2 weeks Ago By Paul Kilduff
The transformation of Alameda Point, home for decades to the former Naval Air Station Alameda, into a vital, bustling destination full of shops and cute homes is very much a work in progress. Amid the boarded-up abandoned aircraft hangars and empty apartment buildings that once housed the enlisted, though, is a bright spot for mirth and merriment known as Spirits Alley. Related Articles With brew houses, tap rooms, distilleries, a winery and even a bakery situated along several long blocks, Spirits Alley is not really an “alley” but more of a district.
Semantics are not stopping those who enjoy freshly brewed hazy IPAs, though, from checking out the scene. One such spirited recent reveler was Alamedan Henry Bruckstein, who along with friend and fellow Alameda islander Matt McCarthy made his way on a sunny Saturday afternoon to the Almanac brewpub. Pointing to McCarthy, Bruckstein said “this fine gentleman’s wife and my wife are actually in Vancouver right now to see Taylor Swift.
So we were like, ‘Let’s get out with the kids.’ And he was like, ‘Let’s go grab a burger and a beer,’ and here we are.” For Bruckstein and others who visit Spirits Alley, the choice tends to come down to hanging out at either Almanac or Faction Brewing a couple of airplane hangers further west.
“Honestly, it’s either here or there,” Bruckstein said. “And then (choosing) Faction depends on what the food truck is there, right? If I’m just going to grab a couple of beers with friends, we’ll probably do Faction. It’s just right on the water.
” Several other acclaimed establishments also populate Spirits Alley — visit online for details. With the boys in tow, though, Almanac’s astroturf outdoor area with plenty of benches seemed to fit the bill for Bruckstein and McCarthy that afternoon. Another factor is the large parking lot across the street from Almanac.
After polishing off their Scolari’s food truck chicken fingers the boys were going to take a spin on the nearby blacktop in the go-kart they brought along. Boys with bigger toys at Almanac that Saturday were members of the Bay Area chapter of R Gruppe, a club of German sports car enthusiasts who meet the first Saturday of every month for coffee, doughnuts and to show off their rigs, mostly iconic Porsche 911s. “We like Almanac because they’ve got better food or more food options,” said Pinole’s Richard Breazeale, the club’s “chapter meister.
” “And they’re open earlier than Faction. Guys show up at 7 a.m.
, and after having a doughnut at 11 o’ clock they’re ready for something more substantial. Almanac works out really well,” says Breazeale. For those interested in taking a deep dive into one of the lesser known aspects of beer, spirits and even bread making, a visit next-door to the Admiral Maltings facility is a must.
There patrons from large windows next to the bar can view the malting process, where grain is spread across the floor and moved back and forth with rakes. The facility is also known as “The Rake.” “You can’t brew beer without malt,” said Gregg Buczkowski, the general manager at Admiral Maltings.
“All the sugars in the malt is where the alcohol comes from. So you wouldn’t be able to get any of the flavor, any of the fermentation, none of that could happen without the malt. You can brew a beer without hops, but you can’t brew it without malt.
” So what exactly is malt? “Malt is germinated and shelf stabilized through drying grain,” says Buczkowski. “When you say ‘malt’ in general, you mean barley. And when you’re talking about malted barley, what you’ve done is you’ve germinated the barley, which means it grows a little bit of roots, and then you want to stop that process by getting the moisture out of it.
And that’s done with a kiln. And then that shelf-stabilizes it to be milled and used.” There will be a test later, but in the meantime those wanting to learn more about malting can take a free tour of the malting room on Sundays.
The aforementioned Faction Brewing’s is Spirits Alley other big draw. The recent Saturday afternoon was no exception, as the Rock n Roll Flea Market had set up shop amid the brewing tanks with vendors hawking classic vinyl records, vintage car magazines and mementos galore. Selling memorabilia, clothes and even fridge magnets made from Ford Mustang logos from his ’59 El Camino parked near the entrance to the brewery, Steven Herraij said the vibe at Faction is “so much fun.
It’s just so nice to meet people that really, truly appreciate this stuff. I’m not the best businessman. My prices are a little too low, but I don’t even care.
People get a kick out of the stuff I make.” In the back of Faction, beyond the flea market crowd and past the tap room where all of Faction’s beers are available on draft, is a peaceful patio oasis where patrons can gaze out on San Francisco Bay while sipping a flight of ales. For Brian Garcia, a San Franciscan who often makes the trip across the bay to Spirits Alley via ferry, the scene at Faction’s back patio is just his cup of lager.
“What I like about Faction is that you can sit here and look out on the view of the city, people-watch or whatever you want to do. You can come here and not want to stare at your phone.”.
