Black Flannel Brewing & Distilling Company
“We try to educate consumers about what beer can be by offering a wide range of historical styles, from British to German to Belgian and beyond.” –Dan Sartwell, Head of Brewing Operations
Looking for a grown-up brewpub with a sleek, chic feel and dishes crafted by a James Beard–nominated chef? That’s precisely what Chris Kesler and his team have created at Black Flannel, Vermont’s first brewery and distillery complete with an upscale culinary and bar program, recently named “Best New Restaurant” as voted by Seven Days readers in the 2022 Seven Daysies awards. Located in the Essex Experience, this former outlet center has become a creative hub, a community-building catalyst blueprint for other underused or vacant retail plazas across the United States to follow.
Chris connected with Peter Edelman, developer of the Essex Experience, in January 2018 who encouraged the entrepreneur to pursue his vision. Chris had the plan; he just needed to secure the holy trinity of brewer, distiller, and chef. Enter Dan Sartwell, head of brewing operations, with more than a decade of experience at several of Vermont’s top breweries. Spirit distiller Dave Mosher and Travis Johnson, head distiller, came on board to establish Black Flannel Distillery. James Beard semifinalist chef Christian Kruse now runs the culinary program. Each were drawn to Black Flannel for the opportunity to collaborate with one another. “This place is a perfect way for all of us to feed our creative beast,” says Chris Kesler.
Black Flannel opened in July 2020 after eight months of demolition and retrofitting the trio of retail stores to house a brewery, distillery, kitchen, and dining spaces. “Brewing and distilling can be tough on the environment so we worked closely with Efficiency Vermont to ensure our facility is energy efficient and environmentally friendly,” Chris says. “Dan is head of the sustainability committee for the Vermont Brewers Association, and we all share the same ethos.”
Put two high-level beer geeks in one place and anything is possible. Chris and Dan (and two others at Black Flannel) are Certified Cicerones®, the beer equivalent of a certified sommelier in wine. “We try to educate consumers about what beer can be by offering a wide range of historical styles, from British to German to Belgian and beyond,” Dan explains. Black Flannel has brewed more than 80 styles of beer in the last two years, with 20 beers rotating through the taps. “We brew bold, flavorful, low-ABV beers that pair well with what Chef Christian and his team create in the kitchen. We want people to be able to have a couple of pints, enjoy a great meal, and drive home safely,” Chris says. Some of the most popular are Disco Montage, a New England IPA; a crisp dry Black Flannel pilsner; and a marzen-style amber lager. The rest run the gamut: British ales, sours, lagers, stouts, porters, and braggot, a beer brewed with a hefty portion of honey, a collaboration with Groennfell Meadery. Dan also embraces parti-gyle brewing, a British method that generates two products from one mash. “The first run goes to Dave to make a spirit, and we make a beer out of the second run,” Dan explains.
Although most of the beers are canned, certain batches are bottled to age like fine wine.
Put two high-level beer geeks in one place and anything is possible.
The sleek and chic main dining room has been transformed from the retail store that had filled the space several years earlier.
“Certified Cicerone® brewers know how to get the best out of grain, better than most distillers,” Dave Mosher admits. Black Gold, a Highland scotch whiskey, is distilled from Dan’s Texas Tea, an unhopped stout. Vermont Commons, a smooth-sipping whiskey perfect for a Manhattan or oldfashioned, is derived from the four-grain Vermont Common ale. Heavy Steam beer serves as the basis for Heavy Base, an American single malt. Dave also created bierschnapps, a small-batch spirit from the brewery’s remnants and castoffs. The poetic spirit master describes it as “a beer whiskey with a citrus kiss from the hops.”
Dave and Travis Johnson (who spends half of the year as chief mechanical engineer on a fish processing ship in Alaska’s Bering Strait) have produced 18 varieties including whiskey, rum, vodka, Dutch-style genever, agave, and other specialty spirits since the distilling company’s inception in 2020. That’s pretty remarkable output. Dave spent 30 years handling mountain operations at Sugarbush and the Dartmouth Skiway. That winter job left summers open for Dave to self-educate, visiting distilleries around the Northeast and apprenticing at several. In 2017, he took Duncan Holaday’s course, The Business of Craft Distilling, a weeklong class that Dave now teaches.
Around that time, Dave founded Garden Spirits, distilling spirits from locally harvested fruits, vegetables, and things from the woods. “I try to create spirits that others aren’t making. You can distill from so many ingredients so there’s endless possibilities. Having the brewery a few steps away opens a whole realm of potential.” Working to secure locally grown botanicals, they recently received federal approval for Vermont’s first absinthe and aquavit. Next up are a line of bitters (like seasoning for craft cocktails) and amaro. Christian Kruse, a NECI-trained chef with deep experience as food and beverage director at the Basin Harbor Club and former owner of CK Laundry in Vergennes, works closely with Dan in the brewery to develop recipes that incorporate beer or pair well with the finished dish. “Dan has a great palate. He’ll taste a dish and recommend the beer to use or pair,” the chef says.
Christian’s style is simultaneously eclectic, elevated, and rooted in farm-to-table. And thanks to Christian and his team of talented young culinarians, Black Flannel is becoming a dining destination. Dishes arise from just a handful of masterfully handled simple elements. “I spotlight the central ingredient and then surround it with a couple of supporting actors,” Christian notes. Charred octopus is braised in red wine and beer to retain the juices, then smoked and charbroiled. Plated with confit potatoes and spinach cream, the octopus takes center stage. Other specialties include beer-braised pork ribs served with house barbecue sauce and potato gratin; duck confit and waffles drizzled with bacon maple syrup and fried rosemary; and trout a la plancha. Another award-winning dish is Christian’s goat cheese panna cotta accompanied by pickled beets, beet mascarpone, and beet gelée in balsamic vinegar. Not your typical pub fare—which Christian also takes to new levels—but perfectly indicative of the Black Flannel experience. “People see our operation and are eager to taste new things.”
For Black Flannel’s logo, Chris Kesler chose a raven and anvil. “Ravens create synergistic relationships with other creatures, and they love to play. The anvil represents craftsmanship. And that’s exactly the vibe we have here.”
