# Grumpy's Brewhaus



## AussieJosh (3/8/09)

Hey all

I went in the the Adelaide hills yesterday to a place named Grumpys! I must say i was very impressed! They make there own AG beers there and there is some awsome wood fired pizza!
I had two pints, Buzz Beer - a honey wheat beer and a Tomcat - a pilsner. for food i had the Italian Job pizza! it was bloody lovley!
Grumpys in right near the German town of Hahndorf. Id deff recomend it to anyone who likes food and beer! Ill be going back there very soon to do a day of drinking and eating!
here is there website with lots of info and pictures for anyone who is intrested! :icon_cheers: 
http://www.grumpys.com.au/


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## glaab (3/8/09)

Hi Josh,

yeah, they make some bitchin' ales there!
I'm told they used to sell all sorts of HB/AG stuff and even wort you could 
take home and ferment yourself but unfortunately mustve been b4 my brewing days.
:icon_offtopic: 

Wayne and Amanda at BB are gonna start selling wort sometime in the near future so that'll be interesting. Half the fun is making it yourself but I'd still give it a go.

Cheers


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## Steve (3/8/09)

glaab said:


> I'm told they used to sell all sorts of HB/AG stuff and even wort you could



they did indeed.....ah the memories. It was Grumpys that got me away from kits with their 10 min boil kits. Can still remember my first Grumpys Boston Cream ale. They used to have a forum too
Cheers
Steve


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## 3G (3/8/09)

ahh, the old Grumpys forum. The stammtisch(sp) nights were great fun.


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## AussieJosh (3/8/09)

When i went there i was hoping i could take a bunch of there beers home in bottles! But they did not sell there brews in bottles!  the guy said somthing about they could not aford a bottling line.


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## robbo5253 (3/8/09)

I know they are not a sponsor, but you can still buy their products, now comes under www.stillbrewing.com.au
Not affiliated etc, just bought some great stuff from them.

Cheers

Robbo


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## AussieJosh (3/8/09)

Thanks for that Robbo!


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## raven19 (3/8/09)

They used to be my local HBS when I started brewing many years ago.

A great step in getting into Partials, etc with the beers they (used to) sell.


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## crazyhorse (24/2/10)

I am heading to Grumpy's on the weekend and heard that they may sell "growlers" (maybe 1 ltr bottles) for takeaway of each of their beers. Anyone know if this is still the case?


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## Goofinder (24/2/10)

crazyhorse said:


> I am heading to Grumpy's on the weekend and heard that they may sell "growlers" (maybe 1 ltr bottles) for takeaway of each of their beers. Anyone know if this is still the case?


I think you're confusing Grumpy's with Lobethal Bierhaus who sell 2L growlers of most of their beers.


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## dj1984 (24/2/10)

I find grumpys to be average, make the trip to lobethal beer is a lot better.


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## peas_and_corn (24/2/10)

I went there a couple years back and the beers were really meh. It feels more like a pizza restaurant with a brewery attached than a brewpub, wich is a shame because I heard their beers used to be awesome. I agree with dj, skip them and go straight to Lobethal.


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## Doogiechap (24/2/10)

peas_and_corn said:


> I went there a couple years back and the beers were really meh. It feels more like a pizza restaurant with a brewery attached than a brewpub, wich is a shame because I heard their beers used to be awesome. I agree with dj, skip them and go straight to Lobethal.



Perhaps it's worth PMing Voosher who is one of the owners who was a helpful and very active member here a few years ago. He would be most interested to see how his products are being reviewed and may have some more 'current' info on how things are going B) .


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## peas_and_corn (24/2/10)

One thing that was a bit weird- they had a hand pump and no beer on it- huh??


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## bradmcm (3/3/10)

Doogiechap said:


> Perhaps it's worth PMing Voosher who is one of the owners who was a helpful and very active member here a few years ago. He would be most interested to see how his products are being reviewed and may have some more 'current' info on how things are going B) .


