Twisted Horn Mead & Cider

What Twisted Horn Mead & Cider does

Twisted Horn Mead & Cider is a craft meadery and cidery founded in 2016 by Vince Obarski and Robin Obarski in Vista, California, and opened to the public in March 2017. It is the first meadery and cidery established in San Diego County, operating from a single Nordic-inspired mead hall at 1042 La Mirada Court that features 17 rotating taps, a Norse stone fireplace, birch tree canopy, and reclaimed wooden walls. The company produces a portfolio of meads and ciders using traditional fermentation of honey, water, yeast, and fruit adjuncts, spanning styles including melomels, cysers, bochets, acerglyns, and traditionals, with selective barrel aging in bourbon and rum barrels. Ingredients are sourced locally where possible, including Superbloom California coastal honey from Temecula Valley Honey, a Washington state cider apple blend, and Maine maple syrup from Sap Hound Maple Company; all products are gluten-free.

The business operates a hybrid revenue model across six distinct streams. The Vista taproom is the primary channel, selling mead and cider by the glass, flight, and growler fill. An e-commerce store powered by Vinoshipper ships bottled product to 40+ US states. Commercial and retail keg sales (sixtel and half-barrel) reach bars, restaurants, and consumers across San Diego and Southern California. An annual Odin's Table membership ($155/yr, $100/yr renewal) provides recurring revenue plus member benefits. Private event rentals monetize the themed venue for weddings, corporate events, birthdays, and costume parties. Branded merchandise (tap handles, leather and slate coasters) provides a small ancillary stream. Pricing is unit-based across bottles ($15 for 500mL standard offerings, $30 for 375mL limited small-batch) and kegs ($148+ cider, $273+ mead).

Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer-led, anchored by experiential marketing through weekly community programming (D&D nights, trivia, live music, book club, gaming events) that drives taproom foot traffic and reinforces the Viking/Norse brand identity. Online sales extend the brand nationally, while regional commercial keg sales target on-premise accounts in Southern California. Distribution integrations are limited to Vinoshipper for e-commerce shipping compliance and Square for the rewards program; there is no disclosed technology platform beyond Squarespace. The company is privately held, bootstrapped, and founder-operated, with no external funding rounds, M&A activity, or institutional investors disclosed.

Name

Twisted Horn Mead & Cider

Legal name

Twisted Horn Mead & Cider

Website

https://twistedhornmead.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Mead and Cider (Brewery)

NAICS

Beverage Manufacturing (3121), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (445320)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Mead Production (AFAFAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mead Producers & Brands (CRADAIAG), Cider & Perry Production (AFAFAAAD), Cideries & Meadery Tasting Rooms (THAFALAI), Taprooms & Brewpubs (CRANACAF)

Keywords

• Craft mead production
• Hard cider brewing
• Meadery taproom
• Barrel aged mead
• Gluten free alcoholic beverages

Headquarters

HQ city

Vista

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Taproom sales: Direct sales of mead and cider by the glass, flight, and growler fills at the Vista taproom location. Major revenue stream with 17 rotating taps.
2. Online/mead store: E-commerce sales of bottled mead and cider shipped directly to consumers across 40+ US states. Products include Blue Cloak Mead ($15/500mL), Blood Flower Mead ($15/500mL), Band of Fosters ($30/375mL), Horn & Compass ($30/375mL).
3. Keg sales: Sixtel and half-barrel keg sales of mead ($273 starting) and cider ($148 starting) for both retail customers and commercial accounts in San Diego and Southern California.
4. Membership subscriptions: Odin's Table yearly membership at $155/yr offering discounts on pours, growler fills, merchandise, and exclusive member benefits. Renewal fee of $100/yr for existing members.
5. Private events venue rental: Rental of Asgard Room ($25/hr block), Mead Hall, Green Room, or entire tasting room for weddings, corporate events, birthdays, and costume parties. Pricing dependent on space, date, and duration.
6. Merchandise: Sale of branded merchandise including tap handles ($25), leather coasters ($20), and stone coasters ($20).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Twisted Horn Mead & Cider is a craft meadery and cidery producing gluten-free mead and cider in styles including melomels, bochets, acerglyns, cysers, and perries. It operates a Viking-themed mead hall taproom in Vista, CA with 17 rotating taps, sells bottled products online shipping to 40+ US states, distributes kegs to Southern California bars and restaurants, and rents private event spaces.

