Brewery Profile

Yards Brewing Co

Philadelphia’s modern craft beer history is long enough that a visitor can trace several generations of breweries in a single day, and Yards Brewing Co. belongs to the earlier wave. Founded in 1994 by Tom Kehoe and Jon Bovit, it began in a garage in Manayunk and later grew through multiple Philadelphia locations before moving in 2018 to a 70,000-square-foot facility in Northern Liberties. Walking in now, visitors encounter a much larger operation than the brewery’s origins suggest: a production brewery built around a 100-barrel brewhouse, with a large taproom and restaurant attached. The setting gives a clear view of Yards as both a neighborhood stop and a regional producer, with its beers distributed across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.

Travelers drinking in this part of the Mid-Atlantic often look for breweries that connect Philadelphia’s established beer culture with current taproom habits: familiar flagship ales, seasonal releases, and a place to sit down rather than simply sample and leave. Yards fits that pattern through its focus on traditional English-style ales, especially Extra Special Ale and Philadelphia Pale Ale, while also keeping room for rotating seasonal and experimental lagers. That combination can appeal to visitors who want something rooted in the older craft-brewing vocabulary of pale ales and bitters, as well as those checking what is new on the board during a particular trip. The brewery’s identity is closely tied to Philadelphia, and its emphasis on local sourcing and community involvement reinforces that city connection without requiring a visitor to know the full backstory before arriving.

For planning purposes, the Northern Liberties location is the relevant destination for visitors, since it combines production, the taproom, and full food service in one facility. The restaurant component makes it a practical stop for a longer visit, not just a quick tasting, and it can work for groups with different levels of beer interest. Because the lineup includes core beers as well as rotating seasonal and experimental options, the taproom is the place to confirm the day’s pours. Visitors looking specifically for ESA or Philadelphia Pale Ale can reasonably expect those beers to be central to the brewery’s identity, but the exact draft list should be checked on site or through the brewery’s current channels before making plans around a particular beer. The known draw is straightforward: a long-running Philadelphia brewery, now operating at a large scale, with beer and food available under the same roof.

Yards Brewing Company was founded in 1994 by Tom Kehoe and Jon Bovit, initially operating out of a garage in Manayunk before expanding production capabilities across several Philadelphia locations over the following decades. The brewery specializes in traditional English-style ales, including Extra Special Ale (ESA) and Philadelphia Pale Ale, alongside a rotating selection of seasonal and experimental lagers. Yards moved into its current 70,000 square-foot facility in the Northern Liberties neighborhood in 2018, significantly increasing its capacity with a 100-barrel brewhouse. This facility includes a large taproom and restaurant offering full food service, complementing its focus on local sourcing and community involvement within the city. Yards maintains distribution throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.

Website available

901 N Delaware Ave, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19123-3110

Phone: (215) 525-0175

Website: http://www.yardsbrewing.com

Hours: Not found