Idle Hands Craft Ales Debuts in Malden
Idle Hands Craft Ales’ Taproom in Malden. / Photo provided.
Idle Hands Craft Ales won’t remain idle for much longer: the popular brewery will debut its new Malden taproom and facility this Thursday, July 7, complete with fresh beer and food offerings.
This grand opening is more of a reopening for Idle Hands, which was ushered out of its original home in Everett last year due to the Wynn Casino project. Co-owners Chris and Grace Tkach had always intended to move into a larger space, so despite being displaced earlier than they anticipated, they took it as an opportunity. In Malden, the brewery is more than triple the size of the former space, and it will also triple the company’s production capacity.
At their new home, Idle Hands will revive some of the Belgian and German styles it focused on in Everett, like Patriach, an Abbey-style table beer, and Charlton Rouge, a Flanders red ale. But Chris Tkach and head brewer Brett Bauer will also delve into a range of new brews, including hoppier styles.
“With the taproom opening, we need to provide our customers with a wider variety of beer to choose from,” Tkach told BostInno. “I’m a realist and I know that hops are driving a lot of the craft beer growth right now. While it won’t be a main focus of what we do, I would be dumb to ignore that segment.”
Check out the brewery’s debut beer list below.
The new Malden taproom, just a short walk from the Malden Center MBTA stop, has 14 seats at the bar, underneath the Idle Hands logo made entirely of bottle caps. Windows behind the bar provide a glimpse into the production space, home to four, new, 15-barrel fermenters, as well as the two 10-barrel tanks Tkach and Bauer brewed on this past year at their temporary home, Night Shift Brewing.
Tkach envisions a community-driven environment in which to enjoy his beer, and he’s excited about how much more “open and inviting” the Malden space is than his first taproom.
“This place solves every single problem that we had in Everett,” he previously told Boston “It’s got parking, it’s T-accessible, it’s our own, standalone space so we don’t have neighbors to worry about, and I always joke about this, but it’s got bathrooms. Anybody who’s ever visited us will be excited to hear it.”
To foster a sense of community, there won’t be any televisions or electronic distractions in the taproom. Also, as part of the opening, Idle Hands sold the naming rights to the bar stools (there are three left, as of publication), giving fans a unique opportunity to be a part of the founding team.
Beyond the beers and atmosphere of the new, 50-seat beer hall, Idle Hands will offer some food, too. It won’t have its own kitchen, but Tkach is curating offerings from local restaurants and pizzerias, including pizza by-the-slice. During opening week, expect grilled chicken and roast pork sandwiches, as well salads and select small plates, packaged to go from Mystic Station in Malden. The brewery also intends to host food trucks, like Daddy’s Bonetown Burgers, throughout the week, so keep an eye on Twitter for details on timing.
Idle Hands will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 3 p.m. this Thursday, and the beer will flow until 1o p.m. Going forward, it will be open Monday-Wednesday from 3-9 p.m., Thursday-Friday 3-10 p.m., Friday noon-10 p.m. and Sunday noon-7 p.m.
The brewery will cap taproom capacity at 60 people during opening week, according to its website, so plan ahead if you want a peek inside.
Idle Hands Craft Ales, 89 Commercial St., Malden, 617-819-4353, idlehandscraftales.com.
