Idle Hands Craft Ales — Restaurant in Malden

Great beer, even better community—from the beerhall-reminiscent Taproom to local pop-up food offerings to hosting community events. Another review said Idle Hands makes beers that were ‘just right’ and someone else put it even better that ‘It isn’t possible to speak highly enough about Idle Hands.’ This is all true.

As a regular I might be biased, but I also wouldn’t be a regular if Idle Hands didn’t have 1. Great beer 2. Knowledgeable, smart staff and 3. An environment that is welcoming and makes me feel safe. I can come alone as a woman and sit at the bar reading undisturbed, watch the Pats game, or just strike up a conversation with friendly strangers. Idle Hands is all good vibes.

In addition to their excellent beer selection (and Spindrift), they host local pop-up food offerings as well as events, so there really is a sense of community bringing people together. Their patio is dog-friendly, they have games (including shuffleboard inside), and they’re overall a space where anyone will feel welcome, whether solo crossword enthusiast, family with infant hoping for no fuss, group event, or woman reading a...

The “Heide” Helles Lager is chocked full of raw corn tortilla flavor!! The flavor lingers in your mouth for minutes. Dimethyl Sulfides (DMS). Probably from an infection post fermentation, since I was drinking that same beer two weeks ago and it was void of that flavor. I pointed it out to the server, he talked to the owner or brewer and it seems that the owner/brewer wasn’t much concerned with the embarrassingly flawed beer. I was poured a Pilsner and that seems to have a little less corn flavor.

Maybe it would be wise to take notice and resolve this issue!! Could be a number of causes, malt selection, brewing practices to even cleaning and sanitation. Good luck with all that. Do not go here if you want a quality beer, they don’t care about quality, they are lazy and rely on clients who don’t know. Most German drinkers would spit it out and walk away. Something I...

For lovers of authentic German-style beers there is absolutely no better place than Idle Hands! I personally appreciate the authentic beer-hall, no-tv-distraction, aesthetic which makes it easy to play a board game with friends/family, chat, or even meet the other regulars.

As someone who loves to try varieties of foods from area businesses, but doesn’t always want to travel to get there, the rotation for “food trucks” and pop-ups always offers a reason to get excited about going there for a beer.

Finally, I’ve got to conclude with a shout-out to everyone working the taps- they’re all fantastic, friendly, helpful and just make it a naturally welcoming atmosphere from your first visit.

So 5-Stars from me for what I consider an authentic European-style Beer Hall with a local...