Oak Barrel Winecraft
Category: Beer, Wine & Spirits [Edit]
1443 San Pablo Ave(between Jones St & Page St)
Berkeley, CA 94702 (510) 849-0400
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
12 reviews
Neighborhood: Union Square
"Excellent lunch deal in Union Square. The turkey sandwich that I ordered was piled high with turkey...and they have 2 varieties of…" read more »
18 Reviews for Oak Barrel Winecraft
Great!! I have been a loyal customer for about 5 years. They have smart, knowledgeable, friendly staff, especially Bob and Homer. Never brewed before? Have no fear, Oak Barrel will take care of you. Better than other home brew supply stores i have been to.
I'm drinking a glass of homemade Hefeweizen as i'm typing this... It's my first batch and I have to say, given I came into this new, exciting experience thinking I'd fuck up the first couple batches, it has way surpassed my expectations... not only is it drinkable, but it tastes REALLY good.
Anytime I need advise or an opnion or if i just want to go taste good homebrew I make my way into Oak Barrel on San Pablo, pour myself a glass of complimentary homebrew on tap, go wandering through all the malts, get an idea of what I want to brew then ask Homer if he thinks it's a good idea and he tells you whats up. At least that's my routine.
I always have questions and, so far, they've always had the answer. For about $30 you can make 5 gallons of anything you want. I think it beats any $20 30 pack of domesticated piss water. But I'm just one man with one opinion..... and 5 gallons of delicious beer
you should mosey your way in there to experience home brewing/wine making for yourself!
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Bay Area mainstay and collective knowledge depository for brewers and other odd crafts. Once saw a seminar on how to make your own balsamic vinegar here. Do they still have sample kegs?
I love this place, the only brew store for me. Free samples, helpful staff, and great refurbished kegs. I have been going there for over 5 years and have never been disappointed.
My lord, yes there is a place this cool on earth. They are super smart here, they have free beer (usually 2) on tap (yeah if you buy stuff dude). This is the place for home wine and beer making, not the cheapest but one of the best. They help you. They know. They rule.
Oak Barrel is good spot to pick up home brewing supplies in berkeley. After shopping around a little bit, I can say that it is a little bit overpriced, however, they have a great staff and a great selection of hops. Ou the hops, not just pellets too, the flowers. mmm. I just finished my irish red ale. pretty malty, excited about it.
Good stuff at Oak barrel.
I wish my friends who tried making beer in SoCal had access to this store. I'm sure their "beer" would have come out a lot better.
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OK, I'm a poseur. Never, ever made beer before. But I like to drink it! I've been here several times now though, with a confirmed but long denied homebrewer. (We're about to sample his 2nd batch, this one's a stout, yum).
The staff are way cool, friendly, yet will leave you alone when you want, or will be more than helpful with advise when requested...even on a busy Saturday afternoon! And while I don't really know much about the beer making, they sound like they know what they're talking about, but don't sound like a bunch of pompous know-it-alls, if you know what I mean.
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Gotta go with the 5star, f0 sh0. The employees are nice and KNOWLEDGEABLE. They've got the goods to make the goods and for a good price. We are vintners and although this has not been our primary supply store, it's always a pleasurable experience! Now that we're stepping into the fruity territory of "hard" ciders, juices, and whatnot, I think I might be visiting a bit more often. We picked up a grape list and may even make our next purchase here. Great, great store.
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I like the Oak Barrel because they sell barrels for planting. 1/2 barrels are to be had at a good price, but best-of-all, you can pay more and have a barrel custom cut. I have just the tops cut-off and grow dwarf citrus trees in them. My trees love the extra warmth that being above ground gives them and they bloom and produce wonderfully! Nothing like your own citrus grove!
