresher. Appearance is a bright gold with good clarity and a monsterous soapy head. Great cling and retention. Smells bright and cheery with plenty of citrus hops. Palate is classic APA. Orange and grapefruit hop flavor and a decent malt backbone. Plenty of bitterness on the back end. Mouthfeel is a little creamy and a bit dry in the finish. Very drinkable ale and under 5% so it's a great option to session.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2011 23:52:42 | More by JunkYardJake

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This brew to me was actually quite impressive. This beer poured out as a nice golden coor with a strong looking white foam on top. The head has a good retention and lacing. The smell of the beer has a nice hoppy aroma with just a touch of grains in there as well. The flavor is very nice on this beer, I really enjoyed what ever hops they used in the beer. It almost makes it taste more like an IPA than an APA. The mouthfeel of the beer is very drinkable. Overall This is probably one of my favorites from Yards.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2011 23:10:44 | More by Knapp85

mooseo

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into pint.

A - Clear light golden. Decent head and retention.

S - Hoppy, lemon citrus aroma.

T - Light bready malts up front, followed by citrus and pine flavors. Provides a mild hop bite with a grainy finish. Nicely balanced.

M - Light-medium bodied with a very carbonated, refreshing mouthfeel.

D - Philadelphia pale ale is extremely drinkable and one of the best pale ales I've had. This was my first beer I tried from Yards, and it is still my favorite. It's a good beer to have around year-round.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2011 03:04:47 | More by mooseo

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4.19/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

First had: on tap at the Khyber (back when it was an important place), Philly, PA

Philly Pale Ale is one of my favorite "simple" beers, and easily one of my favorite overall "basic" local brews. No nonsense, just a great beer. Pours a clear golden yellow, notably carbonated with a foamy white head that leaves some patchy lacing on the glass. Often, yeast floaters can be seen in the glass or bottle. Fresh aroma, filled with sweet malts, crisp hops, citrus zest, and light fruits. Flavor is nicely balanced between sweet bready hops, bright hops--citrus, pine, floral--and lightly and subtly fruity with notes of citrus and apricot. Light-medium body, appropriately carbonated, and extremely drinkable for everyone from beer wusses to beer snobs.

Serving type: on-tap

09-18-2011 02:44:15 | More by Rifugium

david18

New York

3.5/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Yards is the ubiquitous craft beer on the Jersey Shore where I spent a week at the end of august. Not a bad beer, which did have many good APA characteristics while being light enough to drink during the hot days.

The beer was a little cloudy and a little dark for the style but refreshing enough looking for a light ale. Good carbonation, decent head.

Aroma had some citrus, not overwhelming but you definitely know what style you're drinking.

Flavor as well was to style, maybe a little light but over a very solid beer in terms of flavor.

Worth trying if you see it.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2011 18:29:24 | More by david18

Veillantif

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle from six-pack, about 11 degrees C, poured into an unchilled stange glass.

A: Charming antique label: is this going to taste like Twinings Earl Grey, too? [edit: it's not all that different.] On the pour: a bright gold color, somewhere between those new Oreos and Uncle Scrooge's money bin in intensity. It glows!

S: Piney; also the same citrus notes you get from A1 sauce. Not obnoxiously hoppy. Yet.

T: Hops are mild enough that you can (speaking from experience) share this with those weird hop-phobic people, so long as they're not too badly afflicted with their condition. Not strong or complex enough, on the other hand, for the Pale Ale aficionado to be overwhelmed.

M: Extremely pleasant: carbonation that meets the intensity of the flavor just enough, and a fine aftertaste.

D: The field of pale ales in this country is deplorably crowded. I don't know if we can call this an indispensible addition thereto; blindfold me and I'd find it hard to tell this apart from a few others. But they'd be a few among the upper half, that's for damn sure.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2011 03:16:41 | More by Veillantif

Natural510

Ohio

3.85/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle, no dating.

Pours a clear golden color with creamy, ice-cream white head which does not dissipate.

Scent is both breaded and vegetal, somewhat musky.

Flavor is fruity and dry with bold hop finish. Nicely balanced with an astringent finish.

Body is slightly thin but not affecting flavor; this would make a great offering on cask.

Enjoyable APA, one of the better I've had in a while. Nice ABV, making it very sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2011 04:34:57 | More by Natural510

avaldivia

California

3.38/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Received in trade from Centennial. Poured 12oz bottle into a pint glass.

A: Hazy golden color. Very nice inch to two inch thick head. Great lacing all the way down.

S: Really light. Bit of citrus and grass. Even when at room temp, it was difficult to smell much.

T: Better than the smell. Good sweet pine flavor. nice dry finish.

M: Kind of light. A lot of carbonation. Pretty standard.

O: Typical APA. Decent, but probably wont get again.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2011 02:40:02 | More by avaldivia