Brawler Pugilist Style Ale - Yards Brewing Co.

smooth_aleing

Pennsylvania

4.09/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured from 12oz bottle into pint glass.

A= Deep mahogany. Half-finger head with decent lacing.

S= Smells slightly of scotch, yeast, with raisin and caramel undertones.

T= Rich and bready. Strong dark ale taste, with raisin and caramel notes, and musty, woodsy finish.

M= Decent, with a fair amount of carbonation. Taste lingers on the tongue, which can turn slightly sour, but overall a good mouthfeel.

O= A unique beer. Haven't had one exactly like it, though it reminds me some of a Belgian quad. Very nice beer from a local (for me, anyway) brewery.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2013 21:31:04 | More by smooth_aleing

thain709

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Poured a deep amber that's not quite considered brown...some maroon highlights are around the edges...a tan head falls as it forms and leaves little lacing to speak of

S - A very heavy malt nose...caramel and toffee notes coming through

T - The malts continue right into the flavor...the roastiness of the malts really contributes to this beer...they are caramel and toffee in flavor with that hint of roasted bitterness...I'm really picking up some chocolate in this beer...maybe chocolate malts?...but it's a pleasant flavor...some graininess shows up at the end...but is then taken away by the roasted malts that finish this beer

M - Medium bodied...not heavy at all as the color would suggest...rather smooth

D - I feel this was great beer...I'm not too familiar with the style...but the flavors that this beer presented were very tasty and it's worth a try

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2009 20:27:33 | More by thain709

argock

Virginia

4.08/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Poured from 12oz brown bottle into a Samuel Adams Perfect Pint glass. No freshness date. Single purchased at Wine Warehouse (Charlottesville, VA) for $1.70.

A: Slightly murky chestnut with 1-finger tightly bubbled head that dissipates quickly but leaves a few random streamers of lace.

S: Very nutty with a light roasted malt note and light spiced note -- similar to ginger or anise -- with herbal hoppiness. Spice is not at all overbearing and adds a unique touch.

T: Flavor is very full with caramel nuttiness on a bready background, a bit tea-like, finished with herbal somewhat leafy hops. It reminds me of a lighter less plodding version of Old Peculier.

M: For a 4.2% ABV brew this has a very good feel and body, light-to-medium, with an herbal hops aftertaste.

D: A surprisingly full-flavored, nice drinking ale which is pretty well-built for sessioning. However, this is a good beer for those who don't really like beer because it is relatively light-bodied and drinkable. A really great effort from Yards on this one.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2010 02:14:27 | More by argock

EPICAC

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this beer in the Philly airport after flying back from Madrid. After a week of beer in Spain, American beer in the Philadelphia airport was a breath of fresh air. Actual hops, and actual flavor!

Brawler pours a clear, reddish brown, and is topped by an off-white head that fades to a film. The aroma was nice and malty. There were notes of toffee, caramel, and dark fruit. The aroma is very inviting.

There's a moderately sweet malt backbone throughout this beer. Caramel upfront quickly moves into notes of toffee and dark fruit in the center. The finish is mildly hoppy. Despite the mildly bitter finish, this beer sees very balanced. This mild is medium-bodied, and moderately carbonated with a mild dryness in the finish.

I really liked this beer. It's sweet, but seems to magically pull balance from somewhere.

Serving type: on-tap

06-13-2010 21:42:18 | More by EPICAC

JunkYardJake

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle to pint glass.
This is my first english mild so I cannot really judge this brew against it's peers. I can, however, say that this is a very tasty and enjoyable beer. It's quite malty and flavorful, yet only 4.2%. An ideal session beer. There is a good amount of visual appeal, too. Dark brown body that is highlighted with crimson hues. Full fluffy head with mild lacing. And the mouthfeel is probably it's best aspect. Full bodied and silky feel on the tongue with just enough carbonation to give it a little life. This is a great effort from Yards and one I look forward to having again.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2011 16:28:34 | More by JunkYardJake

SkinnyElvis

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A new brew from Yards which part of their mixed case. Pours with a thick head that laces nicely. Dark amber in color. Not much smell but a little malt. Tastes of smooth malt. Extremely drinkable. I would love to see this on cask. A worthy brew which would make a great session beer. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2008 01:51:31 | More by SkinnyElvis

drtth

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Chilled and poured into Duvel glass and allowed to warm some over the course of the tasting. Glass of cold water on the side to sip from periodically.

