In today’s tour of the lost breweries of Oakland, we discover a new-to-us bit of green space and a reminder to not abuse our kidneys any more than we already do.
Co-Operative/Independent Brewing Company: 487 Clifton Ave
New breweries weren’t always reported with the breathlessly excited tone they often are today. Just take The American Brewers’ Review volume 25 (July 1, 1911): “The Co-Operative Brewing Co., at 55th and Clifton Strs., has nearly completed a modern plant at a cost of $50,000. George Roehm is the manager.” (I know, brewers, you’d love to get started for 50K).
There is no such intersection as 55th & Clifton today, but as I’ve mentioned before, streets get renamed and renumbered in a century. I can’t find any other reference to this brewery being called “Co-Operative” so it must have changed its name to Independent pretty quickly. It opened for business in November 1911.
Independent’s founder George Roehm was apparently a stand-up guy and has a bio in the scintillating volume Past and Present of Alameda County, California Volume 2. He was born in Wittenburg, Germany in 1872, went to school until he was 14, then got a brewery apprenticeship. (Times have changed!) He emigrated to San Francisco when he was 21 and worked at the South San Francisco Brewery, then moved to Oakland in 1899 and worked at Anchor Brewery (the one in Oakland. More on that later) until founding Independent in 1911. He go married back in his hometown in 1900 and had two sons who his bio notes “are attending the public schools.” Other old-timey tidbids:
He gives his political allegiance to the republican party and belongs to the Schwaben Verein, the Fraternal Order of Eagles and the Foresters. Mr. Roehm is a man of many sterling traits of character, reliable in business and progressive in citizenship, and has gained the confidence, good-will and esteem of all who have been in any way associated with him.
I imagine our modern-day fascination with male brewers’ scruffy beards and female brewers’ everything is going to sound equally quaint in 100 years.
Details about Roehm’s brewery are more scant. In its later years it added “and Malting” to the name, so I imagine it diversified. It seems the more famous Independent Brewing of the day was in Seattle, and there was yet another in Pennsylvania. The Independent name is being revived in Oakland today by local brewing veteran Steve McDaniel.
There is no 487 Clifton anymore, but there’s a section of the Rockridge-Temescal Greenbelt across the street from even-numbered houses whose numbers aren’t too far off, so we guessed that’s right around where Independent used to be.
Photo: Eric Pietras
Either there or at the dialysis center. I can’t hate on a place offering services people need to, you know, not die…but it’s still a little bleak.
Photo: Eric Pietras
There’s still beer of varying quality in the area, with Kingfish and The Avenue to the southwest and the many watering holes of Rockridge’s College Ave not far to the east.
If anyone knows more about this mysterious brewery, let me know…
Photo: Eric Pietras
