Named one of the top five beer towns in the United States in 2009, Philadelphia has a growing community of passionate craft brewers and microbreweries. Last month, my friend and I went to check out one of the area’s emerging microbreweries, Yards Brewing Company, and go on one of its free brewery tours offered every Saturday and Sunday between noon and 4 p.m.

Our tour group was large, made up of both locals and craft beer fans from out of state. We started off with free samples of the Philadelphia Pale Ale and Love Stout, and our friendly tour guide explained the brewery’s modest beginnings. Started in 1994, Yards began as a tiny brewery in Manayunk, founded by two college friends who thought they could save money by brewing their own beer. From there, Yards grew and gained more popularity each year, moving to Roxborough and Kensington and eventually settling in a 26,000-square-foot warehouse in the Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia. Our guide was very knowledgeable and explained the equipment and brewing process from start to finish.

On the tour, we also learned about the company’s many green initiatives. Many craft breweries are green businesses, and Yards is no exception. Evidence of sustainability is everywhere in the brewery, from the floors made from recycled concrete to the bar tops fashioned out of reclaimed bowling alley lanes. Yards is Pennsylvania’s first 100 percent wind-powered brewery, and after the brewing process is complete, the spent grain is sent to local farms.

After the tour was over, we returned to the crowded tasting room, where we sampled ales inspired by the original recipes of America’s Founding Fathers. Thomas Jefferson’s Tavern Ale is made with rye and honey, and his original recipe used ingredients from his Virginia estate; George Washington’s Tavern Porter is crafted from a molasses base; and Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Tavern Spruce Ale is brewed with spruce needs and molasses rather than hops and barley, which were harder to come by during his time. 

Overall, the free brewery tour at Yards was a great way to spend a weekend afternoon in Philadelphia, and I highly recommend stopping by for a free tour if you’re a craft beer fan or looking for a place to entertain visitors from out of town.

— Monique Barrett, advertising and editorial coordinator