West Oakland’s about to get a lot hoppier with the imminent arrival of Brix Factory Brewing, run by veterans of San Leandro’s popular craft-maker, Drake’s Brewing.
Brix, whose name relates to the Brix measurement scale used in brewing (although “bricks” are also plentiful in this industrial stretch of the city), is scheduled to open in late spring or early summer 2023 at 2431 Peralta St. The partners in the venture are Michael Boals, Drake’s former brewery engineer, and ex-Drake’s brewmaster John Gillooly, a man who’s been described by beer lovers as a “legend” and “industry treasure.” Also involved are Gillooly’s wife Natasha, his daughter Kira and industry vet Eric Ortega.
“I first got put together with this site by the folks at Berkeley Yeast, who are a few suites up from our location,” Gillooly says. “We were already focused on West Oakland, which is just a great neighborhood (I live there) that needs more to do.”
That “more to do” includes drinking beer, a popular pastime hereabouts. “The Oakland beer scene is as good as any in the country,” Gillooly says. “Ghost Town (a few blocks away) just won ‘Best Brewery‘ for their size at the Great American Beer Festival. Very psyched to be part of all this.”
Up to this point, Brix had been releasing collaborations with indie brewers, including a “Galactic Phantom” IPA with sauvignon blanc grape skins and an Italian pilsner with (according to Instagram) a “mild malt backbone and hop build of Hallertau Mittelfrüh and Grüngeist.” Having a brick-and-mortar space will open up room for more such experimentation.
Gillooly says he appreciates the challenge of making flavorful beers with lower alcohol content and plans to do a number of them. “In general, the focus will be on clean, focused beers with well-delineated flavors,” he says. “Sometimes these will manifest as personal takes on classical styles, while others will be a bit more whimsical. I have a particular interest in unlocking the flavor potentials of newer hop varieties, and I really like playing around with different grains.”
The final form of the brewery, including possible food and entertainment options, is still up in the air. “Our space is part of a larger complex,” he says. “Our landlord is negotiating with a couple of different restaurants, so we’ll see how our neighbors shake out, before we think too hard about what we are providing beyond awesome beer.”
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