AB InBev-backed Golden Road Brewing meets critics in plan for Oakland beer garden

Hangar 24 mixed with GRB Valentin is a popular special at the fast growing Golden Road Brewery in Los Angeles. (Photo by Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) Hangar 24 mixed with GRB Valentin is a popular special at the fast growing Golden Road Brewery in Los Angeles. (Photo by Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close AB InBev-backed Golden Road Brewing meets critics in plan for Oakland beer garden 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Los Angeles' successful Golden Road Brewing is preparing to set up shop in North Oakland — but not without a struggle.

The forthcoming taproom and "nano-brewery," as Golden Road co-founder and president Meg Gill describes it, will be somewhat novel in concept; its business will set up shop in and around seven shipping containers in the Temescal neighborhood, and its property will feature a small brewing system, two bars, a fire pit, a canopy and outdoor lighting. Altogether, the space will sprawl across 7,000 square feet. The brewery also has plans for a Sacramento location.

There's no exact date yet planned for Oakland's opening due to the nature of construction, but Gill is excited to call the East Bay city a new business hub for Golden Road.

"We chose the location for a few reasons," Gill says. "First, (Oakland) has embraced our concept of the Golden Road Flipflop pub (a nano-brewery in a container), and there is also a relaxed, yet active, community there that was a fit for us. Our goal is to be one of the many great options for beer in Oakland."

However, as it's turning out, Golden Road Brewing is meeting fierce opposition in the local craft beer community.

In 2015, just a few years after opening, Golden Road was bought by AB InBev. That's significant because it means that, according to the Brewers Association's definition, it no longer qualifies as a "craft" brewery, instead joining the ranks of former craft purveyors now under the control of the macro beer company responsible for Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois. Today, with its giant portfolio including Elysian, 10 Barrel, Goose Island and others, AB InBev controls 45 percent of the U.S. beer market and is, as of fall 2016, the world's largest beer company.

Meanwhile, the 5,000 craft breweries nationwide combined make up around 12 percent of the U.S. market.

One such craft brewery set to be in direct competition with Golden Road is Temescal Brewing, an Oakland company that opened in 2016, aided in part by a successful crowdfunding campaign. Sam Gilbert, the brewery's founder, says that while he's "thrilled" with the competition presented by small and independent breweries popping up in the area, that "this is not one of those projects."

"Golden Road is not healthy competition — it is a deliberate attempt by an international conglomerate to stifle small business and to cash in on a beer scene started through the risk and sacrifice of local beer lovers," he says. "I hope that our neighbors will see through this ploy and continue to support the homegrown businesses working tirelessly to build real community and to keep Oakland unique."

Other pressing concerns, in addition to the competition, are the long-term effects on the craft beer economy on a local level. Some in the industry, like San Francisco journalist and Certified Cicerone Allie Pape, say that AB InBev has engaged in "decades of anti-competitive business practices designed to crush craft breweries," and are now utilizing craft breweries' marketing ideas and branding strategies.

"(AB InBev is) able to spend lavishly on design and decor and absorb losses from deliberately underpricing beers, extravagances that small brewers can't afford," Pape says. "This beer garden will make it much harder for independent East Bay brewers to compete — while simultaneously appropriating their aesthetic."

Gill, however, cites "inaccuracies in the media" as a reason for the negative perception of Golden Road being acquired by AB InBev. Saying that her "life and savings are still invested" in the brewery, she claims she and her team run the brewery "autonomously" from its parent company.

"Since partnering with A-B, our beer and our company have gotten stronger," she adds. "We look forward to building and bringing a unique, beer positive, space to Oakland."

For Bay Area beer lovers: The Ultimate NorCal Brewery Map

As interest in craft beer burgeons — particularly in the East Bay, where Fieldwork, Drake's and other popular breweries continue to grow — the idea of a new taproom certainly has fans. But many who work in the local independent community are not thrilled.

"Golden Road is super synthetic, machined vinyl in a world where handmade leather is a price competitive option," says Sayre Piotrkowski, a Certified Cicerone and beer professional who lives in the neighborhood. "Multinational corporate conglomerates should build bridges and aircrafts. Your beer should be manufactured by your neighbors."