Beer and a meatball? Local brewery to open new downtown Boise pub this weekend

Mad Swede Brewing Co. is finally ready to hoist a cold one in downtown Boise.

More than a year after leasing space at 816 W. Bannock St., the brewery officially will open its long-awaited brew hall on Saturday, Jan. 16, according to a media release.

Previously, the pub was slated to open last weekend. But plans were delayed one week because an employee at the brewery’s main location, 2772 S. Cole Road, tested positive for COVID-19. After closing briefly for deep cleaning and employee testing — everyone else was negative, Mad Swede says — that tasting room has reopened.

Meanwhile, the new downtown pub will operate from 3 to 10 p.m. seven days a week. Mad Swede will pour beers such as its Sunstone Hazy IPA, Danegeld Golden Ale and Naked Sunbather Nut Brown Ale, which won a gold medal in 2019 at the Great American Beer Festival. The brew hall also will serve made-to-order craft seltzers.

A small food menu also will be available, including Mad Swedish Meatballs made using beer. Locally crafted Pie-O-Neer meat pies, from the owners of now-defunct Kiwi Shake & Bake, also will be sold.

In addition to a stringent employee mask policy, Mad Swede installed a Reme Halo air purification system at both its locations to kill viruses and bacteria.

For updates, check out @madswedebrewing and @madswede_downtown on social media.