Philadelphia Pale Ale - Yards Brewing Co.

donniecuffs

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass, orange/gold with a finger of white head. Mildly carbonated; not surprising for a cask offering. I know that many cask offerings of this beer in the past have been dry-hopped, but I forgot to ask, as the smell certainly came through with some fresh pine, in addition to the expected grapefruit/lemon/orange. Very subtle biscuit in the aroma, but the taste revealed a little more bready maltiness. All of the citrus and biscuit really hits you at first, but my knock is that it disappears quickly. Not all that impressive of a finish. As for the mouthfeel, it was very thin, but this certainly made for a sessionable beer.

Serving type: cask

11-13-2009 20:00:24 | More by donniecuffs

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.58/5  rDev +22.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

I am surprised that there are not more "Cask" reviews for this beer. Not only is it Yards' flagship beer, it also was routinely avalable on cask at Dawson Street Pub in the Manayunk area of PHL. That may still be the case, it is just that I have not visited for some time.

It was handed to me from the hand-pump with a finger of dense, bone-white head with excellent retention that would have made a A&W root beer (thick-headed) weep. Zounds! The color was liquid gold with NE-quality clarity. Mr. Pendyck is always talking about his casks "falling bright" and this was it. Yoi! Nose had a definite hops presence (OK, I'll cop to cheating up at this point and looking at the description which had been sent along) - "pilsner malt, crisp and hoppy, bursting with citrus flavors and aromas". Agreed. It had a very grapefruit nose with the same intense grapefruit flavor on the tongue. Mouthfeel had a really creamy quality, almost like an N2 pour. Finish had a more orange taste than grapefruit. Man, was this good!

Serving type: cask

07-31-2009 19:53:01 | More by woodychandler

WVbeergeek

Ohio

2.55/5  rDev -31.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Appears slightly hazed copper with a mountainous frothy head, all I can say is welcom to Starbucks sir. Broad rings of thick lacing line the pint glass throughout the pour. Aroma has delicate floral hops with some mild fruit tones gracing my senses all under a mellow malt sweetness. Taste is a bit mild all of the flavors are tame except for the hops they came through creating unbalanced harshness there is some residual caramel tones in the malt profile. Mouthfeel has some syrup like textures but still a bit thin especially for a cask. Low carbonation very smooth making drinkability effortless not bad just not as good as I was hoping.

Serving type: cask

08-02-2003 00:06:41 | More by WVbeergeek

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

ThePaintedGrey

Pennsylvania

3.23/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

12 oz. bottle poured into pint glass.

A: Nicely amber colored ale. Slightly cloudy. White, bubbly head eventually fades down into a thin, but consistent head. Leaves a nice lace on the glass as the beer diminishes.

S: Quite fruity. Grapefruit being the most notable, with slight undertones of hops coming through. A lot more pleasant than expected.

T: Slightly fruity, with those grapefruit notes being the most prominent on the tongue as well. A nice dash of citrus and hops in the finish.

F: A little on the overcarbonated side, but nothing off-putting. Slightly thin, but definitely drinkable.

O: Seeing as how I'm from Philly, this beer was a must-try. It's affordable and widely available since it's local. It's not something I'd buy a case of for myself, but if I were going to a party and wanted to save a few bucks while still picking up an enjoyable beer, I'd definitely choose this over other budget pale ales. Not a mandatory must-try, but definitely acceptable.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2013 04:53:41 | More by ThePaintedGrey

WissBrauSean

Pennsylvania

4.58/5  rDev +22.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

I poured this beer from bottle at around 55 degrees F into a 16oz pint glass and it poured a very clear gold with a white one finger head that lasts as a ring and center cap. The lacing is lightly sticky with an unorganized pattern. Nice.

Honey, malts and hops all approach my nose equally to form an overall sweet citrus aroma that is exquisite! Let the beer warm a bit, you will see exactly what I mean. There definitely a hint of the pilsner malt in there. It's really a nice aroma.

