Founded by Dana Bushouse in 2014, Crooked City was Oakland, CA’s first cidery producing dry, unfiltered, naturally gluten‑free craft ciders. It launched from her basement with pop‑ups and shared space at Two Mile Wines.
In early 2019, Bushouse opened the Crooked City Cider Tap House at 206 Broadway in Jack London Square, featuring ~25 taps (including guest ciders), board games, darts, events, and food from local pop‑ups.
Shortly before taproom buildout, the cidery lost its production lease at Two Mile Wines and had to liquidate production equipment in a fire sale, halting cider production entirely. Despite raising ~$107K for the taproom, all capital went into finishing the bar, leaving no funds to secure a new production facility. Bushouse explored options like custom‑crush production or finding a partner, but production remained paused while the taproom proceeded.
Failed. What happened?
In March 2023, the Crooked City Tap House at Jack London Square was sold. The space is now operated by Hesher’s Pizza, but they intend to keep a cider‑centric offering, and continue hosting community events like trivia, pizza nights, and more—carrying on some of the taproom’s original vibe.
Crooked City Cider as a brand is effectively defunct. Cider production ceased in 2018 after losing its facilities; its taproom closed in early 2023; and the trademark lapsed irreversibly by August 2024.
The original space at Jack London Square lives on with a cider-friendly concept via Hesher’s Pizza, but Crooked City Cider itself no longer exists as an independent entity.