Philadelphia Pale Ale - Yards Brewing Co.

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

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

Floral and grapefruit aroma.Hazy yellow and hop bubbles. Nice bitter lemony citrus dryness. Malt and caramel and herbal flavour there for balance. Guest tap at Independence Pub, a popular brew in this city. Well carbonated. Medium body. Competent pale.

Serving type: on-tap

05-15-2005 05:11:11 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.5/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

The loud 'pffft' when I popped the cap indicates some serious overcarbonation. Sure enough, the pour results in 95% head and 5% beer. As the proportions begin to reverse, I see cloudy amber beer beneath a frothy, off-white crown. Because the liquid contains an insane number of bubbles, the cap may not fade in my lifetime. It still manages enough stickiness to produce a few wayward scraplets of lace.

Philadelphia PA has one of the brightest pale ale noses that I've smelled in quite some time. There's a lack of anything that could conceivably be related to malt and a lack of any earthy, spicy or herbal hoppiness. The aroma is of pure, sweet tropical fruit: pineapple, followed by lemon, followed by grapefruit.

Unfortunately, the beer doesn't hold up as well on the palate. The culprit, I believe, is a too thin body. There simply isn't enough substance to fully engage the taste buds. It's a shame because a ghost of the aroma is evident, it just doesn't come together like it should.

Yards Philadelphia Pale Ale is a few (admittedly major) fixes away from being special. I'm pretty sure there's a delicious APA in there, struggling to get out. Thanks blitheringidiot.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2004 22:37:08 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

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

Decided to crack this one open with the kids playing in the yard as the sun went down tonight. Poured cold and into a pint glass, this one was consumed on 07/01/2010.

Decent pour with a very light and very clear pale golden yellow. Nice head of white then rises up around this forming a two inch head that quickly and completely fades leaving behind a broken crown that had some decent lacing around the sides.

Aroma is quick again and clean. Light hops are totally balanced against a nice malty bill. Nice bread and grain notes, hints of lemon and pine and a clean refeshing taste. Light touch of corn like flavor in the finish before a quick dash of hops dries it out and gets in the last word.

Overall nice and solid. I could see this selling alot in the summer.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2010 01:05:23 | More by mikesgroove

Thorpe429

Illinois

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

Reviewed from notes.

Pours a light golden color. Definitely fairly light. Good white head, though. Nose brings some citrus and a bit of pine. Fairly faint. Taste is citrus, pine, and a bit of caramel doughiness. Feel is light with good carbonation and some bitterness. Drinks quite well. A step down from their IPA but still good.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2010 22:21:54 | More by Thorpe429

brentk56

North Carolina

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

Appearance: Pours a crystal clear golden color with a frothy white head that leaves good lacing behind

Smell: Floral, pithy nose with a hint of apricot

Taste: Starts out with a lemon and apricot aspect but mid-palate, the pithy citrus hops kick in and provide strong, but somewhat harsh bitterness through the finish

Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: Very different but a welcome and enjoyable change from the standard APA

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2006 03:15:08 | More by brentk56

oberon

North Carolina

3.53/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a nice deeper straw color with medium head left some nice lacing,a little fruity in the aroma with a ever slight malt smell.Iwas gonna give it a lower taste rating when a nice malt smack came in at the end of my first sip.This brew is a little rough around the edges it maybe a work in progress,I like more than alot who have reviewed it looks like.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2003 19:54:12 | More by oberon

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A slightly hazy golden body reveals streams of fine, fast-rising bubbles beneath a frothy white head that holds remarkably well and leaves wide swatches of craggy lace about the glass. The nose is bright and fresh with citrusy and floral Simcoe hops over a delicate malt base. The body is medium and its very fine, natural carbonation lends a gentle zest to the tongue before it fades smoothly away. The flavor bristles with bright, fresh hops (fruity, citrusy, subtly pine-like) wrapped in a supple, straightforward malt. It's exceptionally well-balanced with a firm bitterness that leads to a clean and dry finish. A satisfying and refreshing pale ale that offers excellent drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2004 03:25:06 | More by NeroFiddled

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

WesWes

New York

3.33/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours a hazy dark gold color with a thin white lace head. The aroma is decent. It has a sweet malty smell that seems to come from the use of pale and light crystal or carapils malts. It has a grainy scent and a dry yeast aroma. The taste is average. It has a smooth, grainy pale malt flaavor that seems a bit watery and weak. The mouthfeel is good. It is a low/medium bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a decent pale ale, but nothing special. Where's the hops? It's one and done for me.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2004 19:46:54 | More by WesWes

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

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

Acquired from RutgersBeerGuy so a big "Thank You" goes out to him. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a light gold color, with a thin white head that fades quickly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of grassy hops, fruity citrus and light caramelized malts.

