Mighty Squirrel Craft Brewery To Open In Waltham

WALTHAM, MA — A year ago Mighty Squirrel the craft brewery that started with some low-carb high protein sport beer (yep) and eventually transformed to more traditional craft beer but kept the athletic, health conscious fans promised to set up shop in the the Boston area. And now the word is out; they got the ZBA approval Tuesday night for a 23,000-square foot state-of-the-art facility with its own taproom in Waltham, set to open later this year near the border with Belmont and Watertown.

"If buildout goes well, we plan to open the facility by October this year," Co-founder Naveen Pawar told Patch in an email.

Tuesday night at the uncharacteristically packed Waltham ZBA meeting the board approved the craft brewers plan to build right near the Beaver Brook Reservation on Waverly Oaks Road (and conveniently located around the corner from the Waverly Oaks fitness club).

Founders Henry Manice and Pawar launched their concept of a beer for active people three years ago and have been fielding emails from folks for years asking to see their tap room.

"It's been awkward to tell them we don't have one," said Pawar in a phone interview. But it hasn't been for a lack of searching for the perfect place.

Pawar said the duo have looked all over the Boston area for a spot to call their own tap room. "We saw close to 30 different spots for the brewery from Charleston to the Seaport to Westwood. You can say any town and we went," he said.

And then in April last year they visited the spot on Waverly Oaks Road.

"It was love at first site. We went there and walked in and were like boom this is the perfect spot for a brewery tall ceilings a huge open box," he said. Add that to Waltham's manufacturing history, it's spot between two other communities that also don't have breweries, and the fact that it was right next to the Beaver Brook's 300 acre park made them swoon.

But there was just one problem. The space was on the second floor. Not really an issue for most businesses but for a business that includes equipment that weigh half a ton...

"Have you ever seen a brewery on the second floor?" said Pawar.

The answer is that's not something that happens often. So off they went continuing their search. Until they got a call letting them know that the two business owners both of whom had been there some 20 years were moving out at the same time.

It was back on.

"It was perfect," said Pawar. The idea will be to go in once they get building permits and reinforce the floors and the support beams.

"Now we have the plan we have it all together and now we got the approval. Now we’re ready to rock and roll," he said.

He envisions a space where the tap room is the main attraction. Where people with young families will come and see the magic being made in an interactive way after coming in from a hike or a bike ride from the nearby trails.

"We want this to be a destination location," he said. "We're not a restaurant, we're not a bar, and we're not a club," he said.

Right now in addition to the protein filled stuff, they distribute a Belgian-style white ale and their popular New England-style IPA they call Cloud Candy. But when they get their tap room, look for as many as 10 more beers to pop up. For the past eight months, they've backed off from the sport beers in favor of the more traditional craft beer.

"We love craft beer and we try to live a healthy lifestyle," said Pawar. And so that's who they hope will swing by and come visit.

Check out this blog post Mass Brew Bros who posted some mighty looking plans there.

Until they open up shop they still use the facility at Ipswich Ale Brewery, and you can buy their brew at three spots in Waltham:

• Tempo - 474 Moody Street
• Jocos Bar & Kitchen 450 Moody St
• Michael’s Fine Wines & Liquors 411 Waverley Oaks Rd # 111
• Bistro 781 on Moody St. The brewer even held a launch party there for their newest IPA.

Check out this tweet from the gang back from the summer. We should have known:

Are you into this idea? drop this reporter a line: jenna.fisher@Patch.com or if you've got a lot to say, post your opinion to Patch yourself in a column.

Image courtesy Mighty Squirrel