Product overview

Twisted Horn Mead & Cider is a Viking-inspired meadery and cidery offering a portfolio of award-winning meads and ciders. The core offering includes 17 rotating taps of mead and cider at their Vista, CA taproom, with bottle and canned options available for online purchase and shipping. The product portfolio spans multiple mead styles: melomels (fruit meads including Blue Cloak, Blood Brothers, Raven's Claw, Blood Flower), bochets (caramelized honey meads including Band of Fosters, Horn & Compass), acerglyns (honey-maple meads), and cysers (apple-honey meads including To The Core), along with perries (Pure Pear). The company also offers keg sales for retail and commercial customers, merchandise (tap handles, coasters), an annual membership program (Odin’s Table), private event venue rentals, and food from rotating vendors. All meads and ciders are gluten-free with locally sourced ingredients. Online ordering ships to most U.S. states.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Blue Cloak Mead Off-dry blueberry melomel mead with 9.6% ABV, made with alfalfa and clover honey, sold in 500 mL bottles at $15 for individual consumers and on tap at the Vista tasting room.
• Blood Brothers Mead Off-dry cranberry and boysenberry melomel mead with 10.7% ABV, sold to consumers via the Vista taproom and online store.
• Raven's Claw Mead Off-dry cyser style mead made with wildflower honey, apples, and boysenberry, with pétillant carbonation and 8.5% ABV; sold to consumers at the taproom and online.
• Blood Flower Mead Off-dry raspberry and hibiscus melomel with blackberry blossom honey and pétillant carbonation at 9.5% ABV, sold in 500 mL bottles via the online store and taproom.
• Band of Fosters Mead Limited small batch semi-sweet bananas foster style bochet mead with caramelized honey, brûléed plantains and bananas aged on 117 West Spirits spiced rum oak barrels at 13.2% ABV, sold in 375 mL bottles.
• Horn & Compass Mead Limited small batch semi-sweet acerglyn bochet style mead using Maine maple syrup and caramelized wildflower honey, aged in Elijah Craig Bourbon barrels for 6 months at 13.2% ABV, sold in 375 mL bottles.
• Mead & Cider Kegs Sixel (5.1 gallon) and half-barrel kegs of mead and cider sold to retail and commercial customers in San Diego and Southern California; mead sixel kegs start at $273, cider sixel kegs at $148, with commercial buyers receiving discounted pricing.
• To The Core Cyser Mead Off-dry cyser mead brewed with Superbloom California coastal honey from Temecula Valley Honey and Washington state cider apple blend, 9.4% ABV with heather and sage aftertaste.
• Pure Pear Perry Pure pear perry made with Hood River, Oregon pear juice, off-dry with pétillant carbonation and 5.8% ABV; gold medal winner at San Diego International Beer Competition 2021.
• Twisted Horn Tap Handle Official branded tap handle for commercial bars or home kegerators, ornamented with the Twisted Horn logo, sold at $25 each.
• Twisted Horn Leather Coaster 4 Pack Handmade leather coasters (set of 4) featuring the Twisted Horn logo, made domestically; eliminates condensation rings on surfaces.
• Twisted Horn Stone Coaster 4 Pack Slate stone coaster 4-pack with laser-etched Twisted Horn logo for lasting durability; protects surfaces from condensation rings, $20 per pack.
• Odin's Table Membership Annual membership program at $155/yr offering a personal drinking horn, exclusive pre-release mead and cider notifications, 15% off merchandise, $1 off growler fills, member-only keg and bottle specials, table reservations in the mead hall, exclusive mini drinking horns flight, and Thorsday $1 off full pours; renewal fee of $100/yr for existing members.
• Private Events Venue Rental Nordic-inspired private events venue offering multiple spaces (Asgard Room seating 15-20 at $25/hr, Mead Hall, Green Room, or entire tasting room) accommodating up to 70 guests for weddings, corporate events, birthdays, and costume parties; pricing dependent on space, date, and duration.

