Deft Brewing--Craft Beer at its Best
Plus, Foster Kitten Available, and Dog Walker Wasteland
Many a traditional event has fallen victim to the current pandemic. The Summer Olympics, most of Major League Baseball’s regular season, and Mardi Gras are prime examples of events that have been impacted. I personally mourned last year’s cancellation of one of my favorite annual events—Munich’s Octoberfest. I’ve long regarded the world famous beer festival as the place to go for fantastic beer and a festive atmosphere.
Fortunately, I recently discovered that traveling all the way to Munich is not necessary to encounter fantastic beer and a festive atmosphere. All I have to do is travel down the hill to Deft Brewing in the Bay Park/Morena District/Linda Vista area (5328 Banks Street Suite A). As stated on their web site, Deft Brewing “proudly brews and serves deftly-crafted, high-quality, European-inspired craft beers in a unique and fun tasting room environment that is dog-friendly, family friendly, food-friendly and overall-friendly.” They brew an amazing collection of tasty craft beers—deftly crafted, of course. Look at their selection here. While there you can order a beer in their tasting room and take the beer home for later consumption, or you can take advantage of the brewery’s outdoor patio seating to leisurely sip the beer. You can also take advantage of Cucina Caprese, located on the premises, which provides authentic Naples style pizza.
On my visit, I tried Deft’s English Porter. It tasted great! I’ll be back for more.
In order to acquaint our readers with Deft Brewing, we asked the owner and co-founder of Deft Brewing —Morris (Mo) Nuspl—to tell us more. He was kind enough to answer our questions. Here is what he had to say:
1. How long has your establishment been open?
We opened in late 2017, so just over 3 years.
2. What inspired you to become involved in the beer brewing business?
I had a stress-relieving homebrewing hobby while dealing with the stresses and challenges of my career in engineering and international supply chain in the electronics industry. I reached a cross-roads in my career a few years ago that forced my wife, Robin, and I to make the difficult decision… do I continue with my career and move the family away from San Diego or do we try something adventurous, risky, and very different, but allowing us to stay in San Diego and in our beloved home in Bay Park? We chose the latter and are so happy we did. While neither my partner, Kevin Malik, nor I had any professional experience in this craft beer industry, we felt confident we had the broad skillset to pull it off, with my brewing experience and our collective engineering, management, strategy, and entrepreneurial experience to pull from.
3. Which are your most popular beers?
Our European-inspired beer menu is constantly changing, which is one reason adventurous craft beer and European beer fans alike love to come to Deft. Our taps have a nice rotation of diverse styles representing Germany, Belgium, and the British Isles. That said, there are a few beers that are usually on tap throughout the year and very popular. Those include the “Bay Park Blonde” Kölsch-style Blonde, “DeftHopt Golden” English IPA, “Bruxelles Trip” Belgian Tripel, and “Dawn of the Deft” English Porter, among others. The Porter, in particular, has won 5 medals and awards in International beer competitions over the last couple years and is a popular winter and cool-weather beer.
4. Your web site describes your beers as being “European inspired?” Can you explain what that means?
While we do usually have two or three hoppy offerings on tap at Deft (e.g. IPAs and Pale Ales), at least 80% or more of our taps are reserved for beers that are inspired by traditional styles that come from Germany, Belgium, and the British Isles. We don’t try to emulate any specific brands of beer from Europe, as our beers have our own style and flair, but we strive to brew them in ways that are as close as possible to the traditional “Old World” styles in flavor, aroma, appearance, and mouthfeel. My brewing goal is always to have our beers remind our customers of great beer-drinking experiences they may have had when they lived in or visited places like Munich or Bruges or Dublin or London or while in some authentic British or Belgian pub or German beer hall here stateside.
5. Which of your beers would you recommend to a beer aficionado looking for something a little different?
Frankly, many of our beers are unlike anything you’d find elsewhere in San Diego. We do brew some more common styles that you can find elsewhere, like IPAs, Blonde Ales and Stouts. However, we have many beer styles that you’d have trouble finding elsewhere in town. Some of the most unique include our “DoubleDeft Secret” Sticke Altbier (strong, malty German ale at about 9% ABV), “Honey Helles” (light, refreshing, about 4.5%), that English Porter mentioned above, and an assortment of British “Bitter Ales”. In late February, during our “WinterBierFest” German beer festival, we’ll be debuting a Märzen, Maibock, Düsseldorf Altbier, and a Leichtbier, all of which are very hard to find in San Diego outside of those once-per-year Oktoberfest festivals.
