Gov’t shutdown affects new Lexington cidery’s open date

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) —  A new cidery coming to Lexington was set to open in the distillery district in April but the government shutdown has pushed that back.

Co-owner Tim Wright says him and his wife, Greta, are thinking it may not open up until May.

“Everyday that they do not work together to open the government is another day we’re further at risk of this business not working,” says Wright.

The problem is that the Department of Treasury is closed and it includes the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, which gives licenses to breweries, distilleries and wineries to manufacture alcohol.

Once the cidery gets that license,

“Then we can apply to Kentucky’s state ABC to get our small farm winery license,” says Wright. “And then I can put apple juice inside these tanks and start fermenting it into cider.”

Wright says even after the TTB reopens, because of the back-up, he’s looking at another month or two before they get approved to actually start making cider.

He adds that they’re extremely frustrated with our representatives and Congress.

Wright says as a husband, father, and owner of this small family business, not opening on time would be terrible.

“We have put everything on the line as a family, as a professional,” says Wright. “Both personally and financially to get this business up and running.”

He says they’ve even been throwing around the idea of a plan b just to generate some sort of revenue.

“Do we open as something else in the interim as like the government shutdown pop up bar where you can come in and have a beer. It’s not a cider because we don’t have any cider but you can come in and have a beer on a Friday night and toast to the fact that our government is broken,” says Wright.

He says the plan for the cidery as of now is to, of course, sell cider, along with a few local craft beers and a limited food menu.

He’s hopeful he’ll be able to do just that.

The cidery is located in the James E. Pepper Rickhouse at 1170 Manchester Street, Suite 140.