Portrait of a Brewer: Mo Nuspl, Deft Brewing

There are hundreds of talented brewing professionals giving their all to help maintain the San Diego beer industry’s storied reputation. While these industrious practitioners share numerous similarities, each is their own unique person with individual likes, dislikes, methodologies, techniques, inspirations, interests and philosophies. The goal of San Diego Beer News’ Portrait of a Brewer series is to not only introduce readers to local brewers, but dig in to help them gain a deeper appreciation for the people making their beer and how they have contributed to the county’s standout craft-brewing culture.

Today’s featured brewer is…

Mo Nuspl
of Deft Brewing

What is your current title?
Co-Founder / Brewmaster / Chief Eternal Optimist

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in the frozen tundra, AKA: Fridley, Minnesota, in suburban Minneapolis.

What brought you to San Diego?
We had always thought of San Diego as our long-term future home, and then about 20 years ago, after grad school I got a great job opportunity with a large electronics company here in San Diego. We never looked back.

What was the first beer and/or alcoholic beverage you ever had?
My first alcoholic beverage was probably Aguardiente (the national spirit of Colombia) fed to me by my Colombian cousins. My first beer was one of the cheap macro beer-pong party beers like Old Milwaukee or Pabst or Grain Belt.

What was your a-ha moment that turned you on to craft beer?
I had a few a-ha moments. After a few years swilling those party beers, I was turned onto German import beers like Spaten, Warsteiner and Weihenstephaner by some “sophisticated” German friends, and I grew to love those beers. I later developed a fondness for British and Irish brands like Caffreys and Fullers, having worked for an Irish company. Then, while in Philly and living three blocks from the famous Monk’s Café, I quickly came to love the complexity of Belgian ales. Back around 2012, I started homebrewing some of those old-world styles, while also discovering craft brands like New Belgium Brewing, Sierra Nevada Brewing and Brewery Ommegang, and fell in love with the process and the craft. 

What led you to consider a career in brewing?
A need to do something different. A cross-roads moment in my career. A sincere enjoyment for the brewing process. A desire to leverage entrepreneurial skills I had developed earlier in my career. A creative side that needed to bust out. Ultimately, opportunity and timing led to us starting Deft.

What was your first brewing/brewery position?
This is my first and only position in the industry. I started Deft Brewing totally green to the industry, but with a reasonably decent ability to learn and improvise. It’s worked out so far.

Who have been the individuals that have helped you the most to learn and advance in your career, and how?
I don’t like to name names, because I’d hate to forget anyone. Let’s just say there are a bunch of local pro brewers, other brewery owners and talented homebrewers – especially many of those tied to the local QUAFF homebrew club – who gave me so much great advice and assistance over the years. You know who you are, friends. Thank you!

What singular piece of advice would you give to someone interested in becoming a professional brewer?
Stay true to yourself and to your point of view. 

What ultimate career goal would you like to achieve?
I’m just hoping to keep Deft healthy and running for another decade or two, with a lot of people who appreciate and enjoy our beer. Karl Strauss Brewing is a great role model, in that way.

What is your favorite beer you’ve ever brewed, be it on a professional or amateur level?
It depends, but if I could have one next to me right now at my desk, it would be our Bruxelles Trip Belgian-style tripel. I just love that beer.

What is your least-favorite beer you’ve ever brewed on any level?
I’ve tried brewing a couple pumpkin beers over the years. No thank you.

What are your favorite and least-favorite hop varietals at present?
I love Saaz and East Kent Goldings for many beers. For our hop-centric beers, Citra and Mosaic. But I have a special affinity for the old classic Centennial. In fact, most of the 44 hop plants we have on The Gärten’s patio are Centennial and we used those beautiful, compact little cones in some of our beers, especially the fresh-hop beers that we brew and release each year in December and January (yes, we have a very late harvest here each year for some reason – our plants don’t seem to follow the “typical” growing season schedule).

What are some of your favorite brewing ingredients that aren’t hops?
I guess I most appreciate those hard-working little yeast cells and the massive range of beer characteristics that are directly attributed to the yeast and their fermentation.

If you weren’t a brewer, what do you think you would do for a living?
I’m not sure. I’m definitely not a writer or comedian. Probably something similarly entrepreneurial, creative and fun.

In your opinion, what non-brewing position is of great importance at a craft-beer company but often gets overlooked or less credit than those making the beer?
Packaging and serving. A great beer that isn’t handled and packaged well will no longer be a great beer.  Ultimately, beer service – from building rapport with the customer and answering questions, to the pour and the hand-off – is just so important in this industry.

What is your favorite beer style?
Belgian tripel, quadrupel or dark strong ale

If you could wipe one style of beer off the face of the earth, what would it be?
Every beer has its place. Leave them all be. I will just personally choose to avoid some.

What single brewing company’s beers and/or ethos/style has been most influential on your style?
Trappist Westmalle

What is your favorite San Diego County brewing company?
Honestly, Deft is my favorite. Other than our own, it depends. I respect and enjoy so many of them for a variety of reasons. 

What is your favorite brewing company outside of San Diego?
Besides many of the old-world breweries across the pond, I really respect small-to-mid-sized breweries like New Glarus Brewing, pFreim Family Brewers and Bale Breaker Brewing. Each makes amazing beer, while having built a great reputation and such a loyal following.

What three breweries that you haven’t yet visited—local or elsewhere—are on your current must-see bucket list?
Weihenstephaner, Andechs and Westmalle

What are your favorite local beer events?
Any event at Deft Brewing and The Gärten.

If you were to leave San Diego, where would be the next-best place you’d want to brew?
I don’t like to think about leaving San Diego, but I’d love to brew in some underserved region overseas.

Which musical genre or artists are on your brew-day soundtrack/playlist?
I let our brewer, Peter Howson, control the music on brew days and he has really eclectic tastes. I just go with the flow. When I’m listening in my office, I prefer ‘80s classics and jazz.

What motto rules the way you brew and approach brewing in a professional brewhouse?
Simplicity. Efficiency. Consistency. Customer centricity.

What do you consider your greatest professional accomplishments?
This is it. Starting this brewery with a small budget, no industry experience and a hidden location, and then building it up to what it is today: a small, healthy business with a wonderful customer base, great partners, an awesome vibe and beers that I sincerely love to drink.

What are you proud of having achieved in your personal life?
Our son is the pride of our lives. Robin and I are proud of the wonderful, talented 17-year-old he is today and are excited for what he will achieve in the future as he moves on to college this fall.

When you’re not at work, what do you like to do for fun?
Traveling and playing golf. I just don’t do enough of either. I plan to change that in the coming years after three-plus decades of working my ass off.

Where do you like to drink off-the-clock?
Here at Deft. Seriously, I love the beer we make. Outside of here, my “happy place” is Regents Pizza in the UTC-La Jolla area.

What is your favorite beer-and-food pairing of all time?
Every year on my birthday I have a thick Chicago-style pizza, some crispy Brussels sprouts, gorgonzola salad and a strong Belgian-style beer like our Bruxelles Trip or DeftCon 4.

If you could somehow plan your last beer dinner before dying, what would you drink and eat, and who would you invite to join you?
My closest family members and friends would have that same annual birthday meal with me.

Who do you think you are (a purposely broad question)?
A family guy who just wants to make people happy in whatever way I can – and beer is the best way I can do that at this point in my life.

If you’re a brewer at a San Diego brewing company and would like to be featured in our Portrait of a Brewer series, drop us a line at [email protected].