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Although the more drawn out story of Linden Street Brewery has chapters in far flung parts of the globe, it is right here in our own backyard that the true gold was to be found---gold in the form of a long lost brewing tradition just begging to be unearthed and brought back to life.  A golden glow, faded for nearly 50 years, that need only a little polishing and love to realize a new era of radiance and possibility. 

Oakland was once a serious beer making town

This city across the bay has the little-known claim to fame of being a one-time national mega-player in the brewing scene.  In it's heyday around the turn of the century, there were at least 7 Oakland-based breweries with an additional nine in Berkeley and Alameda.  At a time when Oakland's population was around 50,000, the breweries based here produced around 40,000 barrels per year---nearly one barrel per person.  Unfortunately, Prohibition of 1919 killed most of that thriving brewing industry in Oakland.  The largest surviving brewery, the Golden West Brewing Company survived until 1963 and was best known for it's rather ubiquitous Golden Glow brand beer.  All that now remains of a once great industry in Oakland are faded Golden Glow posters and bottle caps, the rare historical reference, and the odd mention of steam beer in a Jack London novel.  

It is this rich brewing tradition that has laid much of the foundation, and provided a great measure of inspiration, for the founding of Linden Street Brewery.  It seems crazy to us that in this day and age of craft beer popularity, when cities half the size of Oakland can support multiple breweries, that Oakland has not had a production brewery within it's city limits for nearly 50 years.  In fact, oddly enough the craft beer renaissance that began in the early 80's with microbreweries and brewpubs sprouting nationwide managed to completely miss Oakland all together (with the notable exception of Pacific Coast Brewing Company in Old Oakland).  The revival of this great industry in Oakland is long overdue and the people of Oakland need a local beer to be proud of.

An industry and tradition poised for revival

Although the vision for Linden Street Brewery extends way beyond merely recreating and revitalizing a lost industry, there is something indescribably satisfying about building on such fertile ground.  Following in the footsteps of some great brewing pioneers and feeling the depth of the brewing roots inspires us to reach for higher heights.  Energized and inspired by Oakland's great brewing heritage, we're committed to a 21st Century vision of a revived brewing industry, one that better reflects the day and age we live in.  Linden Street Brewery is proud to not only be reviving a great Oakland tradition, but to be brewing an Oakland renaissance with a focus on sustainability, community building, and support for local enterprise. 

Oakland is getting it's glow back.  We're committed to that vision.  

Feature image: Patrik Sklenar