Voosher was only ever an employee, like myself. Andrew Schultz is and always was, the owner.
Voosh hasn't stepped into Grumpy's for two years now, and hasn't any more current information than April 2008.


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## Paleman (11/8/16)

Apologies for dragging up an old thread but ive discovered by accident Grumpys is up for sale. Anyone know anymore and why?


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## Yob (11/8/16)

Links?


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## Yob (11/8/16)

http://australia.businessesforsale.com/australian/grumpys-brewhaus-adelaide-hills-microbrewery-and-restaurant-for-sale.aspx


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## sstacey (11/8/16)

If I remember correctly, Andrew first said that he was looking to sell about 6 years ago. They didn't sell at the time so I don't know if he has been waiting for the rjght buyer all this time or is just having another go now.


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## Killer Brew (11/8/16)

Meh, overpriced. Prancing Pony at the other end of the same town and Lobethal Bierhaus 15 mins away have taken over and become what Grumpy's could have been. Needs some serious money tipped in to bring it back to its former glory. A shame.


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## drsmurto (11/8/16)

The brewery has been upgraded not that long ago, with a new shed built to house it and if my memory serves, a bottling line installed.

It has a good following locally, the pizzas are the stuff of legend. Mmmmm, Zorba the sheep and a pint of Black Betty.

Over priced? Not sure what people know about real estate but acreage just outside Hahndorf with a brewery and restaurant and a 12 minute drive to the tollgate is not going to be cheap. The rumoured asking price of $1.5m is reasonable IMO, the same sized piece of land with just a house on it would sell for over $1 million in that location.

There's room to plant your own hop field.....


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## Steve (11/8/16)

Is the goat still out the back?


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## Killer Brew (11/8/16)

DrSmurto said:


> The brewery has been upgraded not that long ago, with a new shed built to house it and if my memory serves, a bottling line installed.
> 
> It has a good following locally, the pizzas are the stuff of legend. Mmmmm, Zorba the sheep and a pint of Black Betty.
> 
> ...


My bad, didn't realise the property was included, thought it was just the leasehold. Maintain however that it needs a decent amount of coin spent on it to bring it up to the standard of its competition.


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## Killer Brew (11/8/16)

Apparently the brewery is a 10HL and wouldn't have suffered from overuse given their limited distribution.


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## beachy (11/8/16)

For Grumpys to reach the same standard as Prancing Pony the Grumpys brewer would need to forget about fermentation temperature control and introduce a nice house infection into most batches.

Lobethal and Grumpys both do great beer, food and customer service.

Prancing Pony need to improve all these things.


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## Killer Brew (11/8/16)

Disagree (except that Lobethal is clearly the best beer of the 3). However my views go well beyond the beer. Prancing Pony has invested in a very popular taproom and strong marketing strategy means they have gained wide distribution to the point they have this year significantly upgraded their brewhouse to meet demand. They are a successful business while Grumpy's is clearly not, having been overtaken by its competitors.


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## drsmurto (11/8/16)

I'm yet to taste a good Prancing Pony beer (so much diacetyl/infection issues) and have stopped altogether after they tried to kill me with an exploding bottle (which was my own fault apparently due to storage and not theirs despite the fact the remaining bottles were all gushers - wonderful customer service). Lobethal produces very good beers, it's hard to make calls on Grumpys as I've only ever had their beer on tap at the brewery. I haven't seen their bottled beer in retail outlets. 

Grumpys is ripe for someone to take it over and put their stamp on it. I think it is very tempting, particularly given the land that comes with it.



Steve said:


> Is the goat still out the back?


Unfortunately not.


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## Steve (11/8/16)

DrSmurto said:


> Unfortunately not.


Probs ended up on a Stammtisch night pizza! LOL. Sad to hear the decline of Grumpys.


