About Yards Brewing Company

Yard’s story goes all the way back to the 80’s! That’s a long time in the craft beer world! With such longevity we can’t help but be impressed. We reached out, virtually of course, with Yard’s founder, Tom Kehoe, to get the full story of how he began.

Tom started out home brewing in his college dorm room and went on a local brewery tour. He has since never left the industry. Yards has been brewing in Philadelphia since 1994. They grew from a garage sized operation in Manayunk to their current location at 500 Spring Garden Street in Northern Liberties. Yard’s also distributes throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. They go by a ‘Brew Unto Others’ motto which reflects their commitment to quality, community and sustainability!

 

Passion for the craft brewing industry

Tom’s passion for craft brewing is apparent, “I’m excited about the passion for craft brewing, the pride for our product, growth of our company and the humility of the Yard’s employees that are my family.”

Tom truly values that the brewing industry has developed a culture that is very unique compared to other industries. “Our industry supports each other, we are proud when other breweries do well and we truly care about the environment. We are always looking for ways to give back,” Tom explains. With so much experience in the industry his attitude really complements Yard’s success.

With all of Tom’s experience, we had to know what is Tom’s favorite beer style and why? Tom explains, “My favorite style are English-Style Pale Ale’s (ESBs). It has a balanced ale with luscious malt character with a very complimentary hop aroma and flavor. It’s a beer you can enjoy in every season and you can have several during social interaction sessions or bar visits.”

 

Challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic

Recently, due to COVID-19, Yard’s Brewing Company has had to furlough 115 employees. One of their biggest challenges is working to find ways to bring them back with no real timeline to when they will be able to work safely. Tom explains, “The not knowing is the hard part, I know we did the right thing but it doesn’t make it any easier.”

The Yard’s team has had to be proactive and sell differently, offering curbside pickup and home delivery for family style food and beer. “The food just started out to help feed our furloughed employees but we decided to open it up to the public with delivery,” Tom says.

 

Moving forward with support

The Yard’s Brewing team has still been able to produce a new beer during this challenging time. They released it on schedule and let it go to the market organically. This beer is a hazy unfiltered IPA called Philthy! Tom explains, “ You know Philly sports fans do not have a filter, neither does our new IPA, so throw back a few and let that Philthy mouth of yours say whatever it wants!”

The Yard’s team has not been able to experiment with new recipes during this time. They usually like to open it up to the public in order to gauge the interest of a new beer or beer style.  They thrive on feedback. They do, however, have beer that has already gone through this process and are being released during the pandemic. One of those includes a beer called Featherweight. Tom describes, “If you are like me you will need to lose what you gained during this stay at home phase of flattening the curve.”

Currently, Pennsylvania has a stay at home order until May 8^th and this could be extended. Tom has appreciated suppliers like Malteurop Malting Company, reaching out to see if there is anything they can do to help. Tom remains optimistic, “Our response has been, one, we are on a track to a new normal and we might see holes in the progression of our plan. After reviewing those holes we hope to be able to select the support that will have the greatest impact on our future success.”

 

Thank you!

We want to extend a big thank you to Tom at Yard’s Brewing Company for participating in this initiative during American Craft Beer Week! Our goal is to celebrate your business and tell your story during this difficult time. We know many breweries across the country are going through similar situations. Malteurop Malting Company is here to support you and your business during this difficult time. Contact us today to learn more about our offerings.