Prancing Pony Brewery

For a while, it seemed as though South Australia's beer scene was resistant to the change sweeping the rest of the country. Sure, it had a few well-established micros, was home to the country's largest independent brewer – the makers of craft beer before it was craft beer, Coopers – and could lay claim to one of the finest venues in the land in The Wheaty. But, while new breweries and beer bars were seemingly opening every week elsewhere, progress seemed much slower in SA.

Then, in 2013, we noticed a quiet buzz: a number of new breweries were opening or in planning. That quiet buzz became a steadily building crescendo as growing numbers of home brewers decided to follow their dreams, winemakers decided to get serious about beer, and brewers from elsewhere began eyeing up the state as ripe for their attention.

In that first category was homebrewer of 30 years Frank Samson who, alongside wife Corinna Steeb, opened the doors to Prancing Pony in the Adelaide Hills. Their original base in an industrial unit in Mount Barker combined brewery and venue in one, with the former effectively a massively scaled up version of the kit on which German expat Frank has been creating his home brews since the early 1980s. The kettle was heated by a giant flame burner rather than steam jackets with Frank believing this old school approach puts greater reliance on the skill of the brewer and allowed him to create greater caramelisation in his beers.

It's an approach that gave the brewery their battle cry as Australia's "favourite fire brewers". And also one that did their beers no harm at all as Prancing Pony's colourfully presented range quickly proved so popular enough to justify a move to a larger site and, ultimately, installation of a high-end German brewhouse. What's more, they've picked up a few gongs along the way too, notably for their India Red Ale, which counts a Supreme Champion beer title at the IBC in London among its titles.

The Prancing Pony name comes from the horse on Frank and Corinna's land (one of many, many animals they keep) he was watching through his brew shed window when trying to conjure a name for the brewing company; it's a nod to the inn in The Hobbit too. As for the venue, it's as colourful as their beers, with toy ponies peering out from a wall of beer cartons over a beer hall style setup augmented by separate dining / tasting room and outdoor seating that brightens up their industrial surrounds.

One could be tempted to imagine that a couple deciding to follow a dream and launch a brewing business after three decades in other careers (Frank was a physicist and chemical engineer; Corinna worked in medical science and then marketing for startups) might take things easy and treat it as a hobby. But, as the impressive speed with which Prancing Pony was established and then grew, it's far from the reality here.

The Prancing Pony Brewery is 100 percent Australian owned and naturally, growing the business involves a dedicated team of individuals, including co-owners Paul Smith and wife Jessica. Paul, with his trademark "engine cap", is largely responsible for the placement of the ponies in significant venues such as Jamie’s Italian in Adelaide and also loves taking pictures of food and venues, then peppering the pictures across a range of social media platforms.

For all the polish, however, there's still room for some old-fashioned innovation. When they decided to move some of their beers into cans, they split their existing canning line in two – one side for bottles, one for their brightly-skinned cans. The latter didn't allow the requisite angle to allow the empty cans to file onto the belt via gravity; the solution? Three handily-placed vacuum cleaners...

Name
Prancing Pony Brewery
Address

42 Mt Barker Road
Totness
SA 5250

Phone
(08) 8398 3881
Open Hours

From 17/4/15:
Mon to Thurs: 10am to 6pm
Fri & Sat: 10am to 10pm
Sunday: 10am to 8pm.

Plus an all-day menu seven days a week

Tours

By appointment


This is a directory listing. To find out more, head here

Prancing Pony Brewery Regulars

Prancing Pony Blaze of Haze

Published June 27, 2022
Prancing Pony have brewed plenty of beers at their Adelaide Hills home that showcase hops and haze, doing so in all shapes and sizes too, including some of the chewier imperial IPA variants we've seen. So when they announce a new release called Blaze of Haze for which they've employed hops in LUPOMAX form, you'd be well within your rights to gird your loins for another potent beast. However, this isn't that: instead it's a beer blazing a trail to the part of your drinking repertoire marked “session”. Pale… Read more
Style
Hazy Pale Ale
ABV
4.8%
Bitterness
29 IBU
Stockists

