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Yards Brewing Company
Categories: Beer, Wine & Spirits, Breweries [Edit]
Neighborhood: Northern Liberties901 Delaware Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19123
(215) 634-2600
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
4 reviews for Yards Brewing Company
Yards was my gateway drug into craft ales. It all started when I heard how amazing Yards Old Ale was, and that it was brewed in Philadelphia, no less. Sadly, that beer was removed from production a few years before I got into Yards.
Of the current lineup, the ESA and Brawler are fine, malt-forward ales, very excellent on cask. Philly Pale Ale is great in the summer, especially with a wedge of lemon and even more especially when the Phillies are playing. I'm not a huge fan of the IPA, Saison or Pynk (can't knock them for variety), although I really liked the Cape of Good Hope IPA that was available on cask recently. And then there's Love Stout...I always look forward to this coming out in the winter months (no oysters used in the brewing process anymore.)
Then you have the colonial ales, my favorite of which is Jefferson's, made with honey, and Franklin's intriguing spruce-tip infused ale comes a close second. I have great memories with long-estranged pals trying this ale for the first time. George's porter? What can I say, I'm not much of a fan of this style, but, if you like porters...try it!
I'm looking forward to checking out the new brewery, which I hear was built in a building that used to be a skate park. We have a world-class brewer in this town, and this is one of many reasons I'm thankful to be a Philadelphian. They're right up there with the best like Dogfish Head, Bells, and Troegs. Now, if they would re-release the Old Ale like we keep asking... we'd have a five-star operation here.
Let me set the scene for you.
It's a Monday night around 9:30pm and I've decided that I'm going to need a case of beer for whatever reason, but it's an hour and a half too late for any Philadelphia beer distributor to be open.
I quickly analyze my options:
1) Go meet my friends at a bar, spend $50 for some beers and brews, come home, go to sleep.
2) Go to the local Pub and spend $9 for a six-pack of Pabst. I don't even need to say what's wrong with this option.
3) Haul ass up Deleware Ave. to Yards brewing company in hopes of catching one of the brewers I've met through the bar I work at, and hope he/she wants to sell me a case of beer for the $30 I have on me.
So I get to Yards at about 9:40 and hit the hazard lights on the car. I run through the back employee entrance where a brewer is just finishing up for the night and hosing down the floor. He explains that he just got done brewing and is getting ready to leave for the night.
I inquire, "You don't feel like selling me a case of beer, do you?"
He replies, "Uh, yeah. Sure!"
And with that we're off. We walk through the unfinished brewery all the way to the back cooler, where he leads me in, shows me what has been recently bottled, and asks me what I want. Even at the end of his night, he's anxious to get me to sample their new Wheat beer, the Saison, but I politely decline and request a variety pack. He promptly gestures at me to pick one up, rings me out and I'm on my way. Awesome.
As we speak, I'm enjoying the full malt body of a Yards ESA, one of my favorite local beers. Included in the variety pack is their hop bomber IPA, which weighs in at a solid 7% APV, and tastes just as good as any IPA I've ever had, including the Dogfishhead IPAs. Their Philly Pale is also a hoppy, light, ale that makes a great summer beer. For the days I want to shack up from the rain, enjoy a movie, and hang out at the house, I enjoy the more malt forward Brawler, which is an English style session ale that weighs in at about 4%APV.
Through and through, I'd take Yards any day of the week over their mediocre competition, Philadelphia Brewing Company. The people are nice and genuine, and the beers are solid through and through.
Cheers to a job well done, Yards.
Yards Brewing Company is a true Philadelphia institution. Originally located in Manyunk, Yards resurrected a pre-prohibition brewing plant, formerly Weisburg and Hess Oriental Brewing Company, in the Kensington section of Philadelphia. They have a sense of humor about their location, having named their recent Belgian Style 'Chateau Kenso' which plays on a nickname for the folks who reside in Kensington, most likely in abodes that bear no relation to chateaus. For promotional events they like to visit the dollar store, buy some merch and slap their Yards stickers on it. I have a cheap chess board with a Yard's sticker I got from one of their tasting nights. They also have a t-shirt made for their Saison that says "shower yourself in golden refreshment." Hee-hee.
The brewery tour is a lot of fun. They take you around the plant, have you sniff handsful of hops and munch on barley, teaching you how they get from the basic ingredients to the bottle of Philly Pale Ale. At the end you find yourself in this large loft-like space with a small bar that offers tastings of all of their products (no charge, but tip the bartender). There's a pool table, a juke box and lots of comfy seating. It is a great way to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon, and in all a cheap way to have a few beers.
Yards Philly Pale Ale always does me right...tastes awesome, its at most quality establishments, and puts my mind and body at ease. They make a bunch of other great brews: ESA(Extra Special Ale), Saison, IPA, and Love Stout- Just to name a few. I never got to take a tour of the Brewery, which I heard had a pool table(awesome!), and unfortunately I don't think I will be able to with the current split and relocation of Yards. One can only look at this in a positive light. Now we have two great local brewers(Yards and Philadelphia Brewing Company)instead of one.