The flavor is just as exquisite. Semi-sweet pilsner malts entwine with honey, very mild grapefruit, and a mild piney hop that really comes out in the end rendering the experience as mildly sweet, then mildly dry and overall very well balanced.

The mouthfeel is mildly sweet and finishing dry almost like a champagne and light bodied. The carbonation is moderate and if it were higher this beer would be champagne like in yet another way. Mild pepper finish.

Overall, this beer was a pure pleasure to try! I would totally recommend this beer to anyone really. This would be a great sessionable summer beer and I think a good candidate for being canned as I would love to take this camping with me!

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 00:46:54 | More by WissBrauSean

kangarooAdam59

Wyoming

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

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a dark golden color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of hops, some citrus. Taste is well balanced malts and hops, some citrus as well. Easy drinking and refreshing. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall this makes a solid session beer.I could see drinking several of these on a warm summer afternoon.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 12:31:03 | More by tone77

KTCamm

New Jersey

3.56/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served on tap at Urban Table in Morristown, NJ. Served in a tall pilsener glass.

Pours clear golden colored, a touch on the darker side, but able to see through. Some nice foam sits atop. Nondescript nose, that of a light ale. Taste is a very well balanced pale ale - malt with a present bitter that blends nicely together. Some citrus on the back half. Carbonatoion is good. A well done pale, perfect with a sunday brunch.

Serving type: on-tap

01-14-2013 12:25:15 | More by KTCamm

ferrouswolf

Delaware

4.2/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Case from the brewery; bottled 11/08/12. Poured into a 12 oz straight sided glass.

Appearance: a pleasant gold color with some haze. One finger head fades to a ring with patches and minimal lacing.

Smell: citrus and some maltiness from the pilsner malts.

Taste: tart hop bite fading to fresh citrus and tropical fruit, with a hoppy dry finish. A little bit of malt here and there, but this is a hop-driven beer. There's some ale yeast fruitiness here which helps support the hop fruitiness. The bitterness is pleasant and not overpowering.

Mouthfeel: Medium-to-heavy mouthfeel for an APA, but it goes well with the fruitiness. Fine bubbles tingle on the tongue.

Overall: This is a very tasty pale ale, and it's reasonably priced if you can get it. If you lick your lips after a sip, you'll get another shot of hop bitterness. If you drink it without food, you get the benefit of burping the hop flavor back up. I'd love to try a black-and-tan with this and a really chocolatey beer, or maybe half this and half framboise.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 00:32:14 | More by ferrouswolf

SolipsismalCat

Pennsylvania

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

Poured into a glass mug.

A: Clear golden yellow with two-finger, white, fizzy head that lasted a couple minutes. Pretty good lacing.

S: Strong citrus hop aromas leaning towards tropical.

T: Moderate sweetness and light to moderate bitterness. Very citrusy. Buttered toast in the finish.

M: Light to medium bodied with fizzy carbonation.

O: Good beer, but nothing special. One of the better Yards I've tasted.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 22:56:47 | More by SolipsismalCat

cbutova

Massachusetts

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

A- Pale ale poured into a pint glass with a clear golden body. A white cap builds up on the beer to about one finger in size and has decent retention. Frothy ring leaves a ton of lace rings at the top of the glass and spotty lace on the rest.

S- Yeast bread, cracker sweets and light caramel malts up front. Some hops make a presence with citrus and floral hints.

T- Starts off with some fruity notes, seems like citrus from some hops and maybe some lighter fruits (apple, grape) from the yeast. As I sip on, a fresh cracked grain aspect opens up with malty caramel and light sweets. A nice yeast bread note to round it all out.

MF- Lighter overall feel to the body with very high carbonation which can be felt on the palate. Creamy consistency and a tiny bitterness in the finish.

A pretty simple and straightforward Pale Ale. A good balance of yeast, hops and malts but nothing that really jumps out.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 03:22:40 | More by cbutova

barczar

Kentucky

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

Pours a brilliant golden color with a dense one inch cream head that dissipates slowly, leaving lines of lacing.