Appearance: Pours clear dark amber or copper with ¼" light tan head which fades to a thin film with a rim of foam around the edge of the liquid. Sipping leaves behind nice strands of lacing.

Smell: Light, sweet, bready malt smell, caramel with hints of brown sugar and fruit.

Taste: Sweet malt with nothing particularly strong or dominant. The sweetness does not cloy and just disappears in a dry finish without the hops ever having made a serious showing.

Mouthfeel: A bit thin with light creamy carbonation and a medium length malt finish.

Drinkability: This is explicitly brewed to be a session beer, which means you should be happy to have 5 or 6 of an evening and not be falling off your set. I think it succeeds admirably. Another characteristic of a good session beer is you find it just as or even more interesting in the 3rd of 4th pint. I haven't tested this beer that way but I suspect it would pass.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2009 01:51:33 | More by drtth

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a perfectly clear brown with a thin head. Nose is very mild. Slight smoked roasted thing on top of malts. Not really a whole lot. Excellent flavor delivery. Nice hearty body on a malt base. Slight tang to it, but just barely a wee bit. Feel is smooth. This is extremely drinkable. A bottled English mild? Hallelujah. Bring more please.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2009 16:57:53 | More by RblWthACoz

jgasparine

Maryland

4.05/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A- Poured from the bottle with virtually no head- just a diffuse haze layer and a collar. Not much lacing to speak of. The body was a optically clear dark amber color- no visible carbonation.

S- Smells of pale and stewed malts. Not many esters. A mild nuttiness and a very mild, low-alpha acid, earthy hop aroma. A moderate nose overall, but good for the style.

T- Pale and stewed malts are met with a little bit of huskiness and mild nuttiness. You also get some nice melanoidins, mild diacetyl, and a very mild earthy hop flavor/bitterness. Overall, very dry with a husky finish.

M- Thin body with a little bit of texture, presumably from unattenuated sugar. There's some moderately soft carbonation- no astringency.

D- This is freakin' slammable- a wonderful alternative to the normal session beer!

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2010 23:23:03 | More by jgasparine

jmdrpi

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

poured into pint glass

A- a nice clear dark ruby brown color. thin white head, some lacing
S- malt-heavy in the smell, caramel
T- mild, but malt forward. bread, a little nutty
M- lower carbonation, medium body
D- definitely agree with the label that this would be an excellent session beer

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2010 03:40:36 | More by jmdrpi

Boppar

New Hampshire

4.05/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

Back in the good ole days when there was a drinkability category, this would have gotten a 5.

A: Deep reddish brown with two fingers of foamy off-white head.

S: Sweet malts, toffee, fresh bread. Rich earth and moss.

T: It tastes the way it smells, which is a very good thing.

M: The mouthfeel is slick, foamy, and medium-bodied.

O: This is a very good session beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2011 00:05:11 | More by Boppar

MikeRa

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Yards Brawler has a excellent brown, almost amber, looking color, most certainly from the malted barley that was used. You can also taste the hops that were use and smell the aroma of the hops. It has a unique taste to it. It does also have a nice aftertaste to it as well.

Serving type: on-tap

02-15-2009 21:31:04 | More by MikeRa

jlandis

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Deep translucent brown with a thin to non-existent white head that quickly dissipates.

S - Crisp malty caramel with bready toasted grains.

T - Malty and simple with hints of caramel. Also picked up very subtle green apple yeast flavors.

M - Light and thin with restrained carbonation

D - Very drinkable! A perfect balance of flavor in a session beer. One of my favorites from Yards.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2009 14:21:17 | More by jlandis

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

An English Dark Mild Ale! Alright!

