New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Bankin’ on Bridge: Mystic brewpub serves up beer, indulgent sandwiches
Walt Bansley sums up his career path neatly on his Mystic brewery’s website, using footwear to tell his story.
The owner of Bank & Bridge Brewing went to high school in San Diego, falling in love with the relaxed beach scene, then attended Boston University on an ROTC scholarship.
He served in the Marine Corps, then traded combat boots for dress shoes when he became a criminal defense lawyer in Connecticut. These days he prefers flip-flops, as he channels the West Coast beach vibe of his youth at his new business.
Bansley opened Bank & Bridge before the July 4 holiday last summer, transforming the former bank building into a brewery and taproom. He calls it a “culinary-forward brewpub,” as it features a full kitchen with an experienced chef at the helm.
“I wanted to make something that was family-friendly, dog-friendly, for everyone to come in and chill,” Bansley says. “Let the kids play, let the parents relax and have a drink and grab some food.
“It’s a big, laid-back, friendly, chill atmosphere … [that’s] what I’m trying to cultivate.”
Bank & Bridge is actually Bansley’s second brewery; it’s a sibling to Snow Republic Brewing Co. in West Dover, Vt., which opened in 2019. He had owned the log cabin-style building near the Mount Snow ski resort for years, but finally decided to transform it into a brewpub at a point in his life when he was looking for a new career direction.
Snow Republic was a hit, and he decided to open a brewery in Connecticut. He owns the former bank building on Mystic’s West Main Street, where his law firm was based, and he opted to relocate the firm and transform the space into what would become Bank & Bridge.
The taproom is open, airy and full of light during the daytime, with high ceilings and a long white bar stretching across the center of the room. Seating is available at larger communal tables and smaller four-tops, along with a sofa and plush armchairs in a nook by the door. A large outdoor patio sits right outside the building’s front steps.
Bright green palm fronds lend a warm beach vibe to the taproom, as does the “Cali reggae” soundtrack Bansley favors. But its origins as a bank are obvious — guests can even check out the vault to the left of the bar.
Bank & Bridge also duplicates a key element from its Vermont counterpart, with a full scratch kitchen led by Josh Ulmer. The classically trained chef has worked at Madison Square Garden in New York City and Nolo in New Haven, and Bansley tapped him to help open the kitchen in Vermont. Ulmer is now based in Mystic, crafting Bank & Bridge’s menu of burgers, fried chicken sand