Twisted Spur, where craft beer lovers meet and eat

Chris Baldwin developed an interest in brewing his own beer after years in the hospitality industry. Now, as owner and head brewer of Twisted Spur Brewing in the Vista, his focus on making great craft beer is evident in the restaurant’s drink selection and decor.

The building on the 700 block of Gervais Street dates to 1868. Baldwin decided to keep the original ceiling, floors and walls to preserve its history while investing in the restoration of the building. The final product includes large glass panes so you can see into the exposed brewery behind the bar.

The bar features 12 drafts and at least 11 beers on tap at any given time, all of which are Baldwin’s own brews. He’s looking forward to the day he can add more lines to feature beers made by local breweries River Rat, Conquest and Swamp Cabbage.

But for now, he’s got his hands full with his own suds.

“I’ve made 50 batches of beer since we’ve been open; that’s 20-25 different beers we’ve made here so far,” said Baldwin. “We’ve made several beers multiple times because they’re popular, like our red, our blonde, our hef (short for “hefeweizen”) and our white IPA. They’re becoming staples for us.”

But the bar offers more than just beer.

Putting his bartending background to use, Baldwin concocted a menu of “twisted cocktails.” The most popular include the “blueberry dream,” made of Stolichnaya blueberry vodka and fresh lemon and garnished with fresh blueberries and a sugared rim; the “twisted cosmo,” Baldwin’s version of a cosmopolitan, made with Ketel One vodka, New Amsterdam Peach Vodka, cranberry juice, fresh lime and garnished with a peach slice; and the “spur of the moment,” made with Jim Beam bourbon, fresh lemon, honey and mint, shaken and topped with a splash of soda.

“And we do bourbon flights,” he added. “I have a few that you can only get from Kentucky. And the cool thing about the flights is that it’s a three-quarter pour, so if you want to try something a little more expensive, you can try it for half the price.”

A 46-bottle wine list rounds out the drinking selection.

“We do tipsy Tuesdays, which is half-priced wine by the glass,” he said.

In coming years, Baldwin is looking forward not only to becoming a mainstay in the area, but also to expanding into distribution so you can pick up a six-pack of Twisted Spur beer at a store. But for now, his focus is as it has always been – on the beer.

“I just want to make sure we do great beer, that people really enjoy the food and they’re excited about both,” he said. “Sky’s the limit from there.”

This story was originally published February 1, 2017 at 12:01 AM with the headline "Twisted Spur, where craft beer lovers meet and eat."