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## Killer Brew (11/8/16)

DrSmurto said:


> I'm yet to taste a good Prancing Pony beer (so much diacetyl/infection issues) and have stopped altogether after they tried to kill me with an exploding bottle (which was my own fault apparently due to storage and not theirs despite the fact the remaining bottles were all gushers - wonderful customer service). Lobethal produces very good beers, it's hard to make calls on Grumpys as I've only ever had their beer on tap at the brewery. I haven't seen their bottled beer in retail outlets.
> 
> Grumpys is ripe for someone to take it over and put their stamp on it. I think it is very tempting, particularly given the land that comes with it.
> 
> ...


That is an ordinary story but perhaps unsurprising given the views on them by others in the industry. Exactly how tempted are you Doc?


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## drsmurto (11/8/16)

Killer Brew said:


> That is an ordinary story but perhaps unsurprising given the views on them by others in the industry. Exactly how tempted are you Doc?


Tempted but not enough to make an enquiry.


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## GrumpyPaul (11/8/16)

Mmm...where to find a spare 1.5mil?


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## Yob (11/8/16)

Sell a boat...


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## DU99 (11/8/16)

:icon_offtopic: least i know where not get a good beer in the adelaide hills area.in a couple of weeks


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## sstacey (11/8/16)

GrumpyPaul said:


> Mmm...where to find a spare 1.5mil?


You've already got the name down. Maybe that will get you a discount.


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## Paleman (11/8/16)

Killer Brew said:


> Meh, overpriced. Prancing Pony at the other end of the same town and Lobethal Bierhaus 15 mins away have taken over and become what Grumpy's could have been. Needs some serious money tipped in to bring it back to its former glory. A shame.


Always enjoy myself there and the beers and pizza are fantastic. Each to their own i suppose.


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## Paleman (11/8/16)

Double post.


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## Wolfman1 (11/8/16)

Their beers are a little average, but we've been happy with the pizza and general vibe. My wife is a coeliac and we haven't had a single contamination issue, which is no mean feat for a pizza joint.
I live just up the hill in Bridgewater and my young daughters know how easy it is to twist my arm for a quick pint, plate of wedges and 3 Apple juices on a Saturday afternoon.

Andrew lives up to the grumpy brand, but will always have my loyalty for one particular afternoon. I was there with 2 of the girls and there was a bus loads of young blokes on an afternoon trip. They had just bought beers and we're ordering pizzas and the language was a getting pretty nautical. Andrew was out the front and I decided to move the young ears out of the blue zone. Once he saw us moving and clocked what was going on he walked over and kicked the lot of them out. Refund the pizza, drink your beer in the car park and leave.


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## Paleman (11/8/16)

Just on the bottled version. I have some bottled Boston Cream in my fridge. Yeah its good beer.Not quite as good as on tap but what is? Now hunting around to sample bottled Rogers Reserve. Might have to go for a quick trip to Verdun for a carton.


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## Paleman (11/8/16)

Wolfman1 said:


> Their beers are a little average, but we've been happy with the pizza and general vibe. My wife is a coeliac and we haven't had a single contamination issue, which is no mean feat for a pizza joint.
> I live just up the hill in Bridgewater and my young daughters know how easy it is to twist my arm for a quick pint, plate of wedges and 3 Apple juices on a Saturday afternoon.
> 
> Andrew lives up to the grumpy brand, but will always have my loyalty for one particular afternoon. I was there with 2 of the girls and there was a bus loads of young blokes on an afternoon trip. They had just bought beers and we're ordering pizzas and the language was a getting pretty nautical. Andrew was out the front and I decided to move the young ears out of the blue zone. Once he saw us moving and clocked what was going on he walked over and kicked the lot of them out. Refund the pizza, drink your beer in the car park and leave.


Always found Andrew very cheerful. He once dragged me into the kitchen and showed me the famous oven and making pizzas. Felt previledged.


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## spog (11/8/16)

AHB take over ?
Oh so many possibilities with Grumpy's ,prime position and growth potential...IMO.


