Latest reviews from Berkeley
| 72 /100 1404 4TH STREET “Finally open open. Small, cozy, warm, pleasant. 6 taps flights of four, friendly service. Lagers are center stage. Me likey“ |
| 78 /100 2031 FOURTH ST “Hey John! At least we are trying to keep ratebeer alive. Sapce is small, parking is easy beers are good. Service is fine. Pretty cool to have great notion in Cali.“ |
| 90 /100 940 PARKER ST “The old rare barrel space, with way less barrels and way more brewing equipment. Still a laid back vibe. About 16 taps, a bunch of to go stuff for both rare barrel and CM. Flights avail. Service good, beer quality high. I liked Rare Barrel quite a bit, but this is an upgrade.“ |
| 84 /100 1404 4TH STREET “The taproom opened in Sept 2023, just in time for Oktoberfest. Their lineup includes 6 beers, all German styles perfect for Octoberfest. I hope they have some rotation of beers, but I really like the styles they chose. Right behind the counter is a small brewery, maybe just for the taproom. Behind the small brewery is an enormous brewery dedicated to a single beer: Trumer Pils. Beautifully done. Fantastic location near Berkeley’s 6th street, Takara sake, and Great Notion taproom: visit all 3. Love it.“ |
| 78 /100 2031 FOURTH ST “Love to see breweries opening taprooms in the Bay Area, especially near beautiful 6th Street in Berkeley. Small, but beautiful taproom. 16 beers on tap. Parking is easy. Across the street from Takata Sake, so I guess you can visit there as well.“ |
| 92 /100 2181 SHATTUCK AVE “This place is really cool. I used come here 25years ago at school. 2 floors. Lots of wood, and copper walls. 24taps: I guess half are house beers, and half are guest beers. Super cool location a few blocks from concerts at UC Theater, from Berkeley campus, BART, restaurants. Food is fantastic too. Love it!“ |
| 66 /100 Beta Lounge (Bar) 2129 DURANT AVE “Visited October 2018.
This place has been around forever and I never really considered going here since it didn't really seem like, or have a reputation as being, a beer place. But, someone added it to RB and gave it a half decent score, so YOLO.
It was pretty dead on a random weekday evening in the fall, but decided to check it out anyway. Certainly not a beer focused place. Definitely more on the lounge side of things and they do tapas/small plates, cocktails, wine, etc. Small beer selection that is mostly just local offerings (Fieldwork, Drakes, etc.), but does have a few of your grocery store type imports like Delirium.
It's a decent enough place to hang out, but there are certainly much better options for beer around Berkeley.“ |
| 72 /100 Eureka! - Berkeley (Restaurant) 2068 CENTER ST “Visited July 2017. Stopped in here to check it out after leaving Pacific Standard since it's right across the street. Pretty much the same interior design and aesthetic and menu as all the other Eureka locations I have been to. Like everywhere these days, the tap list was dominated by IPAs, and nothing really even that exciting. Pretty basic tap list of regional breweries that you can find everywhere. They do offer flights, so you can get some ticks in here if you would like. Didn't eat, but the food menu looked like what I remembered from the other Eureka locations I've gone to. It's fine, but I would rather go elsewhere.“ |
| 68 /100 Berkeley Bowl Market (Grocery Store) 2020 OREGON ST. “The original Berkeley Bowl, but the one I go to far less than Berkeley Bowl West since the latter is much closer to my office (and also close to Fieldwork and Rare Barrel). These guys have an adequate beer selection here, but it's pretty small and limited compared to the West location. It's better than a typical grocery store, but I wouldn't make it a point to come here.“ |
| 72 /100 1763 ALCATRAZ AVE “Dropped by before going to night swim in Berkeley. Maybe 9 beers on tap. No BA beers. One kettle sour. Easy drinking styles. No flights. 10oz pours for $4, so that is pretty good. Nice brick walls and decor.“ |