Head here and use the code craftypint to save 15% on cases until July 8, 2022

Prancing Pony Lager

Published October 22, 2021
The Prancing Ponies of the Adelaide Hills are no strangers to traditional Germany style beers, or indeed Germany, given owners Corinna and Frank grew up there. Hence a significant proportion of the beers they release – at least by Aussie standards – are lagers. Their new for spring 2021 core range offering, Pony Lager, keeps things simple, equally at home in the hands of a crafty type after a straightforward drinking experience and appealing to the drinker who prefers the mass-produced variety.… Read more
Style
Lager
ABV
4.5%
Bitterness
23 IBU

Prancing Pony The Stage Roadie

Published December 17, 2019
Prancing Pony have always been a brewery that's prised approachability in their beers – with some notable exceptions, of course. Their Black and Amber ales, for example, aren't as big or full as many of the style, while the core range lineup has room for three beers that sit in golden / pale ale territory. Yet there had never been a mid-strength. At least until the latter part of 2019. The Stage Roadie, launched at Liam Gallagher's Bird In Hand concert, sees them fill that gap in their offering,… Read more
Style
Mid-Strength Pale Ale
ABV
3.4%

Prancing Pony India Red Ale (Cans)

Published December 16, 2019
The first beer to appear under the Prancing Pony special release range called Thoroughbred was also the first beer to start a buzz about the brewery among beer aficionados in their home state. The India Red Ale is a no-holds-barred beer that ramps up the malt profile (initially making full use of their much-loved "fire brewed" caramelisation before they switched to their state-of-the-art German brewhouse) and the hops in equal measure. Frank's inspiration came from wanting to combine a… Read more
ABV
7.9%
Bitterness
60 IBU

Prancing Pony Dizzy Donkey Cider

Published December 16, 2019
One of many changes at Prancing Pony in the latter months of 2019 was the decision to put a cider into cans as part of their core range. It's an offering that has allowed them to celebrate their home region too, with Dizzy Donkey made from freshly pressed Adelaide Hills apple juice and fermented with a brewer's yeast. It's as densely cloudy as the most turbid of hazy IPAs and, while it has juicy characteristics like those beers, here they're of the fleshy apple kind. There's a touch of aromatic farmhouse… Read more
Style
Apple Cider
ABV
5.5%

Prancing Pony Sunshine Ale (Cans)

Published December 16, 2019
Prancing Pony's Sunshine Ale was first released as a seasonal during summer 2015/16 but proved popular enough that it was soon transitioned into the brewery's year round lineup. And, as of the end of 2019, that means it gets to reach your hands in cans. You could easily substitute "golden" for "Sunshine" in terms of where it sits in the grand beer sphere. Built upon a simple recipe, this pale yellow drop sets gentle melon aromas against honeyed malts before delivering a bigger… Read more
Style
4.8%

Prancing Pony Hopwork Orange (Cans)

Published December 16, 2019
Hopwork Orange started out as a one-off for summer a few years back, when head brewer Frank Samson decided there was room for more than one easy-drinking ale to his lineup: one a little fuller in flavour than a traditional summer quaffer. Since then, it's become a permanent fixture, been tweaked and then become one of the first of their beers to be canned. The Burgess / Kubrick-referencing title makes sense when it hits the glass: a light orange, tangerine appearance heralds an citrus hop aroma that… Read more
Style
Pale Ale
ABV
4.8%
Bitterness
25 IBU

Prancing Pony The Piper West Coast IPA

Published May 13, 2019
In this era of new, new, new, you see more and more beers hit the market once and once only. You have to question what this says about overall quality as no brewer can expect to nail every beer they attempt first time, but it does seem to be what retailers and drinkers at the pointier end of the beer world demand. The Piper, however, is not one of those beers. A few months ago, Prancing Pony released a batch of beer called E1. It was a West Coast IPA and, once they had feedback, they tweaked the… Read more
Style
West Coast IPA
ABV
7.2%