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## Yob (11/8/16)

spog said:


> AHB take over ?
> Oh so many possibilities with Grumpy's ,prime position and growth potential...IMO.


are you suggesting I start a bulk buy?


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## spog (11/8/16)

Possibly, Master of said suggestion.


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## Killer Brew (11/8/16)

spog said:


> AHB take over ?
> Oh so many possibilities with Grumpy's ,prime position and growth potential...IMO.


I would seriously consider leasing the business if available. Not interested in tying up my money in further property however.


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## Killer Brew (11/8/16)

Paleman said:


> Always enjoy myself there and the beers and pizza are fantastic. Each to their own i suppose.


Again and I'm not comparing beer / food offerings but the hills breweries as businesses. As a business Prancing Pony are killing it. Smart marketing. Grumpy's needs a facelift on both the venue and the branding because they have been left behind.


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## Wolfman1 (12/8/16)

I mentioned Grumpys was for sale when my wife walked in the door after work last night and the first words out of her mouth were
"YOU'RE NOT BUYING A BREWERY"
And yes, you could hear the capitals.

If you want to see a business in Hahndorf doing well, then check out the Seasonal Garden which is on the north side of the road at the first pedestrian crossing entering the town. Not beer related, but Sylvia has set up something pretty special there. Big set up inside with a great menu and coffee, superb gardens out the back which will all end up in the kitchens and onto plates on premises.
I'm not affiliated, but if you are cruising through Hahndorf, then it merits a visit.


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## nic0 (12/8/16)

Grumpys is worth a visit if you are up that way. I will always remember my first visit, i was doing some work up at Mt Barker and decided to stop off at Grumpys for a quick pint. Back then he was still selling brewing supplies. I ended getting a full tour of the place including the kitchen which has a wood fired stove and his sheds out the back where all that wonderful glorious beer is created.


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## Ducatiboy stu (12/8/16)

Wolfman1 said:


> I mentioned Grumpys was for sale when my wife walked in the door after work last night and the first words out of her mouth were
> "YOU'RE NOT BUYING A BREWERY"
> And yes, you could hear the capitals.


Time to trade in on one who is more sympathetic with your ideas


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## droid (12/8/16)

Ducatiboy stu said:


> Time to trade in on one who is more sympathetic with your ideas


Now that'd be a bulk buy I would embrace whole-heartedly


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## Steve (12/8/16)

Anyone know what Thomas (TD) from Grumpys is up to these days? He used frequent AHB a while back.


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## Ducatiboy stu (12/8/16)

He is now working in the wine industry


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## Paleman (12/8/16)

Killer Brew said:


> Again and I'm not comparing beer / food offerings but the hills breweries as businesses. As a business Prancing Pony are killing it. Smart marketing. Grumpy's needs a facelift on both the venue and the branding because they have been left behind.


Ok im getting ya. Have to agree. We dont know Andy's personal life thus can't judge him in any way. But as a buisness opportunity if you had the nouse it could flourish. Id seriously think about it myself. Im driven. Have a driven woman lol. And daughters that would work. My downfall is i only dabble in partial mash beers. As for cooking i could flick out a pizza. Id seriously need some on the job training to get me on the train tracks. Id have a good go i suppose if i had a partner in crime. And i dont mean my Mrs. Weve always wanted to live in Handorf. We hunny mooned there 25 years ago and have always been in love with the hills. Im due for a redundancy package from the mine i work at. Are the planets aligning? Lol. Im raving. Just enjoying a Boston Cream in my Whyalla loungeroom. Watching the Olympics.


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## Paleman (12/8/16)

Ducatiboy stu said:


> He is now working in the wine industry


Wow. GT was such a beer proffesor. Hard to inagine him in the wine industry.


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## Paleman (12/8/16)

My spelling is shocking after 20 good beers. Who would have thought.


