This past weekend, the stretch of Canfield Street between Second and Cass celebrated the opening of its third brewery, making the Midtown block an easy destination for fans of craft beer. Newcomer Jolly Pumpkin Pizzeria & Brewery joins the well-established Traffic Jam & Snug and Motor City Brewing Works on Canfield. A strong beer and food neighborhood just got stronger.
Located at 441 W. Canfield, the pizzeria and brewery is the fourth location for the Jolly Pumpkin brand, which is based out of Dexter, Mich. and has locations in Ann Arbor and Traverse City. While most of the company's beer is brewed at the main Dexter facility, representatives say that a small brewing operation will produce beer at the Detroit location.
The Detroit Jolly Pumpkin is styled differently from the other locations, says partner and co-founder Jon Carlson. "The biggest waste in brewing are the wooden pallets. We're using reclaimed pallet boards everywhere." A long bar lines the west end of the 5,000-square-foot restaurant while communal dining-style picnic tables take up most of the floor space. Large windows face the sidewalk to the north. Reclaimed pallet boards cover the walls.
The kitchen offers signature pizzas with fresh, local ingredients, including dough hand-crafted by the nearby Avalon International Breads bakery. Other Michigan businesses tapped by the company include the Brinery, Guernsey Dairy, and McClure's Pickles. Soups and salads round out the menu.
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales was launched in 2004, becoming the first craft beer brand to concentrate solely on sour ales. Of the 32 taps at the Detroit location, roughly half offer the wide range of sour ales developed by the company. The other half feature another Michigan-based brewery, North Peak Brewing Company, which offers a more traditionally-varied selection of different kinds of beers. Jolly Pumpkin co-founder and master brewer Ron Jeffries is also a collaborator of the North Peak line.
Source: Jolly Pumpkin Pizzeria & Brewery and Jon Carlson, partner and co-founder
Writer: MJ Galbraith
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