| 64 /100 2181 SHATTUCK AVE “Just a few blocks from Triple Rock, in the heart of downtown Berkeley and close to the BART. Huge place, with all sorts of different seating areas; we were seated near the water fountain in the centre. Order by QR code and they bring it out. Not that many house beers available when I visited, but some more guest taps (mostly Drake's), but only house beers available in 5 oz pours. The two we tried -- both IPAs -- were solid, but nothing special. Solid place to hang out with friends, but it's not a craft beer destination. Not worth a special trip, but if you have time in the area, it's worth visiting.“ |
| 64 /100 1920 SHATTUCK AVE “In the heart of downtown Berkeley, this place has been around a while and feels it. The interior has a somewhat tired feel, but otherwise is frendly and inviting. Flights of 5 available for $13.50 plus tax, about standard for around here. Lots of west coast hoppy beers on draft, which I appreciated. Most beers were dialled in well, but nothing was a standout. If in the heart of Berkeley, it might be worth a stop, but is otherwise not worth a special trip.“ |
| 60 /100 912 GILMAN ST “A block away from Fieldwork, so I thought I'd check it out. For Covid, you order the beers via QR code and they bring them out. Plenty of beers and beer styles to choose from, all of which you can order in 5 oz pour. I wasn't impressed with most beers we got; some were quite poor (the IPAs had traces of diacetyl), and worse, they served them in plastic cups -- that's a pretty lame way to present your product. The prices were on the higher side too, with most beers running $3.50-4.50 plus tax for a 5 oz. Friendly service and a pleasant environment, but the beer quality is just not up to snuff. I wouldn't recommend this place.“ |
| 72 /100 Berkeley Bowl Market (Grocery Store) 2020 OREGON ST. “Dropped by after a swim in the marina. I used to shop here all the time, when I lived down the street. It has the largest selection of vegetables anywhere. The beer selection is pretty decent, maybe 50-100 varieties. Lots of single cans. It’s great, because I am just visiting, but it would get boring quickly if I shopped here regularly. Great store overall.“ |
| 80 /100 Berkeley Bowl Market - West (Grocery Store) 920 HEINZ AVE “Very nice upscale version of the original Berkeley Bowl. Very similar to Whole Food, but beer selection is much better, with tons of single can option. Sour, barrel aged, hoppy. Good prices as well. Recommended!“ |
| 78 /100 912 GILMAN ST “Dropped by after a swim in the Marina. Very nice selection of about 20 beers on tap including 2 barrel aged stouts and quads, a few sours, hazy use, etc. $4 for each 5oz pour, so hard to rack up ratings with one visit. Some tasty meals for $10 each (cheap relative to South Bay) but overall including tax and tip $34 is quite expensive for 4 ratings, but well worth it a few times. Super enjoyable. Close to a bunch of people other beer places. Just wonderful overall.“ |
| 72 /100 Whole Foods Market - Gilman (Grocery Store) 1025 GILMAN STREET “Dropped by after a swim in the bay. For beer, this Whole Foods is better than the others, because they have a large selection (40-50) of single cans at $2.99-$3.99, compared to $4.99 average in San Jose for the same beers, plus 20% off purchase of 6 pack. They have a nice of selection of chocolates and everything else Whole Foods normally offers.“ |
| 56 /100 Tokyo Fish Market (Grocery Store) 1220 SAN PABLO AVE “3/21/2021 at the end of Covid. I used to live near here 20 yrs ago. It was an awesome place to get fresh fish and some sakes. But today it is all boarded up, probably to prevent looting. It is very small. Through the board you can still see all the shelves full with non perishables like tea, but I think after 1 year, all of that stock will have to be replaced. They are right next door to Whole Foods, so I think they may not survive.“ |
| 58 /100 Berkeley Bowl Market (Grocery Store) 2020 OREGON ST. “A bit better than, say, a Safeway, but not really any better than a Whole Foods. Good sour selection, rest was heavily local but a bit basic.
