One of the best breweries in the Bay Area! It doesn't really matter how you attack Drake's extensive beer menu because each of their craft beers is more delicious than the last. Especially tasty are the Red Ale, the Black Robusto (coffee-like, similar to Guinness), and the Blonde Ale. If you're feeling more adventurous, try the the Hoppocalypse - it's for sure the hopp-iest beer I've ever tasted and not for the faint of heart.
Don't leave Drake's without trying one of their excellent burgers from the food truck out back. You can get any add-on your heart desires, like bacon, guac, aged cheddar, etc. Their truffle tater tots are salty, delicious, and will have you coming back for more.
One last note: make sure you have a DD unless you don't mind the 1 mile walk to San Leandro BART station. This place is in the back of a Wal-Mart parking lot, not exactly convenient without a car.
As a hidden gem in industrial San Leandro this place is probably frequently overlooked. If you are a fan of beer and the lifestyle built around beer, this is the place for you!!!1
You can find Drake's beer almost anywhere in the greater Bay Area, but what makes the taproom/barrel house special are those beers you cant find anywhere else. Their brewers are constantly challenging your pallet with unique barrel aged blends that will only exist for a short time. There's something special about that!
Went for the Release party, Aroma Coma and Aroma Prieta. Â Got ther about 1:30 line out the door.
We decided to order both types so we would stand in line again.
found a place toward the back patio. Â Guess what they had a cash bar out there and there was no line.
Thou he did say the Aroma Prieta was not cask like the one inside.
Did not see a sign but seems as thou if you bought 6 bombers you got  a Drakes carry bag.
This is my go to place when I want a real beer. Â Easy access and Parking.
Sadly they were out of Blue Bottle Coffee stout.
I woulda gave it a 5 but last time I went they took my jug away and very rude staff and with no warning she takes it away because we open it while you're there . My guess is the owner has his girlfriend as the bartenders that's why they're there !! the sad thing is I was coming here for a long time and would bring all of my friends and they all feel the same way get real nice bartenders and maybe I'll go back
Review Source:I'm a chill Saturday afternoon in the sun, casual beer drinking patron. So while I sit here contently drinking my 'Hella Helles' (a great beer for summer) and getting a little farmers tan, I can't think of much better. Drake's barrel house is probably the best thing about San Leandro. ALL of their beer is excellent.
I would give them 5/5 for the beer, awesome alehouse, and that they almost always have an bomb food truck outside. but...
Apparently I've been smart and stayed away from first Fridays. They could use more food trucks and taps, which is good for everyone right? Let's do the math...more taps, more beer = more profits.... more trucks, more food = more profits? Â Maybe they are waiting for enough people to get pissed off before they get the hint?
Fix that, and I'll give them 5/5. Don't worry, I'll wait.
Why the one star?
I'll tell you why.
I have been coming to Drake's First Friday for the better part of a year and all my experiences have been mellow and really positive. I love the 1500. I like the laid back vibe. Well...this is no longer the case. I enthusiastically told my fiance that he was going to have a great time. So we went.
But this last Friday was a total waste of time. It was just AWFUL.
If you enjoy waiting in a crazy long line simply to get IN to a charmless parking lot behind a Wal-Mart where you will pay in advance for beers you won't even get to drink, hey, this is your place.
If you then drool in anticipation at waiting in line after line to NOT get the beer you want (because, oops, it's tapped out, so sorry) and you love to then wait in ANOTHER line at the ONLY food truck on site (wings and fries) to be told juuuuuust as you were about to order: 'We're out of wings' then, by all means, you'll just love Drake's First Friday.
I'd rather wait in a kid-screamy line at Disneyworld in 100 degree humidity than Drake's. Because at least I know that I'll get on that damn ride at the end. The pain will be worth it.
Not here.
We were there for almost 2 hours and got ONE beer (a kind we didn't want) and ZERO food.
While standing in line, we met some really nice people. Nice people who were equally annoyed at these conditions. People who came from the city. People who came from Marin. People who, after this, won't be in any hurry to come back.
Advice Drake's: you've clearly got a successful biz going. But you're doing it wrong.
People aren't going to continue returning under conditions like last Friday. That was PATHETIC.
Here are some ideas:
1. Have MORE beer stations. Be specific about the beers that are available at each one (not written in small letters in chalk 20 feet away)
2. Keep the tap room OPEN. Not everyone wants to hang out in a parking lot the whole time. Is it that hard to staff the tap room? People like options, especially when you've taken all their options away.
3. Have three food trucks. Or make it a food truck event too. Like Larkspur Landing. Again; options. WIngs and fries is lame anyway. Especially when, um, there's none left after you've waited in line for thirty minutes (at least).
4. Have a server come around with free beer samples. They'll feel like someone cares while they're wasting time waiting in line.
5. Offer your own food. Sell cheeses. Wines, even. Partner with other local companies. You have the crowd. They have their wallets. Don't starve them or make them die of thirst.
6. MORE BEER STATIONS.
Those are just a few things that come to mind.
I like your beer. I used to like this venue.
