Beer Review: Yards Philadelphia Pale Ale

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 4.6 percent

Appearance: Philadelphia Pale Ale pours a golden straw color with a pretty active head. It was white and very fluffy. It was thick enough that I could actually take a finger, make an indentation in it and still not touch the beer's body. Thankfully, this wasn't a case where the head was so explosive that it takes 20 minutes just to pour the beer. This was a perfect instance. The retention was only average, but it was made up for by the layers of lacing that were left inside the glass. The golden body is somewhat clear (as you can obviously see the label of glass I poured this into), but the head presence let's you know this beer isn't watered-down.

Smell: This was very sweet and malty, but at the same time had a lovely mix of hop and citrus aromas. This was an interesting thing I noticed. You don't usually pick up citrus in pale ales.

Taste: The way this beer tasted reminded me of Troegs Sunshine Pils, but with a citrusy twist. I got the hop notes, and the pale aftertaste. The zing from the citrus and the sweet malt just go on to compliment the two traditional aspects of this style. The hop presence of this beer is also up to par with the above-average hopped Sunshine Pils. It works out perfectly. The hops compliment the finer aspects of the brew, and aren't the dominant ingredient. Overall, the taste was crisp and refreshing.

Overall Rating: 

The first sentence of the Philadelphia Pale Ale page on Yards' website says that they believe that all other beers of this style compare to this one in particular. I wholeheartedly agree. This was a fantastic drink. The fact that there was a nice floral hop presence and some citrus zest present vaults this pale ale over any other that I've had.