REVIEW 74: PHILADELPHIA PALE ALE

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  USA

BREWERY:  Yards Brewing Company

STYLE:  APA

ABV:  4.6%

PURCHASE:  Draught (60-oz. pitcher), $10.00

SERVING:  Said pitcher, poured into chilled pint glass. Solid head from the tap of about two full inches; poured roughly an inch and a half from pitcher to glass. A slow pour yielded roughly the same result. Very good retention.

APPEARANCE:  Clear golden body with a dense white head. Bubble action present in pitcher but not in the glass. Very good lacing.

BOUQUET:  Mild noble hop bitterness trumps all else, the "all else" comprised mainly of citrus and floral essences. Malt notes are barely noticeable.

PALATE:  Moderately light body and even lighter on the carbonation. There do seem to be some sweet malt undertones early on, but overall the taste profile seems evenly split between citrus essences and hop bitterness, particularly at the finish. Aftertaste is grapefruity with subdued yeastiness. 

MUSINGS AND METAPHORS:  This is an APA--an American pale ale--as opposed to an IPA. The difference? Essentially, more of a balance between malt and hops, and perhaps the variety of hops used during brewing. The gold standard for this style remains Sierra Nevada, at least in the opinion of this reviewer.

As for this one, it's the poor man's version, the DVD to Sierra's Blu-Ray. Decent enough, but I expect better from Yards.




GRADE:  C+