Slightly dank citrus hops, grapefruit, and resin dominate the aroma. Notes of tangerines and onions add complexity. Floral hops emerge as it warms.

Grapefruit, sour tangerine, dank, earthy hops, and biscuity malt form the initial flavor profile. The finish is fairly bitter, resiny, and peppery. A sour, metallic flavor surfaces eventually.

Body is moderate, with spritzy carbonation and a lightly astringent finish.

Good citrus and floral hop character, moderate bitterness. There's a skunky, sour flavor that is slightly offputting, but not overwhelming.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 21:03:45 | More by barczar

QuarterHorse

Pennsylvania

3.23/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This brew pours a a golden straw color with a bright white head.

The aroma is citrusy, mostly lemon, with a hint of apricot and a bit of grass.

There is a very mild cracker like malt flavor, followed by a citusy zing, which settles into an oh so faint breadyness with some bitterness.

A decent pale ale. Maybe a bit light on the hops for an American representation of the style.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 02:47:56 | More by QuarterHorse

nickfl

Florida

3.05/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Pours with two fingers of white foam on top of a lightly hazy, golden body. The head settles at a moderate pace and leaves nice lacing on the glass.

S - an aroma of bready malt, light fruit, and a bit of solventy spice.

T - light, dry malt up front with some lemony tang in the middle. Finishes with lightly peppery notes and a touch of herbal bitterness.

M - A moderately light body, average carbonation, and a dry finish.

D - This is an odd one, very little hop character and a lightly acidic lemon flavor throughout. More like a blonde ale than anything I'd call a pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2012 04:30:12 | More by nickfl

kylehay2004

Florida

3.18/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: single finger head on a hazy golden body.

S: tangerine and orange citrus mostly, not much else.

T: not a whole lot of hop flavor. Mostly more citrus and some earthy notes provided by the hops. a bready base. Both are so understated that although balanced this one comes across as a little weak.

M: medium body and moderate to high carbonation.

Overall: a fairly average beer. Not really what I look for in an APA.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2012 04:25:38 | More by kylehay2004

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

BWED

Pennsylvania

3.1/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

After moving out to Philadelphia (or what I tell everyone, since I'm right outside) I decided to scout some of the local beers. I came upon a twelve pack sampler from Yards, and decided I would blindly go into it. I had never heard of Yards, but it looked fairly distinguished from the other local brews. The sampler had four of their "signature ales", and I decided to go with the light, easy drinking Philadelphia Pale Ale. Here's my breakdown:

Served from bottle into tumbler pint

A - Light gold, crystal clear, with a light yellow-white bubbly head right off of pour. Slowly fizzles down to a creamier 1/4" head after a few minutes. Retention lasts through the entirety of consumption with little lacing left behind

S - Light, sweet aroma, with a dull hint of some citrus

T - Like the smell; a lightly sweet taste, with citrus notes to add a tangy finish

M - Very light-bodied, clean feel. Very smooth and drinkable

O - I think this is a good beer. Nothing that really jumps out at you, but something that would cater well on a hot summer day. I can see myself getting some of these for a nice barbeque outside, where I don't have to worry about them filling me up. The low ABV (4.6%) will allow for more consumption, too, which is always a plus!

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2012 02:31:32 | More by BWED

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

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

I picked this up as part of a mix a six, enjoyed chilled from a willybecker.

The color is light golden with amber hues and the cap is thick pale cream with tight bead. The smell is nice with some mild citrus zest and slight herbal hop aromas but light in the malt, The hops smell kind of grassy in a good way. The feel is light bodied for the style but crisp and moderately low in bitterness and semi-dry in the finish with no alcohol influence on the palate.

The flavor is gentle at first with some light cracker-like malt which I understand since I read the neck label is a pilsner based pale. The hops have a light citrus tinge with mild bitter herbal flavor, the finish is slightly peppery and dry. Overall I like this and it is good but doesn't really stand out as far as the style goes, but is refreshing and quaffable for a good summer pale and I enjoyed the low abv.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2012 13:18:59 | More by Slatetank

cfrances33

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

On tap at Philly Public House on 8/1/12, served in a shaker pint.

