The name of North Idaho’s next brewery may sound a bit wacky, but its inspiration is deadly serious.

Mad Bomber Brewing is a project of Tom Applegate, a recently discharged Army explosive ordnance disposal technician, and two of his bomb squad buddies.

They’ve secured space on Government Way in Hayden for their 1.5-barrel nanobrewery and have filed for federal and state brewing permits, with plans to open this fall.

The beer names reflect their vocation: MK84 Porter, Lonely Walk Brown, Powder Keg India Brown. Decorations will include photos of EOD techs at work, and a bomb suit.

“We wanted to have an identity that we could relate to, and we thought people would be interested in coming to someplace that’s meaningful,” Applegate said.

Mad Bomber will support such causes as the Wounded Warrior Project, and Applegate added: “An emergency responder is never going to pay full price for a pint.”

One of the beers will be the Saint Nicholas Pale, named in honor of Staff Sergeant Nicholas Reid, an original Mad Bomber partner who was killed in an explosion in Afghanistan last December. Rick Bonino, SR

Great news for area brew fans. We will be sure to pay a visit this fall. How about you?

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