T: The taste starts out sweet with a strong citrus flavor and some caramel. Then a decently strong hops presence comes in and takes dominance. The malt character is lighter than most beers in the style but is hearty enough to bring a decent balance. The after-taste is slightly fruity and slightly sweet.

M: Smooth and very crisp, light-to-medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: Tasty, goes down very easily, not too filling, very mild kick, good representation of style, this beer is certainly lighter than most pale ales but is still a solid beer that is worth drinking for a long time.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2010 03:52:47 | More by TheManiacalOne

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

Gavage

New Jersey

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

Clear yellow / orange in color. Huge 3" white head. Very thick lacing forms through the drink. Carbonation levels seem a bit high. The aroma is very of floral hops and citrus. The flavor has a slight graininess to the malt with some strong pleasant bitterness. Grapefruit is also all over this.

Medium in body. The mouthfeel was crisp at the start and finish. The finish was long on the bitterness too. Nicely drinkable and there seems to be some improvement to this brew since last year.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2004 21:21:27 | More by Gavage

jwc215

New Jersey

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

Pours golden with a thin, white, well-retained head.

I thought I lost my sense of smell for a moment...After deep smelling, some citrus becomes noticeable. As the drink progresses, it becomes stonger, but always stays mild. Orange citrus dominates.

The taste, at first, is of strong citrus - stronger than I expected because of thin smell. Orange and grapefruit make a grand appearance. My first thought - is this an IPA? But, upon more sipping the hops become subdued. Unfortunately, not much takes its place. Some barley malt seems to be there, but does not do much more than peek out, overrun by...water (a tad bit too salty water at that). I soon realize - this isn't necessarily overly hoppy as it is lacking in malt. The citrus is okay, but not balanced well. This beer needs more balance in the taste. Water is in place of where more malt should be. As it progresses - well, near the end - it balances out somewhat, but is still lacking.

A certain hop chewiness nearly saves it. And, even a touch more water and it would fall apart. Not as harsh as the first few sips led me to believe.

It does become smoother, as the malt finally makes a brief, though belated, appearance. I was surprised at how quickly it went down, but it did not leave me longing for another. A bit too harsh of a start, a bit too much water in the middle and not balanced enough for me.

Overall - an average-ish pale ale. Not terrible, but nothing more than decent-at-best, IMO.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2006 00:28:47 | More by jwc215

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A 12 oz bottle from a trade with guinnessfan.

A: The pale ale is pale, a light airy yellow color that is immeasurably lighter than most any other APA. The head is thick on pour, near 2 fingers and laces throughout the glass.

S: The aroma is biscuity malts with a small hop element that adds a bit of bitterness.

T: The flavor in the APA is fairly pedestrian. It showcases a biscuity malt body that is chewy but fairly thin. On top of the malts are a bit of hops, a faint citrusy flavor that appears and quickly disappears back into the malts.

M: The mouthfeel is restraint, fairly consistent for an APA. It is stronger on the malts, relatively, and has a quick hop profile.

D: The ale is a good session ale, mild enough to allow for multiple pints in one outing.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2007 23:10:13 | More by akorsak

tempest

Pennsylvania

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

Picked up a single from the cooler at Abe's in Bethlehem. The beer appears a slightly hazy straw yellow.

The aroma has a mix of fresh french bread and biscuit with a big punch of slightly soapy lemon-herb hops. The flavor follows up on the lemon and malts with a grassy addition in the aftertaste. The brewery simply calls this a non-traditional ale. I'd describe it as a hopped up English pale ale. Definitely tasty and very drinkable. It also seems like it would be an especially good summer ale.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2008 00:48:42 | More by tempest

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

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

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

Pours clear gold. Nose is very sticky sweet pine hops. Strong but not really overdone. Flavor is very hoppy, yes. But it seems to drop off a bit and shifts to a slightly earthy and dirty edge. The hops seem to still stick around though. Just not as clean as I would like overall. Feel has a good carbonation. Overall a decent brew, but the odd dirty edge kind of ruins it a bit for me.