But I seriously wanted to smash those new blue glasses as soon as I got home. We bought the beer and we didn't even get to to drink it or eat a damn thing. Talk about a stupid Friday night. Won't be coming back here anytime soon. Hope you heed my advice. You'd have a lot happier people. And hey: even MORE money to make. Just my two cents.
Great beers all around - solid with the classics like Kolsh, IPA/Pale, Red Ale, Stout and Porter. Â Interesting session beers that are done well. Â Fairly extensive barrel aging program with some pretty complex flavors coming out. Â Some cool collaborations and seasonals. If you're not sure what you like just ask the tender and they'll set you up with a taster.
Friendly staff, decent prices and all around good atmosphere. Â Was there on a Tuesday evening and were the only ones in the house. Fine with me!
I really enjoy this place. I have gone several times for their First Friday event, which is always a good time. Today the hubs and I decided to check out the tasting room, since we were right there for the Sports Authority anyway. It's a cool setting with outdoor seating and indoor seating with all the barrels. They have quite a few selections on tap and we enjoyed everything we tasted. My only complaint was that we couldn't get the Dry Stout in the growler for some reason. Aside from that, it was great and I look forward to going back, whether for First Friday again or just to enjoy the tasting room.
Review Source:Came here after work with a friend on a week day. It is kind of tucked away behind Walmart and can be a little hard to find. It's nice that they allow you to come in with your own food and the occasional food truck in front is not a bad option.
The wine barrel aged beer was a little weird and it was a little more expensive. They have a lot of seating available and I opted to sit in the back with the barrels and softer lighting. It was quieter back there but there were a lot of flies.
The crowd was a little older when I was there but I would come back again to try First Friday!
My favorite local brewery for day drinking.
Drake's has a nice patio to lay out in the sun or a huge indoor warehouse for when you've been fried from being outside for too long. To be perfectly honest, I've only ever come here during the weekends and usually pretty early in the day. Last time, there was the Five Ten Burger truck and I devoured those truffle tater tots on three separate occasions throughout the day.
There are helpful bartenders, lots of Drake's taps to choose from, and usually somebody that you recognize from Beer Revolution or Commonwealth to hang out with if you're there alone.
I like Drake's. As a neighborhood brewery, they make some quality stuff, though none of it is upper-tier against other California craft breweries. In the Bay Area, Russian River has them beat, hands down.
Drake's specialty is IPAs. They always have an interesting seasonal and have lately started doing a seasonal cousin (e.g. Aroma Prieta for Aroma Coma, Black Label Hopocalypse for Hopocalypse, Omega Session for Alpha Session). They never fill growlers of the specialty 'cousin' beer or the barrel-aged beers, which is a little frustrating, but I guess they need something to draw people in the door. So their growler selection is just the standard lineup + one seasonal.
Kegs are reasonably priced. Pints are fairly priced, but tasters are a bit expensive ($2.75 for a couple of oz). The barrel-aged beers are usually atrocious, so I just go with tasters on those.
The bar staff has spotty service; they're usually chatting amongst themselves and don't always notice someone waiting for another beer.
It's a good stop if you're in the area, but it's not worth a trip on its own.
Beer Stop 30
---
I decided to take a day trip to Drakes with a few friends after trying their stout at 21 Amendment Brewery. It was a great trip and worth the drive. Don't worry - a designated driver came with us.
Anyway, the place in the middle of an industrial park. If you can look past that, you will discover a gem. Drakes literally has everything on tap here - from IPA, Stout, etc etc. What their specialty seems to be is barrel age beer. They had a few barrel aged on taps and all were really good.
Drakes is a very innovative brewer.
The service is also friendly and the prices are reasonable. Brought back a few growlers.
Will be making the trip again.
I don't drink beer but it's a pretty cool place! Came here with a group of 'beer drinkers' to try something new. They offer unique beers on tap, games (board games/cards), and small snacks (pretzels, goldfish, etc) Perfect little place for something different than the typical dive bar or over priced lounge.
The place is in a weird location. It was tucked away in the back and hard to find if you've never been there before!
Overall, very entertaining and laid back type of environment. Â I liked it a lot and will definitely be back (even though i'm not a beer drinker)
I know I know, its a brewery but I wish they had a small selection of wine and or mixed drinks !
Who would guess that this awesome brewery was hidden behind scary Walmart? If you can find it, you're in for a real treat.
Tips - bring a jacket and some snacks. It gets super loud inside so you'll be sitting outdoors if you want to have any sort of quieter discussion. You can bring in a meal and enjoy it while sucking down some amazing beer. Don't go for the scenery - go for your taste buds.
This is a pretty nice spot hidden in the back corner of a shopping center near Walmart. After tasting Hopocalypse and Black Label Hopocalypse at a local pub I needed to see what all the hype was about and wanted to try more of their beers.
I wasn't too impressed with the others, but they are still pretty good beers. They also had some pretty good guest beers on tap as well. Hopocalypse is definitely the beer of the brewery that will keep the people coming.
I really like the spacious floor inside and they had plenty of tables outside for the people who like to sit out in the sun.
There really is no food served here besides bar snacks, but you can bring in food from outside. I wish i would of known that because I ate over at that nasty ass Hawaiian place in the shopping center.
