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Owners of a seven-year-old craft beer company are eyeing Somerville’s fast-transforming Boynton Yards neighborhood for their first brick-and-mortar location.
Cambridge-based Portico Brewing is seeking to convert a former Harvard University storage space at 45 South St. into a brewery and a tap room, occupying a 3,266-square-foot industrial building.
The project will enable Portico to introduce a new lineup of small batch varieties using a 3.5-barrel brew system, according to materials submitted to the Somerville Planning Board. Food service would be provided by outside vendors.
Founded in 2012, Portico Brewing has released 18 beer varieties commercially and is available at more than 500 bars and package stores. It will continue contract brewing in Ipswich.
Portico joins a craft beverage cluster in the Union Square neighborhood including Bantam Cider, Somerville Brewing Co., Aeronaut Brewing Co. and Bow Market’s Remnant Brewing.
The property is located a block from Leggat McCall Properties and DLJ Properties’ 101 South St. speculative office and lab building, part of a larger master-planned development.
Commercial developers and brokers credit the 2021 completion of the MBTA Green Line Extension and the neighborhood’s diverse mix of shops and restaurants for supporting the growth of a new office and lab cluster in Boynton Yards.