Serving type: on-tap

01-01-2008 03:09:46 | More by RblWthACoz

rhoadsrage

Illinois

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

(Served in an American pint glass)
A- This beer has a slight hazy orangeish-yellow body with a gentle carbonation of tiny bubbles. The head is a bubbly snow white head that sticks to the glass a moment before sliding back into the beer.
S- The fresh hops aroma has tangerine and orange juice aromas with a soft plastic note to the green herbal finish.
T- The green hop bite has a soft dandelion bitterness and a cinnamon hint to it. There is a soft dry pale malt flavor that has a hint of sulfur bite to the finish. The hop bitterness lingers for just a moment after the finish.
M- This beer has a light mouthfeel with no alcohol heat.
D- This beer has a nice aroma start but turns a bit sharp. The hops in the taste are mostly bitter with not much flavor but some depth in the flavor that is there.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2009 22:02:04 | More by rhoadsrage

Zorro

California

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

Sampled through MrBURTON55 and the Summer Sipper 2007 BIF.

A clear light amber colored ale with a medium sized white head that quickly fades down to nothing but a thin ring.

The smell is mostly herbal hops but there is a significant citrus aroma here too. A little bit of eucalyptus and a little menthol in the scent too. Malt contribution is slight and mainly a light sweetness.

The taste begins neutral too slightly sweet with an earthy and slightly herbal hop flavor. Light but decently bitter this does a quite good job at balancing lightness with flavor. Slightly citrus in the mouth this seems to be most Kent hops with a firm handful of C hops added.

The mouthfeel is a little light.

Quite a nice beer in the drinkability department and one that compares favorably with the like of Firestone Pale Ale and DFH Shelter Pale Ale. If I were to change one thing about this beer I would up the aroma hops by about twice and leave the rest alone.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2007 01:53:20 | More by Zorro

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dark golden yellow color with a 2.5 finger frothy white head that slowly fades into a lasting ring and cap, leaving splotches of lacing along the glass.

Biscuity malt aroma with hints of grass and straw with some graham cracker malt and a nice hop presence.

Lower end of medium body with a nice pilsner/ bicuity malt backbone and a decent hop presence for the style. Clean and very drinkable with a crisp subtle hop dry finish.

Serving type: on-tap

08-31-2009 01:47:30 | More by corby112

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

DoubleJ

California

3.95/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Fox & Hounds, inside the Desmond Hotel (Malvern, PA). On to the beer:

Pineapple yellow color in the body, with good head retention on the top. Speaking of pineapple, I get that note in the aroma on a perfumy scale, along with soft fruit skins. A clean pale, it mixes different fruits with a zest of pineapple. Low in carbonation, light, easy to kick back, and cleaner in taste. I could certainly session this beer if it were readily available to me.

Serving type: on-tap

08-11-2009 01:45:13 | More by DoubleJ

DrJay

Massachusetts

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

Clear gold with a short white head. A smattering of lace was left on the glass. Hoppy aroma with plenty of grapefruit, but also some pine in the background. Solid bitterness with the same hop profile as in the aroma. Malt was a bit mild and didn't quite keep up with the hops, which lingered long into the finish. Light bodied and off-dry. An easy drinking pale ale, decent, but a little short of exciting.

Serving type: on-tap

06-20-2006 02:22:52 | More by DrJay

plaid75

New York

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

Poured a cloudy medium copper hue with the typical Yards three finger pillowy and chunky white head. There was excellent retention and lacing.

The smell featured a resiny citrus hop with some orange fragrance. Light doughy aroma as well.

The taste consisted of a light, zesty citrus hop with an excellent orange sweetness. Soft biscuity grain bill as well.

The mouthfeel was light and clean and well carbonated.

Overall a very drinkable APA with a very sessionable ABV. Well balanced and clean.

Thanks to Aprilluvsbeer for this gem.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2006 15:33:56 | More by plaid75

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