Brawler Champion Ale
Yards Brewing Co.

Brawler Champion AleBrawler Champion Ale
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From:
Yards Brewing Co.
 
Pennsylvania, United States
Style:
English Dark Mild Ale
Ranked #50
ABV:
4.2%
Score:
84
Ranked #31,973
Avg:
3.71 | pDev: 13.75%
Ratings:
1,228 | reviews: 344
Status:
Active
Rated:
Apr 24, 2026
Added:
Dec 10, 2008
Wants:
  73
Gots:
  344
The most approachable of our ales, Brawler is malt forward and delicately hopped for a knockout flavor. Its smooth character, hints of caramel and toast, and remarkable drinkability define this ruby colored brew as a true session ale. Perfect when you want to go more than a few rounds.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Bluerabbitbell:
Photo of Bluerabbitbell
Reviewed by Bluerabbitbell from Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
5/10/23 Poured from a 12 oz bottle from my BIL!

Brown bread malty aroma with the same taste. Beautiful deep amber, light copper. Very little head or lacing, per style that is to be expected.

First time trying this style. It has lager characteristics to me.
May 11, 2023
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4 by Arble_Garble_Sr from Virginia

Apr 24, 2026
Photo of Snorcross97
Reviewed by Snorcross97 from New Jersey

4.29/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pours a crystal clear brown color with a cream colored head. Malt dominates the flavor profile with caramel, raisin and nut notes. Despite all the malt, it is a surprisingly light bodied beer. If there's a fault with Brawler it's that the mouthfeel is too light, however that's generally how it goes with an English mild.
Mar 24, 2026
 
Rated: 3.75 by atlbravsrno1 from Maine

Feb 28, 2026
 
Rated: 3.79 by kuhndog from New York

Feb 10, 2026
 
Rated: 4.12 by not2quick from Missouri

Feb 02, 2026
 
Rated: 4.23 by Bhubbard34 from Pennsylvania

Jan 28, 2026
 
Rated: 4.34 by datstankadank from New Jersey

Jan 11, 2026
Photo of Sinfull
Reviewed by Sinfull from New York

3.79/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Clear, brown color. Caramel malt dominates the aroma, with faint notes of bread. Same caramel malt in taste. Balanced, easy to drink. A good example of a not-so-common style.
Aug 02, 2025
 
Rated: 3.5 by doctorgary from New York

Mar 28, 2025
 
Rated: 3.67 by Rsjvgdss from Pennsylvania

Dec 08, 2024
 
Rated: 4.2 by Overtonjd from New Jersey

May 18, 2024
 
Rated: 3.37 by TheIPAHunter from California

Oct 13, 2023
Photo of chinchill
Reviewed by chinchill from South Carolina

2.81/5  rDev -24.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.75
12 oz can from an Acme in the Philly metro area. A 28 June 2023 bottling date is stamped on the neck.

Appearance. Excellent, with an unusually durable off-white head.

Both the aroma and the flavor seem off
Sep 24, 2023
 
Rated: 3.6 by HanktheTank94 from Maryland

Aug 12, 2023
 
Rated: 3.25 by mpenske from California

Aug 10, 2023
Photo of GrumpyGas
Reviewed by GrumpyGas from Illinois

3.79/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
12oz undated bottle poured into a pint glass shows a dark yellow amber body and floats a 1/2" head of cream colored foam with a persistent filmy cap, and leaving virtually no lacing.

Nutty malt aroma dominates with hints of toast and cherries and the flavor matches.

Mouthfeel is smooth, light and slightly slick.

Overall an easy drinking example of an all too hard to find style around here, but this might be changing as more local breweries are upping their game in classic styles.
Jul 14, 2023
Photo of dano213
Reviewed by dano213 from Pennsylvania

3.77/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
12oz bottle purchased from the fridge as part of a mix-a-six pack for $13.99. Bottled on 10/10/22, so this beer is almost 7 months old.

Look: Pours a very pretty perfectly clear ruby amber color. There was a nice one-finger of khaki-colored head that reduced to a thin layer. Lots of very tiny bubbles are quickly rising up the glass.

Smell: It has some interesting, very malty aromas. Initially, I get notes of chestnuts and some subtle, underlying cherry notes. There's a lot of molasses and some caramel coming through. The finish has light cocoa and some woody/leathery notes. I also get allusions to root beer from this beer. There were some medicinal notes on the nose initially that blew off.

Taste: It's nice. If you wanted an English Dark Mild Ale then that is what this tastes like. Honestly, it's a bit watery and that just might be how it's supposed to be. As I picked up in the nose, this beer has some root beer vibes going on. I also get subtle raisin notes on the finish. There are a lot of dark malts here, it's very pleasant. Prominent toasted grain character (reminiscent of grape nuts cereal). What's interesting is that this beer is not sweet, not bitter, very malty, and it's pretty dry. Compared to a porter or a stout, it doesn't have pronounced roasted malts or strong chocolate/coffee flavors. It's kind of like a "light" malty beer. Very subtle hop notes and bitterness on the finish.

Feel: It's on the lighter side of medium bodied. I think that this may be slightly over-carbonated.

Overall: It's a nice low ABV English-style ale. It has a nice amount of flavor and it's pretty tasty. I'm not blown away by it and I am pleased by it.

From the website:
SMOOTH, CRISP, CLASSIC
Crafted in the style of an English mild, this malt-forward ale is great when you want to go a few rounds. Its smooth character, hints of caramel and toast and remarkable drinkability define this ruby-colored brew as a knockout session ale.

4.2% ABV
12 IBU
11°P OG

Style
English Mild

Color
Ruby

Ingredients
Crystal and amber malts; roasted barley

Availability
Year-Round
May 02, 2023
 
Rated: 3.52 by BeerInspector from Delaware

Feb 20, 2023