Bottles

OK, OK, OK, alright, I’ll do it. I’ll let the cat out of the bag.
Bottles is my secret go-​to spot for quality craft brews in bottles (naturally, that is the name of the place) & cans. It even feels like a super secret spot when you walk in because the whole front of house is Indian grocery. Seriously. But press on towards the back & you will be rewarded with craft beer that’s handled respectfully & properly. Now, that last part is key.
Oh sure, there’s a large chain of liquor stores that doesn’t just sell Beverages but also More. & that particular chain of liquor stores is a fine place to get liquors & a decent place to get wines. But they keep far too much of their craft beer selection out on shelves at room temperature while devoting far too much of their cooler space to garbage macro swill.
At Bottles, there’s a lot of quality craft brew good stuff. & all that good stuff is always kept in coolers. That way, it’s much, much, much, much more likely to taste like it’s supposed to. Leave a really hoppy DIPA out for as little as 2 weeks at room temperature & then compare it to the same DIPA that’s been kept cold, your taste buds will get what I mean.
There’s also a ½ dozen taps, in the back across from the coolers, with a good rotating selection helmed by a pretty cool staff. I’m a local beerfly & I sometimes run into the Bottles guys at local breweries so I know how much they love quality craft brews too. So, for anyone reading this, the secret is out. You’re welcome.

They sell groceries from India in the front and have a bar in the middle portion and more groceries and clothing from India in the back section. What turned me off is that the place is not kept clean. Its dark and dingy inside and I will not be surprised, with all the groceries on the shelves, they have rats running around at night time. Be careful of what you get from here. I did not try any of the beers on tap as this place did not have a clean look.

I love this place, and the bartender is what made it. Excellent selection in domestic and imported craft beer. He educated me on the differences between, Belgian, IPA, Stouts and Sour beers. I simply wish there was more of an online presence. Had I not accidentally stopped in after doing groceries at Raley’s, I would have never know this bar existed! With the addition of an Instagram, Facebook or even a basic website I can see the fruits of this business’ products reach a broader audience and prosper. Hanks thanks so much for everything!

Bottles isn’t the same Bottles as I remembered it. When I used to frequent this place it used to be a wine and liqueur store. It was large, spacious, and clean. Now it’s basically an Indian convenient store that happens to have a liqueur license (Not like it’s a bad thing).
Currently, the front of the store sells consumable items while the back looks like a storage area and a small bar area. You can see that the area isn’t frequented often by the dead insect bodies on the bar (gnats) and there’s only room to seat three people.
They still have about 8 different types of beers on tap but the vibe just isn’t there anymore. When I like to taste beer I like to talk to the bartender and talk about the nomenclature to everything about processing it.
On the bright side, they do sell samosas for $ 1 on your way out.

Bottles is in the middle of a commercial space, the front is an indian grocery. the back is a fashion store, india i presume. bar wasn’t open prelunch. only beers in fridge available.
brew: «3 flowers Ipa», marin brewing co. 5.99
–very hoppy, from 3 llowers used. 6.5%
on draught:
–craft beer pricing in line with whole foods if not higher.
–lots of crafts, most known to me, few surprises.
–bar not open, didn’t peruse offerings.

Awesome service and hospitality of the hosts! Loved the Dank Row Craft — excellent brew. Will definitely come for more…

Wow. I don’t get blown away by the vibe in places so often, but here its 100% pure awesome. Extremely friendly and cool people run this place, and the locals that enjoy it are also super laid back and friendly.
As you walk through what on the surface looks like a typical east bay mini mart, you find yourself suddenly immersed in what is one of the coolest mini tap rooms in the bay area. Amazing selection of fresh local (and not so local) beers. Grapefruit Sculpin on Tap!!! YES PLEASE! Want some seasonal, local Faction– Blitzen? They got it.
Beyond their amazing bottle selection which rivals much bigger stores, they also have a selection of Fresh Indian Sweets (Burfi, Ladu, Etc.) which for me made this place a double score!
Combined with knowledgeable staff that has a passion for beer and good humor, and you have a pure winner.
Yup. 100% Pure awesome indeed.

Great place to taste and buy beer!
$ 5 beer tastings, groupons, and so many local craft brews!
I enjoy coming in and trying a new beer with friends, or meeting new ones there!

They do beer tasting for five bucks. Kind of cool stop to pick up a unique craft brew while shopping for groceries or grabbing a treat for dinner that night.

