Is Oakland's iconic brewing neighborhood in trouble?
After dreams of an Oakland A's ballpark at Jack London Square were squashed, some breweries in the area are struggling. The Jack London Brewing District in Oakland, California, is experiencing financial difficulties, with several breweries closing due to low foot traffic and decreased sales. The area, known for its seven breweries, became officially recognized as the Jack London brewing district in 2018. Local breweries like Line 51 and Oakland United Beerworks are struggling to bring in more customers due to increased competition from other breweries. National craft brewery sales declined by 2% in the first half of 2023, largely due to inflation and decreased consumer interest in different types of alcohol. Cellarmaker and Dokkaebier, two new breweries, opened in 2023 and doing well so far, have reported modest business.
प्रकाशित : 4 सप्ताह पहले द्वारा Madeline Wells में Lifestyle
I’d recently moved to the Oakland neighborhood, certainly influenced in my decision by the promise of happy hours spent sipping beer on a sunny patio. The area is known for its breweries: It has seven and became formally recognized as the Jack London Brewing District in 2018. But if one brewery was closing, were more to follow?
“When we were able to start opening up the facility, we just didn't see the foot traffic that we had anticipated,” Bernstein said. “… Things never got smooth sailing for us. We were doing a lot of things right, we had a handful of very loyal customers but just all in all didn’t see the numbers we needed to see.”
“I don’t want to trivialize anyone who’s affected by crime,” said Chris Ritter, co-owner of Oakland United Beerworks, which was founded as Linden Street Brewery in 2009 (it changed names and moved about a mile east in 2019). “It’s a sad situation, but I think there’s a narrative that needs to be examined. … I don’t see it being anything different than what you’d expect in any kind of urban community. It’s a great community.”
It’s important to note that it’s not only Oakland or even California breweries that are facing challenges — national craft brewery sales declined by 2% in the first half of 2023, according to the Brewers Association. The reasons for this shift range from inflation to people drinking less, but it also has a lot to do with changing tastes for different types of alcohol, said Bart Watson, chief economist for the Brewers Association, according to Forbes.
Cellarmaker and Dokkaebier are two newer breweries on the block, having opened in 2023. They reported doing decent business so far, although Dokkaebier owner Youngwon Lee said that a rainy winter led to a very slow first quarter for his Asian-inspired brewery. He’s found success by hosting events like Chimaek Festival, a chicken and beer celebration that brought thousands to Jack London earlier in May, with 50 different breweries and restaurants participating as vendors.
Line 51 has tried everything from trivia nights to karaoke to bring in more customers, but what ended up sticking for it was more family-focused activities. It now regularly hosts “family fun nights,” where it encourages families to dress up as superheroes, play with Legos, or come to see children’s entertainers like musician and puppeteer Mr. Elephant.
विषय: Food & Drink