Going Green with Yards Brewery

It’s not too often a less than twenty year old brewery is able to capture the history of one of our nation’s oldest cities. Located just over a mile away from where the Declaration of Independence was signed stands Yards Brewing Company…A brewery, which is literally bottling the history and essence of Philadelphia.

A few weeks ago I contacted Yards inquiring about a brewery tour, however was told the only day I had available, tours were unavailable. Fortunately for me, bartender Jake Carlin told me to stop by anyway and he would give me a personal tour.

As I mentioned before, Victory would be the last tour I’d be attending by myself. Nobody wants to read about tall drunk guy, but rather tall drunk guys. That is why I enlisted the help of my brother Geoff, a fellow seven footer, for the tour of Yards Brewing Company.

The brewery is housed in a large warehouse, also containing the brew-pub. Yards pride themselves on their eco-friendly approach to brewing beer. It is the first 100% wind-powered brewery in Pennsylvania. Yards also boasts several other “green” features such as:

• Bar tops are reclaimed bowling alley lanes.
• Floors made from recycled concrete and coated in SoyCrete sustainable compound.
• Block walls covered in earthen American clay.
• Hot water collected and reused whenever possible.
• All fixtures, furniture and equipment are reclaimed.
• Salvaged mahogany trim on the bar and walls.
• Century-old pool table originally manufactured a few blocks away at 222 S. 8th Street.
• T-shirts and hats created from organic cotton.
• Reusable growlers to reduce packaging and waste.
• Grains donated to local farms as feed.
• Yards cases are printed using 65% post-consumer recycled cardboard at a local SFI-certified manufacturer.

(More information on Yards Brewery’s commitment to mother earth at their website www.yardsbrewing.com)

We walked in and introduced ourselves to Jake Carlin, who on top of being a bartender, is a local musician. Jake began by pouring us each a pint of Philadelphia Pale Ale, a light and refreshing beer which became my personal favorite on the day.

Realizing a few more drinks would render the tour unmemorable the following morning, we followed Jake through the large glass doors and into the brewery. The brewery, like many others, contains several large tanks used for boiling, fermenting and storing. In the corner sat a small tank which was used when founders Tom Kehoe and Jon Bovit first began brewing in the early 1990’s.

Jake began by telling us one of the reasons why Yards is such a unique beer. Many of the ingredients used for brewing were the same used over 300 years ago by our founding fathers. In fact Yards brews a line of beer based on the original recipes of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin called Ales of the Revolution.

After a quick tour of the facilities we returned to the bar where Jake served us up a sampler of the aforementioned Ales of the Revolution, as well as Yards famous Love Stout, a stout brewed with oysters for the drinker looking for that aphrodisiac.

As we sampled the Ales of Revolution, I was blown away by each beer’s uniqueness. I have sampled plenty of beer during my 10 year stint as a legal drinker, (and quite a few before) but never have I tasted ales like this. Brewed using molasses, and spruce as well as other ingredients originally grown on Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia estate, these beers contained a distinct flavor, which we thoroughly enjoyed.

Being that my bro and I both are enamored with history, we began discussing our fore-fathers as we indulged in the fruits of their labor. We discussed how different our world is compared to when men such as Washington, Franklin and Jefferson were in charge. A time when intergovernmental politics could be settled diplomatically with a peaceful discussion and a few pints of ale.

This is certainly a far stretch from our present time period, when the thought of combining politicians, discussion and alcohol is a recipe for disaster. Where politics are so heated and stubborn it divides our country and prevents a unified government. A government in which the only ones suffering from the squabbling of our leaders, are the American people.

After a long political discussion/ history lesson for any bystander within an earshot, my brother and I finished the sampler and pondered our personal favorites Yards had to offer. I mentioned the points I look for in a brewery such as information, taste and friendliness. I am going to add another two to the list after Yards…Uniqueness and history.

I like a brewery trying different things. That is why beers such as Miller and Budweiser are not appealing to me. I want a brewery to step out of their comfort zone and create something unique.

I also enjoy a good history behind a beer. It doesn’t even have to be as significant as Yards Brewing Company’s Ales of the Revolution, but a story behind the brewery and what influenced their craft.

Factors like this add to the overall enjoyment of the experience.

In general I enjoyed this brewery. The tour was short yet informative. The staff was extremely friendly and accommodating, and the beer was unique and plentiful. If you are looking for a tasty beer to drink after a visit to Independence Hall, this is the place for you.

Informative Tour	Beer Taste	Staff Friendliness	Uniqueness	History
B	B	A	A	A+

 

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