Brawler Champion Ale
Yards Brewing Co.
Beer Geek Stats
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- Style:
- Mild Ale - English Dark
Ranked #66 - ABV:
- 4.2%
- Score:
- 84
Ranked #36,699 - Avg:
- 3.73 | pDev: 13.67%
- Reviews:
- 330
- Ratings:
- From:
- Yards Brewing Co.
- Pennsylvania, United States
- Avail:
- Year-round
- Wants
- 64
- Gots
- 340
SCORE
84
Good
84
Good
Notes:
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.
Reviews: 330
| Ratings: 1,197
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Reviews by JeffTheJuice:
More User Reviews:
BillManley from Minnesota
4.6/5 rDev +23.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
I know that big, high-alcohol, massive flavor beers are en vogue at the moment but I'm really starting to appreciate the easy drinking subtleties of a mild.
During Philly Beer Week I must have sample over 100 different beers and one of the beers that sticks out in my mind is truly Brawler. After 4 plus 12 hour days of drinking, brawler is just what I had been searching for. An easy drinking flavorful, low-alcohol beer that I could sip on all afternoon without loosing my head.
Kudos guys...job well done. To make a tasty beer with big flavors in a session strength is no easy feat.
I hope more breweries follow suit and I can't wait to get back to Yards and try another glass of Brawler.
Mar 17, 2009
4.6/5 rDev +23.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
I know that big, high-alcohol, massive flavor beers are en vogue at the moment but I'm really starting to appreciate the easy drinking subtleties of a mild.
During Philly Beer Week I must have sample over 100 different beers and one of the beers that sticks out in my mind is truly Brawler. After 4 plus 12 hour days of drinking, brawler is just what I had been searching for. An easy drinking flavorful, low-alcohol beer that I could sip on all afternoon without loosing my head.
Kudos guys...job well done. To make a tasty beer with big flavors in a session strength is no easy feat.
I hope more breweries follow suit and I can't wait to get back to Yards and try another glass of Brawler.
Mar 17, 2009
BeerAdvocate from Massachusetts
4.05/5 rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Toast, Grassy, Quaffable, Balance
One of the only brewers in the US to successfully have a Mild Ale as a core beer in their portfolio and an excellent one at that. Malt forward with a bit of body, smooth with just enough crispness to bring this brew to a lofty height of drinkability. Maltiness drives forward throughout, sip to sip this ale opens up with suggestions of toast, biscuits, & faint caramel. Such a beautiful beer.
STYLE: English Dark Mild Ale | ABV: 4.2% | AVAILABILITY: Year-round
Review from BeerAdvocate magazine issue #94 (NOV 2014)
Aug 25, 2015
4.05/5 rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Toast, Grassy, Quaffable, Balance
One of the only brewers in the US to successfully have a Mild Ale as a core beer in their portfolio and an excellent one at that. Malt forward with a bit of body, smooth with just enough crispness to bring this brew to a lofty height of drinkability. Maltiness drives forward throughout, sip to sip this ale opens up with suggestions of toast, biscuits, & faint caramel. Such a beautiful beer.
STYLE: English Dark Mild Ale | ABV: 4.2% | AVAILABILITY: Year-round
Review from BeerAdvocate magazine issue #94 (NOV 2014)
Aug 25, 2015
dogfishbrawler from New Jersey
5/5 rDev +34%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
I believe this beer is severely underrated. When it comes to session ales, this beer is at the top of the list for me. I have never had a session beer excluding a session IPA with this much depth of flavor and malt character then the Yards Brawler. A buddy of mine and I were talking and we both a agree that this beer goes fantastic with pretzels. Specifically sourdough pretzel nuggets. Overall it is one of my top 5 favorite beers ever and not to mention it did win silver at the GABF.
Oct 07, 2016
5/5 rDev +34%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
I believe this beer is severely underrated. When it comes to session ales, this beer is at the top of the list for me. I have never had a session beer excluding a session IPA with this much depth of flavor and malt character then the Yards Brawler. A buddy of mine and I were talking and we both a agree that this beer goes fantastic with pretzels. Specifically sourdough pretzel nuggets. Overall it is one of my top 5 favorite beers ever and not to mention it did win silver at the GABF.
Oct 07, 2016
TigerSoul from New Jersey
4.02/5 rDev +7.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
I suppose this beer doesn't get higher marks because of the following: 1. It is not 5,000% ABV. 2. It is not flavored with Thai Basil and organic free-trade Madagascar vanilla beans, and 3. It is not double-triple-quadrupel-quintuple IPA. Here's what it is: a very good example of an English style dark. Fresh malt character, lovely (and subtle) caramel notes, and an easy drinkability without being wimpy (at all, in fact!). Recommend for those of you who don't require a three-ton hop hammer every time they pour a cold one. (By the way, the heading should be updated as it is no longer called "Pugilist"; it is now Brawler Champion Ale.)
