Calistoga Inn, site of Napa Valley’s 1st brewery, now expanding

Visit the historical Calistoga Inn Restaurant and Brewery at 1250 Lincoln Ave., Calistoga. The restaurant is open for lunch, 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and for weekend brunch, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Dinner is 4-9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 4-9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Napa Valley’s beloved Calistoga Inn Restaurant and Brewery has been in the Dunsford family for over 30 years.

The European-style hotel has been accommodating guests since it was built in 1887. It’s also the location of Napa County’s first commercial microbrewery, the Napa Valley Brewing Co., which opened in 1987.

This summer, the business will expand its small-scale brewing operation to double production for distribution.

Owned by the Dunsfords since 1989, the family business has been a staple for locals and those visiting Calistoga for over 30 years.

Before the property was purchased by Rosie Dunsford and her son, Michael, it was owned by Phil Rogers who founded the Inn in 1978 and added the brewery in 1987.

Rogers was friends with Fritz Maytag, the previous owner of “America’s first craft brewery” Anchor Brewing Co., which was founded in 1896 and closed in July. Maytag had rescued the San Francisco brewery from going under in 1965.

“There was a connection with the relationship of Fritz and Phil Rogers in terms of the appreciation for craft beer,” Michael Dunsford said. “And that was pretty much the genesis of how the craft beer industry started, which was all in Northern California.”

Today, Michael Dunsford runs Calistoga Inn Restaurant and Brewery with his partner, Lindsay Faith Weinhold.

Rosie Dunsford, who died Jan. 1 at age 82, came to Calistoga in 1989 after selling her former business, Rosie’s Cafe in Tahoe City.

Rogers sold the property to the Dunsfords and their family friends, the Nilssons, forming a partnership.

The families were introduced when Michael Dunsford met Keith Nilsson while attending UC Davis. There, Michael studied viticulture and enology with an emphasis in brewing science.

The two families came together to operate the business, and eventually the Dunsfords bought them out to run the inn as a mother-and-son duo.

Michael Dunsford said he feels lucky to have spent his adult life working beside his mother. He recalled a conversation they had when he was a teenager, discussing their dreams of running a business together.

“We were sitting at a table in Rosie’s Cafe in Tahoe City and we talked about the day we’d be partners,” Michael Dunsford said. “That came true. To carry on the legacy we both created, that's a big deal for me.”

Rosie Dunsford had an extensive background in the restaurant and hospitality industry. Before moving to Wine Country, she founded Rosie’s Café, which is still in business today.

The Calistoga Inn Restaurant and Brewery menu items are the same recipes she curated decades ago.

The historical spot includes three bars, a beer garden, a patio dining area, indoor seating and outdoor picnic tables.

Before the Dunsfords took over, the place had old picnic benches outside and a wooden grill to make burgers and bratwurst. But inside was fine dining with a fish-centric menu.

“My mom was really a pioneer of creating alfresco dining,” Michael Dunsford said. “She got rid of the picnic tables, put nice ones on the patio with white tablecloths and brought fine dining outside.”

He said the restaurant scene was different at the time, offering either casual or fancy dining styles. Rosie Dunsford brought fine dining out to the patio, he said, serving steaks, seafood and pasta.

“We had access to all this incredible produce and everything around us. And at the same time, we kept the brewery and we still have a burger and wings on the menu,” he said. “None of that’s changed over 30-plus years.”

Rosie’s calamari recipe stems from one of her cooks in Tahoe who used to work at Scott’s Seafood in the Bay Area. The business has two cooks from Scott’s, as well as a general manager who was connected to the Scott family.

“Our GM was part of the family, he was married to Mr. Scott’s daughter,” Michael Dunsford said. “That’s how we got into their family business. So it’s kind of full circle, it’s just a small world.”

The restaurant offers a variety of dishes that pair with local wines and beers brewed on the premises.

Though Rosie Dunsford wasn’t much of a beer drinker and enjoyed her martinis, her son has long been interested in brewing.

In 2022, Tim Campose joined the business as brewmaster. Previously brewing for Maui Brewing Co. in Hawaii, Campose came experienced and ready for something new.

“I've enjoyed it. It’s been a good challenge for me to kind of have creative control,” he said. “And they really let me have that, and space to do my thing.”

Campose said it’s an honor to work at a place with such history.

“The setup of the brewery is very unique and weird; like a challenge in itself,” he said. “But, it’s a fun one and it’s a cool place to work every day.”

As a beer lover, Campose enjoys making all styles of beers but said his favorite is the West Coast IPA.

“At the risk of sounding overconfident, I feel like we’re making really good beer,” he said. “I’m just excited to have more people be able to try it, give more feedback, and just get it out there in the market to see what people think.”

The restaurant will continue to serve beers on tap but soon will distribute kegs to other establishments such as restaurants, pubs and venues.

Two brewing assistants, Daniel Reynolds and Henry Gustavo Gonzalez, joined Campose.

Along with freshly brewed beer, the Calistoga Inn features live music, Rosie’s authentic recipes, and its original water tower structure.

Beth Branum and her husband, Joe, stop by the restaurant weekly and have been doing so for years.

“We’re local, we come here a lot. You should’ve seen it back in the day,” she said. “When we were younger, we’d hang outside and order drinks from the ‘bar-let’ on the patio.”

Included in the restaurant’s enhancements is another kitchen, to be used for the new bakery and catering service.

Emma Molloy is an intern for The Press Democrat. She can be reached at [email protected].