Also was a bit of a shitshow. Wouldn't go back.“ |
| 64 /100 1763 ALCATRAZ AVE “Small, dive bar-feeling place. Had a number of their beers, all were decent though not all that special. Popcorn with truffle oil is free and awesome. Worth a stop.“ |
| 78 /100 1160 SIXTH ST “Large indoor-outdoor space. Tons of beers on tap--all were good. Small tasters available. Food was simple. Not particularly cheap but reasonable. Great place.“ |
| 92 /100 Oak Barrel Winecraft (Homebrew Shop) 1443 SAN PABLO AVE “I feel like it’s fair to review Oak Barrel given the dozens of times I’ve shopped there over the past 20 years. I remember hauling home my first glass carboy on my bicycle. Great selection. Great staff. Some nice beers on tap to sample.“ |
| 92 /100 1160 SIXTH ST “Love breweries with a bike rack, and lots of sours on tap. Great ambiance with lots of barrels. Nice rack of jars grains to smell, and jars of cheesy old hops. Very popular at all hours. Convenient location to other breweries and shops. Excellent beers. Prices a bit high, but matches quality.“ |
| 74 /100 Lanesplitter Pub and Pizza - Berkeley (Restaurant) 2033 SAN PABLO AVE “Small place from the front. Walk in and it's deep , like many places in the area. They have an outdoor are in the back. Dumpy decor and sticky tables. Good tap and bottle list and good pizza.“ |
| 64 /100 Brennan’s (Restaurant) 700 UNIVERSITY AVENUE “I've been here many times over the last 20 years. Never thought to add it to RB. They usually have a few good beers on but nothing special. The food is great! A nice dinning area or you can sit in the bar area and watch the game(s).“ |
| 78 /100 912 GILMAN ST “Nice place. The beer was good, tasters are $3 for 5oz. Flight of 6 is $15. Plenty of seating, games and a few TV's.“ |
| 76 /100 1920 SHATTUCK AVE “Good service, great location, pretty good beers. It's a bit too spacious for it's own good, but the atmosphere is decent nevertheless. Worth visiting.“ |
| 78 /100 Eureka! - Berkeley (Restaurant) 2068 CENTER ST “Stopped in for lunch after visiting Rare Barrel. I found street parking about 2 blocks away, metered of course. The place was not busy on a Sunday afternoon, despite the final four game playing. I grabbed a seat at the bar and was given prompt service. I was initially not super impressed with the taplist, but that is only because it takes a bit of looking to find the chalkboard with rotating taps. That is important to locate, because 90% of the value of the taplist is on that board. Taking that into account they had a pretty nice list, with a locals focus. Loads of IPAs, but that isnt a terrible thing. They did offer flights of four for $9, but as I recall there was a $1 surcharge for each rotating beer on the flight, which seems just gratuitiously cheap to me. Burgers are very good, which is pretty much standard for the chain. All in all a worthwhile stop for food and a beer.“ |
| 82 /100 Brennan’s (Restaurant) 700 UNIVERSITY AVENUE “Great place on the station ...24 taps on..“ |
| 80 /100 Berkeley Bowl Market - West (Grocery Store) 920 HEINZ AVE “Can't really have much expectations from a grocery store. The selection is good though and it's not all that overpriced all things considered. Also the food at the store, the Bowl made food is quite good and a great value.“ |
| 90 /100 1160 SIXTH ST “Tap selection is very large and rotates often. Many employees, but there's still always a line and sometimes no seating. Not their fault just wish it was bigger. Food is spendy but decent. Beer is average for the bay area.“ |
| 76 /100 1160 SIXTH ST “Large brewery facility, typical tap room vibe. No sampler glasses - so you get a proper glass with a small pour, which is funny but doesn't seem to be a problem. On my visit, they had a lot of beers. Almost everything was a cloudy IPA or IIPA. Tasted good for the most part, so I enjoyed that aspect.“ |
| 84 /100 1160 SIXTH ST “Visited Sunday afternoon, the place was packed. We had to Uber from West Oakland since public transport would have taken us too much time. Spacious, but as I said quite packed so we barely managed to find a spot to put down our drinks. Guys behind the bar handled the crowds very well, efficient and good service. Beer quality is very good. Worth visiting.“ |
| 72 /100 1920 SHATTUCK AVE “It's fine. I had a 10-beer sampler. Service good. Quiet during the day. TVs on. Two large rooms. hardcopy menu wasn't up to date. Menu on the wall also correct, though. Lock Stock lager - bitter. Petit Resistance Belgian Ale - typical. Specifically Pacifica Pale Ale - meh. Nectarine Ballroom - too bitter. Ipax - way too bitter. More Mild Than Bitter - nice mild, pleasant. Her Majesty's Crush Old Ale - nice. Spartan Joe Oatmeal Stout - bit roasty, not sweet. Pinnacle Pale Ale - no. Zwickeler German Porter - bit charred and touch bitter. Overall, not a big fan of their beers, but they are artisanal. Just not my bag. The lighter ales were cloudy and flavorful.“ |
| 78 /100 1160 SIXTH ST “Large industrial but modern place not too far from downtown Berkeley. Lots of house taps, available in custom flights of 6, priced according to the beer - mine came to the pricey $17 (inc. tax, but not tip). Very friendly service. Beer quality was very good - enjoyed all of the ones I had. Definitely worth a trip when in town.“ |
| 66 /100 1160 SIXTH ST “Huge and fun spot to hang out, but its a pain in the ass to get to from San Francisco. The beers were ok, I was expecting more. They all had the same basic hop flavor, just in different styles of beer. That got kind of boring. Not a must hit place, but if you’re close its worth a tick.“ |
| 70 /100 912 GILMAN ST “Busy place with sparse parking and an unassuming outside. Spwakeasy vibe at the bar downstairs with views of the tanks, and a big patio upstairs with tables and games on.
