Legendary Irish pub saved by the good graces of their favourite son
Founded in 1994 in Lindhaven, Gilroy's has called Muldersdrift home since 2008
Fabled lore and fantastical tales seldom eclipse the magic of a true story.
Having peered into the sweetest eyes and glimpsed the darkest abyss, those who have called Gilroy’s Brewery home have been pushed to the ends of the earth and back. Having not so much ridden the wave that began the craft beer craze as being one of the tectonic plates that began the ensuing tidal surge, the almost three-decade old haven for ale lovers came perilously close to extinction, save for the graces of a kindred spirit.
An establishment that transcends cultural and geographic boundaries
Originally housed in Nickel Street in 1994, a now white-haired warlock set the first incarnation of his brewery up at a printing company he owned near the Roodepoort CBD. There he would meet an eternally thirsty young man just beginning his own pursuit of finding the perfect beer. Unknown to them both, their paths would remain intertwined from the time they surveyed the land of what would become their Muldersdrift fortress from 2008.
One of four micro-breweries with national acclaim prior to the suspender and fedora-driven trend that would swarm the late 2010s, The Daily Telegraph twice awarded Gilroy’s the title of ‘Best British Restaurant In The World’ outside of the United Kingdom in 2010 and 2013. As a tempest that propelled an entire scene, they throw scorn on the term ‘craft’ and boldly state they are without equal.
The two cornerstones of yesterday’s successes and tomorrow’s ambitions
Boisterous purveyor of amber nectar, the self-styled Mad Godfather of Beer, Steve Gilroy, came from Britain to South Africa in 1970 when he was 22. A recipient of the Duke of Edinburgh Award for Engineering as part of an apprentice group, Gilroy immediately settled in Muldersdrift with the love of his life in tow.
“Once you smell the first rain off a Muldersdrift dirt road, once you hear the first rains on a tin roof, South Africa gets hold of you. I’m Irish by birth but South African by choice.”
Hannes Greyling first entered the Lindhaven brewery as an 18-year-old and since then was always known to have a tapped Gilroy’s keg ready to spread the word. The Pretoria boy would get his first taste of working in a bar in Scotland before returning home to take a position at his father’s steel firm. Growing weary of office life, Hannes shed his corporate skin in order to lead a serendipitous rescue mission.
An uncomfortable touch with brewing death
As with every entertainment venue, the government-imposed shutting of alcoholic turnstiles had a devastating effect on Gilroy’s. Exhausting their savings to keep Gilroy’s staff paid, ‘Gil’, as he is more politely known, made the heartbreaking decision to liquidate the business. By coincidence or divine intervention, Gilroy received a phone call from Hannes minutes later and upon hearing the news, immediately offered his resources as an investment in his own posterity.
Rising as the patron saint of Gilroy’s, Hannes would become the new owner while the wiley septuagenarian would take up a custodian role that would preserve the quality of the product while the quick learner was brought up to speed.
“You could say the best of British was saved by an Afrikaner,” chimes Gil, sharing that he and Hannes are like the same spirit from different eras. “It was 98% for the beer and 2% for you,” laughs Hannes, raising a glass to his friend.
Beer as natural gift and way of life music of the soul
Becoming a skilled storyteller himself, Hannes details the romantic origins of beer as the spiritual foundation of humanity, noting how nomadic wanderers would gather wild wheat in pots that would fill with rain, the resulting fermented barley turning hunter gatherers into agriculturalists. Ale-lubricated feasts would follow successful hunts and inspire mirth-fuelled population growth.
This misty-eyed love of not only the liquid, but everything it facilitates is at the core of these two men’s endeavours. When happy, the heart can not but sing so Hannes, armed with a Bodhrán, and Gil, caressing a violin he bought for his daughter many moons ago, express their love for everything they have been given, created and cherished at every gathering of their beloved patrons.
Not your average local but as Gil intended, a destination venue, Gilroy’s is an escape from reality into a world isolated from the seriousness of life. Always reminding patrons of the single-fingered archers challenge, the trademark rallies from the porch the pair once sat dreaming at, allow Gil to heap praise on a humble Hannes. Drawn together by a force that is organic yet supernatural, the pair continue their devotion to welcoming everyone home to the ultimate fantasy pub.
