Yards Brewing Company, straight out of the heart of Philadelphia, and an integral part of Philly Beer Week (plug!), deliver nicely with their Extra Special Ale (ESA). This ESA was originally intended to soothe the palates for the cask-ale connoisseurs but became a standard edition to their flagship lineup.

The bottle used for this review is branded at 6.3% ABV and backs the authentic Yards labeling. This poured a robust woody, amber color splashed with faint maroon hues, with some wildly, sticky carbonation. It also boasted a creamy, tan and soda-like head.

The dominance in this brew is the overwhelming malt character. Extremely prominent in the nose is the chewy caramel malt, though this is smoothed out with some sweeter, not bitter, hops. Finishing the complexity of flavors is mint chocolate chip ice cream, dashed with warm fudge.

Intended for some bitterness, the malt wins again. Huge dark malt flavors mixed with a dry roasted barley body. This comes off full-bodied, quite a bit heavier than I expected, with some coffee and toffee hints sprinkled with dark chocolate esters and finishing with some sweet and slightly bitter hops.

I was impressed, and surprised, by the immense and profound malt character in the ESA. While there were some bittering hops left in the finish, it wasn’t enough to provide an even flavor profile for the mouth. I don’t dislike the dominant malt, as the darkness brought a plethora of flavors to the forefront, but again – balance is key.

Overall: 7.4/10