Inspiring Conversations with Vera Deckard of Kuenstler Brewing

Today we’d like to introduce you to Vera Deckard.

Hi Vera, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I am the owner/head brewer of Kuenstler Brewing. Born and raised in Germany, I apprenticed at my family’s Bavarian restaurant before moving to the United States in my early 20s. I immersed myself fully in the California culinary scene, developing my palate and passion for both wine and craft beer.

Whilst working at the Calistoga Inn and Brewery I met my husband Brent, an avid home brewer. After moving to San Antonio in 2011, Brent was stationed in Afghanistan. Encouraged to develop a new hobby during my husband’s long assignments, I picked up his home brewing publications and quickly became hooked. By the time Brent returned home from a six-month deployment, I was on my third batch of beer – a milk stout – and knew I had succeeded in making a decent beer. Thanks to friends and family, my beer was vanishing quickly, so I upgraded from a 5 gallon to a 10-gallon system.

In the following 7 years, I brewed to the tune of 5 – 10 gallons per week, constantly exploring new flavor profiles and beer styles. As I do now, I was specializing in finely calibrated, balanced beers that reflected my culinary background and comfort in the kitchen. I enjoy adding locally sourced ingredients to create unique beers like the Chamuco, a Stout crafted with three (3) different dried and smoked chili peppers, cinnamon, vanilla, and chocolate. Or Koelchineal, a Koelsch brewed with the local prickly pear cactus fruit. Or Tejano Coffee, brewed with locally roasted Coffee.

One day in 2013 my husband came home, looked at the various fermentation vessels, Erlenmeyer flasks, stir plates with yeast starters, and microscopes, and said, “… this looks like Breaking Bad. Either tone it down or just go pro.” Toning it down didn’t seem reasonable, but going pro did. So eventually in 2015, we purchased our current property, an at the time broke down the warehouse. The two of us, with the help of many friends (we paid in beer of course), gutted and rebuilt what is now Künstler Brewing.

I never wanted a warehouse atmosphere, and thus we decided to build a tavern inside the warehouse. When it came to the decor, I couldn’t help but weave in my German taste and influence. My dream was to create a homey and welcoming atmosphere, a place where locals could meet and hang out… sort of like neighbors do when they meet in each other’s homes or front/back yards.

We opened our doors 2 years later. It was a fairly slow start, we started with just seven employees. We served beer and had a tiny, tiny kitchen. My daughter Emma managed the kitchen in the beginning and started us with some of the core recipes we still use – such as the pastrami sandwich, the lobster and shrimp roll, and the Obatzda (a Bavarian cheese dip made with brie), etc.

Every penny we made, we invested back into our business, thus growing our space and seating into what it is now: A beautiful Tavern with a German feel, a cool front patio, and a Bier Garten with train spotting. A huge highlight for us was winning a silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival in 2018. It’s sort of like winning at the Beer Olympics. I considered it a stroke of luck, but it also made people look and turned us into a “known” name.

As we became more and more popular we grew our tiny kitchen into a professional kitchen, where we make everything, including our desserts from scratch. We try to weave our beer into our recipes as much as possible.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As much as we’ve enjoyed growing as we have, every year has presented new challenges. The first year was almost overwhelming for me… Essentially we are 3 different businesses: We have a brewery with some distribution, we have a kitchen, and we have a taproom. For a while, I found myself managing all three aspects, on top of brewing and maintaining our beer. This often meant I was working 20 hour days. It took a moment to find the right people to help manage all three areas. We now have a fantastic crew, that always has my back, and is passionate about all things Kuenstler.

When COVID hit and we were shut down, we faced the mammoth task of re-inventing our business over 24 hours into a beer and food drive-thru. Our crew was amazing, they remained flexible, and took the initiative often to think outside the box and help us pivot and implement our new model. We are tucked in a neighborhood, close to a cul-de-sac (very much off the beaten path) and yet our customers were willing to come out just to pick up a 4 pack, and some brats. Thus keeping us in business.

After the second shut down we had to strongly consider closing our doors permanently. The numbers were no longer making sense. Yet, we managed to get by. Once we opened, we had to reinvent ourselves yet again. Originally, we had started as a typical “order at the bar” model. Due to COVID, and the many restrictions put on bar and restaurant owners, we had to shift into a full-service model. Many of our beer tenders had never waited on tables. It was like starting up a whole new business — training, restructuring, and trying to figure out the new flow of our space.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Kuenstler Brewing?
We are a female and veteran-run business.  I specialize in making not only creative (sometimes crazy) beers but also very solid German beers. Paying homage to my heritage, and to beers my Dad loved to drink. What sets us apart from other breweries is our unique atmosphere and a staff that is extremely educated in all things beer. Most of them have their server cicerone.

In addition to this, we have a kitchen that has offerings that are quite different than the regular fare you may get at breweries. Our specials are always changing, depending on the day, and we have a solid regular menu — full of items you will crave and want to come back for. Our Chef Andrew always aims to tie our German influence in with local flavors and ingredients.  We have been told that our house-cured and smoked Pastrami is better than any Pastrami you may get on the east coast. Our fish and chips are the best ever had, and our Pretzel Charcuterie with house-made pickles is to die for.

What I am most proud of is our consistency. Our beer and food are consistently great. Our atmosphere is fun and so very different with its authenticity, and once you start chatting with our staff you will find out just how knowledgeable and amazing they are. I always wanted to create a tavern that has an atmosphere you’d be happy to hang out with your friends in, but also wouldn’t think twice about visiting with your Mom.