Quantifiable outcome

• Gold medal at San Diego International Beer Competition 2021 for Pure Pear cider

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Lost Cause MeaderycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partnership for Horn & Compass Acerglyn mead. Lost Cause Meadery worked with Twisted Horn to create a limited small batch semi-sweet bochet style mead using Maine maple syrup and caramelized wildflower honey, aged in Elijah Craig Bourbon barrels.
• Wild West MeaderycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partnership for Band of Fosters Bochet Mead. Twisted Horn collaborated with Wild West Meadery and 117 West Spirits to create a limited small batch semi-sweet bananas foster style mead with caramelized honey, plantains, and bananas, aged on spiced rum oak.
• 117 West SpiritscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBarrel aging partner for Band of Fosters mead. Provided spiced rum oak barrels used to age the caramelized honey, plantain, and banana mead.
• Tap That KeggingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRecommended equipment rental partner for customers needing keg serving equipment. Located in Oceanside, they provide keg serving equipment for those purchasing Twisted Horn kegs.
• VinoshippercoreTechnology or IntegrationE-commerce platform partner for online order processing, shipping fulfillment, and return/refund handling. Twisted Horn's online store runs through Vinoshipper which handles compliance and logistics for alcohol shipments across 40+ states.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Rabbit's Foot Meadery: California craft meadery producing small-batch meads and ciders with a tasting room focus. Comparable in product mix (mead + cider), taproom-led go-to-market, and California geographic footprint.
• Heidrun Meadery: California-based meadery specializing in sparkling traditional meads made via the methode champenoise. Comparable as a craft mead producer on the West Coast with a strong tasting room and educational brand positioning.
• 2 Towns Ciderhouse: Oregon-based craft cidery producing a wide portfolio of fruit-forward ciders with national distribution. Comparable as a craft cider producer whose product line and taproom experience parallel Twisted Horn's cider offering.
• Schramm's Mead: Michigan-based craft meadery producing premium, barrel-aged and fruit-forward meads. Directly comparable as a small-batch, award-oriented craft mead producer targeting enthusiasts rather than mass-market consumers.
• Wild West Meadery: Craft meadery that has collaborated with Twisted Horn on the Band of Fosters bochet release. Directly comparable as a small-batch mead producer experimenting with barrel aging and exotic adjuncts.
• Bos Meadery: Wisconsin craft meadery producing traditional and fruit meads with an on-premise tasting room. Comparable as a small, craft-focused meadery building brand through direct-to-consumer and on-premise channels rather than mass distribution.
• Lost Cause Meadery: California craft meadery that has collaborated with Twisted Horn on limited barrel-aged releases (Horn & Compass Acerglyn). Directly comparable in scale, mead style range, and San Diego/Southern California taproom business model.

Broad incumbents

• Stone Brewing: Iconic Vista, CA-based craft brewery with on-premise taproom and national distribution. Comparable as a craft beverage operator sharing the same Vista Business Park geography and competing for the same North County San Diego craft drinker.
• Ace Cider: California-based established craft cider producer with broad distribution. Comparable as a cider peer operating in the same West Coast market, though at significantly larger scale and with a much wider product portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TwistedHornMead
• Facebookfacebook.com/twistedhornmead
• Instagraminstagram.com/twistedhornmead
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/twisted-horn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Twisted Horn Mead & Cider