CRAFT Beer & Wine

I work down the street from here in Oakland. After moving to the Bay Area from Los Angeles, I’ve been looking to find a good place to find rare beers for the cellar. Lots of sours, lots of barrel aged beers, and a great variety of everything else. The beer guy was on lunch when I stopped in so I spoke to Dan instead. Even though Dan is the wine guy, he was very helpful and knowledgeable in the beer department. He even recommended other places in the area for great beer. I’m very grateful to have found this local bottle shop.

Best and largest selection of craft beers in East Bay. Reasonable prices and knowledgeable staff make visiting worth the trip to Alameda.

Amazing selection of craft beers here. Initially came in looking for a birthday gift for my supervisor but left with a beer I drank for my birthday a couple months prior. That one was pretty hard to find! The owners are really fun and knowledgeable. Not much to say except that I’ll be back to try to drink as many as I can.
Hard to walk out of there feeling like you’ve made a bad decision.

Craft was intially a wine shop. I make a special trip a few times a year to stock up on Retsina (that greek wine with pine tar accents), because sometimes I crave it mightily. Craft has 3 different varieties – the two biggies Malamatine (my favorite) and Kourtaki, and a lighter one called Ritinitis that Ive never seen anywhere else. Retsina goes with any non-​red wine cuisine, like Thai, and it’s not that widely available in the Bay Area. I asked the proprietor if he was Greek and he laughed and said he was Irish.
Now there is also BEER, and a really knowledgeable beer dude to go with the beautiful, evolving collection of beer from all places in the world. I’m obsessive at finding new beers, but I have put some blinders on over the years. I’ve tried things on his recommendation that I wouldn’t have touched otherwise and been horrified and delighted. I don’t get to travel much as I did before I became a mother, and for me each new beer is an armchair escape.
I just love this place.

Great wine and beer selection along with friendly and knowledgeable owners!
The place to go in Alameda if you’re looking for something either for a special occasion or just for a good bottle on a simple night in!

We were driving by and the Greek flag caught our eye. They have a huge selection of Greek wines… something that’s hard to find anymore! The proprietor is very knowledgeable about what region the wine is from too.

Great beer selection! Lots of breweries and lots of types within each brewery. Also, the (I think) owner is very friendly.

What was once a wine shop with a few beers is now one of the best beer stores in the East Bay. Great selection, fair prices and a good staff. Owner-​operator Dan is really a good guy. Knowledgeable and very friendly. I stop by all the time for the great canned beer selection and hard-​to-​find beers. I hate to give up this secret, but there are two parking spots in the back.
Go check CRAFT out and you will not be disappointed. Just stay out of my parking place!

Only been there once, but I’m very happy to have a place with such an exciting array of beers and wines in Alameda. Craft beer is available from all over the country and I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a larger selection of wines from Greece (which is a wine origin that only lacks marketing and is destined for a huge rediscovery).
I’ll be back soon to explore more.

Anytime Park street hosts a festival or event, I always seem to make my way down to this shop to catch a quick buzz. This shop is very small, but despite that, they still manage to pack in tons of craft beer and wine at decent prices. I’m not much for wine, but the beer selection here is awesome, they have almost every big name craft company you could want, and many of their beers can be purchased in singles, which is nice if you are just looking to try a new brew or mix and match your 6 pack.

Russ, you are the man! Russ Rasmussen is the beer curator and co-​owner of CRAFT Beer & Wine for those wondering. This pace is awesome; It’s «as good as it gets!» Plenty of selection among various beer styles, and not to mention, can and bottle options. Another big plus is the selection of individual, 4, and 6-​pack options. This alone makes CRAFT a great place for beer lovers. What really earns CRAFT five stars however, is the QUALITY of the choices available. The majority of their inventory is of great tasting beer. You can actually visit
to see their most recent offerings, which is updated frequently by Russ. Lastly, and in case it wasn’t obvious, CRAFT also stocks wine. I don’t care much for the wine, but I’d imagine their selection is as good as it is with their beer selection. Stop by before heading to the beach and pick up a few brews, or stock your fridge as I did today. Great work guys!

I love this place! Lots of options for yummy beer, wine, and cider. Always something new to find and try when you’re tired of the same market/​bevmo brands. The owners are very knowledgeable and helpful. Hubby and I just left with a riesling (I didn’t know riesling could be sweet!), sour beer, an apple/​pear cider blend, and a chocolate beer. Can’t wait to give everything a try!

Always find something here I haven’t had before. Super friendly owner/​operators almost always both there for Beer and wine questions. Seriously worth the drive if you want some fun stuff.

Grwat selection of beers and hand picked wines. Reasonable prices and friendy service. Definitely recommend.

I’ve been going to Dan for years (when he was just a wine shop) and now the store is even better with awesome selection of craft beer.
These guys are cool and helpful… and they listen to what you want! No snob attitude here. Just great selection and excellent service.

Great selection of wine and craft beer. I was pretty impressed with their selection. No Stone, which says something to a beer snob. Bottom line, If you’re looking for rare-​ish/​hard to find, this is your place.

The place to go for craft beer or wine, especially if you aren’t sure what to get. The CRAFT team have won awards and that’s no surprise. Twice I’ve been looking for new and interesting beers for people with particular tastes and they’ve not yet guided me in the wrong direction.
The location is convenient and parking is usually only a challenge on weekends. It’s metered parking nearby but just around the corner is open street parking.

What a Great local place! Talked with the owner I’m sorry I don’t remember his name but he was a great guy very knowledgeable about the wine that I was wanting to buy. They have a huge selection of beer from all over the area. Will totally go back because the guy was so great and nice to talk with he made it a great buying experience.

Craft is simple a great store for both the wine lover and beer geek. They have an amazing selection of beer & even a huge awesome cider selection, and they’re all cold in a huge wall sized cooler. What’s more, all of the beers are on
so you can always see an updated inventory.
The wine selection is well chosen from around the world and there is obvious knowledge & passion behind the selections. Plus they do tastings every Wednesday and switch off, beer one week, and wine the next.
Add in super friendly & knowledgeable service and an awesome neighborhood vibe and I can’t imagine a better shop. Highly recommended!

This place is a gem. In a small business area of Alameda, this place is perfect for beer lovers. I’m a big sour fan and they had a wide selection. A lot of good stouts and cider selection as well. The guys working were very helpful and knowledgeable which I appreciated. The place is a perfect size and you don’t feel overwhelmed. The wine selection looked great but I didn’t spend anytime there. I’ll be making more trips in the near future

Mostly beers and wines you won’t find at the grocery, liquor store or bevmo. I quickly checked out the wine. I’m a fan of California wines and they have a few at each price point, but it’s a small selection of each.
I was happy to see some breweries I recognized and respect and a lot I didn’t too. Prices are competitive and not over-​inflated and brews each have a description posted. Another positive: singles at decent prices so you can experiment.
I would give it 5 stars if it had a few more California wines under $ 20 to choose from.