For owner Joel Malone, opening Bishop Cider Co. in Oak Cliff has been a huge lesson in patience.
“Dallas is just really slow,” he says. “Dallas didn’t really have any way for people to open up breweries and cideries.” This year, he’s spent much of his time dealing with the city on issues such as parking and re-zoning. FireWheel Brewing Co., a brewery out in Rowlett, celebrated its one year anniversary this past July, even though Malone leased his place at 509 N. Bishop Avenue just three months after FireWheel’s Brad Perkinson leased his.
Once the 750-square-foot space opens in Bishop Arts, though, the trouble will be worth the wait.
Without even tasting a drop of his cider, tens of restaurant and business owners have already been inquiring about Malone’s cider. He plans to sell kegs of it to dining institutions and bars.
There’s also been a lot of Facebook hype for Bishop Cider Co., which will basically act as a tasting room for people curious to learn more about the drink. It is, after all, the first cidery in North Texas. Plenty of cider will be on tap, with tanks behind the bar and lining the walls. There won’t, on the other hand, be a food menu.
“Basically, we’re finishing up everything at the moment, and we will be able to legally open and start producing cider in two to three weeks,” says Malone. “Our grand opening is more like six weeks away.”
