Alameda Island Brewing Company was founded by home brewer Matthew Fox. Stationed here in the Coast Guard from 1998-2000, Matt immediately fell in love with the island. He met his wife (a fourth generation Alamedan) here in 1999. After home brewing for eight years, Matt pursued turning his love of brewing into a career.
The building owner, and beer lover, Bill Phua, having the chance to fulfill a lifelong dream of brewing beer, stepped in as partner and investor. A two year process followed working with the State, the City and the Federal Government to get the brewery up and running. During the building of the brewery, Matt interned at a brewery in Southern California, Inland Empire Brewing Company, and was able to learn about brewing on a larger scale, while Bill used his extensive engineering background to build the brewery from the ground up.
The name was decided on to show pride in the City they are a part of and love. Matt having been stationed here and spending a great deal of time here with his wife and family, wanted to become part of the community. What better way than to be Alameda Island Brewing Company? In addition, the logo is a direct take from the City of Alameda's flag. It is important to the entire team that we always remember why we are here and how lucky we are to be a part of this community. The logo also encompasses Matt's passion for all things nautical and his love for having served in the U.S. Coast Guard.
