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Nicole Simeone
Mighty Squirrel
Waltham, Massachusetts, one of my old stomping grounds, is probably best known for Moody Street, a foodie’s paradise. With its proximity to Boston, it was only a matter of time before a brewery made the city it’s home. Enter Mighty Squirrel brewing. The company settled on Waverly Oaks Road back in 2018, although the company had been brewing beers since 2014.
The first time I had heard of and tasted a Mighty Squirrel beer was at the Craft Brew Races. At the time, Mighty Squirrel was one of two breweries marketing protein beer. I was not a fan. But that was then, and this is now.
Protein beers are gone, but their home in Waltham has a sporty edge to it, in keeping with the founders’ appreciation for a healthy lifestyle. One wall of their brew space allows for a clear view of the rock climbing space next door. I have to say that is a first in all of my visits to different breweries.
Their openness isn’t limited to rock walls, though. Tables, chairs, everything really is set up in a U shape, allowing the brewing space to be everyone’s focal point. Here is one of the views from my seat while sampling their beverages.
In addition to the large, winding seating area, they also carved out a patio. If my visit had been better timed, I might have been able to talk about that in better detail. But, we’re talking New England in late February, so that was most certainly a no go. Come the spring, I am sure patrons will be taking full advantage as opposed to the quick-cut through it provided to those looking into what the food truck had to order.
Here, I can only offer a listing of what’s available at the brewery. We had spent all day at PAX, Penny Arcade Expo, and the call of Moody Street was too loud to ignore. That said, there was a pang of regret on this point of the visit. It’s not every day that you see Australian Meat pies for bar snacks. Millyard Brewery in Nashua, NH, is the only other place offering such treats.
Mighty Squirrel doesn’t offer flights in the traditional sense. Instead, they have the option of 7oz pours in addition to the standard sizes. The menu that evening was IPA heavy, so I dove right in with three of the smaller pours. I went for the Love me, Love me not, Dear Mino and Johnny Hammertime.
Dear Mino (7.2%) and Johnny Hammertime (9.7%) were both textbook examples of IPAs. Dear Mino is the more drinkable beer, given its lower ABV percentage and lack of that cloying after taste that rises up with these NE style IPAs. Johnny Hammertime is a juice bomb fit for its name. With the designation of Triple IPA, I expected to get hit over the head with alcohol. That didn’t happen at all. A very sneaky hanmertime.
Love me, Love me not was my risky choice out of the three. Why was it risky, you ask? Pomegranate IPA. I guessed this beer would go one of two ways, either I wouldn’t be able to taste the pomegranate or it was a sour hiding in IPAs clothing. Well, wasn’t I proved wrong.
My first couple of sips made me think that I had walked into Berkshire Brewing instead. Love me, Love me not reminded me of Berkshire’s Farmstand Barleywine, without the barleywine ABV. The pomegranate came through as the primary flavor, mingling with the lemony supporting character from the Idaho 7 hops. The beer didn’t finish with an overly bitter taste, leaving you with the delicious aftertaste of fruit salad.
While a bit off my usual path when I stop into Waltham, Mighty Squirrel will definitely be a place I come back to. There are snacks, coffee, and, I am sure, more beers to sample.
Cheers, Nerd Girls!
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