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

WissBrauSean

Pennsylvania

4.29/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

I poured this beer cool from the bottle and it poured a very dark and clear amber/mahogany with a one finger tan head that stays as a ring around the glass and leaves nice light lacing, but not much.

There are aromas of roasted grains, dark sweet malts and bread. mmm Bread! only very light though. I don't get much in the way of fruity esters perhaps a tiny bit.

The taste is straightforward and roasted malts with some caramel sweetness with a dry and very mild hoppiness at the end. It's almost balanced but more sweet than hoppy. Nothing about the flavour is over the top as the beer is a bit thin which keeps it all in line.

Mouthfeel is of a sweet nature with the body kind of lighter than you would expect with a beer of this colour. It more has the body of a lager. The carbonation can feel flat, and perhaps that is why I feel the body is thin. The carbonation seems more apparent at the finish. It's different!

Overall I find this beer incredibly good especially for a session beer that you could drink all night as it has the roasted notes and caramel that I love in a British beer and is yet not overly sweet. The body is a bit lacking but that is why it is sessionable and fits with the style so I am going to have to give this beer at least a 4 out of 5.

If you drink butweezer, put that urine down and try one of these. I would be a great beer to help ease yourself off of your addiction to garbage!

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 02:12:13 | More by WissBrauSean

ianjsullivan

Maryland

3.94/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

ST: 12oz poured into a pint.

A: Clear brown with an off-white brown tinged head. The malt shines.

S: Malty, grainy, nutty.

T: Toasty malts, nutty, grainy, slight smoke.

M: Medium and full.

O: Good flavor and low alcohol makes this a great beer to drink multiples of. Nice toasty malt and a nutty flavor lingers well into the hefty body. Pretty good with danish blue.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 01:35:45 | More by ianjsullivan

Mister_Falcon

Pennsylvania

3.24/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Pours a crystal clear ruby color with no real head. Smells oaty. Tastes malty, not too much else. Feels flat and just a touch bitter at the end. Really not too impressed with this one, kinda reminds me of Sam Adams or maybe some type of Yuengling or something, not a whole lot going on here. Can't recommend it, especially at 4.2 abv.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2013 00:46:10 | More by Mister_Falcon

CHADMC3

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Pours a dark, yet transparent brown body beneath the foamy off white head which slowly dissolves to leav a generous ring of lacing.

The aroma is simple and straightforward featuring toasted biscuit and malt with just a hint of toffee and almost no hop presence.

The flavor is similar offering more toasted malt, biscuit, perhaps a marble like bread quality and a slightly nutty finish.

Medium in body with a traditional English draft quality with limited carbonation and a clean finish.

Quite a nice dark mild offering peasant malt and a clean, and somewhat creamy body.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 03:18:05 | More by CHADMC3

Chico1985

Massachusetts

3.49/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Cam for this and some other Yards goodies that he brought up from Philly for me. I believe this is an untouched style for me...

Dark reddish body with some orange highlights. Beige head forms a cloudy cap and leaves lace dots.

A bit plain on the scent, decent strength. Mostly getting toasted, caramel, nutty malts.

Lots of malt flavor coming through mostly in the taste - toasty, cola, grainy, bready, buttery, nutty, light chocolate. Some raisin and very light herbal hops.

Light mouthfeel with highish carbonation, good amount of flavor for the low ABV.

Decent, a little bland but not offensive. Sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 19:08:51 | More by Chico1985

mooseo

Pennsylvania

3.54/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle into pint glass.

A - Dark amber brown with a small off-white head.

S - Toasted malt, bready, nutty, and a hint of earthy hops.

T - Bready toasted malt, nuts, and light earthy hops. Sweet up front, but finishes with some bitterness. Subtle chocolate and dark fruit evident as the beer warms.

M - Soft, creamy, smooth. Fairly crisp and refreshing. Clean finish.

O - Great drinkability and flavor. A pretty good English mild. Nicely balanced.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 00:16:30 | More by mooseo

cbutova

Massachusetts

3.65/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

3rd or 4th time trying this beer.

