By: Andrew Thomas
If you walk inside Old Kan before 4PM on a weekday, you’ll find Adam, esteemed brewmaster, probably rapt by a European soccer match. In these off hours, Adam can work his magic at his own pace, checking the gauges and temperatures while simultaneously watching a good soccer game.
Housed in an old, narrow brick building, Old Kan is right around the corner from the Port of Oakland’s entrance, where huge cargo ships and trains slide past every few minutes. As with many once niche pursuits, the relative explosion these past 20 years in the popularity of craft brewing has led to a kind of identity crisis—a disenchantment with the usual methods and recipes, and an inevitable scramble to figure out “what’s next”.
Many once small Bay Area craft brewers are now big players, and local favorites like Anchor Brewing Company and Lagunitas have been snatched up by international corporate entities like Sapporo and Heineken. Noting this trend toward consolidation, many “true” craft breweries in California have begun to quietly bow out and take a different path. Count Old Kan among them.
Since being founded—albeit under a different name—in 2009, Old Kan has perfected a light, medium, and dark beer, each in California’s classic Common Style. Adam’s “steam beers” show a mastery of the the art of yeast culturing, as well as a keen sense for finding the right locally produced grain and hops. The end result is a pure, simple beer that’s generally 4% -7% ABV.
With the rapid ascension of craft brewing in recent years, Adam’s constancy to tradition is noteworthy. By this writer’s account, he seems immune to flash-in-the-pan trends that have diminished other breweries—and both Old Kan and Oakland seem better for it.
