09/16/2026
EVER WONDER WHAT’S ACTUALLY IN OUR LOGO?
It isn’t just a bridge we thought looked cool.
That’s the Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge — the iconic vertical-lift bridge spanning the Canal near Buzzards Bay.
And there’s a reason it’s part of Oak Bay Brewery.
Long before we opened our doors in Hyannis, the original location where we attempted to build Oak Bay sat with this bridge practically in its backyard.
That plan didn’t work out…
but the bridge came with us. 🍺
And we’re pretty glad it did, because the more you learn about it, the cooler it gets.
Construction began in 1933, during the Great Depression, and the first train crossed the new bridge in December 1935. At the time it was built, its 544-foot center span was the longest vertical-lift span in the world.
That center section weighs roughly 2,200 tons, yet massive counterweights allow the entire span to be lowered for a train in about 2½ minutes. When there isn’t a train crossing, the bridge normally stays raised about 135 feet above the water, allowing vessels to travel through the Canal below.
More than 90 years later, trains are still crossing it.
So what started as the view behind a brewery that never happened became a permanent part of the brewery that eventually did.
A little Cape Cod history hiding right there in the Oak Bay logo. **r
