Alkali Rye

It's all about the esthetics here! They have managed to incorporate lots of selection in an order that is easy to decipher and items that compliment each other.

Great selection of unusual alcoholic and non-alcoholic bottles along with an exciting food selection

I love supporting small local businesses in my neighborhood and this was my first time coming here.It's nice and well organized. My only issue with this place were the prices. There weren't any prices on any bottles, so if you wanted to know you had to ask. I was in a rush one day and since this was the closest liquor store to me I bought a familiar bottle that I'd purchase before from a different store. When I purchased it, they didn't tell me the price they just told me to "tap when ready" and as I'm leaving I saw the the bottle was twice the price of regular retail from BevMo or even a grocery store. (I do take the blame for not asking before I purchased)I wasn't expecting them to match the exact price of bigger name brand businesses and I knew they were gonna charge a little more than normal but double the price? That's crazy.

I'm so happy they've kept the same layout.I love coming here. This tiny shop has a lot of big and local brands in store. With a wide selection of liquor for everyone. The prices are decent too!I came in to buy some bottles as gift and the sales associate also offered to tissue wrap it for put a little bow on it with a bag to send as a gift. Now if that's not a great seller than I don't know what is.I highly recommend coming here to support small businesses and to check out their great selection.

Alkali Rye replaces Alchemy Bottle Shop with a the same offerings plus tea, coffee, and alcohol/beer made by and for minority communities. Came here initially to check on the Rintaro bento boxes. unfortunately, it's here only thursdays, has to be pre-ordered.brew: BPLB hazy ipa by Crown & Hops (4/$18) 6.5%-BPLB means Black & Brown People Love Beer-saw the black can, never seen/heard this beer before, really surprised at quality. dark like a stout, heavy body like imperial stout, had an sharp edge like strong ipa or the sharp edge of cognac.-would go great with bbq meats, curries, heavy spicy foods-not the usual hazy brew,

Let's start with the positives. The founding concept of supporting BIPOC and women owned breweries and distilleries is of course, fantastic. Also, the store is beautiful inside, somehow the bottles are arranged by color spectrum across the large wall so it is very aesthetically pleasing.Here's my mini gripe. Maybe I don't know much about prices for canned wine spritzers and ciders, but 2 of those for $19 bucks wasn't really much up my alley - but I admit, I can take that fault that on myself for not inquiring. But compared to 2 guests and 4 floor employees that were present during my entire visit - the lack of any intention to offer help at any point seemed uninviting. No reason to avoid necessarily, but also not many reasons to be back. In this sense, I actually would much prefer the small business liquor store near the Rose Garden/ACE.

This place is a welcome addition to the community, in the Grand Lake/Lakeshore Commercial District in walking distance from Grand Lake Theater and Lake Merritt. This location used to be Alchemy Bottle Shop, some new owners are here. The owners seem to be homegrown Oaklanders of color who were affiliated among other things with local Red Bay Coffee.This place has a pretty eclectic collection of wine and spirits. One of the owners, Kori, was mentioning that in their wine section they're trying to promote less known people of color owned wineries which I think is really cool. It was just Kori working when I was there but he seemed very knowledgeable with questions about wine and about whiskey (which is my jam), I really appreciate folks who are passionate about their craft.More so focusing on their whiskey/scotch section, they had a great selection, including local Oakland based distillery Wright & Brown. They also have different types of Whiskey (Irish, Bourbon, Japanese, Taiwanese). I can't comment on what their prices are compared to other places but I also wouldn't mind spending a little more to support a local business as opposed to a chain like Bevmo.I ended up getting a bottle of Kavalan, Taiwanese Whiskey, which I've always wanted to try but never got a chance to. My supplies are running low as a result of Shelter In Place so this is good timing.They are currently open during this COVID time, limiting the number of people inside to maintain social distancing.Support them, and DRINK RESPONSIBLY!

I am generally a teetotaler but sometimes I want to create a cocktail! There are mixers galore. There are spiritd from all over.The owners help me refine my recipes. They are truly amazing.Today I discovered they have Kombucha and other beverages for those of us who sip more water than spirits! I found this Kombucha to be much more smooth than what is normally found in a supermarket. I am thrilled!There is even drinking chocolate during the colder months!

Kori is a beautiful knowledgeable human who is born and raised in Oakland. The shop has a very wide selection and the staff know the history of every producer and can you tell you what makes each item so special. You can tell that they were deliberate in who and what they stock. If they don't have what'd you'd like, feel comfortable knowing they'll steer you in the right direction. It's a great place to pick up a gift or a personal bottle. You'll always be greeted feeling welcome and leave with knowledge to share. Support local businesses, especially those that give back to the community, have deep local roots and global knowledge!I happily support AR!

I absolutely love this bottle shop and I'm shocked to realize it's taken me so long to right a review. Located right on Grand Ave in a beautiful location with huge windows in the front, it's hard to miss if you're hanging downtown. They have a wonderful selection of different alcohols and wines - plenty I've seen and enjoyed, and so many I've never heard of! The owner of the store is wonderful and really helpful with suggestions. She actually helped me and my friend find ingredients for our new favorite cocktail with a cucumber and grapefruit gin, elderflower tonic, lavender bitters and some sparkling water. You can tell the owner's really know their stuff, and put together a really beautiful shop for people to enjoy the full shopping experience. In non-COVID times they've had some pretty awesome tastings in the back area, although when we stopped by this weekend there was a DJ which was awesome!Highly recommend for interesting, delicious and great alcohol finds at a great local shop!