Beer selection was decent. 10-15 at a time. A couple good one’s, several decent and a couple that were off. I prefer the beer at Fieldwork much more, but this place is sweet, and the beer has potential. On the expensive side for tasters.“ |
| 78 /100 Eureka! - Berkeley (Restaurant) 2068 CENTER ST “Kind of a sterile looking and feeling place, despite of the wood. Didn’t try the food but the menu looked oddly dispersed while the stuff I saw served looked okay. Quite some taps here, locals well presented. Seems like a good choice when it Berkeley downtown. Prices are quite high.“ |
| 84 /100 Berkeley Bowl Market - West (Grocery Store) 920 HEINZ AVE “Would have never ended up here without Ratebeer, but was totally worth it. Large, slightly upscale supermarket with focus on fresh produce. One large aisle is dedicated beer and the selection is great. From imports to American craft classics to local brews and a large row of more special releases, in many styles. Loads of sours and barrel aged stuff. Prices can ramp up but that’s to be expected. Even got staff here to help you out! Be very seen that in a supermarket. Very much worth it going here.“ |
| 82 /100 1160 SIXTH ST “Open brewpub with large tap area, bar stools, indoor seating, outdoor patio and lots of beer needs. Reasonably laid back. Flights of 6 fair Pours are available and very fair prices. Also glass and can growlers. Some bar snacks/food to share, didnt try it. Area is not much but well its an American city. Their IPAs are very good so just for that its much recommended!“ |
| 86 /100 2181 SHATTUCK AVE “Went here on our first night in Berkeley and we loved it. Beautiful outside space with very happy staff and good American style pizza. Tasty enough home brews, nothing crazy but well done. Lots to choose from to, and there’s also guest taps. Kids love it here too and are very welcome. Fun place!“ |
| 82 /100 1160 SIXTH ST “Never heard of this brewery till this trip. Great IPAs, different porters, interesting citrus sour. Had cans available and drafts as well as food.“ |
| 72 /100 912 GILMAN ST “Berkeley’s newest brewery was doing a pretty brisk business on a Sunday evening. This is an interesting location about 2-3 blocks from Fieldwork. Food truck out front, open air bar area with brewing equipment visible. Some seating outside, not much inside on the ground floor, but there is a second floor seating area that overlooks the brewing operation which is pretty cool. Flights of six available in what might be the least functional flight server I have ever seen. Its basically a wire and chain contraption in which the glasses seem eternally ready to tip over. The bartender basically gave me instructions on how to move it which is never a good sign. I managed to get my flight upstairs with only a bit of spillage and started in on the beers. In general the beer needed some work. Saison was decent and "Smoked Porter" was a good porter with a hint of smoke. The rest were not so hot. I left a fair bit of beer here. Hopefully my experience was an anomaly, because they have a good vibe and a good location. Would love to see them become a standard stop on the tour.“ |
| 64 /100 2323B FOURTH STREET “Finally got up here during their opening hours! Small location in a warehouse district. Follow the signs closely for "wine tasting" and you will find it. Pretty minimalist. Wide rollup door and a storage space like interior with a little table set up for tastings. They offer various wine flights as their main draw. The Mead Kitchen tastings are free, but they had just two to try when I was there. It was obvious that the guy pouring was more focused on the wine side of the house as he had little to say about the meads that wasnt in the name. Meads were pretty interesting overall, and its hard to beat free, but don’t go expecting anything special.“ |
| 60 /100 Safeway - North Berkeley (Grocery Store) 1444 SHATTUCK PLACE “A decent selection of mostly local beer. Nothing crazy but a good variety.“ |
