FRAMINGHAM – A few brief highlights from last night’s Board of License Commissioners public hearing for the planned Brass Tap craft beer bar at 770 Water St. in Nobscot:
The Brass Tap hopes to open by December. Requested hours would be 11 am to 10:30 pm Sunday through Wednesday, 11 am to 11 pm Thursday, and 11 am to midnight Friday and Saturday.
They will apply for a building permit in the next couple of weeks and are working out leasing details for the space.
The License Commission continued the hearing to next month, on Aug. 25, because the building commissioner objected to approving any licenses until a building permit request has been filed.
The requested “entertainment license” would be for one night per week. Plans are for things like trivia nights or a guitar player, not loud bands. The applicants said they are working with engineers on designing sound-dampening ceilings so as not to disturb apartment dwellers upstairs.
There is planned patio seating but not outdoor entertainment.
While none of the three partners seeking to operate the new Framingham Brass Tap have restaurant experience, one does have experience owning retail liquor stores and the others have worked in that business. And, the partner who would be full-time managing the store said he will be going for training, and staff from the franchise corporation will be on site the week before and after opening.
Four members of the public spoke at the hearing. Several were there just to express support for the proposal. Others welcomed the applicants to Framingham but also asked them to be mindful of issues around parking and noise. One speaker expressed concern about an establishment selling alcohol so close to an elementary school, but a member of the Comission pointed out that Nobscot’s restaurant had an alcohol license for 20 years nearby, and there’s been a liquor store close by as well.
The Brass Tap chain began in 2008 with an “ultimate beer bar” in Florida and has since expanded franchise operations in cities including Philadelphia, Baltimore, Atlanta, and Raleigh (NC).
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