Yard House in Yonkers

The newest craft beer bar in the tristate area is the Yard House in Yonkers, NY.  It opened this past fall and has the best selection of foreign and microbrews that I have seen.  It is in the Ridge Hill Mall right off the NY State Thruway (Rt 87).  The Yard House is opening in the Palisades Mall soon, but more on that later. 
Before I visited, I looked at the directions quickly and saw that it was off the Stew Leonard’s exit so I assumed it was near the big super market.  Wrong.  You have to take a service road that runs along 87 for a few hundred yards and then cross over the highway to the mall entrance.  There was no sign indicating its location amongst the various clothing stores so it took a little searching to find.  It is right under Dick’s Sporting Goods so just follows those signs and you’ll find it.

My brother, Joe, and I went there on a week night and it was packed.  Every table was occupied and the bar was 2 persons deep in most places.  The place reminded me of a TGI Fridays with a huge circular bar in the middle.  On each side of the bar, seven silver pipes carrying refrigerated beer lines run along the ceiling and down to the line of taps.  The pipes are meant to keep beer in the lines cold so it doesn’t go stale.  We were lucky to grab a couple of chairs at the bar when a couple left.

There are 130 different beers to choose from, many of which I had not heard of.  They make it easy for you to try a bunch of different types by offering two different flights of six 4 oz. beers.  Joe and I split the American Flight consisting of:

Firestone House Honey Blond  (4.7 % Abv)

Harpoon UFO White Ale (4.8)

House Amber (5.0)

Alexander Keith’s Brown Ale (5.4)

Lagunitas IPA (6)

Southern Tier Double IPA (8.2)

I was impressed by the House Honey which is made for them, along with their other house brews, by Firestone Walker.  It is made with real honey and is sweet from start to finish.  Alexander Keith’s brown ale was also very good.  It is made by the oldest brewery in North America which is found in Halifax, Nova Scotia. This brown is not as malty as some I have had but is very smooth and drinkable. 

For dinner, I ordered a margarita pizza which was delicious thanks to the fresh mozzarella cheese and basil.  To accompany our meal, we had the Belgian sampler consisting of:

Ommegang Hennepin (7.7%  Abv)

Affelgium House Ale  (8)

House Belgian Triple (9)

Trois Pistoles Belgian Strong Ale (9)

Golden Draak (10.5)

St Louis Frambois ( 4.5)

Our bartender, Brian, who previously ran The Bronx Ale House took us through the offerings.  Generally, this sequence took us from less to more alcohol except for the frambois which a sweet after dinner beer.  I really enjoyed the taste of the Draak though I thought it would be a little too strong if I drank a whole pint.  My favorite Belgian was actually made in America in Cooperstown, NY .  Ommegang makes great Belgium style beers and this saison ale is one of my favorites.  It has a even blend of spice and bitterness and its ABV is not going to knock you out if you have more than one.  

I also enjoyed the frambois so much that I ordered a Youngberry Chocolate for dessert.  This is a blend of the raspberry frambois and Young’s Chocolate Stout which is, needless to say, heedonistic after trying 12 different beers with dinner.  But you have to always keep in mind that I’m doing this so that you, my reader, can experience as much of the beer world as possible.  So I’m actually drinking for “more than one” when I enter an establishment like this.  Luckily, the samples were small and my brother was driving so no damage was done.

Yard House is a chain and I’ve heard that one is opening on my side of the Hudson in the Palisades Mall this summer.  I can’t wait because its 10 minutes from home and there is convienient bus service to the mall from anywhere in Rockland.  I think that this summer there will be some damage done when Yard House comes to town. . . .

Firestone Union Jack - India Pale Ale

I'm not a big IPA drinker but I have come across so many IPA lovers that I decided to try a beer that gets raves from many of my friends: Firestone Union Jack.  This Californian beer is brewed in a unique way using oak barrels that impart some of its complex flavors.  If you're interested, like I was, you can find out more about the brewery and the brewing process here. 

The Union Jack pours gold with slight head.  The first taste is crisp and refreshing with a bit of a bite up front.  It is hoppy in a good way, not overpowering me with its bitterness. After swallowed, this beer leaves a bitter taste on back of my tongue. There is a sourness that lingers like grapefruit juice.  My tongue is left tingling.  After the tingle dies down, I find my tongue asking for more.  It reminds me of when I see someone battle down a hot pepper and then shortly after crave for more.  It’s a sensation that begs for a repeat engagement.

I even feel this beer up in my sinuses like a menthol lozenge.  It seems to clear my sinuses in the same way.  This IPA is very different from the sweet, malty brews I typically lean toward.  But I can see the attraction.  It hits very different senses in the palate and can be just as pleasing.

Union Jack also holds up well to strong tasting food.  In this case, the gourmet tuna melt sandwich I made for dinner. I can't say that I've become an IPA lover myself, but I will definitely be more open to these complex brews in the future.