Philadelphia Pale Ale - Yards Brewing Co.

thain709

Pennsylvania

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

A - A bright golden body with a small white foamy head...the head disappears rather quickly...some lacing is left

S - The nose is dominated by sweet, grapefruit hops...bright and fresh

T - This has an interesting taste...the sweetness from the citrus presents its self up front...it then lingers into a very Earthy flavor...some grassy and grainy characteristics come out...as well as a biscuit malt flavor...the grapefruit flavor comes back and the hops provide a slight bitterness towards the end...interesting

M - Light bodied...clean, crisp, and refreshing

D - This is a great summer beer...a very interesting taste for an APA...but it works (for me at least)...the grapefruit stands up and pairs nicely with the Earthy flavors present in this beer...the IPA from Yards is good for a hop fix

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2009 01:14:22 | More by thain709

nlmartin

Ohio

3.73/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The beer was served in a Imperial Nonic.

Appearance: The beer pours a pale golden coloration. The head is thick and creamy honey coloration. The head has major staying power. The beer leaves nice rings of lace on my glass.

Smell: The beer has a very pleasing pine and grapefruity smell.

Taste: The taste delivers on the smell. The beer has a pleasing pine and grapefruit combo. The beer has a weak malty sweetness. Frankly the hops ride right over the maltyness.

Mouthfeel/ Drinkability: The beer is light bodied. The ample carbonation helps the beer slide down easier. This is a dam fine APA. The beer is easy to drink and is very sessionable due to low ABV.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2006 12:31:07 | More by nlmartin

AleWatcher

Illinois

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

Got this from Mikereaser in the Blind Bombers BIF. This beer was reviewed completely blind-- with no knowledge of the beer, brewer, or even style.
Reviewed from notes. Served in snifter.

Bright, clear, golden in color... The beer is practically yellow. Lots of active carbonation... So yellow and fizzy? Did Mike try to sneak something by me here? The head is thick and sticky-- 2 fingers of bone white froth. The head doesn't look like anything I've seen on a lager before!

Very faint nose-- slight hops... but hard to really pinpoint what they are doing other than just a little floral note. Very little malt on nose... but not smelling any adjuncts, so the head and nose point to something other than BMC-- which is good!

I take a sip and... a VERY crisp and clean finish has me immediately thinking this is a lager. Perhaps this is a Pilsener? A light floral and spice hop note fits too. Very little malt. There is a bit of lemony citrus flavor towards the finish which is throwing me off! Now it is all I can think about and it is growing stronger.

Agh! Once I THINK about a style, my brain shuts off the parts that aren't related to THAT style! I need to start fresh on this one.

Ok-- a glass of water and a few of my sons' crackers and I'm back on this one!

Hmmm... maybe it was too cold before, because now it seems to have opened up a bit more! Now that I'm letting my brain allow my sense to REALLY scan this beer I'm noticing a lot more in the nose: there is a light malt-- like bread or even toast- it isn't very sweet. The hops are coming in with floral and lemony notes.
Lots of carbonation-- lighter than medium body, but possibly due to the bubbly feel associated with this much carbonation.

Very drinkable-- although I'm still not sure what it is! I still hold on to the idea that this could be a lager of some sort-- though it must be the hoppiest lager I've ever come across! Equally as likely, this could be a semi-faded IPA or a gently hopped APA.

---Rips open envelope---

It's Yard's Philadelphia Pale Ale. this beer has been on my wants list for a white now! I actually tried this once before when I got it as an extra-- I was too lazy to review it then though-- so this was a fun little adventure. Now knowing it is an APA, the numbers are as follows: 4/3.5/4/3/4

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2010 03:41:14 | More by AleWatcher

jsprain1

Minnesota

4.22/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A- On the light end of golden, with a one and a half finger white head. Some lacing.
S- A bit fruity, with a peach and grapefruit mixture being the predominant presence.
T- Well balanced flavors, the pilsner malt has enough of a presence to make it clear that it's there. A bit of a bread dough character in there. finish is balanced with the malt character being tempered by a lemon/apricot/light grapefruit presence.
M- Definite light bodied, even for style, but carbonation is right on. Smooth, with a dry finish. Just a bit more malt I think would add some body which would make it spot on.
O- This is almost exactly what I want out of a pale ale. Well balanced with malt and hop notes playing off each other well. A little more body and some more on the nose and it would be excellent. Super easy on the drinkable side as well.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2011 14:58:51 | More by jsprain1