6. Do you consider San Diego the craft beer capital of the world? The beer capital of the world (or is that Munich)?
I consider San Diego to be one of the craft beer capitals of the world, based not only on the sheer number of breweries in our county, but more importantly the really high quality of the beer here. San Diego should definitely be on the itinerary for any craft beer fan traveling the world looking for the highest quality craft beers. Is San Diego THE Beer Capital of the World? Maybe. At the very least, I’d consider San Diego to be the craft IPA capital of the world, with so many amazing IPA brewers in this town. However, in a sea of IPAs of San Diego, we love the niche we’ve carved out in this market and we feel we provide a much-needed variety of alternative styles and flavor profiles in craft beer.
7. What do you enjoy the most about brewing beer and selling your product?
I most enjoy seeing customers not only enjoying our beer, but enjoying the experience here. I ultimately want very happy customers and so far, based on feedback and Google & Yelp customer review scores which rank us at or near the top of all breweries in San Diego, I feel we have been successful so far. That is not only a testament to the quality of the beer and the work that my brewer, Mike Finn, and I have done on those beers, but more so a testament to the fun, relaxed environment we’ve developed, the friendly and professional staff we’ve put together, and the amazing community of people we attract to Deft. That makes it all worth it.
8. To what extent has the pandemic impacted your business?
The pandemic and the related guidelines, protocols, restrictions, and shut-down certainly impacted us in a big way. Those things forced us to change our model, our equipment, our patio, and our business approach multiple times. However, we are fairly small, agile, and flexible and were able to make those changes quickly. We weathered the first 8 months of the pandemic and shut-downs fairly well, due to a really supportive customer base, generous building owners willing to allow us to expand our patio, a pandemic-related policy that made customers feel comfortable and safe here on the patio, and great neighbors and partners in Lost Cause Meadery and Cucina Caprese. That said, the most recent shutdown from mid-November through end of January was really painful, being stuck in To-Go Only mode (with our tasting room and patio closed) while staying compliant with the state and county safety guidelines. Needless to say, we were excited when the authorities allowed us to reopen our expansive outdoor patio (with Cucina Caprese Pizzeria and Lost Cause Meadery) and resume following the COVID-protocols to keep our customers and staff safe.
9. Complete this sentence. “People should pay a visit to Deft Brewing because…”
…this is a truly unique experience unlike any of the other breweries and bars in the county. With the amazing authentic Italian food from Cucina Caprese Pizzeria, the decadent meads from Lost Cause Meadery, and our fun, friendly, comfortable tasting rooms and patio area, Deft Brewing is much more than just a quality, award-winning craft beer spot. It has become more of a community gathering place.
10. Is there anything you would you like to say to our readers here in the Linda Vista area?
Deft Brewing has become a favorite hangout for more and more neighbors living in the nearby communities of Linda Vista, Bay Park, Clairemont, and West Mission Valley, among others. We love having neighbors find us for the first time, come back again and again, then bring their friends and neighbors. We just hope you visit Deft Brewing soon, enjoy it, and then help spread the word about Deft.
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The Linda Vista Update wishes to thank Mo Nuspl for answering our questions.
Hope to see you readers at the brewery!
5328 Banks Street Suite A, San Diego, CA 92110
Hours
Sunday: 12 pm – 8 pm
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 3 pm – 8 pm
Wednesday: 3 pm – 8 pm
Thursday: 3 pm – 8 pm
Friday: 3 pm – 9 pm
Saturday: 12 pm – 9 pm
Phone: (858) 799–1228
Great Foster Kitten Available for Adoption
We are currently fostering a couple kittens for the SD Humane Society. This four month old kitten is currently available for adoption. His name is Vader. He came to us as a timid, shy kitten, but he has quickly developed into a very friendly, playful one. He enjoys sitting by our side and following us around the house. He looks like a sleek, mini black panther. We want to find him his forever home. If you or someone you know is looking to adopt a kitten, please contact us at srodriguez2@san.rr.com. We can help get you on the road to adoption.
