Monday 17th of September 2012 07:32:58 PM

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This person needs 3 or more reviews on the site for their scores to start counting.

We were in town from the KC, MO area for the annual beer fest and stopped by again. They had 12 different beers on tap this time. Overall the beer tasted okay. The pizza is good because they devote alot of resources - kitchen staff, etc. Last time we visited in 2009 there were fewer numbers ov beer on tap but the taste and quality seemed to be better than this time around.

Tuesday 26th of April 2011 02:46:34 PM

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Stopped in here during a recent road trip. Pretty much the usual brew pub environment. Large wrap around wooden bar. Tables through out. A window in the back reveals brewing equipment. I suppose you can only so much to make it different.

The glassware was clean and the all the beer tasted fresh. The server was super friendly if not uber knowledgable. I flashed my beer geek cred and the server tracked down the manager which was nice. He sat down and had a nice conversation with me.

The selection was very ample. Enough style choices to keep any beer geek happy. I was a bit dissapointed they had a hand pull beer engine that was empty. They claimed it had been empty for awhile too. Seems like a shame to have the equipment but not use it.

The food was pretty solid. We tried the beer cheese soup and the focaccia flat bread.

Overall a nice place to visit if you are in the area. Fairly close to New Glarus which makes for a nice day trip to hit both.

Wednesday 2nd of June 2010 12:56:17 PM

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I've been to the Grumpy Troll twice now and actually had a better time on my second visit.

The Troll has a classic brewpub look and atmosphere. Several locals were at the bar, and the staff were very friendly.

The first time I was there, the food was OK, but not thrilling. The second time I had beercheese soup with half a rheuben sandwich that really did the trick.

The beers are very good here. I had a sampler with 10 beers, and only one was not that great. Stand-out beers were a fantastic Baltic porter and a barrel aged sour raspberry ale. I would go back for either of them!

As long as you are in the middle-of-nowhere WI, you should stop here!

Thursday 25th of February 2010 09:58:09 PM

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Visited 07-28-2009

Dropped by the Grumpy Troll for a weekday lunch yesterday. There was a mostly locals crowd, a couple at the bar and 5-6 full tables. There was an upstairs area that had a pizzeria sign with a big arrow, and 3 tables outside on a small shaded patio.

Atmosphere was ok, I was kind of expecting a more played up troll vibe, but it was a fairly clean and simple brewpub with modern furnishings. The walls were turquoise with some hanging Tiffany-style lamps. The light wood bar was fairly small with maybe 12 stools. Tables up front and in back, with a few booths along the side. On the wall in the booth were a couple historical street scenes of 19th century Mt. Horeb and a repro AB beer tray. Counted maybe 2-3 trolls in the place, for a place called Grumpy Troll I figured it would be wall to wall, you know, something like this: http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/North_America/United_States/Northeast/New_York/New_York_City/photo21050.htm

So, the beer was ok, had a "Ten Lords Leaping IPA" which was a winner in a homebrew challenge. Maggie IIPA pint was $4... which was a little much for a 9% IIPA, but that was ok too, just a bit boozy. Cask ale was out, and has been for awhile. Amnesia was on the list, but also out. There was a decent assortment, but after 2 beers I was done.

Food was nothing special, the steak wrap was light on the steak, especially for $10+. Black bean burger was a pile of beans on a bun. Unfortunately there was a mixup with our bill and were charged for 2 extra entrees, then the itemized receipt mysteriously couldn't be found. After a long while it all got fixed in the end (after a week with double charges pending on my account). Bottled beers to-go were available in the cooler, but currently nothing limited: Spetznaz, Scotch Ale, & Curly I believe.

Sunday 23rd of August 2009 06:06:05 PM

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Having heard good things, we've stopped in a couple of times. A solid lineup of beers and decent food has kept us happy, though I wouldn't say I left stuffed on our most recent stop--the walleye sandwich (or something like that) was good, but I guess I was just hungrier than that. I filled the space with tasty beer.

Straight forward brewpub atmosphere with a good crowd each time we've been in. Our service has always been courteous, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a stop here.

Thursday 16th of April 2009 02:42:27 PM

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I specifically visited Mt. Horeb because I did a search for brewpubs and came across the Grumpy Troll. I was not disappointed.

The decor was fairly typical for a brewpub. Clean with wood accents and the requisite brewing equipment view. It is a little on the small side compared to the big corporate brewpubs, but there is nothing wrong with that. I liked the cozy feel and it makes sense considering the size of the town that the Grumpy Troll is hiding in.

So we came for the beer and we tried everything that they had. We started drinking pints, but later found out from the manager that they offer samplers as well. ($1 / 5oz) The waitress had failed to mention that to us. It was a good thing because I am not sure I could have made it through all of the beers otherwise. The selection was broad enough to keep a beer lover like me satisfied all night long.

Maggie (cask conditioned)
flowery, fruity... hard to describe, but delicious! Served at the perfect slightly cool temperature.

Maggie: The normally tapped version of the Maggie was also very good. This beer is a stand out among the beers offered at the Grumpy Troll. We liked this so much that we took a growler home for the night. (But be careful, the local laws won't let them sell a growler after 9PM We were practically rushed out the door at 8:59 with ours.)