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## Paleman (12/8/16)

There are people that are so attached to Grumpys. I would hate to see it go by the wayside. Everytime we go there Ruby the kelpie is always catching a ball while her human bloke has a stout. Ive met him numerous times but only remember Ruby as names. She stole my heart. As for the Grumpy Goat. Its in our belly!!!!!!


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## Steve (12/8/16)

20 good beers at 11.40am :blink: ! You havent changed Paleman. I do recall you used to get pissed on the grumpys forum and talk to yourself. :lol: Hope you are well.


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## tdh (12/8/16)

Hi gents!
My ears were burning...
Yep, sort of in the wine business... company called Winequip... tanks, crushers, presses, pumps, refrigeration etc.
Distilling and brewing equipment as well. Been here nearly 9 years. 
Steve and Ducati Stu still lurking!!! Still brewing???
I'm still brewing, won't ever stop.
10-12kg batches and all electric now with Altbier, IPA, Koelsch, Weissbier and Porter being the regulars on tap.
People brewing Saison here yet?

GT


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## Steve (12/8/16)

tdh said:


> Hi gents!
> My ears were burning...
> Yep, sort of in the wine business... company called Winequip... tanks, crushers, presses, pumps, refrigeration etc.
> Distilling and brewing equipment as well. Been here nearly 9 years.
> ...


Hey GT. Glad you are well. Winequip is one of my suppliers. Small world hey. I deal with Andrew Watt. Im now the Manager at the LHBS in Canberra (BrewYourOwnAtHome). Andrew knows us well. I had a break from brewing for a few years and then got back into it a couple of years ago. I pop on here only occasionally these days. Cheers mate, Steve.


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## Dave70 (12/8/16)

DrSmurto said:


> Tempted but not enough to make an enquiry.


Oh go on.
Who wouldn't want to work 80+ hours per week.


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## TheWiggman (12/8/16)

Hey fellas I was...
Whoops, looks like I'm crashing a family reunion.
I'll show myself out...


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## tdh (12/8/16)

Steve said:


> Hey GT. Glad you are well. Winequip is one of my suppliers. Small world hey. I deal with Andrew Watt. Im now the Manager at the LHBS in Canberra (BrewYourOwnAtHome). Andrew knows us well. I had a break from brewing for a few years and then got back into it a couple of years ago. I pop on here only occasionally these days. Cheers mate, Steve.


Hi Steve, good to hear that you're still kicking.
What's in today's fermenter?

GT


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## Steve (12/8/16)

tdh said:


> Hi Steve, good to hear that you're still kicking.
> What's in today's fermenter?
> 
> GT


Fermenting: IPA, HopDog Fresh wort kit New World Pilsener and a Voyager Craft malt Cascade Pale ale. Kegged: Koelsch, Altbier and a mongrel 100 IBU Pale Ale!!!!!
Cheers
Steve


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## tdh (12/8/16)

Koelsch and Altbier.... love it!
Visited Duesseldorf again last year and another Altbier micro has joined the established brewers, what a great place. 
Gotta love Altbier... a malty grist, a bitter wort and a dry ferment.

GT


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## Steve (12/8/16)

tdh said:


> Koelsch and Altbier.... love it!
> Visited Duesseldorf again last year and another Altbier micro has joined the established brewers, what a great place.
> Gotta love Altbier... a malty grist, a bitter wort and a dry ferment.
> 
> GT


I had the pleasure of working at Zierholz brewery here in Canberra and those are two of his signature beers. They are now part of my line up at home.


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## soundawake (13/8/16)

Only ever had a great time and experience at Grumpy's. I'm well overdue for another visit. If I win Ozlotto next week I'll buy it.


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## Paleman (11/10/16)

Steve said:


> 20 good beers at 11.40am :blink: ! You havent changed Paleman. I do recall you used to get pissed on the grumpys forum and talk to yourself. :lol: Hope you are well.


Gday Steve, sorry for the late reply. Yeah all good here, you? I'd finished a block of nightshifts, thus the early beers. Cant beat a beer after nights


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