Brewery Spotlight: Chula Vista Brewery in Chula Vista, CA
In our recent trip to Denver, CO for the Great American Beer Festival, we made it a point to stop by a diverse selection of breweries, and one of our favorite breweries we interacted with was Chula Vista Brewery out of Chula Vista, CA. We loved their brews so much, we wanted to feature them on the blog!
In this interview, we chat with Timothy Parker, founder of Chula Vista Brewery, and learn all about CVB's brews, taprooms, and why community is so important to them.
About the Brewery
Work For Your Beer (WFYB): We are stoked to learn more about Chula Vista Brewery — when did y'all open?
Timothy (T): Our original Third Ave. location in the heart of downtown Chula Vista, CA opened in 2017. And our second location in Eastlake opened on 11/11/2021!
WFYB: Very cool! What’s one fact people don’t know about your brewery?
T: We are the ONLY Black (& Brown) owned brewery in all of San Diego County. Woman-led and Veteran ran, and we have one of the few Latino brewers in the country, Nacho (Ignacio) Cervantes.
WFYB: Hell yes! We love to see it! What else would you say makes your brewery unique in San Diego County?
T: We are a reflection of our community. You walk into our brewery and you will get super fresh, high-quality beer in your own neighborhood made at a small batched scale.
Let’s Talk Beer
WFYB: Speaking of high-quality beer... What’s the most popular beer style you sell?
T: It’s between our Guerita blonde — and in San Diego you know we love our IPA’s — along with our Hazy Pale coming in right behind that…
WFYB: Ohhh... loved Guerita when we tried it at GABF! What beer would you say you are most proud of brewing?
T: Aww — too many to name. I can start with how we brewed a People’s Jubilee Kolsch last year partnering up with Oak Park Brewing Co. in Sacramento. This beer was brewed to raise awareness of Theodore Mack who was the first black man to own a brewery... and raising our glasses up to all the black brewers and brewery owners around the country and around the world.
WFYB: That's incredible! What is the weirdest beer you’ve ever made (whether you sold it or not)?
T: I would say it would be during Halloween time. We partner up with our local bakery, MMMCakes here in Chula, and we try to get really creative with our brews.
I also think of our Salted Caramel Stout that we missed the mark on our salt portions… Which can either go really good or really bad…
WFYB: We love a good brewery/bakery collab — so fun! Okay, our fan-favorite question: if you had to make a mixed 6-pack of your own brews, which six beers would you include in it?
T:
Guerita Blonde Ale
Warplanes Hazy Pale
Xela IPA
Hilltop IPA
Operation Overlord Pilsner
Xula Summer Ale
WFYB: You've got the hop heads covered — let's gooooo!
Let’s Focus on Community
WFYB: On to our final category of questions: community! How do you give back to the Chula Vista community?
T: We like to partner with our surrounding communities and give back. We do a lot of work with Veterans, and San Diego is a huge military town. With my military background, this is dear in our hearts — you feel my military ties when you step into either brewery.
I also sit on the board at the MJF foundation which is an exceptional foundation creating scholarships and helping to open doors and avenues into our lines of work in brewing and distilling for BIPOC, working hard [to make the industry] more inclusive, accessible, and equitable.
I also participate and work closely with my local brewer's guild.
WFYB: That's so amazing to hear. Thank you for your service! How do you make sure when someone walks into your brewery that it's an inclusive space for all?
T: Our code of conduct is simple, we ask that whether you are a vendor, team member, client, or anyone that steps into a CVB setting - that you simply be a kind human being.
WFYB: Honestly, that's a great rule of thumb! We [obviously] have to ask one #WorkForYourBeer-themed question. What brewery activities or fitness events do y'all host?
T: We have hosted Yoga in the past.
We have our Drink & Draw every Wednesday — where we lay sketch paper on our tables with materials to sit and doodle and get creative. I love seeing the talent here and the pieces are so much fun.
We also work with our local vendors and do monthly succulent workshops. There are so many items at either location, I always say — go and follow our account (@cvbrewery) if you have social media because that is the best way to stay on our CVB loop.
WFYB: So cool! Love that you're tapping into creativity in your taproom! What else would you like the Work For Your Beer audience to know about CVB?
T: Support your local, independent, neighborhood breweries wherever you are! I think for us — small, local, and, family-owned businesses — our biggest challenge right now is that as our slower seasons approach us. We absolutely need our customers' support, whether that’s telling a friend about us, sharing our beer with your neighbor from the store shelf, or paying us a visit in our taprooms — however, it may be — sharing our beer and hard work is why we brew.
WFYB: You heard him — go support your local craft breweries and small businesses!
Huge thank you to Timothy for taking the time out of his day to chat with us. If you're in Chula Vista, pop by the brewery and make sure you tell them Work For Your Beer sent you!
Want to be considered for an upcoming feature? Email cheers@workforyourbeer.com to set up an interview!