Opinion Essay
Dog Walker Wasteland
Yikes! In the course of walking the local streets as part of my daily exercise routine, I have discovered the wildest, most untamed…dare-we-call-it…uncivilized part of Linda Vista. A lawless stretch of land that has unshackled itself from the necessary norms of polite society.
I am here to claim the unsanitary condition of this narrow pedestrian zone reflects a sad breakdown of society. In my opinion, it is at once both a biological disaster and a depressing demonstration of what happens when otherwise good people know there is no one monitoring their behavior.
Where is this property that I speak of? And what proof do I have of such uncivilized behavior?
I am referring to the sidewalk area that extends from the east end of the Apex apartment complex (on Friars Road, across the street from the Fashion Valley Mall) to the corner of the Ulric/Friars Road intersection. This approximately hundred-yard walkway technically falls into Linda Vista territory by way of a couple feet (Friars Road being the demarcation line between Linda Vista and Mission Valley), though considering the ghastly circumstances, I strongly recommend we let Mission Valley claim it as their own.
I know what you are thinking. How can an area just across the street from such a high-end shopping mall be considered so uncivilized?
The answer is…because alongside the sidewalk that comprises this approach lies (in proportion to relative square footage) the city’s biggest collection of unpicked-up dog waste. Take a walk along this length of sidewalk, and you too will notice the numerous dog droppings sitting along the dirt edges of the sidewalk, and sometimes on the sidewalk itself. The dog droppings dot the landscape like so many unusually large and unattractive, smelly Hershey kisses.
Apparently, certain dog walkers have grown accustomed to believing this part of city property is a “Pick up after your dog” rule-free sanctuary. It appears otherwise obedient dog walkers have decided this pedestrian passage is like a free-fire zone, in which their dogs can fire away and the owners themselves do not have to worry about any societal obligations.
I hate to point fingers, but it seems they have assumed a collective attitude that resembles that of an outlaw biker, thumbing their noses at well-mannered society, and saying to heck with the niceties that guide other law-abiding people. “If I don’t pick up after my dog,” they think, “no one will notice, because no one is there to watch me.” It’s the perfect situation for promoting a rebellious and law-breaking attitude. After all, the neighborhood peer pressure that normally inhibits dog walkers from ignoring dog waste-picking societal obligations is absent from this area. On one side of the sidewalk is a barren hill slope with no residences full of nosey neighbors watching your every move. Furthermore, these dog walkers (wherever they may come from) know the commuters driving along Friars Road will pay them no attention as the drivers are too fixated on the thought of mentally preparing to find a mall parking space, or obsessing about what they will soon order at the Cheesecake Factory. And besides, the low hedge that lines the sidewalk effectively shields the dogs from any accurate driver observation. A dog could be assembling a small nuclear weapon in that area, and no one driving along Friars Road would be able to see it happening. That lack of observation element essentially frees the dog walker from any responsibility. Under such circumstances, having your dog drop a stinky load and getting away with leaving on the side of the sidewalk is an easy task for just about any dog and his/her owner. It’s like a bank leaving its door open for anyone to rob.
I am not claiming to know where these dog walkers are coming from, but I think the Apex apartment complex might want to contribute to the placement of a couple dog waste pick-up stations with plastic bags for use by “nearby” dog walkers. Perhaps Apex could work with city officials to make that happen on city property.
In the spirit of being an optimist and always assuming the dog waste bag is half full and not just half empty, I offer that perhaps Apex and an organization in need of community service hours could jointly organize a monthly community clean-up effort to keep the area clean. Of course, this wouldn’t change the behavior or attitude of the law-breaking dog walkers, but at least the community biological disaster threat the current dog waste minefield poses would be seriously minimized.
In the meantime, I suggest people tread carefully on this area of Linda Vista (or preferably Mission Valley). Watch where you step! Don’t trek barefooted! And if you are driving along Friars Road and you see people walking their dogs in this area, open your window and shout out “I’m watching you” to help keep them honest.
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As usual, another great update. I agree with you on the poo gauntlet near the Apex. If the Apex is a dog friendly apartment complex, it is probably the pets that live there that are adding to the poo collection. Sounds like a great thing for the new city council person to hear about.