Little Italy's craft beer community adds another compatriot as Bolt Brewery's new tasting room and eatery gets up and running on the corner of Grape and India Streets today.
The fledgling brewery is moving at a fast clip; they signed the lease for this off-site tasting room even before launching their 10 barrel main production brewery in La Mesa, which just opened in December. The 80-seat restaurant has 20 taps, with 12 house beers including Bolt Citra Pale Ale, Eighty Seven IPA and Mango Me Crazy; Bolt just hired a second brewer, so expect the tap list to grow.
Bolt's all-day menu hinges on a 12-inch, $11.95 customizable pizza that starts with traditional dough or a version made with their Nut Brown Ale. From there, you pick a sauce (choices include basic red, hemp pesto and roasted garlic béchamel), a cheese, and toppings that run from chorizo to pineapple. Food offerings should increase as the kitchen gets its footing but will stay in small plates territory; currently, starters range from a pilsner pretzel with mustard and spicy cheese sauce to chicken wings and a cheese and meat board, plus a handful of salads. Desserts include a twist on tiramisu made with Bolt's Chocolate Stout and a sundae.
The brewery says may consider opening more satellites but has more immediate plans to expand production and eventually bottle their beer. For now, you can find them in Little Italy between 11 a.m. and 10 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. on Sunday.