Prancing Pony XPA

Published October 9, 2018
Lawnmower beers, session ales, summer smashers, XPAs ... call them what you like, but such beers are brewed for one purpose above all: to quench thirst. While you'd be advised to seek the advice of an accredited medical professional before attempting to cure your sunstroke with beer, there's no doubt a nice, tropical beer at the end of a tough, hot day makes starting a chore that much easier. And it's here that Prancing Pony’s XPA has come to play. A bright yellow straw colour invites the hot… Read more
Style
XPA
ABV
4.1%
Bitterness
55 IBU

Prancing Pony The Zeppelin All Hop NEIPA

Published July 20, 2018
After upgrading their brewhouse to one that is no longer a fire-fired upscale version of brewer Frank Samson's old homebrew kit, Prancing Pony switched their "Fire Brewed" tag to "Long Flavour". Here, they add another pairing, with this beer debuted at the 2018 Beer & BBQ Fests declared an "All Hop" NEIPA. And, while we're pretty sure they haven't put all the hops in the world into it (four new varieties have been released globally in the time it's taken you to get… Read more
Style
NEIPA
ABV
6.6%
Bitterness
56 IBU
Stockists

And other independent retailers in SA, VIC, NSW & QLD

Prancing Pony Pale Ale

Prancing Pony's take on the popular pale ale style inspired by the US is one that is closer to those from the States than most local interpretations in that it doesn't hold back on the alcohol content or hopping regime. On top of some soft malts are layered plenty of citrusy and earthy hops, hardly surprising when they "add a tonne of additional hops" late in the brewing schedule. For those who like to pair their beer with food, the brewers recommend pasta, chicken and Asian dishes.… Read more
Style
Pale Ale
ABV
5.5%
Bitterness
38 IBU

Prancing Pony Blonde Ale

The brewery's entry level or "gateway" beer for newcomers to craft – or those who just prefer gentler flavours – is this Blonde Ale, a hazy, light golden yellow coloured beer inspired by the paler ales of Frank's homeland. It's hopped five times throughout the brewing process with German noble hops (the oldest hop varieties), which offer up soft and subtle floral aromas on a beer with a subdued malt profile that's designed for "quaffing all afternoon or at a BBQ".… Read more
Style
Blonde Ale
ABV
4.5%
Bitterness
25 IBU

Prancing Pony Amber Ale

A beer that sits nicely in the middle of the Prancing Pony core range, this Amber is inspired by American ambers, so look out for resinous and citrusy hops balanced by some sweet, caramel malts. It is, they reckon, "the perfect ale to share with steak or hearty home-style cooked meals."… Read more
Style
American Amber
ABV
5.0%
Bitterness
33 IBU

Prancing Pony Brewery Specials

Prancing Pony Ten Year Beer

Published November 25, 2022
Prancing Pony founders Corinna and Frank have always been quick to recognise those who've helped them along the way, from business partners to staff, from performers at their events to the folks that help them in their attempts at speed records on Lake Gairdner. So it seems fitting that as they mark their first decade in beer with Ten Year Beer they do so with photos from down the years plastered across the cans. As for the liquid chosen to mark this significant milestone, they plucked one from the… Read more
Style
Imperial Pilsner / Cold IPA
ABV
7.5%
Bitterness
55 IBU

Prancing Pony Festbiers 2022: Helles, Hefeweizen & Dunkel

Published September 16, 2022
Of all the breweries in Australia putting on Oktoberfest celebrations each year, few can claim to do it with more justification than Prancing Pony in the Adelaide Hills. While they've built their reputation upon modern craft beer styles – often with their own unique twist – the founders are German and love to bring all the trimmings when they host their annual Oktoberfest bash. For 2022, they've also come out with a trio of German beer styles too in their Festbier series. Their take on the classic… Read more
Style
Helles & Hefeweizen & Dunkel
ABV
All 4.8%
Bitterness
20 & 12 & 22 IBU
Stockists

