A truly unique Bay Area establishment, Admiral Maltings, is shutting down.
The good Admiral is known for producing its own malt to offer to beer-and-spirits brewers, made in a floor-malting process that customers could watch through glass windows. Located at 651A West Tower Ave. in Alameda, it is one of the island’s booze-centric businesses that give Spirits Alley its name.
And now it’s going away — as is its pub featuring more than a dozen beers made with its malt, The Rake. The establishment wrote on Sept. 29 on Instagram that its last day for Admiral Maltings is Oct. 2 and for The Rake Oct. 18
“We wish it weren’t so. We’ve never worked harder on anything,” the post reads.
“We’ve treasured the connections and community we’ve created with California farmers, the breweries and distilleries we’ve worked with, and everyone who helped us revive and innovate the craft of floor-malting,” it goes on. “Helping revitalize a sustainable, California-rooted small grain economy, connecting with our customers, enjoying your beers and spirits, and seeing brands built around California floor malt has been incredibly rewarding. Despite our best efforts, we couldn’t make and sell malt economically. Although we have reached out to many professional colleagues and potential partners over the last couple of years in an effort to carry Admiral Maltings into the future, we no longer possess the resources to push forward.”
The post notes that the final batch of malt will come out of the kiln on Oct. 2. The establishment’s proprietors ask that patrons “join us at The Rake for one last round of beverages and a toast to California farmers, our brewery and distillery customers who truly value sourcing local ingredients, and to our wonderful staff both past and present.”