October 1997 Volume 20, Issue 10

Notes from Thor's Loft

Just a couple of blocks from Jack London Square; around the corner from the Alameda Tube; down the street from China Town, in the historic warehouse district; rests Thor’s loft. On the 3^rd floor, overlooking the urban skyline, the Draught Board held its September meeting, sloshing and puckering through cases of Belgian beers hashing out details of the revised web site, and touring Thor’s basement with the famous stainless steel and redwood multi-stage techno-brewery, a by-product (or purpose?) of numerous welding classes at the community college.

The city of Oakland has invested heavily in recent years to improve the Jack London district, with residential units as a key element to the historical area. Before it was converted into 1000 sq-ft lofts with 12-foot ceilings, Thor’s place was originally an automobile factory in the 1920s. After that, it was Oakland Tire Company.

The neighborhood has improved over the recent years. When Thor wheels out his glimmering brewery to the street level he is greeted by inquisitive by-passers. "Is it legal?" "Can I have some free beer?" Sure! Stick yer head in the boiling kettle and have at it! Other than curious questions, Thor can pretty much brew to his heart’s content.

The train station at Jack London Square (JLS) was constructed about a year ago. The train goes all the way from LA to Seattle and points in between. Thor took a trip to Seattle a couple of years ago and reports that it was first rate. JLS also has ferry access to The City, a convenient BART station, and easy freeway access, making the area an excellent transportation center.

Yoshi’s sushi bar and Jazz moved to their new location at the square three or so months ago. The cost of renovations to their current site was over $5M. It’s supposedly one of the largest Jazz clubs on the West coast.

Thor and Ida moved to the loft three years ago and now are considering buying a larger loft across the street. Fortunately, Thor designed his custom-made refrigerated bar / cabinet to disassemble and fit through the service elevator.

Many thanks to Thor and Ida for opening their loft to the Club and hosting September’s meeting.