Aug 07, 2018
4.02/5 rDev +7.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
I suppose this beer doesn't get higher marks because of the following: 1. It is not 5,000% ABV. 2. It is not flavored with Thai Basil and organic free-trade Madagascar vanilla beans, and 3. It is not double-triple-quadrupel-quintuple IPA. Here's what it is: a very good example of an English style dark. Fresh malt character, lovely (and subtle) caramel notes, and an easy drinkability without being wimpy (at all, in fact!). Recommend for those of you who don't require a three-ton hop hammer every time they pour a cold one. (By the way, the heading should be updated as it is no longer called "Pugilist"; it is now Brawler Champion Ale.)
Aug 07, 2018
tempest from New York
3.38/5 rDev -9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Had a bottle at Liberty St. Tavern for $3.50. I'd been looking forward to this beer as I'm a big fan of milds and other session beers, but I found this one fell prey to most common problem of lower-alcohol beers - it's boring. Even when I really let my glass warm up, the caramel flavor was flat and not all that interesting, like a watered-down brown ale. Not bad beer, but reminds me more of the "specialty beer" big brewers put out, like Yuengling Black and Tan, that looks good, but doesn't taste like much of anything.
Aug 18, 2009
3.38/5 rDev -9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Had a bottle at Liberty St. Tavern for $3.50. I'd been looking forward to this beer as I'm a big fan of milds and other session beers, but I found this one fell prey to most common problem of lower-alcohol beers - it's boring. Even when I really let my glass warm up, the caramel flavor was flat and not all that interesting, like a watered-down brown ale. Not bad beer, but reminds me more of the "specialty beer" big brewers put out, like Yuengling Black and Tan, that looks good, but doesn't taste like much of anything.
Aug 18, 2009
Hoppy27 from New Hampshire
3.75/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
A-Poured from bottle into room-temperature pint glass. One finger of off-white head dissipated quickly to a thin film of fine bubbles, no lacing. Nice deep amber color.
S-Malty caramel scent hits the nose immediately. Also, some earthy tones. Any hop-scent is entirely masked by the toasty malt smells.
T-Nice session beer. A little sweet at first taste, fading to a mellow caramel aftertaste. Nothing mindblowing, but that's probably the point. Easy to drink.
M-Smooth with the right amount of carbonation.
D-I could drink these all night long, probably because the low ABV and mild tastes. Again, nothing mind-blowing, but also nothing bad to say about it.
Nov 16, 2009
3.75/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
A-Poured from bottle into room-temperature pint glass. One finger of off-white head dissipated quickly to a thin film of fine bubbles, no lacing. Nice deep amber color.
S-Malty caramel scent hits the nose immediately. Also, some earthy tones. Any hop-scent is entirely masked by the toasty malt smells.
T-Nice session beer. A little sweet at first taste, fading to a mellow caramel aftertaste. Nothing mindblowing, but that's probably the point. Easy to drink.
M-Smooth with the right amount of carbonation.
D-I could drink these all night long, probably because the low ABV and mild tastes. Again, nothing mind-blowing, but also nothing bad to say about it.
Nov 16, 2009
fishguyac from Virginia
3.31/5 rDev -11.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Jan 17, 2017
3.31/5 rDev -11.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Jan 17, 2017
Jake_eff from Pennsylvania
4.21/5 rDev +12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Jan 01, 2015
4.21/5 rDev +12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Jan 01, 2015
jmalex from Pennsylvania
3.98/5 rDev +6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Continuing my obsession with the "new" Yards, tonight's choice is Brawler.
APPEARANCE: Pours into an English imperial pint a mostly clear copper-bronze. A small, white head forms on top with a turbid pour and then shrinks to an almost full cap.
SMELL: A nicely balanced nose that doesn't shy away from the aromas. Some really English hops give off their earthy and grassy smells with some biscuity and toasty malt coming up to match with a touch of caramel. Some mild English esters show themselves slightly but don't outshine the malt and hops.
TASTE: The flavors are very, well, mild. A much cleaner, pale English malt flavor dominates for most of it with a matching bitterness staying way out of the limelight. Alongside is a much more forward ester profile with a decent bit of diacetyl. Towards the finish, some hop flavor comes on to match with the tiniest bit of roastiness following that.
MOUTHFEEL: Light bodied and low carbonation. This is usually a recipe for disaster, eliciting the dreaded "watery" remark, but this one has enough dextrines to make the mouthfeel seem much more robust than it is. I like.
DRINKABILITY: I'd sure hope this can pull good numbers here. 4.2% is real nice and makes it a real, honest-to-goodness session beer.
Yards has a nice one here. There's definitely a gap in the market for a style like this, and there's gotta be some room in my fridge for a beer like this. Perhaps I'll be upgrading this single bottle to a six pack in the near future.
