Old Kan Beer & Co., the new West Oakland beer garden and brewery from chef James Syhabout and Linden Street Brewery founder Adam Lamoreaux, opens Wednesday, March 1.

According to the partners, the neighborhood-friendly concept — set in the former Dock space — is an homage to simple beer culture, a time when brands were hyper-regionalized. The whole mantra is backed in the aesthetics of the main bar area. The walls are lined with old cans like North Star from Minnesota or Lone Star from Texas.

“If we do this right, one day somebody will see Old Kan in Chicago years from now and they’ll remember it because it was something their dad drank,” Lamoreaux said. “We want to build those kinds of memories with people.”

The space is broken into two parts with a dining room area that seats 35, and a private dining room that can hold another 48. The patio has space for 60. Old Kan also has a beer garden out back which is going to host live music and performances.

Old Kan is going to open brewing three beers: Old Kan Original, Old Kan Dark and Old Kan Light, all of which are being produced in San Jose until the Oakland shop gets its license.

“Once we’re producing here, we’ll add a fourth beer on a quarterly basis,” Lamoreaux said. “We have 10 taps so we’ll always have five or six guest beers.”

Syhabout has a few ex-Commis chefs (Hoang Le, Bilal Ali) in the kitchen executing a menu of comfort food and pub fare with burgers, open-faced meatball sandwiches, salads, buttered noodles. Syhabout said he’s still putting the finishing touches on what’s offered, but the price range for the main dinner courses will be between $11 and $16.

“There’s still going to be a focus on ingredients and execution. We want to make food that’s crave-able, laid back, and just delicious,” Syhabout said.

Lamoreaux said out of Old Kan’s three starting beers, Old Kan Original is going to have the fullest flavor (a little more than 5% ABV). Old Kan dark and light are going to be around 4.5% ABV.

The simplicity is needed in a Bay Area beer culture that’s become extremely nuanced, almost gimmicky, Lamoreaux said. “We’re taking that out of this, so you can enjoy what drinking beer is all about, posting up with your friends, drinking a few beers and just having a good time,” he said. “It’s simple. It shouldn’t feel complicated.”

The Old Kan name is an anagram of Oakland. The whole project can be traced back to the last year when Linden Street announced it was leaving the space; Lamoreaux is no longer involved in Linden Street. Meanwhile, Syhabout closed his Hawker Fare in Oakland earlier this year and since that time, the two have been working hard to put Old Kan together.

















































Image 1 of / 13 Caption Close Image 2 of 13 The Old Kan aesthetics are an homage to a simple beer scene. Photo via SFChronicle The Old Kan aesthetics are an homage to a simple beer scene. Photo via SFChronicle Image 3 of 13 The Old Kan space has lower tables than the previous Linden Street location. Photo via SFChronicle The Old Kan space has lower tables than the previous Linden Street location. Photo via SFChronicle Image 4 of 13 The Old Kan biergarten. Photo via SFChronicle. The Old Kan biergarten. Photo via SFChronicle. Image 5 of 13 The Old Kan bar top. Photo via SFChronicle. The Old Kan bar top. Photo via SFChronicle. Image 6 of 13 The Old Kan Original. Photo via SFChronicle. The Old Kan Original. Photo via SFChronicle. Image 7 of 13 The Old Kan window in the private dining area. Photo via SFChronicle. The Old Kan window in the private dining area. Photo via SFChronicle. Image 8 of 13 The Old Kan Bar area in the private dining section. Photo via SFChronicle. The Old Kan Bar area in the private dining section. Photo via SFChronicle. Image 9 of 13 The Old Kan window in the private dining area. Photo via SFChronicle. The Old Kan window in the private dining area. Photo via SFChronicle. Image 10 of 13 The Old Kan signage. Photo via SFChronicle. The Old Kan signage. Photo via SFChronicle. Image 11 of 13 The Old Kan tables and chairs. Photo via SFChronicle. The Old Kan tables and chairs. Photo via SFChronicle. Image 12 of 13 The Old Kan garage door in the main dining area. Photo via SFChronicle. The Old Kan garage door in the main dining area. Photo via SFChronicle. Image 13 of 13 The Old Kan window in the main dining area. Photo via SFChronicle. The Old Kan window in the main dining area. Photo via SFChronicle. Old Kan Beer & Co. opens Wednesday in West Oakland 1 / 13 Back to Gallery

The two said the pared-down menu and the simple beer list represents their history in Oakland.

“What better way is there to create a culture than with a brewery,” Syhabout added. “These are the places where people come share things, good, bad or whatever.”

Old Kan Beer & Co.: 95 Linden Street, Oakland, CA 94607, cross street: 3rd St.; Hours are Wednesday-Friday 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday noon-9 p.m., Sunday noon-6 p.m.; www.old-kan.com