Idle Hands has found a new brewery location
Welcome to Malden.
Idle Hands Craft Ales was pushed out of its small Everett brewing space in June after Wynn Resorts bought its facility. The gaming giant, which is licensed to build a $1.7 billion resort casino near the former brewery, planned to raze the structure to prepare an access road for construction.
At the time, Idle Hands was without a new home. On Friday, it announced it had found one by signing a lease in Malden. Idle Hands founder Chris Tkach said he expects to be up and running by spring if the licensing and permitting process goes smoothly.
The new location is about 5,300 square feet, up significantly from the 1,600-square-foot Everett space, Tkach said. Its 89 Commercial St. address is near the Malden Center MBTA station, marking another distinction from the previous location, which could not be reached by rail.
Tkach said the increased space and accessibility will benefit the company.
“That’s why we’ve been so patient in getting this space signed,’’ he said. “I had a lot of patience because I knew that ultimately, this would be a great spot in the end.’’
Idle Hands previously had a small sampling area and was arranged for short visits, Tkach said. The new space will have a full tasting room, allowing customers to sit, order a beer, and stay a while. Tkach said he also wants to arrange for food trucks to set up shop outside the brewery.
“It’ll be more of a sit-down type of experience,’’ he said. “The two couldn’t be more opposite.’’
Tkach had been planning to look for a larger location before Wynn forced the issue. He does not hold hard feelings against the global casino company, he said.
“They have to do what they have to do,’’ Tkach said. ’’Unfortunately, we were caught in the crosshairs a little. … It was the timing that was painful.’’
In the months since it closed up shop, Idle Hands has been making beer out of Everett’s Night Shift Brewing. There are currently no craft breweries in Malden, according to the Brewers Association, a nonprofit that tracks the American beer industry.
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