"We want to be a brand that people can be comfortable with."
Adam and his wife Alice first found this place in March of 2005. Despite the dirt floors with no plumbing, and their complete lack of experience and money, they knew that this was where they wanted to share their vision for what a community-focused brewery could look like in Oakland. Finally, after years of persistence and resilience, they were able to open Oakland’s first production brewery in 50 years called Linden Street Brewery. Linden Street quickly became a valuable and integral part of the social fabric that helped spawn the incredible growth we see in Oakland’s beer scene today. Linden Street Brewery has since moved to a new location, but Adam and Alice remain where they feel most inspired and most capable of continuing with their mission for the community.
Now, in partnership with James Syhabout, Adam is excited to offer beers under the “Old Kan” flag! While Adam is proud for the way Linden Street Brewery defined this place, now he gets to make beers that define a lifestyle. Oakland deserves a beer that’s primary purpose is to serve as social currency, with the power to remind people of what they they love about their town and the ability to contribute to its success. Adam isn’t interested in being considered one of Oakland’s most creative or most awarded brewers, as much as he strives to be known for giving Oaklanders something to be proud of.
A lifetime Oaklander since the age of 2, James is a dedicated advocate of and contributor to the current, vibrant dining scene in the city of his youth. In 2009 he opened his first restaurant, Commis, which currently holds 2 Michelin Stars - the only restaurant in the East Bay that has earned the prestigious distinction. A James Beard award nominee and Food & Wine Magazine Best New Chef, James has appeared on PBS’ Emmy award winning series “Mind of a Chef” and “Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown” on CNN. He will be releasing his first cookbook in 2018, published by Bourdain, titled “Hawker Fare, A Memoir of a Refugee Chef.”
James and Adam met in 2010, sparking a collaboration beer for his Lao Issan eatery, Hawker Fare. The result, “Superfly”, was a rice beer brewed with aromatic lemongrass and shiso leaf, specifically designed to accompany the cuisine. Finding a shared approach in the pursuit of clarity and excellence through simplicity, the two partnered up to open The Dock in 2014, which has since grown to become Old Kan Beer & Co. James currently oversees all food operations while leaving the brewing expertise to Adam.