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I'm making wine this year, and even picked and destemmed ALL the grapes myself (well, with the BF, but we did it by hand, yes indeed). Having done that, I tried to go to the Crush Pad, and, well, they were okay if a wee bit condescending about telling me you need thousands of pounds of grapes to work with them, not 80 (okay, okay, how would I know). So I yelped and found Oak Barrel. Perfect. Helpful, recommended books, gave me the step-by-step and the 411. So instead of crushing by machine, they gave me a nice cheese cloth bag (now, that was exercise). Now I'm oaking! And soon to bottle, and to rest and then, to drink! In about 2 years. I'm a little more about immediate gratification, but it's still fun, in a chemistry set sort of way. Thanks to the guys at Oak Barrel. Somehow I think they ALL spend a lot of time there. As would I, if I lived in the East Bay.
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homebrew heaven. they've got the supplies to make your favorite exotic fancy stout (but i secretly just wanna make steel reserve). pretty good prices and inviting layout.
It was the summer of 2004. Me and my roommate had just graduated. We were still living in Berkeley and had a lot of free time. This combined with our love of beer, the Good Eats episode about brewing beer, and having met a few people who brewed, we decided to give brewing a shot. But where would we find the supplies?
Luck was on our side and we came to know Oak Barrel.
The inside is no-frills, just the equipment, supplies, and the staff. The staff here really know their stuff and are super friendly. We asked a lot of questions and you could tell they were really passionate about brewing. We came away with a brewing kit and ingredients for one of their brews. Our first batch wasn't so great because we forgot a key ingredient (what's this? oh no, we forgot the dry malt) Oak Barrel certainly helped me get hooked on brewing.
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Complete home brew store with many many different recipes for home brew. Staff is very knowledgeable and helpful. I went there after work one day to check it out. Store was large and well kept for a brew shop. They offer all types of equipment for all your brewing needs.
Who can say no to free beer while you shop? As much as you want, and good homebrew at that!
I love Oak Barrel Winecraft. It's one of the two homebrewing stores in the Bay Area, at least that I know of. The other one is in the city and is also good but it doesn't have free beer.
If you're interested in homebrewing and you're driving down San Pablo in Berkeley and you've got nothing better to do than sip some good free beer and browse a few beer recipes or check out some cool homebrewing gear or chat with a couple of cool locals, you should check this place out. It's locally owned, and they're there to help you out.
You can also learn about the process of wine-making here, although I don't know much about this.
Another plus: They have all of the Triple Rock Brewery recipes on hand for free! In case you didn't know, I'm a huge fan of Triple Rock. I think it's the best-kept beer secret in the Bay Area.
I just brewed two batches last weekend. A nice rich mellow amber that's going to tip out at 8%. And a pale ale loaded with Cascade hops. For $50 I can brew $200 worth of beer and I don't have to go anywhere to get it. Not bad.
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All of the staff at this shop are really helpful. I walked in there not knowing a thing about brewing beer, and walked out with the right equipment and knowledge to get me started on my first brew. Each time I come back I have new questions and I always get the information I need to perfect my beers.
If you've ever wanted to brew your own, I highly recommend you stop in.
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Friendly advice, good quality ingredients, and free beer. This is no illusion. Great free parking too.
They have a wide range of malts, yeasts, hops and adjuncts. There are plenty of tools and gadgets to help you out. They have a book of recipes and you can ask any old dumb question you want. These guys are cool with it. Homer is a great guy. He throws an annual free BBQ every year in the parking lot with many brewers bringing their latest releases. Loads of fun! Be sure to visit the back room where the really experimental tastings are. You might try a raspberry honey wheat beer, or a stout with chocolate, szechuan chilis and spruce extract. Wild stuff.
There are only a few weak spots. If you are trying to re-create a famous international brew you will have trouble getting ahold of the ingredients native to those countries. Also, there aren't as many kits-in-a-can as some places. These are not major drawbacks though. It's much more fun crafting your own recipe.
While you're there, bring home a little bag of crystal malt to snack on. Tasty stuff!
Oak Barrel is a one stop shop for wine, beer and vinegar making supplies. The store even sells vineyard grapes during the harvest season.
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