Rival IPA
Yards Brewing Co.

 

 

Pours deep copper with a thick white head. Aroma is light floral. Taste is malty and spicy/peppery. Feel is good, perhaps the best aspect here. Overall, drinkable and pleasant, nothing to get excited over.

 

 

 

 

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a bronze color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is malty, some herbal notes. Taste is herbal, peppery, malts, hardly any bitterness to speak of. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall, not terrible, but this beer did not satisfy my need for some hops.

 

The clear reddish amber colored beer pours out into a Duvel glass with a 3/4” off-white head that recedes fairly slowly while leaving a web of patches and legs of lacing on the sides of the glass. Sipping creates two arches and lots of small patches and legs of lacing.

The aromas include some light citrus, a bit of peppery spice backed up by some bready rye and caramel malt.

The flavors are much as expected from the nose with the citrus and a light touch of pine showing up front. The sweetness from the lightly toasted bready rye and caramel malt is balanced by some noticeably spicy and slightly resinous bitterness.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied and both smooth and slightly prickly with the moderate carbonation. The finish begins as the malt sweetness and citrus fade to allow the peppery, spicy and slightly resinous bitterness to fade even more slowly to a lingering dry ending in the back of the palate.

An enjoyable, drinkable IPA that I’ll be looking to have more of both this year and in future years. I also particularly like the fact that this is a locally brewed seasonal that I should always be able to find fresh.

Deep orange in color with excellent clarity. Poured with a tall, soapy, off white foam with very good retention. Earthy herbal and lightly spicy hop aromas with bready malt and light caramel notes. Medium bodied with medium carbonation and a delicate, creamy smooth feel. Caramel malty and earthy herbal hop flavors. Medium hop bitterness followed light minty and herbal hop notes and maltiness to the end. Finished with an herbal hop bite followed by caramel malt notes and light lingering bitterness. Well balanced with great malt characters and a pleasant, delicate feel. Hop character is earthy and subtle allowing both the hops and malts to be appreciated. Tasty, smooth and very drinkable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

-spiegelau ipa glass.

A: A semi-dark oxidized orange has a strong holding atop, frothy stone white structure that leaves a solid thick band of lacing about. Inside, a medium rate of micro-effervesce activity, rising at a moderate pace. Dark and juicy appearance provides for a mouthwatering anticipation.

S: Dank herbal and peppery notes first appear on the nose. Very earthy and spicy floral notes, with an almost burnt sugar sweetness and bourbon support.

T: Some fruitiness mingles with the dank herbal hoppiness, along with some grassiness and spicing of dry pine and oranges. Definitely not your typical IPA in terms of what I was expecting. Earthy, spicy, and woodsy, with a dank nature of herbs and spices, along with the peppery support of the rye malts gives this a nice flair along with a touch of anise.

M: Sticky mouthful, full of hop resins and dank herbal and peppery flair delights the tongues senses with delight. The rye provides a spicy and peppery warmth, as well the alcohol, along with some sugary malt for balance in the end that gives this a good feel and hold. Low carbonation and thick resinous juices and malt support give this a strong rating.

O: Overall a very good first impression with the flavor, completely caught off guard. The rye and dank herbal approach is a very nice alternative to the typical west coast, east coast styling. The drink not only started strong, but finished just as strong, ensuring your attention throughout with a wide range of flavors and spices with an outside the box mentality for flavor. The rye was ample and nicely represented here, defining the drink. Nice to find a hidden local gem.

 

Poured copper from the bottle with a thin, almost non-existent head. Smells were hoppy but not overly potent. The taste presented with a harder punch - with malty, dank & caramel notes, and a sour finish. All in all, not my favorite Yard's brew, but glad I had it once!