PEEK INSIDE OAKLAND’S NEW GHOST TOWN BREWING
This part of Oakland was once home to coffin makers, but this brewery offers all sorts of lively beers. Here’s what it’s like inside.
There are many people who zoom through the West Oakland neighborhood, using the Grand Avenue bypass as a shortcut to the Bay Bridge. Who knew it was such a good place to stop and have a beer?
Ghost Town Brewing gets its name from the area, which was once home to several coffin factories. (Who knew?) The brewery has embraced this history, right down to the small coffins painted on the side of the bar.
The brewery tasting room, which has been open about a year, is tucked in a comfortable, spacious building with concrete floors, high ceilings and plenty of space to spread out. It’s kid-friendly and dog-welcoming, too.
There were 14 beers on tap the day we visited, ranging from very light — a cream ale, Pilsner and saison — to the ubiquitous American pale ales and IPAs, including a tasty hazy pale ale called European on Uranus. Prefer a more fullflavored sip? There were two porters, two stouts, a rye ale and a barleywine, too.
If you’re a fan of chocolate milkshakes — and who isn’t? — try the Cat Hoarder
Porter on nitro. Made with lactose and cacao, it’s the closest thing to a milkshake that you can get in the craft beer business. All of the beers were solid, with good hop/ malt balance.
Ghost Town Brewing is one of the better craft beer bargains around, with 16-ounce pours ranging from $3 to $6, and taster sets of 4-ounce pours so you can try a broader range of styles. The taproom doesn’t have its own kitchen, but it has partnered with various food vendors, including the Grilled Cheez Guy, who was dishing up sandwiches the day we were there.
DON’T MISS >> Unusual beers are always fun to try, but one of Ghost
Town’s mainstream beers is such a standout, we can’t resist it. Polydactyl Pale Ale is a dry-hopped American pale ale, made with Mosaic and Citra hops. Balanced, with a nice spicy hop kick, it hits all the right notes.
DETAILS >> Open from 3 to 10 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, 3 to 11 p.m. Thursdays, noon to 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday and noon to 10 p.m. Sundays at 1960 Adeline St., Oakland; www.ghosttownbrewing.com.