"We wish it weren't so. We've never worked harder on anything." That was how Admiral Maltings told Alameda it was closing, in an Instagram post the Mercury News reported on September 29. The kiln ran its last batch of malt on October 2. The Rake, the pub at 651A West Tower Avenue, closed on Sunday, October 18.
A few weeks earlier and a short walk away, the Alameda City Council had done the opposite for Faction Brewing. It gave the brewery a longer lease and a payment plan when it could have let the space go. The two decisions sum up the alley this fall. Spirits Alley is down one pub. Its first brewery is staying because the city decided it should. And the deal that kept Faction also shortened its longest possible stay at Alameda Point by fifteen years.
Why the malt house closed
Admiral Maltings made malt for brewers and distillers by the old floor-malting method, and visitors could watch the work through glass windows. In its farewell post, quoted by the Mercury News, the company put it plainly: "Despite our best efforts, we couldn't make and sell malt economically." It said it had spent the past couple of years looking for partners to carry the business forward.
Co-founders Ron Silberstein, Dave McLean and Curtis Davenport opened the maltings on August 25, 2017, according to Brewbound's 2018 report on the opening of the pub. The pub poured more than a dozen beers brewed with Admiral's own malt.
In the Alameda Post, Scott Piehler wrote that many Alamedans never knew The Rake existed and often mistook it for part of Almanac next door. He also wrote that Admiral's grains were "a critical part" of Almanac's award-winning beers. Almanac founder and CEO Damian Fagan told the Post:
"Ron and Curtis and their team represent the very best of what craft represents—creativity, dedication, and an unwavering commitment to quality. Almanac has been fortunate to have been neighbors and patrons of both businesses for over eight years, and we will miss having them next door."
The building matters too. The city once leased this one out directly, under a 2015 ten-year agreement with 651 West Tower Avenue, LLC for what Alameda Point records call Building 91. According to the Alameda Architectural Preservation Society, the city sold the property for private development in July 2017. The society lists AP Building 91, LLC as the owner and Admiral Maltings and Almanac as tenants. So the council had no lease to restructure here. The malt house closed on its own numbers, and there was no city landlord in the room. Nobody has announced plans for the space.
Why Faction stayed, and the shorter clock that came with it
Faction Brewing rents from the city. Its space is Building 22, Suite 200, 2501 Monarch Street, about 32,500 square feet under a lease that began May 1, 2018.
The Alameda Pulse traced how the brewery fell behind. COVID-19 shutdowns came first, and the city set up a rent relief program in October 2020. In 2023 and 2024, atmospheric river storms and road closures for infrastructure work around Alameda Point cut into taproom sales again. By this fall the balance was $222,036. That breaks down to $46,719 in deferred 2024 rent, $164,000 in past-due rent from the last two years, and $11,317 in late fees. City staff noted that Faction has paid full rent since February 2026.
City staff called Faction Alameda Point's first local brewery, one known for drawing visitors to Spirits Alley seven days a week. The council introduced the third lease amendment on September 1. It formally adopted the amendment at its September 15 meeting.
The amendment adds three years to the initial term and replaces the long renewal options with one short one. The end dates below for the original lease are calculated from its terms.
| Original 2018 lease | After the 2026 amendment | |
|---|---|---|
| Initial term ends | April 30, 2028 | April 30, 2031 |
| Renewal options | Two options, 10 years each | One option, 2 years |
| Latest possible end date | 2048, if both options were used | April 30, 2033 |
| Back rent | Not applicable | $3,763 a month minimum, paid off by April 30, 2031 |
The repayment deadline and the end of the extended term fall on the same day. That means the city has tied Faction's next five years to clearing the balance. The original options could have carried the lease into the 2040s, and that possibility is gone. For anyone whose regular Spirits Alley stop is a Faction pint, the brewery is secure for the rest of this decade, and the longer future depends on a conversation that hasn't happened yet.
Who's pouring on the alley now
The Rake's closing leaves a cluster of tasting rooms. Most sit on Monarch Street, Saratoga Street and West Tower Avenue, close enough to walk between in an afternoon. The Spirits Alley directory, last updated in August, lists these, and each venue's own site adds detail:
- St. George Spirits, 2601 Monarch Street, shares Faction's street. Its visit page lists the tasting room and bottle shop as open Wednesday through Sunday, with walk-ins welcome as space and staffing allow.
- Dashe Cellars is at 1951 Monarch Street, Hangar 25. Its tasting room and patio take reservations and accept walk-ins when space allows.
- Urban Legend is in the same building, at 1951 Monarch Street, #300. The directory shows its summer hours running through October 31, so check its visit page for the switch to fall hours.
- Almanac Adventureland & Brewery is at 651 West Tower Avenue, the building The Rake shared.
- Humble Sea Brewing Co. is at 2350 Saratoga Street.
- Vinyl Wine Bar & Shop is at 2350 Saratoga Street, #166. Its site lists Tuesday through Sunday hours and a running schedule of listening-bar nights.
The Monarch Street cluster still lines up the way it did. Faction and St. George are neighbors on Monarch, with Dashe and Urban Legend sharing a building up the street. The change is at the West Tower end, where Almanac is now the only place pouring.
The fall calendar, and who's carrying it
The city's case for keeping Faction was that it brings people to the alley. Its own events calendar backs that up. Of the dated Spirits Alley events posted for late October through early December, most are at Faction's taproom:
- Thursday, October 22, 7 to 8 p.m. Ocean Hoptimism at Faction, a talk about the recovery of the sunflower sea star.
- Saturday, October 24, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Faction's Rock N' Roll Flea Market, with 100 vendors and live music.
- Saturday, October 24. Sazon Latin American Kitchen at Urban Legend, plus a 7 to 10 p.m. Vinyl Soul Sessions DJ set at Vinyl Wine Bar.
- Sunday, October 25. Live music from the Blind Venetians at Urban Legend.
- Saturday, November 7, 3 to 8 p.m. The Alameduh Zine Release Party at Faction, with free entry, live music and local food.
- Sunday, November 15. The Alameda Record Swap at Faction from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Cousins Maine Lobster at Urban Legend.
- Saturday, December 5, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Rock and Roll Flea Market returns to Faction.
Two flea markets, a zine release and a record swap are daytime draws that bring people to the alley who might not come for a tasting flight. That is the kind of traffic city staff pointed to when they made the case for keeping Faction. Schedules at small venues can change, so confirm times on each venue's page before you head over.
The sea-star talk is Thursday, October 22, at 7 p.m. at 2501 Monarch Street. It's the first event on an alley calendar that no longer includes The Rake, and the brewery hosting it now has a lease running to April 30, 2031.
If you'd like to talk through how changes at Alameda Point fit with your own plans for the West End, whether you're settling in or thinking a few years ahead, the Andrea Ruport Team is always glad to compare notes over a pint on Monarch Street. Let's Make It Happen.