rajendra82

Georgia

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

Received from pezoids as part of BIF 20, this 12 oz. brown bottle lacked any freshness dating. The body looked pale yellow and slightly hazy, and the head was thin, but lasting a good bit as a result of good carbonation. The aroma was floral, citric, and much stronger than anticipated. The taste was hoppy, and grapefruit rind like, but lacked much malt sweetness. The aftertaste was dry with a touch of hay. The beer felt much bitterer than it was, due to the lack of a substantial malt presence. The aftertaste contained a lingering sharp bitterness. If this is how hoppy their APA is, I’d love to see what they have done to the IPA. Felt a lot more West Coast influenced than most others from Pennsylvania.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2005 04:22:25 | More by rajendra82

CHickman

New York

4.1/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours gold in color with a 1 finger white head that faded quickly; very good lacing that left rings.

Smells of strong floral hops, citrus hops, sweet malt, grapefruit, orange peel, lemon, coriander, light caramel and light spices. Very potent nose that seems more like an IPA.

Pale Ale my ass...this tastes like an IPA and a good one at that. Tastes like it smells with floral hops, citrus hops, sweet malt, lemon, grapefruit, orange peel, coriander, light caramel and light spices; a really nice balanced beer with good malt sweetness and hop zing to add to the floral/citrus bite. Very tasty indeed.

Mouthfeel is crisp and creamy on the tongue with light carbonation, a medium body and a dry puckering finish from the hop spices.

A very enjoyable and tasty beer that I will seek out again and recommend.

Serving type: on-tap

07-01-2010 03:38:01 | More by CHickman

guinness33

New Jersey

3.08/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

this yards brew is, in a word, average. nothing more. nothing less. pours a light amber/orange colour with a bit of a haze and a mild head. fruity and floral smells are apparent. surprisingly, not much taste here. seems more watered down than i would hope for from a yards beer. what you've got here is essentially a basic, a non-daring pale ale. would i drink it again? yes. would i go out of my way to find this brew? no.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2003 18:56:43 | More by guinness33

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

Foxman

New Jersey

3.63/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

It pours a slightly hazy golden yellow, like fresh honey. Three fingers of tightly foamed head grow rapidly, then settle gradually to a bumpy froth terrain. Cirrus wisps of lacing suspend on the sides of the glass.

The aroma delivers a slow progression of light malt sweetness followed by a vague hops aura, and is capped by a tart yeasty fruitiness. A distant bitterness drifts through at the close.

First sip brings a gentle malt swirl matched by rounded spicy fruit notes of apple and berry. A mildly puckering sourness lays on the sides of the tongue as a grassy presence pops up,then down. A dry flatness, almost reminiscent of wheat, folds in toward the end, then a measure of dry bitterness closes slowly at the finish. It's not quite what I expected, but the flavor has more identity than it used to, and it's briskly refreshing.

Light bodied, it leaves just enough behind to render up some memory of itself on the palate.

The flavor surprised me. I was expecting something more conventional, more pale ale-ish, and I got something a bit off-beat. But once past the surprise, I realized it's crisp and refreshing, if not chock full of tasty elements. Very drinkable, it's a veritable session beer if you find it to your liking, holding up well to the heat of a Jersey Shore afternoon. So even if it's not what I expected, it works well enough for what it is. Short of stellar but more than average, I'll finish this sixer with no regrets. But I'm not real sure about another.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2004 16:01:13 | More by Foxman

kangarooAdam59

Maine

4.1/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled Dec 05, 2012 (hmm ... let`s see how this goes):

Into a pint glass:

A: clear hazy orange body with a half finger foamy white head that quickly dies, no carbonation is seen rising, a fair amount of lacing is left

S: citrusy hops, somewhat piney, malts come out as it warms

T: smooth bittersweet, somewhat malty, citrus aftertaste, crisp finish

M: light, very sessionable, carbonation is spot on

O: surprisingly enough, though I thought this was expired after looking at the ABV and bottling date, this was better than I thought - pretty good for style and very good to me, I`d have again and definitely have fresher just to see how it compares

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2013 00:01:29 | More by kangarooAdam59

Seanibus

California

4.53/5  rDev +21.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

I am so happy the new brewery is up and the real Pale Ale is back. In fact, it may well be better than it was before.

