I was excited at the opportunity to test out Yards Poor Richard’s Tavern Spruce Ale. Growing up in the Philadelphia suburbs, I’ve heard so much about Yards and can’t say I have ever been coherent enough to enjoy it. Before I jump into the review, allow me to give you a brief background on one of the breweries in the heart of the City of Brotherly Love.

Yards was established in 1994 in Philadelphia; however, the journey started with two college friends who had a passion for quality beer and decided to start brewing themselves. They started the brewery in the Manayunk section of the city, and later moved it to it’s current location on Delaware Ave. This brew is part of the Ales of the Revolution series and is based upon Ben Franklin’s original recipe.

This Ale pours a dark, cloudy amber color into my pint glass. I was happy to see it settle nicely into the glass with a mild head. There was a little bit of lacing as the beer is consumed, as well. I wasn’t surprised by the color at all, as it really shows the molasses coloring very well. The scents are mild on this brew. It has a nice refreshing pine smell to it, though not very overwhelming. The molasses tends to shine through the pine smell as well. It’s a very well seasoned beer, and reminds me of old fashioned candy.

The taste was actually pretty spot on. I was taken back at first, as I was expecting a somewhat hoppy taste, instead it was molasses. The reason being is this Ale is brewed to Ben Franklin’s original recipe which called for spruce and molasses, as barley and hops were not that accessible. It was a very mild taste and very enjoyable. The alcohol content is a mild 5% ABV, making this a great sessionable and year-round beverage.

This is a quality brew from Yards and has me excited to try the rest of their beer. Hats off to you guys, well done. This is a brew that is much different than your average beer, so if you’re looking for something special, this is a beer for you.

Overall: 8.5/10