Bottlecraft Beer Shop and Tasting Room

We have been to both locations in sandiego. First time at the tasting room and I must say it was disappointing. Great beer selection but the service was poor. No personality, no sense of humor and no feeling of acceptance at all. Good thing is we had one good beer and got out of there.

We’d been to Karl Strauss and Ballast Point already, but my father was having a hard time finding a beer he really enjoyed (though KS did have a couple of successes!). We wanted to find somewhere with a good ESB on offer, and stumbled upon Bottlecraft totally by accident, as we were heading to check out the Crack Shack. What a happy accident.
20 taps (I think 20?), lots of good offerings to try, and loads of bottles as well. They had several interesting beers on, including a great Saison I really enjoyed.
The bottle selection was impressive and I debated getting some to go.

LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS PLACE. It’s a haven for everyone’s preferences, especially if you’re in a group. Lot’s of variety, on tap as well. Surprised there were many sours. THey have beers from all over, which was great when we saw our local one listed. Workers are awesome, attentive, and know their stuff. They’re super fun and conversational. Great vibes! we will be back!

Fantastic. First time in here. While the bottle selection isn’t huge or vast, it makes up for it in quality. Modern Times special releases, all of the favorites from SD county, and other bottles. Taplist was nicely curated. Guy behind the counter was also cool to deal with. Told me about some bottles he hadn’t yet put out but had in the cooler. This is a new must stop for me when I visit SD. Plus, it’s right across from Ballast Point Little Italy

Why 5 stars? Because the tap selection was incredibly unique.
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I’ve typed this in a ton of reviews at this point, but I usually struggle to find good beer bars on the west coast, due to the region’s obsession with IPA’s. Luckily for me, Bottlecraft had plenty on tap that wasn’t full of an inordinate amount of hops.
It’s a friendly, unassuming, neighborhood beer bar, which reminds me very much of Mermaid Tavern in Tampa. 20 taps, all local, and mostly delicious. I found a ton of non-IPA’s that I hadn’t heard of, which is a tough venn diagram to find yourself in the middle of, if you’re a beer.
Had my fiancé been born with an appetite for beer, we probably would have stayed here a lot longer. Next time I’m in SD, I’ll be back!

This place is pretty great if you are a craft beer fan. They have a great selection of beers on tap, as well as bottles that you can purchase. What I really enjoy about this Bottle Craft location is that if you don’t see something on tap that you like (hard to imagine), you can always pick a bottle from the fridge and drink it right there!
The seating is not ideal for groups of more than 2 which is unfortunate. Also, keep in mind that these are craft beers which means they are NOT cheap. We had five 8oz between three people and ended up with a $ 40 bill.

So I’m shopping for kegs for an event in a week and a half and gave them a call hoping to get information about their selection and prices… I received very poor customer service over the phone, plain and simple. I’m never ever shopping here.

Love their new location, very cute décor and a great selection of both draft and bottled beers. The upstairs seating looks pretty cool, a great place to have some good beers! Wish they have one in Orange County!

Been here a couple of times just to grabs beer bottles/​cans to bring back home. Seems like they alway get the latest from around the area. I can spend a good 15 minutes deciding what I want, then my eyes wander to the tap list. They have a lot of good beers on draft like Pizza Port and Societe. Next time, I need to stick around enough to try everything that looks good on their tap list.

Love the location and rotating draft craft beers.
Will return again and make this place a ritual.

This place, this place is truly dangerous. You walk in thinking you’re going to have a beer or two…6 later. You walk in thinking you’re going to buy a beer or two… you drink 3 – 4. It’s addicting here, there is no doubt about that. This part of Little Italy is full of hidden gems, away from the tourists’ and full of like minded San Diegan’s looking to hug the cities beer scene like a bear. Wife and I were in the area and saw this bright glow illuminating Bottlecraft like a halo around an imaginary angel with big breasts’ and both hands holding two pints of San Diego’s finest. How the hell could I not stop and partake?!
I sat down at the the bar and took in the inviting, upscale and tastefully designed establishment. I was not only impressed, but taken back. I wanted to find the owner and kiss him on the mouth. One beer quickly turned into two, which quickly turned into 4. LOVE. I walked the shopping area, looking at the diverse and eclectic bottles adorning the walls. They have it all, everything from every beer hub in the world. I could not think of a better place to pick up a gift for your favorite beer snob. The best part about all of this… I can ride my bicycle here in 5 minutes. Bottlecraft, thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I searched far and wide for some beer to take home during my recent trip to San Diego. Ok, I didn’t look that far. I tried a place downtown and didn’t love it. Used the handy dandy Unilocal app and the San Diegans recommended this place.
The people working were friendly, but I was surprised that their beer selection wasn’t super large. I was able to find some IPAS and brown ales from CA and OR, to take home with me on my journey back to Pittsburgh. A lot of the beers were pricey, like really pricey, so I stayed in the $ 3 – 4 a bottle range. I was happy to see they were able to give me a six-​pack, so I could easily transport my selection. This place looked like an awesome hang out– they had a lot of beers on draft and there were quite a lot of people hanging out there having some drinks. They also seem to be pretty popular– they have their own branded pint glass, as well as t-​shirts and other souvenirs.
If you’re in Little Italy, check this place out. Then go to Ballast Point– right down the street!