A beer tasting sounded like it would be interesting, even though I don’t care much for beer. I wanted to try and taste why people like beer.
We tasted 4 different local beers on tap and a 10 ounce beer of our choice. I leaned some interesting beer facts. The pourer was pleasant. I could taste the difference between the various beers. It was a nice stop to go on a Saturday. The experience was 4 stars. I still don’t like beer; I am not taking that into consideration on my rating.

These guys are not messing around. This is one hell of a bottle shop. If you want crap go somewhere else, everything they carry is unique and also well kept! Unlike City Beer SF, ALL the beer is kept cold! This is huge for me. For the East Bay this shop is killing it. I love Beer Rev too if I’m in the Oakland area but for me its simply not as convenient as Bottles location. By the time I sit in traffic to Oakland I could of tasted a new beer I’ve never had before and be home sipping Allagash Interlude from the comfort of my own home.
This store is actively participating in beer education. I love it. The employees are all great to talk to! Harpreet, Diego, and Dhillon have a wealth of beer knowledge! And a hell of a palette! Its not like when you go to bevmo which is like asking Bevis and Butthead whats good (uhhhhh huh huh). You can learn something here! the Beer tastings are great. I’ve sampled a spectrum of beers there ON TAP: super fresh Sculpin Fathom and Dorado, Rare Barrel selections, Stone Enjoy By, Goose Island Imperial Stout, Bruery Humulus, Altamont Left Coast Session, Double Jack, Evil Twin, Evil Cousin, and many many more. All stellar. The best part of the tastings are the beer stories that come with them and hanging out with other local crafties
They really have something for everyone. Oh your a Barrel aged guy — no problem. A Belgian dude — right this way. Sour man — step on up. Hophead — where would you like to go today?
If you are in El Sobrante and you like great beer — you HAVE to stop in and check it out. Not to mention the killer selection of wine, tequila (Don Julio Real — what!), and bourbon. I’m so excited they moved into the neighborhood! Plaza Sobrante is really kicking right now with some great food and now Bottles.

On the way home from an event this afternoon, we headed here to try some beer. Great tasting and really fun people who work there. First time I’ve watched ABC family channel and heckled the movie at any kind of bar setting– awesome!
We got some bottles to take home and it’s a great selection– many options not seen elsewhere (including Oaktown on tap, which I understand comes from a guy who distributes his own brew.) The staff was very friendly and helpful, and we will definitely be back.

The people who work there are down to earth and have pointed me towards some excellent beers, which i will list according to festivities. :)
My favorite beer they sell their is …
ugh… i kinda dont wanna tell neone because people have been snatching it up before me and forcing me to go to bevHO at a higher price… but ok Imma give in cuz i love beer drinkers.
Feeling Like a Good TASTY beer? MIDAS TOUCH 4-​pk with the purple box.
made outta saffron and some other stuff. impeccable taste. When Bottles sells out of this stuff I am forced to go to BevHo and pay 20% more. :(
Celebration beer? Get the Allagash, the long neck bottle. It only has 2 glasses of beer in each bottle, but with that one or two it will make you feel awesome.
afternoon drinking: blue star wheat beer. damn this stuff is pretty good!
We have tried 11 other beer, 14 in total, i have uploaded a picture of what we tried, and most of them were awesome =0)
b.t.w. some of the beers are more expensive here, some are actually less in price, but this place accommodates well when you want a particular brand.

Bottles is a spirit store, but not like any other. You can actually buy a bottle of wine AND SIT AT THE BAR AND DRINK IT! How cool is that?! They don’t have the best selection or variety of wine, so don’t go looking for Napa quality Vino.
Dillan is the cashier/​bartender who is there when I go, and he’s a cool cat. Not stuffy, not too lackadaisical. My biggest complaint was that I left almost a full bottle of wine because I had a wax appointment across the street at Glam& Glow, and they seemed all too happy to make a double profit by selling the rest by the glass.
All in All it’s A-​OK

This place is located in El Sobrante. It serves all types of alcohol. The cool thing is there is a place where you enjoy a drink. Just wine or beer, no hard alcohol permitted to sell. They have wine and beer tasting different days of the week. The price is typical I suppose. Depending on what day you come in you will have workers there that aren’t quite privy of the products in the store to sell. It would be a poor idea to ask about wines, imported beers, or exotic liqueurs. However I bet they can tell you the price. lol
Depending on the clerk I suppose, can affect your experience of this establishment.
Overall, great concept yet poor execution. Potential for improvement.