Order online here

Prancing Pony Pinkers

Published December 22, 2021
Eden Pink – or Pinkers to her dad – has enjoyed quite the career at Prancing Pony in a short space of time, moving from a front-of-house role to running the brewhouse. Once she realised she'd been at the brewery for one-fifth of her life, she was invited to create her own beer for wider release, one that would not only share her nickname but also feature her likeness on the labels. The first Pinkers (as there might be more) is tagged a Brut IPA, although as you can read in our feature on Eden,… Read more
Style
Brut IPA
ABV
7.2%
Bitterness
30 IBU

Prancing Pony Freak Show

Published June 1, 2021
For GABS 2021, Prancing Pony brought their Freak Show to town – not just their steampunk-inspired stand and roaming performers, but a festival beer of the same name too. Officially tagged an "Experimental IPA", it's so heavy on the experimental it touches upon other styles too. Now available in cans with labels I can only describe as what would happen if a balloon animal show got it on with Yellow Submarine under the direction of Rick and Morty, it possesses a barleywine like richness… Read more
Style
Experimental IPA
ABV
11.0%

Prancing Pony Serenity Of Speed

Published March 9, 2021
This week, the owners of Prancing Pony Brewery, their friends, and scores of other racers are gathered at Lake Gairdner for Speed Week, at which Corinna Steeb will be attempting to beat her own land speed record – which you can read about here. Prior to heading to the salt lake, they'd brewed a beer referencing a comment by one of their fellow racers – one featuring salt from Lake Gairdner they'd collected on a previous visit. We're told interest in pre-sales was so strong, this first batch has… Read more
Style
Pale Ale with A Pinch Of Salt
ABV
4.8%

Prancing Pony Purple Velvet Christmas Beer

Published November 17, 2020
Christmas markets might be cancelled across Northern Europe for 2020, but that doesn't mean the team at Prancing Pony can't get into the festive spirit. Corinna Steeb and Frank Samson hail from Esslingen, a town close to Stuttgart, where among the sweet and spicy Christmas traditions is a cake / cookie called Lebkuchen. It's the inspiration for their second cake-as-beer creation, Purple Velvet, which follows in the footsteps of The Hunt For Red Velvet. The labels are inspired by the wonderful architecture… Read more
Style
Christmas Dunkelweizen
ABV
5.2%
Bitterness
32 IBU

Prancing Pony Double Zeppelin & The Evil Piper

Published September 18, 2020
If lupulin is a cure for COVID-19 then the residents of Totness are going to be just fine thanks to their local brewer. Prancing Pony have decided to welcome spring by creating mixed four-packs featuring two of their hoppiest beers and souped up versions of those two beers. Double Zeppelin is (no prizes for guessing, I'm afraid) a double version of their Zeppelin NEIPA. It's been around before but not in cans, and returns noticeably thicker even than the OG. It has the densely cloudy appearance of… Read more
Style
Double NEIPA & West Coast DIPA
ABV
Both 8.0%
Bitterness
70 IBU & 84 IBU

Prancing Pony Baltic Uprising

Published August 4, 2020
The Prancing Pony team have enjoyed their own uprising in 2020, successfully challenging the closure of cellar door operations in the Adelaide Hills during the nationwide COVID-19 shutdown to the benefit of many of their peers in the region. And now they're back with another, albeit one that shouldn't have caused as much stress along the way. Baltic Uprising, as the name suggests, is their nod to the Baltic porters that first appeared in Eastern Europe in the 19th century; the labels even come with… Read more
Style
Baltic Porter
ABV
8.5%
Bitterness
40 IBU

Prancing Pony Magic Carpet Ride (Cans)

Published June 18, 2020
Magic Carpet Ride has been part of Prancing Pony's seasonal offering since 2015 and has made the move into cans for winter 2020. Such is the voluptuous nature of the liquid, I'm torn between whether the carpet is deep shag pile or a tightly woven rug from a North African market that would weigh about 250kg. Given it's magic, we'll go with the latter, especially as it pours with a dark plummy sheen. Dip below the surface, past the dark chocolate and espresso aromas, and you'll find a beer that leans… Read more
Style
Imperial Stout
ABV
9.0%
Bitterness
55 IBU