Visited here after a few drinks at Ballast Point, which is across the street. This is the perfect spot for a beer enthusiast as they have plenty of to choose from, some on tap, and just a nice place to enjoy a drink or two. They have stools that wrap the bar and also tables and seats on the patio. And they are dog friendly. Definitely more room then their last location. The bartenders are also very knowledgeable and friendly.
Tip: You can purchase a bottle or two and then they (for a small fee) will crack it open at their quaint little bar within the store.

Went here after a few at Ballast Point across the street. This is a perfect spot for the beer enthusiast. The set up is awesome and they have bottles for sale on the side «shop» next to the bar. The beertenders were incredibly knowledgeable about all the beers on tap and the bottles. Very high quality establishment with a family like feel. Definitely coming here often!

This is a great spot to visit across from the Ballast Point tasting room. The shop has a huge variety of craft beers to purchase and has its own bar and taps with local and regional favorites. Many of the beers on tap are hard to find in the area and you can get different size pours.
The staff is very knowledgeable and the bar seems to be full of friendly, craft beer enthusiasts that love talking about beer. As someone visiting San Diego for the first time, they filled me in on all the smaller local breweries. Great people and great beer.

This place is great for 2 things:
1. Affordable selection of a wide variety of beers and a helpful staff.
2. Watching grown men mill around for at least 20 minutes. They pick up a bottle, read the back and set it back down. They repeat this process 16 to 28 times with different bottles, never being able to decide on a beer to buy. Once they regain a sense of time and realize that they’ve been in the store too long, they end up grabbing and buying the very first bottle they picked up.

I have been a fan of Bottle Craft since their inception and my visit to this location in the heart of Little Italy was no different. I stopped by on a lazy Sunday afternoon and enjoyed a couple of Rise Above Czech Pilsners and pleasant conversation with the young lady behind the bar.
The Czech Pils was what I expected it to be: light and refreshing with a hint a bitterness at the top, finished with a slight saltiness. These were perfect for an early afternoon brew to get things started for the evening.
The Tasting room has some nice seating at the bar, an upstairs area, and a nice patio outside. I was impressed on how nice the employees were and the deep understanding they had about the product they were serving. They carry a vast amount of bottled craft beers, including Mostra Cold Brewed Coffee, just in case you are in the market.
Great place to hang out and try some tasters and socialize.

Oh San Diego, how i love thee. After an entire Valentine’s weekend here with our friends, we ended the weekend here with some chocolate truffle and beer pairing tasting.
we were honestly already pretty full from having stopped at a couple other spots prior to this, but we couldnt pass up the truffle and beer tasting. it was 3 beer tastings with 3 giant pieces of chocolate truffles. i shared the tasting with my fiancé because i knew there was no way i couldnt finish it myself. it was $ 15 for the tasting and unfortunately, i cant remember exactly the flavors of the beer and truffles we had but they were all SOOOO good. the truffles were super rich and paired with each of the beers so well.
i love the openness of the whole place, its perfect for san diego’s beautiful weather! our bartender was super nice and chatted with us even as busy as he was. they carry a variety of craft brews from all over, so you might find your favorite beer on tap here!
would definitely be back for more!

Went to this awesome little place last week while vacationing in San Diego. Its a small little establishment north of little italy. Very unbecoming when you first walk it but it does not dissapoint! You can come to try out new brews and get very knowledgeable information from the staff. it is obvious that they all love some craft brews. The selection is awesome, beers and brews from all over the world. You can stock up or pick one to open up on the spot. Small seating area to share with friends. Beer flights selections on special. Moderate prices. I tried two different beer flights and was able to sample 8 different tastes. Place seems very popular with locals looking to stock up or to share a pint with friends before heading out.
Faves: Brugge Tripple, Revolution Brews

Looking for Ballast Point, my boyfriend and I parked right outside this little gem and decided it looked cool enough to make it our first stop. Wow. This place is seriously beer heaven. I thought I had seen every beer that existed but I was wrong. There have to be thousands of beer selections here. There are beers in the back, they’re all warm and you can take them «to go». Or there are hundreds of beers in the fridge to choose from. Once you’ve picked your beer and are looking to hang out, the bartender pours it for you and there’s tons of seating to sit and hang out.
I’ve never seen such a concept. They also had some beers on tap to choose from. The natural lighting is awesome, it’s a super artsy/​hipster vibe and it’s pretty cozy. Unfortunately for me I don’t live super close but I decided this place is totally worth another visit and I’ll definitely be bringing my beer lover friends with me to share the experience.