A- Bottle to pint glass pour with a dark brown body, some crimson hints around the very edge of the glass. A light tan head builds up to about a finger in size and retains decently. The frothy cap falls to a small ring and leaves small patches of lace.

S- Malty right off the bat. Big nutty notes as well as caramel, roast grains, toast and general cereal hints. Yeast bread, dark fruit and a slight buttery aspect to it as well.

T- I notice some big differences here from the nose as soon as I take the first sip. The dark fruit, yeast bread and general English Ale yeast feel kicks in more here. It adds a nice balancing effect to the toasted, roasty, nutty and caramel malts. Really not much in the way of hops for me, a tiny bit herbal and earthy.

MF- Lighter end body which could be expected in an English Mild Ale. A bit of a foamy carbonation feel and slightly on the watery side of things, which also shouldn't be unexpected. Virtually no bitterness.

I ended up buying a mixed-case of Yards beers just before Christmas. They were really fresh and seemed like a good choice to bring home and share some Philly beer. I am really happy with my choice and would not hesitate to buy the same case at the price I got it for in the future. A good mix of different styles and most importantly interesting beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2013 01:55:54 | More by cbutova

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

3.39/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

A: Pours a dark red color with a bit of haziness to the body. The head is a one finger offwhite color. Retention could be better for 4.2%, though the texture is about on par for the style.

S: Earthy malts and hops come through fairly well. Touches of fruitiness, hazelnut, and chocolate give it a decent depth also.

T: Again, earthy flavors and nuttiness abounds. The finish has a light hint of generic fruit esters. Seemingly simple at first, however further sips reveals layers of hazelnut, chocolate, bright fruits, and even some hops. Not a huge amount of flavor here, however it features good complexity.

M: A bit too heavy and overcarbonated for what I want the style to accomplish. The finish is very slick and wet, which makes it a little less drinkable, but allows its depth to shine through. It's a wash, really.

O: This lives or dies by one fact: would I want multiple servings of this in a single sitting? At first, I didn't think so, but this grows on me the more I drink it. It does drink like a bigger beer at times, but at the same token, doesn't have a strong enough flavor profile that would allow it to fully get away with it. So I'll hesitantly say yes, I would drink multiple pints of this at a bar. I probably wouldn't buy a 6 pack of it, but I'd love to see what cask conditioning transforms it into.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2013 01:01:18 | More by ThisWangsChung

SolipsismalCat

Pennsylvania

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

Poured into a glass mug.

A: Clear dark amber with two-finger, off-white, fizzy head that lasted a minute or two. Not much lacing.

S: Strong caramel malt aroma. Hint of earthy spice.

T: Moderate sweetness and light bitterness. Bready malt with subtle notes of chocolate.

M: Light to medium bodied with soft carbonation. Kind of watery.

O: I was mostly disappointed by the look and feel of this beer. It felt like it had potential.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 22:56:00 | More by SolipsismalCat

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

3.45/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle poured into a nonic.
4.2% ABV, "Pugilist style ale" code on bottom is warn off.
(Reviewed 06-08-11 - from notes)

Thanks for the bottle Thorpe!

A - Faintly hazy rusted brown in color, Brawler packs a punch of an off-white head. Big but effervescent and quickly fleeting, nothing but a skim of foam is left over.

S - Heavy yeast esters of earth and dust appear before the strong biscuity toffee malts. Very low hop appearance throughout the aroma, the beer is somewhat unbalanced but decidedly English in aroma.

T - Low English hops underline the strong, flavorful malt profile rich with biscuity, toffee notes and a bit of graininess. A homebrew-like yeast finish of earthy esters pulls through.

M - Smooth and medium-bodied in feel, my only concern for it's drinkability is with it's over-carbonation. It makes it feel quite hard to put back.

O - Other than the carbonation, it's a pretty solid brew with a nice flavor profile for the low alcohol percent. A sessionable dark beer!

