Considerable cloudiness. Occasional rain showers in the afternoon. High 48F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..

Rain showers early transitioning to snow showers late. Low 33F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precip 60%.

An architectural rendering by BMA Architectural Group of Amherst, N.H, shows the microbrewery and restaurant planned for the Hampton Inn and Suites site at 4595 Main St. in Manchester. The proposal was granted an Act 250 permit on Wednesday.

An architectural rendering by BMA Architectural Group of Amherst, N.H, shows the microbrewery and restaurant planned for the Hampton Inn and Suites site at 4595 Main St. in Manchester. The proposal was granted an Act 250 permit on Wednesday.

MANCHESTER — A microbrewery and restaurant slated for the Hampton Inn and Suites property has been granted an Act 250 permit, and developers are hoping to begin construction this summer.

“That might be a little aggressive, but we’re hopeful to take advantage of warmer weather,” Kevin Mullaney, the president of property owner Mullaney Hospitality Group, said of the plan.

The Agency of Natural Resources website shows the permit was finalized on Wednesday, March 23. The Manchester Development Review Board held a hearing on the proposal in November and issued a permit on Dec. 2.

The 10,600-square-foot brewery and restaurant will feature 230 indoor seats, including its taproom bar, and 130 seasonal outdoor patio seats. It will be located in front of the Hampton Inn and Suites at 4595 Main St., at the Equinox Terrace roundabout.

When the hotel was built in 2016-17 on the former High Ridge Plaza site, Mullaney envisioned adding mixed-use retail along its Main Street frontage. But changes in the retail industry adjusted his thinking, and the microbrewery he had earlier considered came back into focus.

“This is an idea we’ve had from the beginning,” he said. “First, we felt like it would be a perfect place for something like a brewery at that site and location. Second, in all my years working on that hotel project, I have always been amazed there’s no brewery in Manchester.”

That second point has been made by the hotel’s guests who, aware of Vermont’s craft beer reputation, asked at the front desk where they can find the closest craft brewery, Mullaney said.

“We met with people in the industry, and it got to a point where it started to really make sense what we should do,” Mullaney said. Namely: “Bring a beer brand to Manchester, and create one Manchester can be proud of.”

Mullaney said he’s in the process of interviewing candidates for brewmaster and chef, and is developing a menu prototype. He envisions the brewery and restaurant will have about 10 to 12 beers on tap, as well as an elevated pub menu.

“I understand staffing is a challenge — with the Hampton, we face that like everybody,” Mullaney said. “But we’ve been able to put together a pretty good team at the Hampton.”

And there’s this: While brewing is hard work, people in the field seem to truly enjoy the work and the camaraderie, Mullaney said.

“They’re fun, creative and artistic,” Mullaney said of the brewers he’s met. “It definitely is a unique culture, but I found it’s a very friendly culture, too.”

Mullaney credited Kirk Moore of BMA Architects and Planners and Chris Ponessi of Mance Engineering Partners, both of Manchester, for successfully steering the project through the local and Act 250 permit process. The exterior was designed by BMA Architectural Group of Amherst, N.H. (which has no connection to BMA Architects and Planners).

The Act 250 permit took 168 days from its Oct. 6 filing to final approval. The property had previously been under act 250 purview when the hotel was proposed.

The brewery would make about 20 barrels of beer weekly. That works out to about 620 gallons at the U.S. brewing industry standard of 31 gallons per barrel.

According to the filings, a pretreatment wastewater discharge permit will not be required, as “sufficient capacity exists in the wastewater treatment facility and associated sanitary sewer collection line to accommodate the design flow of this project.”

The permit also does not require additional mitigation for traffic, as it is “not anticipated to generate unreasonable congestion or unsafe conditions on the adjacent roadway network.”

Reach Greg Sukiennik at gsukiennik@manchesterjournal.com or at 802-447-7567, ext. 119.

Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.