WILK Friday Beerbuzz – 4 June 2010 (Yards Philadelphia Pale Ale)

Memorial Day always marks the beginning of summer in NEPA, and with so many summer days to enjoy a beer ahead of us, I decided we should start sampling some summer beers.  Now mind you the term “summer beers” can mean a lot of things, but if you simply define it as a beer to enjoy on the deck or by the pool on a hot summer day, it’s easy to see what makes a good summer beer.

As I demonstrated last week with my choice of a big beer like Three Philosophers, you’ll find summer beers aren’t just about session beers….however…today’s beer IS a session beer and a great one at that.

My choice for our beer of the week comes to us from Silly-Philly in the form of Yards Philadelphia Pale Ale.  This beer has been rated by the NY Times (and by me) as one of the best Pale Ales in the country.  If you like a solid pale ale with a wonderful citrus-y flavor and superb drinkability, be sure to sample this beer.  The ABV for this beer is 4.6% which makes it a classic session beer, and what I suspect is a massive dose of Simcoe and/or Amarillo hops makes it an easy drinker.

I love the fact that this beer comes to us from a local brewery, but I really like the fact that Tom Kehoe & Steve Mashington of Yards went out of their way to design a brewery that is environmentally responsible as well.  Yards is the first 100% wind-powered brewery in PA, they use all recycled glass & cardboard, they donate spent grains to feed farm animals and they even used environmentally responsible materials in the new brewery….AND did I mention they brew a great beer? 
Yards Philadelphia Pale Ale is a beer you’ll want to taste, so be sure to check it out. 

So what beer should we taste next Friday?  You beer-input is always appreciated so please comment or e-Mail us.  Thanks to John, Nancy, Joe & Bosco for yet another fun Friday. 

The Friday Beerbuzz…bringing good beers and good people together. 
As always you can check out the video on-line at the WILK Friday Beerbuzz page by clicking HERE.