Prancing Pony Miss Kitty Schwarzbier

Published June 18, 2020
The German Schwarzbier isn't a particular common style of beer, especially among Aussie brewers. Yet it's a style that holds the record for longest reigning Champion Australian Beer at the country's biggest awards, the Australian International Beer Awards. Admittedly, that's on something of a technicality as 4 Pines' dark lager that took out the title in 2019 has yet to be knocked off its perch as there's been no 2020 awards thanks to that pesky pandemic. Of all the other Aussie brewers you might… Read more
Style
Schwarzbier
ABV
4.8%
Bitterness
26 IBU

Prancing Pony Black Ale Cascadian

Published June 18, 2020
A sign of the times here as Prancing Pony shelve their Black Ale and introduce, um, Black Ale. Or, to be clear, their original 6 percent ABV Black Ale is shelved for a new 6 percent ABV Black Ale. OK, let's try again: the original Black Ale was more in easy-drinking stout / dark ale territory; here they've taken inspiration from the Cascadian dark ales or black IPAs of the Pacific Northwest and upped the hops, body and impact. The result is a beer that's less black than mahogany and leads off with… Read more
Style
Cascadian Dark Ale
ABV
6.0%
Bitterness
56 IBU

Prancing Pony E2 West Coast IPA

Published February 26, 2019
While it's unlikely anyone would accuse the Prancing Pony crew of being one trick ponies, given the diversity of beers they've released over the years, there is one trick they're happy to repeat. And it comes in the shape of a West Coast IPA. The first time they performed it was in the shape of E1, a beer poured at a very select collection of venues around Adelaide in order to gain some feedback. After a few tweaks and improvements to the recipe, the second release has been launched on a larger scale… Read more
Style
West Coast IPA
ABV
6.9%
Bitterness
76 IBU
Stockists

Prancing Pony Brewery

Venues across SA & WA

Blind Bear, Cronulla

Woolpack Hotel, Redfern

Leura Cellars

More stockists...

Prancing Pony Indie Kid Pilsener

Published October 16, 2017
It's getting harder to know how much faith to put into professions of independence in the beer world these days, as bigger businesses with deep pockets look to buy themselves credibility and a slice of the growing craft beer pie. Yet independence is just one thing SA's Prancing Pony is looking to celebrate with its Indie Kid Pilsener; the Kids of the title is a nod to their investment in a couple of apprentices while the beer is also the first to roll off a newly installed bottling line. As for the… Read more
Style
Pilsener
ABV
4.8%
Bitterness
36 IBU

Prancing Pony The Hunt for the Red Velvet

Published June 8, 2017
It's far from unusual for brewers to create something dessert inspired for GABS. Often, they'll load a beer up with all manner of vanilla, coffee, cocoa, fruit – you name it – to achieve their goal. But, for their 2017 entry, Prancing Pony aimed to achieve something rich and fruity without using anything other than the core four of water, malt, hops and yeast. That said, The Hunt for Red Velvet initially used two beers, being a blend of a fruity IPA and an imperial stout. The beer – now tagged… Read more
Style
Dark Imperial Red Ale
ABV
9.6%
Bitterness
62 IBU
Awards

International Beer Challenge 2017 – Gold

Prancing Pony Pagan's Empire Imperial Pale Ale

Published January 16, 2017
To introduce Prancing Pony’s core range IPA, Pagan’s Empire, we need to wind back the clock. Back to a time when dogs were only just beginning to be domesticated, men would hit the paddocks to provide for the family and the women would stay at home and brew beer, among other things. Spelt and rye were common ingredients were typically unrefined compared to those we enjoy today. Not that we're saying Pagan’s Empire is unrefined; rather these old methods were the inspiration for the beer. Labelled… Read more
Style
Imperial Pale Ale
ABV
6.6%
Bitterness
60 IBU

