Bonsai Brewing Project

Visited 02.23.24

Fostering an absolutely killer vibe, we stopped for one beer and couldn't help but stay for two hours. At first it was the cozy, intimate interior after being drawn in from the uptight taco restaurant down the street on a drizzly day, but the upsides kept piling on.

We initially saw a crowd of 30-40 people standing out in the beer garden despite it raining and being slightly chilly outside, so we figured it must be worth visiting and walked across the street to find out for ourselves. The in house tracklist they were playing was already right up my alley, but then DJ El Jefe set up his turntables and played a mix of classic female-centric rock along with some unique indigenous tracks and modern hip hop that set a very cool mood.

The hard wood surfaces all around absorbed all the noise well, and I'm sure the creative usage of barrels underneath the tables didn't hurt either. There's local art all over the walls, much of which is for sale, displayed even above the heads of this very hip yet chill crowd. If it gets too crowded, though, you can step outside anytime. In addition to that huge beer garden tent out front, there are a few more out back behind their impressively large mountain ash with its bright orange berries. They were also serving some food out of the kitchen out there--I saw a ton of large, deliciously complicated looking hot dogs flying around, but hadn't the room to eat more this evening.

The taplist is uniquely varied, with a good number of classic styles, as well as a kombucha beer and some other different stuff. Almost every beer we had was satisfying, while the bartenders are energetic yet unobtrusive. The slung suds out lickety split, as you order on one side and get your beer from the other. It works very efficiently.

 

 

this place is fabulous, funky, innovative, and fun, really an enjoyable stop and a place i would highly recommend checking out when you are in town here. it looks like it was an old house, it has that look from the outside and that layout on the inside, modest and cozy, with a great outdoor space, a big yard with scattered seating and some shade trees, looks a good spot for a picnic, some live music, it was killer on a sunny early summer evening. the bar sort or wraps around inside, order at one side pick up on the other, maybe a dozen beers on tap here, many of which are very creative offerings, i had an unfiltered looking honey blonde with a ton of flavor and a strong saison type with rosehips, hibiscus, and sangiovese grape must that was really unique. they had everything from hazy ipa to sour beers, and all of it looked exciting. the folks working were engaging and carefree and enjoyable to chat with, and it seems like a local hotspot, as the place was packed when i was there, fortunately they have such an expansive yard area outside, its just awesome. wish i had time to try some more of their beers, but next time for sure. this place is rad, fits in well with the vibe i got from the town, a cool little corner of the state, not to be missed!

 

 

 

Very nice fun family place. Kids and dogs playing on the grass outside (it was summer 2016). Beers were good. Of note was a great barrel-aged sour ale.

 

Cool laid back vibe. Great service although not overly informed. Beers are fairly unbalanced and need some work. On par with most brews in this state. Was hoping to find a needle in the rough... Still searching.