Line 51 Brewing Company and its taproom, The Terminal, are inspired by all things transit, including this actual AC Transit bus located inside the Oakland brewery. (Courtesy Jay Brooks)
This month, my Bay Area brewery tours took me to the industrial end of Oakland’s Jack London Square. Among the warehouses and manufacturing businesses along Third Street are a couple of breweries and brewpubs that are well worth venturing into for a pint.
Old Kan Beer & Co.
Brewer-owner Adam Lamoreaux founded Old Kan Beer & Co. in 2017 in the same spot that once housed Linden Street, the brewery he closed in 2015.
But Lamoreaux first discovered craft beer in Perth, Australia, while serving in the Navy during the Gulf War. It was love at first sip. When he returned to Oakland, he began homebrewing and soon after turned to gigs with Steelhead Brewing on San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf and Anderson Valley Brewery in Boonville before striking out on his own.
He found the ideal location tucked between industrial spaces less than a mile from Jack London Square. The vintage brick building was once owned by Westinghouse, and the old steel supports are still there inside the taproom. Linden Street Brewing closed in 2015. But Lamoreaux used the original equipment to create Old Kan, which is a jumbled word play on Oakland.
Lamoreaux currently offers three beers, including the flagship Old Kan Classic, a delicious version of a California Common not unlike Anchor’s Steam Beer. Old Kan Amber is a refreshing Vienna lager with great malt character that’s very quaffable. And Old Kan Dark, his smooth and tasty black lager, is probably my favorite of the three.
Hours are limited, at least until January. Old Kan no longer operates a kitchen in the space, but the well-known Mexican restaurant, La Santa Torta, has opened a location next door where you can grab a bite. Coming soon: Old Kan’s cream ale, a rice lager and Rocket Love, a red ale.
Details: Old Kan Beer & Co is currently open from noon to 8 p.m. Saturdays and until 5 p.m. Sundays at 95 Linden St., Oakland; https://old-kan.com.
Line 51 Brewing Company
Located three minutes from Old Kan, Line 51 Brewing Company’s brewery and taproom, dubbed The Terminal, are tucked inside a spacious brick warehouse that evokes all things transit. There’s an actual AC Transit bus behind the bar inside, with a tap system built in, and two short buses, also outfitted to serve beer, are parked outside.
The comfortable, wide-open space, originally a 1940s coffee roastery, includes picnic tables, board games, a foosball table, electronic darts and a pool table. They regularly host trivia nights, live music and karaoke. It’s kid-friendly, and dogs are welcome outside.
The brewery was started by PT and Leti Lovern, teachers who live along the bus line that inspired the brewery’s name. PT started home brewing in the mid-1990s and started Line 51 in 2012. Initially, his beers were draft-only and sold at bars along the bus line that runs through Oakland, Alameda and Berkeley. He even delivered kegs by taking them on the bus.
Lovern, a Chicago native, took the plunge in 2018 and built the brewery with a Midwestern vibe, which is why you’ll find a kitchen serving up Vienna beef hot dogs and sausages. The Loverns weathered the pandemic and look poised to thrive, especially if the proposed new stadium for the Oakland A’s is built at Howard Terminal, about 160 feet from the brewery.
Currently, there is space for 16 taps, and Lovern keeps as many as a dozen going at any given time. There’s a nice variety of styles, including several lagers, IPAs — West Coast and hazy — reds, and a Baltic porter. They also serve wine and hard cider.
Details: The Terminal at Line 51 Brewing Company is open from 2 to 10 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday at 303 Castro St., Oakland; https://line51beer.com.
Know a local brewery or brewpub that’s knocking it out of the park but isn’t getting the recognition they deserve? Drop me a line at BrooksOnBeer@gmail.com and tell me why you love them.
Originally published at Jessica Yadegaran