Rooster Brewing owner Ralph Quillin.Photo by Sarah Jane Sanders
When Ralph Quillin’s children gave him a craft brewing kit as a present in 2008, no one knew it would launch Bourbon County’s first microbrewery. At the same time, given Quillin’s knack for craftsmanship, his scientific background from his studies at Transylvania University and his love for downtown Paris, it is also not very surprising to many.
Quillin, the longtime owner of Quillin Leather and Tack in Paris, began acquiring dilapidated properties along the town’s Main Street in recent years, including a former 1880s mercantile store at 609 Main that had formerly housed an odds-and-ends shop.
Although Quillin wasn’t sure of his intentions for the place at the time, he had been watching the development of Lexington’s local brewery scene with interest, and he saw an opportunity for the same kind of energy and investment in his own hometown. As an active member of the community, Quillin had been talking up downtown Paris’ business potential for a while, he said, and the time had come for him to show people himself.
“It’s kind of like the sky’s the limit,” Quillin said.
In mid-April, Rooster Brewing opened its doors, with a bright red-and-yellow 1,800-square-foot tasting room that serves as its own tribute to Quillin’s craftsman mentality, with custom-made wooden stools and tables and a bartop made from Kentucky’s state tree, the coffeetree. French doors in the back of the store give patrons a clear view of Rooster’s brewing room, and the store has additional cellar space that will be used for the brewery’s bourbon-barrel beers.
Rooster Brewing is named for a farm animal that became a frequent visitor to the backporch of Quillin’s Bourbon County farm, where his venture into home brewing began, he said. Quillin’s leather business also began as a home-based operation before he opened his shop in 1982. As with brewing, Quillin was self-taught in the craft.
“I just like to figure stuff out,” Quillin said.
In addition to producing its own brews, Rooster will carry about 100 different beers, Quillin said, all craft products and all American-made to start. Quillin plans to begin bottling his own brews in June and July.
The microbrewery is licensed for packaged sales, as well as selling malt beverages
by the drink. After the operation gets established, Rooster Brewing will offer four taps
of its own, in addition to two guest taps. Quillin said he’d also like to arrange for some tap takeover nights, inviting patrons to sample other quality Kentucky-made beers at
his store.
Quillin wants Rooster Brewing to be a community-oriented gathering place, and he plans to hold regular charity-supporting fundraisers, as well as social events such as Girls’ Night Out parties and “brew school” opportunities for people who want to learn more about craft beer.
Paris does not currently allow food trucks so he said he is working with local restaurants to arrange possible food delivery options for Rooster patrons.
And Rooster’s Main Street storefront may be just the beginning, Quillin said.
“If this really takes off, we’ll expand,” he said.
Rooster Brewing is open Thursday through Saturday, from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Additional operating hours and days may be added, Quillin said, depending on consumer interest and demand.