On July 6th, Elst Brewing Company, located at 2419 North Central Street, made this announcement on their social media platforms:
“It is with mixed emotions that we share some important news about the future of Elst. After five wonderful years of serving this incredible community, we have decided to sell our building and transition to new ownership. We will continue to operate as Elst through August 5th. After that, the space will be handed over to new ownership.
From the very beginning, our goal was to create a community spot where neighbors could meet, friendships could blossom, and countless memories could be made. Over the years, we have had the honor of hosting baby showers, birthdays, Kay’s Day celebrations, happy hours, and more. Seeing our space filled with laughter and joy has brought us immense happiness.
As we reflect on this journey, we want to express our deepest gratitude to each of you. Your support, love, and presence have made Elst a truly special place. However, we have come to the conclusion that now is the right time for us personally to hand over the keys to a group that will bring new effort and energy to the neighborhood.
But we are not going gently into that good night! We invite you to help us make new memories, raise a glass to past ones, and celebrate our final month at Elst. Join us in culminating our journey with a grand 5-year Anniversary party on August 3rd and 4th before we welcome our new host.”
While the news saddened many, it has now bubbled into excitement for the new iteration of the space. New ownership, BBN Hospitality, which also owns The Brass Pearl, Stock and Barrel and Chivo, is taking over and reinventing the space to provide a restaurant in addition to the brews you love best (and keeping their brewers!) and adding new brews to love.
“With a commitment to honoring the legacy of Elst Brewing Company while introducing exciting new elements, BBN Hospitality plans to enhance the guest experience through expanded culinary offerings and a renewed focus on community engagement.” While they build out the restaurant portion of the space, the Chivo food truck will be on-site, offering up some fan favorites.
“Although certain aspects of Elst will remain, the new concept will be called The Black Dog (restaurant and Brewhouse), paying homage to the original bar/Nightclub that occupied the space in the 1970’s, The Black Poodle. Taking inspiration from the 70’s the new owners will build out the space, the menu and the ambiance.” Ben Austin, one of the owners for BBN Hospitality says, “We are deeply committed to preserving the spirit and quality that Elst has become known for, while also infusing new energy and creativity into the space.” Public comments exhibit excitement that the location will remain open, and some are thrilled that the name The Black Dog is also a Taylor Swift song (but they say to think more Led Zepplin). Having gone to my first Taylor Swift concert this summer on a trip to Switzerland, I can say it’s not a bad idea to stick with the pop star reference. Swifties are a powerful crowd of people! Overall, the community is excited and ready to support the transition.
“Bringing our hospitality background to the brewing scene made a lot of sense to us. We want to honor the tradition and quality of Elst brewing techniques while also adding our touch to personalize beers for our existing concepts,” added Bill Angelos. “Our goal is to build on the already stellar offerings of Elst Brewing Company, ensuring that every guest enjoys an exceptional experience every time they visit.”
The new identity will start to take place almost immediately with color scheme changes to red and black, new furniture and the Chivo pop-up truck. According to the Knox News article on the change,
“The Black Dog plans to close next year for restaurant construction and courtyard renovations before reopening in its final form. The restaurant will serve “elevated bar or gastropub style food” including burgers, pizzas and wings.
Part of the reason for bringing this new concept under BBN Hospitality’s umbrella, Austin said, is to allow for crossovers. That could mean a new Mexican lager at Chivo, a new bourbon barrel style beer at Stock & Barrel, and select dishes from every restaurant available at The Black Dog.
The general price range will stay around $6-$7 for beer, while food prices will range from $14 to $18.”
I’m glad that the brewery is only being reinvented and not closing. Not much makes me sadder than an empty building that used to hold someone’s dreams. This change of ownership and continuation of the company is an example of entrepreneurship continuing to thrive in Knoxville and supporting business offerings on North Central Street.
What other businesses do you frequent on North Central? What do you think it takes to thrive in that area?