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    Ale Tales

    4.7 (33 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 7:00 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

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    the entrance to the building
    Sfo B.

    Ale Tales is a beer bottle store started 2017 on Solano Street in Albany. It is a nice establishment and the ambience is inviting. I was impressed by its very good collection craft beers, in terms of both the selection of high quality beers and the coverage of many beer styles. The staff at the store was also courteous and knowledgeable.

    Wai L.

    From NYC to Seattle and the Bay Area, there are few beer distributors with impressive service and selection. Trust in Sam, the knowledgeable and friendly manager to introduce you to your next favorite beer or give you similar beers to your preference. Want lambics? Hazy IPAs? Imperial stouts? This place really has them all. Warning. Before bringing your spouse, warn them that "buying beer" does not equate to $20 for a 12 pack. My wife may have been horrified when I walked out with a 3 fontenein lambic magnum plus a few hazys and a few hundred dollars poorer.

    Some provisions
    Kao S.

    One of my new secret beer joints. And I can't tell you where otherwise I know y'all will be buying it all up and I can't let that happen. Ale Tales situated on Solano Ave two blocks east of San Pablo Ave is a treasure for all you craft beer lovers. Seems like a small place but very well laid out fridges for you to look at from a safe distance as you decide on what and how many beers you're planning to buy. Each door or doors has a sign to guide you to what you're looking for. With so many amazing breweries popping up it's really hard to decide but you know what YOLO and try new things. Better yet, ask the gentleman for advice and don't be shy. When ever I'm passing through I always try to make a pit stop and see what new ones I can find. Purchase it and take a stroll up and down Solano Ave sipping on some good refreshing beer as you enjoy the beautiful bay weather. There's so many great restaurants and shops in the area so plan it right and you'll have a fantastic and find yourself coming back here for more beer.

    Ale Tales .. new adventures
    Kevin F.

    This place had been on my radar for awhile now... always looking for local and west coast beers, especially when they keep the rotation fresh. I was impressed with such a great selection! Beers from So-Cal to Alaska breweries. Definitely made for tough decisions. It was helpful with all the selections, that they had them categorized, by style and hoppiness. After much debating, I selected a 4 pack from Laughing Monk and one from Humble Sea, it was great to be able to pick some up without driving to SF and Santa Cruz, both selections are delicious, hazy, and juicy. I was originally in the area, just to pick up some brews from Fieldwork, was glad I checked into how close these two great beer places are. I'm still learning about all the towns in the Bay Area. Albany downtown is definitely a place I want to check out some more, for the restaurants as well. Service was great with any questions. Looking forward to visiting again soon. Cheers!

    yayoi s.

    Bay area folks thought we had it so good when anchor, lagunitas, and pliny came out, our beer choices are intense and vast. The best and freshest quality. Living in the bay area isn't cheap, but its because this is where the best artists create and learn from Each other. We consume the results of their passion. Anywhoo, ALE TALES is where you can get the best of the best without traveling the length of the bay and back. They are available online, for delivery and pick up. It can be pretty overwhelming, all the choices, but of course they are organized and the sales folk are mellow and know the answers to all of your random questions.

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    1 month ago

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    2 years ago

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    10 months ago

    Great selection of beer, clean space, & friendly service. Definitely be back to try other selections.

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    10 months ago

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    3 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Quite an interesting collection of unique microbrews. Got a lil bit for everyone's palette.

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    8 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Great selection of craft beers, along with a great staff who know their stuff! Come through & grab a brew!

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    8 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Excellent slection, friendly, knowledgeable staff, can buy any beer as a single there. Can't go wrong.

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    7 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    5 years ago

    This has become one of my favorite stores on earth. Top notch beer selection, friendly staff. Albany is lucky to have this gem!

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    9 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    7 years ago

    Great variety of local beers, super helpful and knowledgeable staff - clean, simple

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    3 years ago

    Great selection of pilsners. lagers and kolsch. I stop by there once a week, friendly and cool staff.

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    6 years ago

    Fantastic bottle shop, if you want great beer, come here. Alvarado, Moonraker, Grimm, Great Notion etc. If they don't have it, no one does.

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    8 years ago

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    Ask the Community - Ale Tales

    Review Highlights - Ale Tales

    Ale Tales used to be Hopsy and although I'm ignorant as to what happened behind the scenes thankfully they still carry the Torps.

