:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46549030/10896968_1047546281938473_8861355568417325117_n.0.0.jpg)
Idle Hands Craft Ales announced today that its facility at 3 Charleton St. will close at the end of this month to make way for the Wynn Casino development in Everett, Boston Magazine reported.
While the microbrewery knew this day was coming and owner Chris Tkach has been looking for a new home for about 12 months, he and co-owner Grace Tkach, his wife got just four months of formal notice. "I was initially led to believe that we had much longer, a year-plus, before they would actually need that land," Chris Tkach told the Boston Globe.
Tkach anticipates Idle Hands and head brewer Ben Howe's affiliated Enlightenment Ales project will be offline for some of this year. Tkach told the Globe he could have a new space nailed down by July; he is currently negotiating with an Everett landlord about space several miles from the current location. But equipment installation and licensing will take about 6 months. His staff has ramped up production in anticipation of this lull, and the company will also work with fellow Everett brewery and former neighbor Night Shift to use their facility for limited batches.
Despite limited availability, local establishments are committed to maintaining their relationships with Idle Hands, the press release says. "I know my customers will be saddened [by the limited offerings]...but we plan to serve their beer whenever we can get our hands on it during their transition," said Max Toste, Deep Ellum and Lone Star Taco Bar co-owner and beer manager.
In conjunction with its anticipated move, Idle Hands is selling its current, 5-barrel production equipment and plans to invest in a system that will allow them to produce 15 barrels at a time. A new facility will also expand the company's tasting and retail areas, the Globe notes.
Before it shutters in July, Idle Hands' current tasting room will be open Thursdays from 3 - 7 p.m., Fridays from 5 - 8 p.m., and Saturdays from noon - 5 p.m. It may also open to the public on Monday and Tuesday, July 29 and 30, BoMag reports.
UPDATE: Idle Hands has posted answers to a variety of "frequently asked questions" regarding the closure/move, including what will happen to the staff, information for Enlightened Hands Society members, and more.
