Construction continues as crews work to transform the building at 324 North Lafayette St. in Macomb into a brewery. But some of the paperwork required to open Forgottonia Brewing could get delayed by the partial shutdown of the federal government.
Sean West, part owner and head brewer of Forgottonia Brewing, said the business is reaching the point when it should apply for a federal liquor license. But he said the government workers who review license applications are furloughed because of the shutdown.
West said Forgottonia Brewing hopes to open in May, so the business could still get everything done in a timely fashion as long as the shutdown does not drag on for much longer.
“I’m hopeful that we can come to an agreement and something can get pushed forward sooner rather than later,” West said. “We have built in enough time that hopefully this won’t be an issue. But it is definitely something that is giving us concern.”
West said it can take one to two months to receive the federal license. He said that license must be secured before the brewery can proceed with obtaining its state and local licenses.
Last summer, Forgottonia Brewing won Macomb’s inaugural Downtown Retail Business Competition. The owners will receive $28,000 in cash and prizes to help start the business.
