Under The Bridge Hard Cider has closed its cidery at 750 Cumberland St. in downtown Lebanon, according to the business’s Facebook page.
No reason was given.
“Well, folks, this is it,” a Jan. 2 Facebook post read. “The final First Friday celebration for Under The Bridge Hard Cider. This will be the one that’s talked about for ages. Cider specials all night long. Bring your empty growlers for a fill or pick up one of ours! See you all this Friday!!”
A veteran-owned establishment, the small-batch craft cidery opened its 20-seat tasting room on First Friday in December 2019.
Read More: Under the Bridge brings cider to Downtown Lebanon
Attempts by phone and email to get a comment from Under the Bridge cidermaker, founder and co-owner Kevin Smith were not successful.
The cidery’s website was still active as of Jan. 19, although all of its wares are listed as sold out.
Smith’s interest in cider goes back years. When he and other co-owner Dave Poole were in the Coast Guard, Smith took opportunities to try local ciders.
“Cider has been something that I’ve always liked. My partner and I were both in the service together, both in the Coast Guard, and when I had a port call, me and whoever else was on the ship with me would often go to a bar and look for ciders because it’s something different,” he told LebTown’s Emily Bixler.
Smith began home-brewing beer in 2009 after he left the service. Once he realized he could make cider, he began experimenting with flavors and recipes. When Smith got closer and closer to the 200-gallon annual home-brewing limit, he and Poole decided to pursue cider-making as a business.
The name Under the Bridge comes from the title of a Red Hot Chili Peppers song.
Explaining to LebTown’s Rochelle Shenk how he chose the cidery’s location, Smith said, “I spent my early childhood in Lebanon — my family moved to Annville when I was 5 years old — so I was committed to doing something in Lebanon. I wanted to be part of the city’s revitalization, and I envisioned having a place downtown on Cumberland Street between Fifth and 10th streets.”
In the beginning of 2020, Under the Bridge began to sell 750 milliliter bottles of hard cider to guests. The cidery had just received permission for glass sales when it was forced to close temporarily because of the COVID-19.
“We were gaining momentum, meeting clients and developing relationships. It was very disappointing,” Smith told Shenk.
So Smith and Poole created a new plan. They developed a platform for online sales, remained a constant in downtown Lebanon with storefront pick-up sales, then expanded and grew their varieties.
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