Long time readers may recall two years ago when I drank Platform's Yammy Yammy, a 7.7% ABV sweet potato pumpkin pie-spiced ale. I didn't like it much. It garnered a 6.0/10 rating.

But, never one to learn lessons, I was tempting into purchasing the two new Yammy varieties Platform dropped for this spooky season: Candied Pecan Yammy and S'mores Yammy. Why? Because I found them easily enough (which might not be so simple to do now--I haven't seen S'mores Yammy in the wild since I grabbed my sixer). How do they stack up to the base sweet potato ale? We'll see!

Platform, according to their website, opened in Cleveland, OH in 2014. In short order, they expanded to both Columbus (with a tasting room) and Cincinnati (with another tasting room), with a Pittsburgh facility opening soon. Their beer is pretty widely distributed across Ohio and its surrounding states. 

What Platform's website doesn't tell you is that it was bought by AB InBev last year. This might help to explain the brewery's quick growth. This isn't that shocking--AB's been scooping up promising craft breweries to build the company's portfolio against the craft beer market.

I've said it before and I'll say it again here: I don't have a probably with drinking macro beer. Drink what makes you happy. Let's hope that these new Yammies make me happy.

Since Platform doesn't have official writeups for their beers, let's turn to Untappd to get to know today's ales. Candied Pecan Yammy is a 7.9% ABV ale that adds notes of caramelized brown sugar and vanilla to the base beer. S'mores Yammy is another 7.9% ABV ale, but it builds onto the Yammy base with chocolate, graham cracker, and marshmallow, creating "...a satisfyingly sweet and rich spiced ale."

I find gobs of caramelized brown sugar on Candied Pecan's nose. I can't suss out the pecan, but I do find molasses and sweet potato. I'm not sure if I'm smelling cinnamon because I know that there's pumpkin pie spice here or because it's actually present. Regardless, this bouquet is cloyingly sweet. For some reason, though, Purrl gave my can seven whiffs. Just when I think I have her figured out she does this. Oh, well.

That cloying sweetness carries through to the ale's flavor profile. Heavy caramel and brown sugar berate my palate. I do, however, find smooth spices that wash through the beer before the finish settles in: all boozy warm and pecan. That's right. There is definite pecan in the ale. But it's all still incredibly sweet.

The ale has a big mouthfeel, full and bitey. Really, this is just what I want a fall beer to drink like.

I'll finish off talking about Candied Pecan Yammy before I turn to S'mores Yammy. This is a lot sweeter than the base beer, but it's a little boozier and has a great pecan finish. All told, I enjoy it more than the standard Yammy Yammy, if only marginally. Candied Pecan gets a 6.5/10 for me.

Purrl seems to enjoy S'mores Yammy more than she does Candied Pecan Yammy. She gave this can ten whiffs. And, you know what? I agree with her. There's chocolate, there's graham cracker, and there's marshmallow on the nose. I've never been a huge fan of s'mores beers, but the bitterness of the chocolate and the nutty, slight toastiness of the graham help to temper the ale's sweetness. I mean, sure, this is still a sweet nose but nowhere near as sweet as Candied Pecan's was.

S'mores' flavor profile is something else. It's light-years beyond Candied Pecan's. Graham and marshmallow stand tall in the fore. These are followed by sweet potato with slight spice (so slight that I can taste it but not pick out any exact note). Then the finish arrives, all graham and marshmallow and big chocolate and booze. There's an odd lingering Galena hop note in my throat after the swig that's not wholly pleasant, but I can't be bothered to care very much. This is a well-crafted beer.

The ale has the same big mouthfeel as it's twin, but without the biteyness. It's robust and full. Almost mousse-like (if mousse was carbonated, that is).

It's the s'mores of the beer. That's definitely why I'm thinking about bonfires in the fall with Michelle. We usually go cabining a few nights sometime in October or November. There's always a bonfire and s'mores. Smokey, away from the traffic of the world. Just us, the stars, and the warm crackle of the fire against the cold dark. Hell, we just had a bonfire at home the other week. I ate four s'mores. Yes, I am an adult.

Platform S'mores Yammy surprised me. Like I said, s'mores beers aren't typically my thing (there's only been one s'mores beer that's been billed as such that I actually enjoy). This stands head and shoulders above Yammy Yammy and Candied Pecan Yammy. It's quintessential fall. 9.0/10. Maybe that's why I can't find it anymore.