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 22:11:28 | More by BeerFMAndy

barczar

Kentucky

3.6/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear dark brown with amber highlights and a quarter inch cream head that quickly dissipates.

Roasted and toasted bitter malt dominates the aroma, with notes if chocolate and breadcrust and a touch of floral hop adding intrigue.

Flavor is...mild. Definitely malt dominant, featuring deeply toasted, nutty dark malt, and finishing lightly bitter and dry. There's a fair amount of an acrid character beneath.

Body is on the light side, with moderate carbonation accentuated by the acrid flavor.

Not much experience with this style, but that off flavor is not pleasant.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2012 20:06:55 | More by barczar

Uniobrew31

Pennsylvania

4.53/5  rDev +23.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Great beer! good mouthfeel and flavor. No aftertase to speak of and it has a nice crisp finish. Malt is king with this one. Very subtle hops, no bitterness. Just a nice crisp almost sweet session ale Yards ESA is also a good product if you are looking for a bit more hops in your brew.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2012 02:24:32 | More by Uniobrew31

noel2977

Pennsylvania

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

i just don't think people understand session brews... or, are too focused on the hop bombs and high alcohol projects to appreciate this style.
Yards Puglist, at 4.2% clocks in at an appreciably low ABV yet takes on the English style well. Malty aromas highlight the amber brew. Its taste profile starts off malty, has some slight fruity sweetness to it that mingles nicely with the bready maltiness, a hint of yeast, leading to a nice profile finish. Not overly complex, but accomplishes exactly what its brewed for. Kills any macro-brew.
I'd love to try this on cask.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2012 01:22:29 | More by noel2977

ghostwalker

Massachusetts

3.83/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A dark mild, I'm fairly psyched. Not a usual style for an American brewery.

A: Light ruby body with a thin white finger of head that quickly dissipates.

S: Nose is grainy malt with not a lot of hop character.

T: Flavor is rich malt for such a light body and low ABV. Dark, slightly bitter, clean finish. It's very good, but almost a little too clean for an English style, where's the yeast?

M: Slick, smooth and a hint of astringency on the finish.

O: A good brew. I love the variation from the standard styles and am pleased to say that the result is tasty and very sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2012 23:10:58 | More by ghostwalker

brystmar

New York

3.75/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks, Ethan.

A really nice looking Mild: semi-transparent brown body, plenty of manila-colored head & lace, good retention.

Herbs and a mixture of grains in the malty aroma. Taste is pretty bland & watery, which is style-appropriate but not what I'm looking for in a beer.

Highly sessionable. Would much rather play beer pong with this than any of the BMC alternatives. That said, I can't see myself ever buying this beer for myself.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2012 03:16:46 | More by brystmar

djbst73

3.4/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle poured into pint glass. Fresh.

A- deep brown color with some lacing that doesn't last. Definitely darker than I expected.

S- A little nutty and toasty, but not much to smell here.

T- Nice malty, and toasted up front with a hint of the nuttiness. Subtle hops fades quickly, but is very nice. I am getting the distinctive taste of British pales, suggesting significant mineral treatment in the water. I like it as a brit-style session beer.

M- Good body, a bit buttery.

O- I could drink these all day, but it is nothing too crazy. Just a solid, well-rounded ale.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2012 01:06:05 | More by djbst73

wxduff

New York

3.13/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

Appearance – Served in a Goblet from a bottle. Pours very dark amber with a decent head that quickly disappears without leaving much lacing.

Smell - Almost overpowering sweetness at first, but then some of the roasted aromas sneak through. The sweet smell could be described as molasses like.

Taste- As expected by the smell, the beer is rather sweet, with a decent amount of residual sugar. After a short while, like with the nose, the malt and hops sneak through, however the sweetness is almost overpowering, until the aftertaste which comes through a little nutty and dry.

Mouthfeel - My sample, even for a session ale felt rather thin, and would be improved if it felt a bit thicker.