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    Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant - Friendly staff are happy to help with a selection.

    Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant

    4.5(124 reviews)
    1.1 miWest Berkeley
    $$

    I've been Kermit's customer since before he opened his shop; he was working for somebody else. I…read morecouldn't recommend him more highly. It happens that I'm getting pretty old, and, sadly, my senses are less refined. So I won't be buying any hundred-dollar bottles of wine. One thing I highly appreciate about him, though, is that he also makes a point of selling inexpensive wines which extremely good. (I won't tell you which they are, because they tend to sell out quickly.)

    One of the best things about living in the Bay Area is the abundance of hyper-focused, specialty…read moreretailers who have a deep history that connects to other neighboring hyper-focused specialty shops. I know that may sound vague, but allow me to explain...Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant is a perfect example for this point. On the one hand, stepping into Kermit Lynch's shop at San Pablo and Cedar in Berkeley might seem underwhelming. It's a windowless, brick-lined room that feels like a basement (or wine cellar). Wines are either showcased in racks, or more commonly stacked in their crates or in boxes on the floor. The wines here are not local Napa, Sonoma, Anderson Valley, or Central Coast labels, but the majority of wines are sourced from France and Italy. You might find the labels confusing or not initially know what grape varietal you have in front of you. So you might have several reactions. One might be, "Kermit Lynch doesn't sell the wine I like." But another might be, "Holy shit! This is gonna be an adventure!" I'm always in the latter category. I've been a fan of Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant since moving to the East Bay in 2001. They weaned me from my California-centric wine mentality and introduced me to the regions of French wines that I always thought were old, stuffy, boring, too expensive, or too confusing. They did this through their amazing staff who made the Old World of wines more approachable and understandable through outstanding service and explanations as well as having options that would appeal to my price point. Often this was through options that include the Kermit Lynch label of super reasonably priced wines like their Cote du Rhône. Sure, you can still find wines here that are pricey. But the real lesson I learned at Kermit Lynch was that great, new adventures don't have to break the bank. And as to that connection to neighboring specialty shops I mentioned earlier, Kermit Lynch in the literal next door neighbor to Acme Bread. Both of these establishments laid the groundwork for modern foodie culture. And these shops are down the street from Cheeseboard Collective. Which is up the street from Monterey Market and Fish Market. Which is close to Tokyo Fish Market. Which isn't far from Berkeley Bowl. It's this ecosystem of outstanding, deep history, hyper-focused excellence that Kermit Lynch helped create and why I will remain a loyal customer.

    Photos
    Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant - No, the floor isn't leaning.

    No, the floor isn't leaning.

    Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant - My dream wine basement.

    My dream wine basement.

    Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant - Kermit Lynch Wine Clubs are a great way to get to know French reds and whites.

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    Bing's Liquors - Nuff said.

    Bing's Liquors

    3.5(18 reviews)
    1.3 miWest Berkeley
    $

    I used to love bings. I still do. Pavi is a great guy and a good owner, but his staff proved to be…read moreincompetent as the employee turnover rate is pretty high SELLING ¢99 ARIZONA ICE TEA FOR $1.75 IS FRANKLY UNCONSTITUTIONAL was the Boston tea party for naught, the amenity act of 1767 repealed taxation of tea. No taxation without representation, otherwise there would be no competition against the tea smugglers If it wasn't for Pavendeeps excellent customer service I would rate Bings a one star. Pavi if your reading this, know that if this iced tea matter is not resolved I will be forced to take this to the president of the United States of America.

    FEMALE-BODIED PEOPLE BEWARE ...this convenience store attracts a particular clientele that can be…read moreerratic and/or aggressive. The folks who work behind the counter are cool as cucumbers, calm and responsive in an emergency -- 5 stars for the employees of this store!! One star because of the experiences I've had with other customers here. The worst was being propositioned and chased down the block. The best was being trapped inside the tiny store for ~20min while paramedics helped a man having a medical emergency just inside the door. ...I've been here a number of times, and every time there's *something* going on that makes me swear I'll never go back. Anyway, just a heads up to watch your back if you feel like you absolutely have to stop here for a bag of chips and a 6-pack, or whatever - they do have a solid/standard convenience store selection!

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    Bing's Liquors - Yes sirrr

    Yes sirrr

    Bing's Liquors - Moke Zone

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    Ale Tales - beer_and_wine - Updated May 2026

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