Pour: Clear golden with a finger and a half of white head. Does not leave much lacing.

Smell: Citrus and floral hops with a honey sweetness thrown in.

Taste: Pretty unexpected hop character that is quite flavorful. Grassy hops, with a light pine and citrus. Bready sweetness. Maybe it was the blandness of the Yuengling I had before, but this taste pretty solid.

Mouthfeel: Really light. As light as the Yuengling. Goes down easy and refreshing.

Overall: Pretty solid, and took my by surprise as being this solid.

Serving type: on-tap

08-02-2012 00:41:46 | More by cfrances33

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.68/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a crystal clear medium to golden yellow in color with light amounts of visible carbonation. The beer has a finger tall foamy white head that reduces to a thick film covering the entire surface of the beer, a couple of small slightly thicker patches, and a thick ring at the edges of the glass. Significant amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Light aromas of pale malts along with some floral/tropical hops and just a hint of spice.

T: Similar to the smell, the taste starts out with some light flavors of pale malts and just a hint of sweetness, maybe from honey. After that the hop flavors become apparent with notes of tropical, citrus, and floral hops. There is a very light amount of bitterness and hints of pepper/spice in the finish.

M: On the lighter side of medium bodied with light to moderate amounts of carbonation. Smooth and crisp.

O: The beer is very refreshing and easy to drink. This would make a very nice session beer, especially during the warm weather.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2012 21:13:50 | More by dbrauneis

larryi86

Delaware

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

12 oz bottle date 6/5/12 poured into a snifter

A- A clear golden color with a three finger white head.

S- Floral and spicy hops, pale malts, touch citrus/tropical fruits.

T- Pale malts, light tropical hops, a little bit of spicy hops, touch of sweet malts.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- A solid pale ale, tropical fruits really help this beer out. I have to say I had it on draft about a month ago and found it tastier on draft.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2012 02:22:34 | More by larryi86

Fish113d

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a typical pale amber color with one finger thick head that creates a solid surface layer.

Nice floral and grainy aroma with hints of straw, cut grass, and some hints of lemon. Fairly nice!

Sipping reveals a burst of lemon peel, as well as some very grainy features of pale malt, definitely the barley, as well as straw and grass.

Very nice body that is crisp, light (as it should be), and solid for the style.

Overall, I really enjoy this as a session brew. It's not over the top hoppy and is very easy to drink. Enjoy!

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2012 01:05:02 | More by Fish113d

Ryanm1

Pennsylvania

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

This is one of my favorite Pale Ales. When poured into a glass it is Golden in color. Has a hint of sweetness in taste and in auroma. Also, has a citrus flavor taste to it, but not overpowering which makes me question if they used belgian yeast in the process. Not sure if that is even possible when brewing an APA. Very well carbonated, light white head foamy with good effervescene.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2012 20:11:52 | More by Ryanm1

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.45/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served on tap in a pint glass

Appearance – The brew was served with a hazy yellow color with a medium white head. The head faded rather fast giving a light amount of lacing on the glass.

Smell – The aroma is of bread, citrus and malt. The heaviest citrus is of lemon zest nature. Some other floral and spicy aromas are in the nose as well rounding it out nicely.

Taste – The taste is of a biscuit and malt up front and is mixed with some lightly sweet and citrus hop notes. Toward the middle it dries out more with some lemon and spice entering the taste. While the biscuit flavor lessen as the taste goes on, the lemon and spice flavors get stronger as the flavor moves to the end. At the end a bitter lemon and spice flavor are left on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – Light in body with a higher level of carbonation. Good for giving a refreshing and easy drinking brew.

Overall – Very easy to drink with a drier bitter lemon and spicy flavor. While the bitter that it leaves on the tongue is just so-so it is a good session brew for a nice summer day as it has good flavors (other than the bitter aftertaste) and a great mouthfeel.

Serving type: on-tap

05-25-2012 23:05:49 | More by Darkmagus82