Overall – This beer, while suffering from a little to much sweetness, is not terrible and could go over well as a session beer for those times you want to have a few and not loose your head. Those with a sweet tooth will like it more than others.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2012 02:20:37 | More by wxduff

jifigz

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle poured into a pint glass

The appearance is a clean and clear dark caramel brown. The head disappeared almost instantly and left no real lacing. The aroma is candy sweet and that is about all. The flavor is mild with hints of roasted grain and a lot of sweetness. There is just a touch of hops to balance the sweetness of this brew. The MF is light and crisp as it should be.

Overall, this is a pretty decent session beer and an alright mild brown ale. Nothing spectacular but nothing amazing either.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2012 15:30:37 | More by jifigz

Buggies

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This is a nice treat and a little different style offering for a PA brewery.

Lovely aromas of roasted grains, caramel, and a little nutty. All present in the taste. Just a little fruitiness as well. But with all that aroma and flavor, this beer has a nice even finish. Very balanced, which makes this beer big on flavor but easy on the pallet.

Very drinkable and a change up from the normal offering of a PA brewer. Very good.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2012 21:27:29 | More by Buggies

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.65/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served in a bottle at Cork City in Hoboken, NJ

A: Pours a clear garnet red to brown in color with very light amounts of visible carbonation. The beer has a finger tall beige creamy head that slowly reduces to a thick layer covering the entire surface of the beer. Moderate lacing is observed.

S: This beer has a very light and almost subtle aroma, dark malts with some light sweetness are present.

T: The beer has some dark malts and some caramel malts with light sweetness. There are also some toffee sweet notes as well along with a light amount of nuttiness.

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

O: Very easy to drink and very sessionable (though I suppose that is the goal for the style). This is definitely a light flavored but enjoyable beer that could be drank all night long.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2012 12:39:50 | More by dbrauneis

metter98

New York

3.43/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle at Cork City, Hoboken, NJ

A: The beer is clear and very dark amber in color with a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high dense foamy off white head that died down but left a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface.
S: There are light aromas of dark malts in the nose. Some sweetness becomes noticeable as the beer warms up.
T: The taste has flavors of nuts with a bit of sweetness and notes of toffee.
M: It feels a bit shy of medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is very easy to drink and very sessionable; I would have no problem drinking this all night long.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2012 07:27:31 | More by metter98

wac9

Pennsylvania

3.03/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

well im so happy i found yards in willimasport heard alot about their beers and this style of beer works i drank this beer too cold tonight the other night i drank it warmer and i like it sitting in a english pub this would hit the spot great color so i will drank more dark mild ale nice dark red in color and i taste so fruit so enjoy this beer and other dark mild ales

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2012 00:52:10 | More by wac9

tylerprince

Colorado

2.65/5  rDev -27.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Reviewed from memory from yesterday.

A: Dark copper with off-white head. Not much in the way of lacing.

S: Weak apricot and toasted dark malts. Slight stale odor.

T: Oh my. Fruit sugars and burned malt; apricot. Complex, but not in a good way. I like hops in all my beers, and this one is practically a malt liquor.

M: Syrupy yet thin. Undercarbonated MO, but finishes with some foam.

O: Not very good. Other reviews speak highly of it, but I found it to be dull and unsatisfying.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2012 07:13:22 | More by tylerprince

smakawhat

Maryland

3.53/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from the bottle into a nonic pint glass.

A very aggressive light caramel/tan head is made, very styrofoamy looking and settling quite quickly.

Nose is mostly just yeast, a bit estery smelling and sticky almost sour malt. After sometime some sweetness comes out which makes it a bit more enjoyable, kind of a fruity marmalade a bit and apricot.

A nice slightly made for the course palate feel, light rolling malts, but a nice pectin and apricot fruit behind this. Light bodied fruit tasting and almost apricot peach mixing with a good malt backbone.

Overall for a mild, pretty pleasant. Lacking a little bit in flavor and feel, but drinkable and enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2012 18:14:33 | More by smakawhat