Blackberry Farm Brewery | Yallarhammer Pale Ale
It’s hot. As I write the beads of moisture are sliding slowly down the now empty white can adorned with the colorful Blackberry Farm Brewery logo. The ceiling fan on the screen porch gently moves the moderately humid East Tennessee air while my children play with the garden hose in the backyard. Late spring – almost summer – in the south.
When I first heard about this beer I was standing in the tasting room of Blackberry Farm Brewery. In conversation with Matty Hargrove that we both discovered I hadn’t tried this beer yet. Of course, the next pint, Yallarhammer. As a once aspirational fly fisherman, I recalled this name as associated with a fly. While I always loved wading in the waters, the rhythm of the rod and the line, the peace and quiet of nature, I was always amazed at how quickly I would go through flies. As a then college student, it was the cost of these flies that would limit my time in the water. Now, as I held a pint in the tasting room and again today, my mind wanders to those rivers and the fish yet to be caught. While this name does lend a gentle nod to the fly fishing program at Blackberry Farm, it is primarily named after the Yallarhammer Pavilion which is a known gathering place on the farm. Let’s dig in.
This beer pours a deep gold color, cloudy with a big white head that quickly let’s aroma’s of earth, orange and pineapple burst forth. On the palate the same sensations carry through with a gentle hop bitterness that embraces the last remnants of the sip as the tongue starts to dry a bit. Mouthfeel and carbonation are moderate. At only 5.2% ABV this beer is well within the range for the style and a refreshing treat on this hot day.
Final snobs: What I love about this beer is that while this is a pale ale, it is more than I’d expect for the style. Further, given it’s characteristics, it is versatile. A day on the river, lake, a cookout with friends, a campfire or just simply, the beer you reach for when you get home after a long day in the office. Tonight we’re firing up the Big Green Egg to cook pizzas, I know what I’ll be drinking.
Prost!