On Tap is a regular column featuring our recommendations on the most unique new draft beer offerings from local pubs.
Our Recommendation: Troegs Brewing Company’s Pale Ale
Where: John’s Grille, 116 South Monroe Street, Media, PA
Troegs’ Pale Ale is not the most unique beer around these parts, but it’s a fine American beer from a Pennsylvania brewery, and it’s a worthy beer to sip from a frosty mug at the classic neighborhood bar known as John’s Grille.
This is an American-style Pale Ale with hops from the Northwest Cascades. It pours a beautiful copper color with a nice frothy head. It’s a fine pale ale, medium bodied with hints of citrus and a slightly bitter finish. At John’s Grille, they serve it in your choice of a frosted mug or pint. At 5.4%, this is a sessionable beer, which is perfect since John’s Grille is not a place for those in a rush. They sell a frosty mug of Troegs for $2.50. On the day I stopped in, the special was a pint of Rolling Rock for $2.
John’s Grille has been serving drinks in this Media neighborhood since 1936. With it’s wood paneled walls, rectangular bar and booth seating, this is a bar with no pretenses. It’s a place to sit quietly or with a few friends and drink while listening to classic rock such as the Beatles’ “Revolution” or Foreigner’s “Cold as Ice.” The only updates appear to be the flat panel televisions and the newfangled jukebox you can operate from your smartphone.
Troegs recently built a new brewery in Hershey, PA, and they’ve created a lot of buzz with their recently released Nugget Nectar. I saw someone carrying a case of Nugget Nectar down Baker Street today and have heard it is selling out at distributors. But if you don’t get a chance to drink the Nectar, stop in at John’s and grab a Pale Ale. It’s as cold as ice.
