Westbrook resident John Waldron’s proposal for a brewery and brew pub to be opened at 6 Winter Avenue in Deep River was officially approved by the Planning & Zoning Commission at its April 18 meeting.

Waldron said his brewery will be a family business selling craft beer. His intention is to brew 300 to 600 barrels the first year, producing the beer and completing canning and kegging on site for self-distribution, as well as selling pints for consumption in the brew pub. The hours operation will be between 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. for the purpose of brewing beer (which will initially take place once or twice a week) and there will be one to three people on site operating the brewery and brew pub.

The brew pub, which will be operated similarly to a coffee shop or wine-tasting facility, will include tasting of the craft beers and areas for relaxing, as well as board games and some evening events. Food will not be produced on the site, however patrons will be encouraged to bring in food from local restaurants and from time to time Waldon plans to invite food trucks onto the premises.

The brew pub will be open five days a week, Wednesday through Sunday. Fifteen parking spaces are available through the lease, with an additional six spaces in a gravel area and two handicap spaces on the property.

Due to the lengthy process of applying for and obtaining the necessary licensing and permits for the business, Waldron estimates the soonest he will open is sometime in early fall.

“I think this is a great thing for town,” said First Selectman Angus McDonald. “This new business will hopefully bring more people to town so they can see how great Deep River really is.”

Owners of Little House Brewery in Chester said they are happy to hear that a new brewery will be going in Deep River soon.

“We are so excited,” said Little House Brewery co-owner Sam Wagner. “As far as we are concerned, the more the merrier in the area and we hope to be introduced to the new owner soon, so we can help out in any way we can.”

Little House Brewery opened recently in downtown Chester and Wagner said so far, the experience has been great.

“We love having a brewery here in a small town, and we specifically designed our brewery to be just that: a small-town business that has regulars and is part of the fabric of the community. We are extremely happy here in Chester and we wish the Deep River brewery good luck.”