Pours a la sparkly yellow with a light fluffy head. The aroma is sharp and strong, with a sting of floral hops. The flavor has a strong sharpness with lovely floral hops. The mouthfeel is thin and completely refreshing.

This beer is simply Philly's best on-tap session beer.

Serving type: on-tap

12-07-2008 01:19:14 | More by Seanibus

pwoods

Ohio

3.58/5  rDev -4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to NjpadreFan for the brew!

12oz. brown bottle poured into an imperial pint.

A: Pours a grapefruit rind yellow, hazy. Moderate white head on the pour that leave less than a skim and only a bit of lacing.

S: Very light citrus and grassy hops. Hops don't pop at all and are over balanaced by the light biscuity and husky malts. Not a lot going on.

T/M: Bitterness is even a bit low for an APA. The hop flavor comes out a bit more here. Some light citrus and floral, grassy hops.. not a much but pleasant. The malts come in with a touch of sweetness but also dries it out a bit. Body is medium light with good carbonation.

D: Low ABV and drinks easy. It has a few flaws but not terrible at overall.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2009 03:08:51 | More by pwoods

beernut7

Massachusetts

2.28/5  rDev -38.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Another bottle-conditioned nightmare. I don't know whether to hold the brewery or the liquor store at fault, but common sense points to improper warm-storage at the package store. This one was a gusher with a hazy golden pour once the head settles off. The aroma is yeasty with notes of ginger-ale and lightly sweet. The flavors of licorice and ginger poke through a heavy bitterness. The body is fairly smooth for such a gushing head. The yeast comes through in a bisuity finish. I'll have to travel down to the brewery to get some fresh brew and give it another try.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2003 16:26:46 | More by beernut7

SpdKilz

Illinois

3.63/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

In my BOTM club.

Appearance - Pours a yellow gold with over an inch of white head that dissipates at a medium pace and leaves decent lacing.

Smell - Malty and bready up front and then a hint of citrus and hops pokes through at the tail end.

Taste - As it smells, very malty and bready with a hint of lemon citrus. It finishes with just a touch of hoppy flavor.

Mouthfeel - Light bodied with decent carbonation. Very crisp finish.

Drinkability - Very much so. Nothing is "phenomenal" about this beer, but it sure is something you can quaff down. At such a low ABV, it is sessionable. Again, nothing special about it but nothing horrible about it either.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2009 22:30:22 | More by SpdKilz

THECPJ

Delaware

3.73/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed from notes:

appearane: golden yellow with a 1 finger head

smell: hops, malts,

taste: crisp, clean, hops, malts,

mouthfeel: mild carbonation, medium body,

overall: this beer was refreshing and enjoyed it. easy to drink and I like beers that can be well balanced and enjoyed in the sun without knocking you out.

Cheers,
The CPJ

Serving type: on-tap

07-08-2011 00:39:05 | More by THECPJ

aforbes10

Iowa

3.48/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

yellowy orange. clear with some yeasty sediment floating around. nice white head....pretty damn good looking beer. hoppy and orangey freash odor. very grapefruity taste with lots of hops and a big bite. finish is mostly the citrus flavor. appropriately bodied mouthfeel. drinkability is just so-so because it actually doesn't taste as good as it warms up and the sediment becomes a bit distracting. not bad, but their love stout and IPA are better.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2006 14:38:19 | More by aforbes10

mrasskicktastic

New Jersey

3.65/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 1.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A - Hazy golden brew with a sizable bubbly head. Intense carbonation fuels that. Small unappetizing black flecks are visible (not from my glass), no bottle conditioning either. It doesn't seem infected either. Weird...

S - Grasses, faint fir trees, not much here, it isn't strong in any way.

T - A very floral flavor. A bit of light malt backbone, but overall the flavor isn't terribly full. Nothing at all unpleasant, it just kind of cuts off - almost as if it had been diluted. Aftertaste is barely present, but a hint of bitterness from hops closes it out.

M - Smooth, thin, very, very refreshing.

D - Top notch. This is low abv and completely pleasant. Really the kind of beer one can drink for hours and hours. Since I am from PA originally, it is not terribly unlikely that I will find my self drinking this again.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2010 07:28:33 | More by mrasskicktastic

micromaniac129

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A bright white head sits on top of a golden straw color beer. The head is tall and a bit soapy. Gentile carbonation entices one.

Aroma is the high point of this brew. It's bright and citrusy in it's hop bouquet with sutle sweet malts.

