Bronx Brewery put on ice by government shutdown
BY ALEX MITCHELL
The federal government’s
lengthy shutdown has made
the Bronx Brewery sales,
along with almost 7,000 others
breweries nationwide, go fl at.
These craft beer makers
rely on the US Treasury’s Alcohol
and Tobacco Tax and
Trade Bureau’s approval to label
and sell their brews across
state lines.
In the case of the Bronx
Brewery, up to 12 of their beer
products that are distributed
The brewery’s front exterior. Bronx Brewery
to 10 states as south as Virginia
and west as Ohio are being
kept on ice until the federal
agency reopens.
As a matter of fact, even the
TTB’s website has limited service
during the 30-plus days
governmental gridlock.
“We are currently awaiting
approvals on two new products
that without the government
functioning, we cannot
distribute across state lines,”
said Bronx Brewery spokesman
Nick Mezansky.
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, J 8 ANUARY 25-31, 2019 BTR
“So, the shutdown restricts
our ability to innovate,” he
added.
Innovation is essentially
a cornerstone in the business
of brewing unique and craft
beers like ‘Everyday Hustle,’
a themed hoppy lager that
will make it’s formal debut
during Marco Shalma’s ‘It’s
The Bronx’ event at the brewery
on Saturday, January 26.
According to Mezansky,
the Bronx Brewery distributes
its different beers across
state lines annually.
“We also distribute up to
ten different beers at a given
time,” he said.
Some of its beers have even
found fans overseas, including
Sweden, Bronx Brewery cofounder
Damian Brown said.
Just to have the TTB approve
a beer’s label is a two
to three week process alone
Brown stated, noting that it
would take about fi ve weeks
just to get back up to speed
once the federal agency reopens.
Mezansky continued on to
explain that while the Bronx
Brewery can label and distribute
within the state of New
York, the company’s business
strategy is to release its new
beers to its entire consumer
market at once.
While the government
shutdown doesn’t seem to
have an end on the near horizon,
warmer weather days and
‘open season’ is coming for the
Bronx Brewery.
Having two fully-designed
and crafted beers just sitting,
waiting for TTB approval isn’t
what the brewery would prefer
to focus its efforts on just
weeks before seasonally reopening
its outdoor backyard
space.
If you’re beyond the state’s
border and need a cold one
before the federal government
re-opens, visit the Bronx
Brewery’s tasting room at 856
E. 136th Street.
The brewery’s manufacturing room. Bronx Brewery