Appearance: Pours with a bit of head, dark brown in color.

Smell: Bready malt goodness.

Taste: Much like the smell, a nice ale with a flavors of malt, nuts, brown sugar and faint molasses. Hop character is minimal, just a slight bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Smooth yet prickly at the same time. Good amount of carbonation, medium bodied.

Drinkability: I love this style of beer. I could easily drink quite a few with no poor consequence.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2010 22:55:28 | More by Stinkypuss

JohnFatAss

New Jersey

4.03/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I really like this beer.

Pretty to look at, good flavor, easy to drink, and a fairly low ABV.

It has a nice roasted malt flavor that is not too over powering with low bitterness.

This beer will go great with most meals, or you can easily pound down a few while watching the game.

This one will find a regular spot in my fridge.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 02:20:55 | More by JohnFatAss

Finn

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

From a fresh Yards variety case. Served in a imperial pint glass.
Color is a ruddy red with brilliant clarity. A creamy head rests on top, and dissipates after anfew minutes. Aroma is mild chocolate/roasted malts, with a very "grainy" aroma, which is a bit sharp. Smells most similar to a brown ale. Flavor is of mild roasted malts and a tad of bitterness to balance it out. There is a very subtle sweetness behind the roasty flavors. The finish is a bit astringent, much like the sharp grainy aroma, but this isn't a bad thing. Moutfheel is on the lighter side of things, but we're not talking bud light here: there's still a little something to chew on, and it's a little creamy, and the carbonation is moderate.
Drinkability? As the label states, yes, you could drink a few rounds of this. It's a unique "Brown Ale Light", and worth a shot.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2009 03:45:03 | More by Finn

Gavage

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Appearance: clear brown in color with a 1" head that produces some mild lacing on the glass.

Smell: mild malt sweetness is all that comes through.

Taste: mild bready and grainy malt base. Caramel, hint of ripe fruit sweetness, and a soft bitterness.

Mouthfeel: lightly crisp to start, smoother towards the finish. Medium bodied. Aftertaste is very short and almost clean.

Drinkability: superb session beer with low alcohol content. Simple beer with a nice flavor profile does not bore you.

Serving type: on-tap

01-31-2009 21:48:56 | More by Gavage

ColForbinBC

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

12oz bottle poured into a pint

A rather clean, clear brown body with slight auburn highlights. A 1 finger off-white cap rose, subsided to a thin layer and hung around for the duration. Scattered lacing.

Cleanest malts in town. Lightly sweet caramel, bready, cereal-like. Toasted grains.

Sweet caramel and toasted grains dominate. Very clean malt profile with a mild earth hop balance that hangs real low and adds a low end musky element. Faint maple syrup in the finish.

Medium bodied. This beer is gritty up front, but finished smooth and creamy.

Coming from a hophead, this beer is almost devoid of any hops, and I would still drink this all night long. Highly sessionable. I am glad that Yards is back up and brewing again.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2009 22:53:12 | More by ColForbinBC

SPRichard

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

poured from 12oz bottle into my sam adams sensory glass

two fingers of head but disappeared quick....not much in the way of carbonation but the etching in the bottom of the glass pushed what was in there up to the top...dark cherry red color...minimal lacing

malty nose with a hint of citrus...very malt forward taste....light carbonation in the mouth

excellent session beer from a great local brewery...like the label says "for when you want to go a few rounds"....unlike Ricky Hatton vs Pac-Man you'll still be on your feet at the end of the night after a few of these

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2009 00:05:18 | More by SPRichard

number1bum

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clear dark copper color, or more like a light brown, with about one finger of light tan head. Looks softly carbonated (as it should be), and keeps only a very thin, wispy lace.

Smell has some toasty grain and caramel but is pretty weak. I wasn't expecting a blast here but a bit mroe would be nice.

Taste is essentially a combination of some caramel malt with a bit of toffee flavor to it, plus some lightly toasted grain character. There is also a touch of fruit, like plums I'm thinking. It's smooth and has a nice amount of flavor.

MOuthfeel is light bodied with soft carbonation. Finishes pretty clean.

