I Built This Brewery Episode 5: Black Flannel Brewing & Distilling Company

11/08/22 • 31 min

Founding partner of Black Flannel Brewing & Distilling Company, Chris Kesler, first tried his hand at homebrewing the same month he turned 50-years-old. After quickly falling in love with brewing, he joined as many local and statewide brewing associations as he could and eventually entered a New England IPA into a Make the Cut home brewing contest. His beer, out of over 200 entries, was awarded 2nd place and he was hooked on brewing.
As he decided to dive deeper into the craft beer industry, Kesler determined that he wanted to hire brewers and focus his attention on the business side of the industry. He enrolled in the University of Vermont's Business of Craft Beer Certificate Program in 2018.
Kesler was already a successful entrepreneur with a web, graphic design, and marketing business, so launching a brewery wasn't too far fetched. His plans to launch Black Flannel Brewing were a bit delayed because of the Coronavirus Pandemic, but he finally opened the doors in 2020.
Listen in to this episode of I Built This Brewery as UVM Business of Craft Beer Program Director Gregory Dunkling talks with Chris about his vision for Black Flannel Brewing and Distilling Company and what he's learned along the way.

I Built This Brewery Podcast, sponsored by the University of Vermont's Business of Craft Beer Program, is a show where brewery owners from across the country share their stories of how and why they started a brewery. We explore their backgrounds before beer, the adventures of opening a brewery, and garner their best piece of advice for future brewery owners.
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Previous Episode

I Built This Brewery Episode 4: Throwback Brewery

In this episode of I Built This Brewery, we go up the seacoast of New Hampshire to visit with Throwback Brewery. In just 11 years, Throwback Brewery founders Annette Lee and Nicole Carrier grew from a nano brewery to a popular coastal destination including a brewery, farm, and restaurant in North Hampton, New Hampshire.
Nestled on the property of a 200-year-old homestead, the brewery sources more than 60% of their ingredients within a 200-mile radius including produce from their own Hobbs Farm.
Throwback Brewery is the first craft beverage producer recognized by the New Hampshire Sustainable Craft Beverage Recognition Program for outstanding environmental leadership and sustainability efforts.
As Nicole and Annette share in this episode, the ideas for their beers come from everyone involved in the organization and the community.
Listen in as UVM Business of Craft Beer Program Director Gregory Dunkling chats with Nicole and Annette about their start-up experience and vision for the future of the brewery.
I Built This Brewery Podcast, sponsored by the University of Vermont's Business of Craft Beer Program, is a show where brewery owners from across the country share their stories of how and why they started a brewery. We explore their backgrounds before beer, the adventures of opening a brewery, and garner their best piece of advice for future brewery owners.

Next Episode

I Built This Brewery Episode 6: Pickett Brewing Company

Pickett Brewing Company opened their doors in August 2022 in a quaint neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland. Co-owners and neighbors Kate Conway and Jason Howard decided amidst the Coronavirus Pandemic to plan a brewery. One thing they knew for certain was that they wanted a neighborhood vibe for their brewery... especially since the brewery is named after the street that Jason lives on.
Both Kate and Jason attended UVM's Business of Craft Brewing program prior to planning their brewery. Kate saw the certificate program as a way to expedite her knowledge of the brewing industry... similar to a brewing bootcamp. The knowledge gained by both Kate and Jason was very helpful as they tackled supply chain issues, staffing shortages, delays in construction, and financial planning as they built the pieces of Pickett Brewing Company.
Listen as UVM's Gregory Dunkling chats with Kate Conway about the path to opening the brewery and garner her best advice to future brewery owners.