Curly: dark and slightly smokey. Very pleasant tasting. My wife liked this one more than I did.

Trailside Wheat: smells great - like bananas. Good fruity flavor, but could stand to be a bit more flavorful.

Saison: good initial aroma, but very watery tasting. Kinda sour as it warms. I have had other examples of this style of beer and liked them very much, so I was very disappointed. I would not get this again.

Dry Irish Stout: creamy, deliciously dark and chocolatey.

Spetsnaz: good, dark - like burnt chocolate, but in a good way. A little more sour than the Irish stout, but good in a different way.

BIPA: bitter, citrousy like a bitter grapefruit. Not unpleasant, but not very impressive when compared to the Maggie.

Freedom IPA: nicely bitter, but I couldn't help comparing it to the Maggie that I had earlier and it just didn't stand out.

Eric the Red: good flavor without and extremes - just right. Not too anything. Nicely balanced, easy drinking beer.

Captain Fred: kinda stinky aroma. Not a horrible taste, but I just don't like this style of beer very much.

Slow Eddie: very mild jalepeno flavor. I am not a big fan of this style, but I thought I would try it to make sure.


In between all that beer we ate a little food too.

Wisconsin Cheddar Curds: yummy! Nice batter based coating rather than the usual crumb based breading. Good cheddar flavor. The accompanying honey mustard dipping sauce was just right.

Troll's Beer & Cheese soup: not quite as flavorful as other beer/cheese soups I've had. A little watery.

Brat: tasted good, but nothing special. I was in Wisconsin, so I felt like I had to have one.

Walleye: this was a decently sized portion of well cooked fish. The Grump chips were fun. Sautéed green bean were a nice side dish too.


The one thing that bugged me about this place is that it was very "family" friendly. There were too many kids. At one point my wife and I changed tables when a table of 10 was set up next to us with 6 kids. Come on people, it's a brewpub, not a Chuck E Cheese! I mentioned this to the manager, but he was proud of the kid friendliness of his establishment. I guess there are just not enough people like me to keep him in business.

Overall I would go back again. In fact, we went back again the following night for a few more beers. We also left with several large bottles of their beer to enjoy once we got back to Illinois. I don't know when we will make it back, but if you are in Mt. Horeb, be sure to tip a pint at the Grumpy Troll.

Saturday 17th of January 2009 11:53:35 AM

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i have only been to the grumpy troll once but have had there beer from growlers a few times also. the beer is pretty good and they have a nice selection to choose from. the food was good but nothing special. the same can be said of the waitstaff. it's not a bad place for atmosphere. the beer is will bring back repeat customers. if you're in mt horeb there isn't a whole lot going on so stop by the grumpy troll before you head to the mustard museum, which is interesting in a twisted americana sort of way.

Wednesday 13th of August 2008 08:21:43 PM

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We stopped at the Grumpy Troll recently on our visit to Madison for the Great Taste. We had lunch at the bar and the food and service was good.

They have 9 or 10 beers available on tap and they just started bottling (with an off premise license so you can take bottles home). The beers were good and the selection was varied.

The place was a bit crowded for a Friday lunch, but they got the food out quickly and all in all this was a good visit. I had a Grumpy Troll burger and my wife had the Black Bean Burger (that was a bit more like a Black Bean Sloppy Joe - tasty but messy).

Don't miss the National Mustard Museum half a block down the street (ask anyone and they'll know where it is).

Sunday 13th of April 2008 08:00:12 PM

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This was my 3rd visit to the Grumpy Troll, the last being 4-5 years ago, and it was by far the best. The beers are top notch, all 9 of them. The staff, except for one person who could not answer the difficult question of what is currently on tap (because she was underage), was extremely friendly helpful and outgoing. One staff member overheard my Dad talk about the brandy barrel aged beer and brought one over for a sample, it was to dark for his taste but I had one with dinner. Inside it looks like a brew pub, nothing over the top and not a place trying to be something different, just a nice comfy brew pub. Onto the important stuff the beer. I sampled each of them and would have had a pint of every single one accept for the American lager, but I have yet to come across an American lager I would drink a pint of. They also have a nice selection of wines, some local some not, which made my wife happy. The food was also good. I had the Rubin, which was excellent. The beer cheese soup was a little thin and grainy but not bad. We also tried the Grump Chips, they were ok but nothing to brag about. When you go, do yourself a favor and try a sampler this place makes great beer across the board and just trying one or two would be a missed opportunity.

Monday 23rd of April 2007 01:31:46 PM

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For an establishment that can't keep a regular manager on staff for longer than six month, this is one of the most family friendly brewpubs in Southern Wisconsin which features great food and an always changing menu of food and beer. The always changing menu is a sign of frequent manager turnaround but the new and improved hand crafted beers are coming from a brewmaster who makes super-tasty beer! The rotating beer menu is now prepared by the Grumpy Troll's new Brew Master Mark "The Captain" Duchow. Mark was the original Brewer back in the Mount Horeb Pub and Brewery Days, (1998 to 2001). Besides for some of the best beers around, the menu is full of yummy favorites including rueben sandwhich, homemade potatoe chips, beer cheese soup, excellent Friday fish fries on the weekends and more! Yummy! Take the kids up and down the elevator and back - it's fun!