Prancing Pony Achtung! Helles

Published August 15, 2016
The German word "Achtung" is generally used as a warning or to obtain the attention of unsuspecting travellers. However, there's no danger to drinkers here as the beer bearing the name is already an award winner; Prancing Pony’s Achtung! Helles took out the best pilsener trophy at the Royal Adelaide Beer and Cider awards in 2016 before it had even been released to the public. Inspired by traditional Bavarian style lagers, this beer forms one part of the Prancing Pony’s heritage range.… Read more
Style
Lager
ABV
4.8%

Prancing Pony Hefeweizen

Published August 15, 2016
The Hefeweizen is the second beer in what will become a seven strong "heritage range" of German inspired beers from Adelaide Hills micro Prancing Pony. The Ponies had always wanted a Weizen (wheat beer) in their range but never had the capacity to make it happen; however, with the arrival of new tanks and a new brewhouse in the middle of 2016, the hefe is finally here. It will be a seasonal release, designed for a hot summer days sitting in a beer garden in the sunshine. The beer is a… Read more
Style
Hefeweizen

Prancing Pony Imperial German Sledgehammer

Published July 4, 2016
Originally brewed for GABS and to christen Prancing Pony's new 30 hectolitre, German made Braukon brewhouse, the Sledgehammer Imperial Pilsener is rumoured to have the ability to grow hair upon one’s upper lip. The idea came when Frank Sampson (head brewer) was twisting his own impressive moustache in thought; "A twist," he exclaimed... With that twist being to create a beer with a malt backbone similar to a Doppelbock (strong lager) style but the hop profile of an IPA. To assist in… Read more
Style
Imperial Pilsner
ABV
7.5%

Prancing Pony Hopwork Orange & Rusty Panzer

Published December 22, 2015
The final pairing of our catch up on the four limited releases to come out from Prancing Pony in recent months features their latest and one that takes inspiration from the brewery founders' mother country. Their latest is Hopwork Orange, the idea for which sprung from brewer Frank Samson's decision to add more than one easy drinking ale to his lineup, one a little fuller in flavour than a traditional summer quaffer. The Burgess / Kubrick referencing title first makes sense when it hits the glass:… Read more
Style
Pale Ale & Marzen
ABV
4.8% & 5.6%

Prancing Pony Sunshine Ale & Magic Carpet Midnight Ride

Published December 21, 2015
The brewers at Prancing Pony, in the Adelaide Hills, have released a number of specialties throughout 2015. So, having received info and samples – and with a few days of the year left – we figured we really should get them listed on the site. There are four to come, with these the first two of them. Sometimes simple is better and that is exactly the case with the Sunshine Ale. Made from 100 percent pilsener malt and hopped up with only one hop variety, Citra – albeit at six stages in its development.… Read more
Style
Summer Ale & Imperial Stout
ABV
4.8% & 9.0%
Stockists

Prancing Pony Brewery

Select good beer venues on the East Coast

Prancing Pony Thoroughbred Copper Ale

Published September 17, 2014
When Frank and assistant brewer Benn Britten fancy doing something extra special, they pop it into their Thoroughbred range, which means the beer leaves the brewery in 500ml bottles and is usually a punchy affair. This Thoroughbred release takes its inspiration from the UK, with the brewers creating a copper-coloured ale (hence the name) styled like an English IPA. That means mild carbonation and, they tell us, an "assertive and lingering hop bitterness." They also describe it as "Invitingly… Read more
Style
English IPA
ABV
5.8%
Bitterness
52 IBU

Prancing Pony Black Ale – SUPERSEDED

It's black and it's 6 percent in alcohol, so you may well be surprised when you put a glass of Prancing Pony's Black Ale to your lips as it's a light-bodied and rather easy-drinking affair. Designed to appeal "equally well to lovers of stouts, porters and dark ales" by the brewer, it's perhaps best thought of as having the colour of a stout, some of the dark malt flavours of a stout and porter and the light body and floral hops of a dark ale. There's a "late, lingering, moderate bitterness… Read more
Style
Black Ale
ABV
6.0%
Bitterness
35 IBU