Jul 01, 2009
3.98/5 rDev +6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Continuing my obsession with the "new" Yards, tonight's choice is Brawler.
APPEARANCE: Pours into an English imperial pint a mostly clear copper-bronze. A small, white head forms on top with a turbid pour and then shrinks to an almost full cap.
SMELL: A nicely balanced nose that doesn't shy away from the aromas. Some really English hops give off their earthy and grassy smells with some biscuity and toasty malt coming up to match with a touch of caramel. Some mild English esters show themselves slightly but don't outshine the malt and hops.
TASTE: The flavors are very, well, mild. A much cleaner, pale English malt flavor dominates for most of it with a matching bitterness staying way out of the limelight. Alongside is a much more forward ester profile with a decent bit of diacetyl. Towards the finish, some hop flavor comes on to match with the tiniest bit of roastiness following that.
MOUTHFEEL: Light bodied and low carbonation. This is usually a recipe for disaster, eliciting the dreaded "watery" remark, but this one has enough dextrines to make the mouthfeel seem much more robust than it is. I like.
DRINKABILITY: I'd sure hope this can pull good numbers here. 4.2% is real nice and makes it a real, honest-to-goodness session beer.
Yards has a nice one here. There's definitely a gap in the market for a style like this, and there's gotta be some room in my fridge for a beer like this. Perhaps I'll be upgrading this single bottle to a six pack in the near future.
Jul 01, 2009
bmeehan from Pennsylvania
3.35/5 rDev -10.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Definitely a beer to sip and not to drink in gulps. I love Yards. It has a very dry profile and you can taste how hoppy it is right away, but it isn't off-putting.
Dec 15, 2014
3.35/5 rDev -10.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Definitely a beer to sip and not to drink in gulps. I love Yards. It has a very dry profile and you can taste how hoppy it is right away, but it isn't off-putting.
Dec 15, 2014
panda917 from Pennsylvania
4.7/5 rDev +26%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75
Nice toasty taste, great beer!
Feb 01, 2015
4.7/5 rDev +26%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75
Nice toasty taste, great beer!
Feb 01, 2015
pvsob from Pennsylvania
4/5 rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A- Clear cola color with a half inch head (off-white). Head vanishes very quickly and leaves very little lacing.
S- Bread crust, light caramel, damp earth, grassy hops, and just the faintest hint of fruitiness.
T- Mirrors the aroma, but with some brown sugar flavor towards the end. Malt, malt, and some more malt.
M- Light feel, but not watery. Low level of carbonation but there is a slight prickle on the tongue which is nice.
O- Going by the current trends of the craft beer world, this won't get many beer sippers all hot and bothered, but personally this beer really works for me. It's not going to beat you over the head with the flavor/aroma whomp stick, but it's a great example of a Dark Mild. Just another great ale from one of the most underrated breweries around. Recommended. Cheers.
Sep 03, 2013
4/5 rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A- Clear cola color with a half inch head (off-white). Head vanishes very quickly and leaves very little lacing.
S- Bread crust, light caramel, damp earth, grassy hops, and just the faintest hint of fruitiness.
T- Mirrors the aroma, but with some brown sugar flavor towards the end. Malt, malt, and some more malt.
M- Light feel, but not watery. Low level of carbonation but there is a slight prickle on the tongue which is nice.
O- Going by the current trends of the craft beer world, this won't get many beer sippers all hot and bothered, but personally this beer really works for me. It's not going to beat you over the head with the flavor/aroma whomp stick, but it's a great example of a Dark Mild. Just another great ale from one of the most underrated breweries around. Recommended. Cheers.
Sep 03, 2013
pwoody11 from Delaware
4.1/5 rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Enjoyed at Brauhaus Schmitz on South Street in Philly.
Poured a dark amber color with an off-white head.
Aroma is a little earthy and nutty. The malt dominates, but some hop notes do poke through.
As in the aroma malt dominates and not much hops. I picked up some dried fruit type flavors along with some brown sugar.
This beer went down quick. Which is great with the low abv. This makes a great session beer. Hope to see it on a shelf near me soon.
Apr 08, 2010
4.1/5 rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Enjoyed at Brauhaus Schmitz on South Street in Philly.
Poured a dark amber color with an off-white head.
Aroma is a little earthy and nutty. The malt dominates, but some hop notes do poke through.
As in the aroma malt dominates and not much hops. I picked up some dried fruit type flavors along with some brown sugar.
This beer went down quick. Which is great with the low abv. This makes a great session beer. Hope to see it on a shelf near me soon.
Apr 08, 2010
Taphouse_Traveler from Florida
3.69/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Jan 22, 2017
3.69/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Jan 22, 2017
danlib21 from Pennsylvania
3.06/5 rDev -18%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Dec 23, 2014
3.06/5 rDev -18%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Dec 23, 2014
Brawler Champion Ale from Yards Brewing Co.
Beer rating:
84 out of
100 with
1197 ratings
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