Taste was a bit of a let down. It lacks in flavor and is rather harsh on first sip. Malts have a bready yeasty finish.

Like I said: harsh at first but settle down after it starts to warm. Has a clean finish.

See this is where I know some of my reviews didn't make it to the other side for this beer is a perfect down the shore beer. I wrote that in my oringal review. The low alcohol makes it a good session brew.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 13:03:38 | More by micromaniac129

soupyman10

District of Columbia

4.03/5  rDev +8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap into a mug

A - Nice light copper color, a nice head, nothing too bad here

S - Good solid hoppy smell, with some floral aroma as well

T - Solid mix of hops and malt; floral scent that hits fairly evenly with the more mild malt; a good flavor, overall, although nothing particularly unique or exceptional

M - Solid feel, although it's fairly thin with a fairly short aftertaste

D - I have no real complaints here; it's a solid, good beer, that's fairly prevalent in the Philly area; it's got a nice solid pale ale flavor that's pretty unique; it's not gonna knock you on your ass, but you won't complain about it either

Serving type: on-tap

02-21-2007 02:12:15 | More by soupyman10

Duhast500

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

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

The color is clear light gold color with a nice foamy white head with some lacing.

The smell is sweet, a little floral & hoppy with some grains flavor.

The taste is light and sweet. A really crisp citrus flavor that stays with you after the first sip. Is a good summer, a nice citrus flavor with a tease of lemon and a good hoppiness to the back end. A little bit bitter to even things out.

The mouth feel on this beer is light. It would made for a good summer bear or a good food pairing beer for it's lightness and it's flavor. It goes down easy and quite refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2009 03:23:42 | More by Duhast500

callmemickey

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Amber-yellow body. A fast disappearing head.

S: Fruity/hop aroma -- a good indicator of the taste that follows

T: A dash of citric hops in a creamy malt background. The flavor profile has some holes in it where flavor is absent and is bland.

M: As above.. perhaps a bit watery at times.

O: Easy to drink and in total, not a bad beer.. . I wouldn't pick this one out again, but wouldn't turn one down either if handed to me.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2007 01:19:36 | More by callmemickey

beergeek279

Pennsylvania

3.05/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Served in a 12 oz. bottle. The color was golden, with only a bit of head retention. The smell was mostly of malt, with a hint of hops. The taste was mostly yeasty, with a flat aftertaste. The mouthfeel was smooth. Drinkability-wise, not great, but if it was all there was........

Another disappointment from Yards, I'm sorry to say. Maybe their beers are better on cask, but this offering in the bottle is average at best.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2003 01:41:42 | More by beergeek279

aaronh

Pennsylvania

2.23/5  rDev -40.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Slightly hazy amber liquid is topped by a moderate but rather long-lasting head of off white foam. The aroma is nothing special, with just a typical "beer" smell. No hops at all in the nose. The taste is rather bitter up front with basically nothing behind it at all. Very clean finish, but there is no malt body to speak of, no sweetness, just strong piney bitterness. I actually find it hard to drink because it's just not that enjoyable. This beer is like drining a macro with a bunch of hops dumped in early in the boil and a slightly restrained carbonation. I'd take a Rolling Rock over this any day. Yard's is sort of hit or miss in my experience. This one's like bombing your own troops.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2003 04:03:18 | More by aaronh

meathookjones

Virginia

3.13/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This pours out with a golden body with a tall foamy rocky white head that I had to wait for to go down before finishing the pour. Good amount of lacing was left as well when this was consumed. The aroma was overall pretty weak with a light floral and citric scent being the only obvious components. Not the most flavorful either but that taste was interesting as there was a bit of caramel malt mingling with the citric flavors with a touch of pine. Pretty good flavor that could have been better if it was a bit less subtle and tried to get noticed. Mouthfeel was about average for the style with no particular pluses or minuses. Not the most robust and flavorful APA but a decent one none the less that I would probably try on tap if I came across it.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2004 15:38:53 | More by meathookjones

pezoids

Pennsylvania

1.9/5  rDev -49.1%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

I have had this beer before and enjoyed it, but there must have been something wrong with the cask this time. It must not have conditioned properly. There was hardly any carbonation or head and it tasted stale and bitter. It could have been old. I know casks don't last long once they're tapped.
Yards is one of my favorite brewers, but something went wrong here. I will have to give this one a second chance.

Serving type: cask

02-22-2003 12:37:10 | More by pezoids