All the other reviews are correct. Nice selection and good service and refrigerated beers I was sorry to see today they decided to display come beer on uncooled wood shelves) but you will pay a premium. I picked up a small bottle of a special Russian River barrel aged beer expecting to see maybe a 7 – 8 dollar sticker. $ 13.99 shocked me.
I will be visiting Russian River soon and will award another star if the price is anywhere near $ 10 for the same amount of liquid. Even my favorite, Arrogant Bastard, can be acquired cheaper from hole in the wall J&L market in tiny Crockett .
Unless Bottles starts some kind of a discount club for drunkards, I will not be buying too much from here.
I would like to see micro brew beers on their Redplum coupons I get in the paper for Bottles rather than seeing Bud Light and Corona discounts. What is up with that?
Update. I Visited Russian River Brewery the 19^th of August. While you can get a glass of the $ 13.99 beer for $ 4.75, they do sell the bottles for $ 12 so I stand corrected and you have four stars

This is one of the best beer shops I have ever been to. I found vintage beer bottles that I haven’t seen for years. They have a full selection of all good west coast craft bottles, and due to the fact this place is under the radar, you will find bottles of specialty Russian River, 21^st Amendment, Deschutes, the Bruery that will still be here that aren’t anywhere else.
What kicks this place up a notch is the personal touch and care from the family of owners. They know their beer, and if they don’t have it, they’ll try to get it for you. They drive around the west coast and pick up the best stuff all the time. I love it.
This place deserves the 5 stars.

Ugh, where to start. This place is exactly what’s wrong with craft beer amd the hype around it. They illegally sell grey market beer for a huge mark up. They even tried to sell me growlers of alpine nelson ipa for $ 50! WTF, not only is that totally classless to drive down to alpine and buy a bunch of growlers just tp resell them, its also straight up illegal by California law. Now, I’m not stupid, I know they have another shop amd another bar which does sometimes have alpine. Thing is they can’t sell growlers of it from. there, amd the got specifically
they were on a road trip tp get growlers amd they would have a bunch of limited stuff for sale if you ask.
Place is just shady, put prices on your bottles instead of just making them
the register. Stop selling locals for more than any of the shops in Oakland or the city. Just be honest and don’t sell grey beer just for a quick buck.
Also, to be perfectly honest, the selection was not that great. Good, but not even close to on par with healthy spirits, city beer, beer revolution, etc. In fact I would choose a whole foods over this place 9 out of 10 days. Not to mention they are much cheaper. A specific mikkeller stout I picked up at the whole for $ 11.99 was $ 16.99 here, no thanks guys.
Only reason for two starts is that Harpeets mom is very nice.

This store is just amazing. So many of the Belgian beers I’ve tried and loved and could not find again are here. Witness the list of beers I purchased on my first visit:
Cantillon Classic Gueueze
New Belgium Lips of Faith Prickly Passion Saison
New Belgium Lips of Faith Fresh Hop IPA
Ommegang Aphrodite (grains of paradise)
Ommegang Seduction (chocolate)
The Bruery Mischief
The Bruery Autumn Malt (yams, molasses, maple syrup)
I had a great conversation with Harpeet about the plans they have for upcoming activities at the store. They already have $ 5 beer and wine tastings on Fridays and Saturdays. I can’t wait to try one!
If you love beer, you will not be disappointed.

Ok, let me begin with the fact that my Unilocal reviews are usually given with a totally objective opinion. As I sit here now drinking a brew from Porter Brewing, this review may be a BIT biased… lol
Located at Plaza Sobrante between Railey’s and Walgreens, this place establishment recently opened. Liquor stores can dime a dozen but when the OPENING banner caught my eye, I thought this wasn’t one of them. The Lagunitas banner (one of my favorite brewers) drew me into the store. At most liquor stores the clerks just sit or stand waiting for you to bring your purchase to the register. I was promptly greeted as I entered the store, «Harry» walked back with me to show me their inventory. I’m not an alcoholic, but I spent all the cash that I had on hand.
All of the staff are true Micro Brew enthusiasts! They are passionate about their inventory and the craft. Bottles’ staff are knowledgeable, and cater to the customer. Every time that I go, my knowledge is increased as well as my pallet for various brews. Their inventory is expanding, but they still have a lot of good things. They also have a few unique ales, IPA’s and brews that are hard to find. Every time that I go I buy something that I know and like as well as something new.
I could go on and on with praises, but it is best to go and see yourself. They have your run of the mill beers if that is your preference, as well as wines, liquors, distilled spirits, and other nonalcoholic beverages. They are expanding the inventory to include items that pair well with the beverages that are sold there. When I walk into the store there is no pressure to buy, but I always leave with a smile (^_​^)! They just opened, but have a lot of good things in mind as they continue to grow. Unilocal only allows a 5 star rating, but I give them ****** six!