Jolly Pumpkin

 

these guys have built up a little empire of taprooms and restaurants around the region, and it was awesome to finally make it into one of them to check out the beers and the pizza. this place is really cool, quite big despite looking kind of modest from the outside. it was apparently a brewery previosly, bastone brewery i believe, who they are keeping alive for now from what the bartender tells us, even still brewing some of their beers for them in the basement here. there are a bunch of them on tap, along with a nice range of the jolly pumpkin offerings, and a whole bunch from north peak as well, not sure what the connection is there, but clearly they are working together in some capacity. this space is nice, clean and expansive, with high ceilings and a bar in the middle of the room with a ton of seating. i was stoked to see so many new and unfamiliar jolly pumpkin beers when we were in, and predictably, everything we drank from them was fantastic. the bam di castagna might have been my favorite, but all of them were killer. i didnt try any of the bastone or north peak stuff, but maybe next time. the pizza was killer, the service was very good, and the energy in here was mellow and beery. not sure i would ever be in this part of the state again and not stop in, it was an awesome experience. some of the best beers in the game right now!

 

Stopped in about a month after the partnership between Jolly Pumpkin and Bastone Brewery finalized. The area of the building once occupied by Bastone is now Jolly Pumpkin and Bastone has moved into the area that was their Monk Alley bar.
When approaching the hostess' podium, you have the choice to either eat at Bastone or JP, with both areas sharing the tap list but with different food menus. Already having had Bastone's food, we chose JP.
Some of the half walls have been knocked down, so the main dining area feels more expansive amd roomy. This Saturday night the place was near-capacity, a far cry from the sedate Sunday afternoons I'd previously spent at Bastone. A large, wooden shelving contraption runs from floor to ceiling, separating one row of seating against the wall, and the shelves are full of JP bombers. The only knock I have on the place is that the music was a bit too loud for a dining establishment. For a bar, yes, fine, but conversation was a little difficult.
Food was excellent. At our table, we had fish tacos, the perfect chicken sandwich, and a burger. The Belgian style thin cut fries alone were ridiculous.
The tap list is crazy, too, exhibiting the best of each world: Bastone's Belgian style ales, JP's sours, and North Peak's more accessible American brews. I'm half surprised they didn't bring Grizzly Peak in as well and complete the family. All told, there were 20 some odd brews on tap plus bottles available, as well. I had JP's Oro de Calabeza and the JP/Bastone Co-Operation Ale. My brother had NPs cherry wheat and my uncle had NPs lager. Everyone walked away full and happy. Service was fantastic. Highly recommend a visit.