This is a very drinkable, easily sessionable brew. A mild isn't something I'd reach for with regularity, mainly because I suppose I've become corrupted by extreme beers and I love being smacked around by huge blasts of flavor, but this is a great beer for just kicking back and enjoying without thinking much about it. A nice addition to their variety case.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2009 02:29:11 | More by number1bum

bamadog

Kentucky

4/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Review is from notes taken on 5/9/2010 and poured from the bottle to a pint glass. I feel like I should note, this beer is from Philly, and being originally from the Pittsburgh side of Pennsylvania, I tend to have an automatic bias towards anything from Philly. However, this beer has shut that down, a very enjoyable offering and I would absolutely love to get some more of this and more offerings from Yards (this is my first from them).

Appearance: Pours a nice coppery/dark caramel color; starts with a 1/2 finger light tan head that fades quickly to an uneven, but full, cap on the surface; body is a little cloudy and shows strong carbonation throughout; very slight washes and spots of lacing are left behind.

Smell: A sweet maltiness with a light cocoa and very light coffee roastiness to it; a tall, wet graininess as well... I'm reminded of another beer at first, but can't quite put my finger on it here... More on this in the taste...

Taste: Quite nice... That tall wet graininess combines with the very slight cocoa/coffee (light roast) maltiness; not much beyond that, but it's simple, straightforward and quite good. It now dawns on me that this beer reminds me a little bit of Goose Island's Mild Winter.

Mouthfeel: Carbonation is nice and lively, but not sharp; body is relatively light and leaves a slight coating on the roof of the mouth for a pretty clean finish, but leaves enough aftertaste to remind you of the pleasant flavors.

Drinkability: You know, this is kind of an all-day sessionable beer -- nice flavors that are solid but aren't going to wreck your palate; body isn't too heavy and the ABV is pretty manageable too... Cheers to Yards for this offering.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2010 15:04:01 | More by bamadog

IronLover

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Color is dark brown to nearly black with a reddish hue and good clarity. Nice foamy head that reduces to a thin white cap and lots of wet lacings on the glass. Sweet toasted malt aroma after the pour and nutty aromas when taking a sip. Dark fruit aromas kick up with a swirl of the glass. Light bodied with lazy carbonation. Toasted malt flavor in the front that tapers into a lightly bitter apple, dry finish with some nutty undertoneds as well. Very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2010 03:37:27 | More by IronLover

pzrhsau

District of Columbia

4/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A: Good brownish amber color with a really decent head that sticks to the glass.
S: Nice and roasted malt aroma with some fruity notes.
T: Light crisp flavor of malt with some hoppy finish. The beer really has a good toasted nutty flavor at the finish.
D/M: VERY light and drinkable. Fits as a very good session beer that you can drink all day. It has enough weight to it to pair with food.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2011 23:31:18 | More by pzrhsau

wampahoofus

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Ok, before I start, I can't think of a better name for a brew from Philly than "Brawler", at least among hockey fans! :-)

Nice dark brown color with creamy head. About 2 inches of head which fades quickly leaving behind a good deal of lacing.

Sweet aroma with lots of brown sugar and bit of fruit.

Lots of sweet malts to the taste. A bit a bitter hops lurking in the backgroud.

A nice balanced level of carbonation, giving the beer a bit of crispness.

This is a really nice English pub-style ale. Very enjoyable. Where are my fish and chips? Nice job, yards. Now behave yourself at the sporting events!

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2011 17:47:18 | More by wampahoofus

tigg924

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: 3/4 inch head, dark brown in color, clear, high carbonation

Smell: meadow, bark, and caramel malt—a very outdoorsy smell

Taste: pale malt, toffee, meadow, and a small touch of tea and chocolate

Mouthfeel: high carbonation, sweet start with a light bitter end/aftertaste, light bodied

Overall: A wonderful, sessionable beer that is very English in character. Nice and malty but the hops do just enough to balance this one out. I will look for this one again when I am in the Philly area.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2011 16:25:24 | More by tigg924