COLLEGEVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA
In the vibrant Montgomery County borough of Collegeville near Perkiomen Creek, TROUBLES END BREWING started operations March 2020 at the former home of Appalachian Brewing, crafting nearly 100 brews in its first five years. Specializing in mostly soft-toned dry beers, lead brewer Zack Svoboda formerly handled the tanks at nearby Ambler’s Forest & Main.
Rustic reclaimed wood and corrugated steel adorn the spaciously high-ceilinged wood-columned barn house pub. There are 28 scrap wood-boarded draught handles at the 25-stool bar (decorated by lacquered counter-topped backlit flower enclosures). Several blue-seated metal tables bedeck the windowed kiosk-like interior setup. A small stage area, backroom lounge and mezzanine fill out the industrialized Troubles End.
A summer biergarten has just opened up as my wife and I soak up liquid gold and dark suds on this sunny Saturday afternoon May ’26. We also enjoyed noshing on roasted red peppered hummus and applewood-smoked pickled brined wings.
Dry light-bodied Italian pils, Tutto, sank musky honeysuckle whims into rustic dark floral hop astringency and sugary cereal-grained pilsner malting.
German-styled leichtbier (a.k.a. light lager), Golden Pretzel, brought dry lemony hop fizz to sea-salted Bavarian pilsner malts, finishing like a Philly-styled soft pretzel.
Another dry easygoer, Skald, a light lager, let musky floral-herbed Fuggle hops reach crisply barley-roasted sourdough breading.
Stainless-steel Lukr side pour, Baas (Hammer), a dark lager, left lightly creamed dark chocolate upon mossy cedar cigar crisping.
Sour lemon and dried plantain picked up white peppered herbage for Iconique Classic Saison, a dry Saphir-hopped farmhouse ale with barnyard oats parch.
Saaz-hopped peach saison, Timeless Space, utilized wild brettanomyces yeast to yield a lemony champagne-sparkle for its tart white peach adjunct.
Soft eclair-headed, bronze-bodied, cask-conditioned ESB, Baby Barleywine, let mild orange pekoe tea pungency absorb barley-roasted rye and Scotch malting.
Also on cask, dry English-styled pub stout, Viceroy, retained soft creaming for nutty dark chocolate, Blackstrap molasses and earthen wet wood.