I'll be coming back for sure.
This place is awesome, period. Â If you can find it, nestled between various industrial uses just off of the 880 and behind a freaking Walwart, you will be rewarded. Â It's no frills but still super comfortable - and the beer selection is both impressive, and delicious. Â They offer pints, growlers, six-packs - and for those of us who want to try everything - little tasters for like $1.25 or something. Â And they offer little snacks - we inhaled a few orders of goldfish with our tasters, and there were other options (bacon crack, anyone?) that appealed to my non-vegetarian boyfriend. Â I understand that they are often visited by local food trucks. Â There weren't any when we were there but I can say that a food truck would be icing on the cake. Â
The only problem is that they were out of growlers, so we couldn't take anything home (other than the 6-pack offerings). Â That just means we'll need to come back!
I love this place so much. Â My buddy introduced my fiancee and me to this place a year ago and we've come back a couple times since. Â We came back most recently for the triple IPA Hopacolypse opening, which was totally intense. Â SO many beer fanatics were at this place! Â We love love love their beer here and the brewery itself is totally laid back, usually with cool food trucks camped out in front of it.
Review Source:I lived in San Leandro for about a year. I was able to buy a house here so i decided to move out of SF. Let me tell you about San Leandro, or i like to call it the Dro, There is nothing going on there. Nothing until i found out about Drake's. This place is comically located behind a Wallmart in a area i would even call an ally. This is the only place I found in San Leandro that is not getto. Not only that, it has great, make that some of the best beer. Â If you live in San Leandro and dont think wearing a baseball hat with a gold sticker on it is cool, Drakes is the place for you.
Also I still have a Drakes sticker on my truck to this day, representing the Dro.
If you like beer, you'll like Drake's. Â They have something for every beer drinker's taste. Â They serve snacks, but if you want food, they allow you to have food delivered! Â Drakes beer and Porky's pizza, awesome!
Hard to find but worth the search - to the right as you're driving towards Walmart. Â Its on the end of the building that houses Sport Mart. Â Just keep going and look to your right.
I love Drake s so much.
Every time I come to the Bay Area, I must. Come. Here.
So much delicious beer, chairs outside to enjoy the sunset, they offer some snackables and sometimes there s a food truck outside if you get the munchies. If you want beer to take home they sell growlers. I got a souvenier to bring back to SD with me from here. A growler filled with delicious Denogginizer an IIPA of delicious proportions that is available year round.
I feel like a kid in a candy store. So many possibilities. If it gets too cold outside we have a seat inside. I can squeeze about 3 or 4 IPAs before I get too tipsy.
My growler is now obviously empty begging me to return for a re-fill not before enjoying a few pints here and there.
Drake's Barrel house is wonderful for a variety of reasons.
1) Â They have a great door which they open on nice days that lets in the sun! Â It's a beautiful place.
2) Â The ambiance is incredible. Â You can sit by the barrels aging fantastic beers or stand by the bar and talk to the bartenders.
3) They serve their amazing Barrel Aged beers, usually 3-4 on tap. Â (My only gripe is that their website isn't regularly updated when things run out)
4) Taste all the regular drake's beers. Â
5) Growlers / Bottles / Kegs!
You must go!!
Wait, I still have a Yelp account?? Also, I don't have a beer list? Holy hell, I think I have been too busy drinking to actually produce anything that is even remotely useful for the past year of my life. This is sad. Here is goes;
Drakes has some solid bottled beers, no doubt, but if you really want to know where it's at you need to get your ass down to the barrel room hidden behind the Walmart in the middle of suburban/industrial sprawl you would ever, ever want to be caught dead otherwise because their barrel aged beers are amazing. Now you know, so I'll see you there....if you can find it.
P.S. Find it.
I spent the first half of my life living right over the concrete wall separating the residential area from the parking lot of this shopping center; I remember when the community was up in arms about the Walmart being built, and I remember when they had nothing more than a Togo's, a SportsMart, and a Home Depot; never did I expect to ever see such an incredible little place pop up here.
In a way its almost a "what is a girl like you doing in a place like this" kind of deal, the selection of beer is wonderful, everything from IPA's to holiday barleywines; its a craft beer lovers east bay dream come true. The pricing is wonderfully fair, the environment is kind of industrially cool being in a large building with barrels all over, cool tables, a nice little outdoor seating area; it really is a cool place to spend a little bit of time. Another good thing about this establishment is that even though they don't serve food, they allow you to bring food in, order from porky's pizza, or they will have a good food truck outside(and not like "taco truck" food truck, more of a hipster high quality food truck).
Another 5 stars well deserved, highly recommended if you live around the area, appreciate good beer, and want a cool place to hang out with some friends.
Hunter S. Thompson once said "good people drink good beer" and you can find them both here, really a wonderful place.
An awesome gem in the East Bay and so close to home! Â I'd been meaning to visit for quite a while and when I did, I could do nothing less than try the entire lineup =D Â The 1500 Pale Ale is one of the best of its kind and props to the Denogginizer Imperial IPA as well for its particularly complex malts. Â Beyond the beer itself, the barrel house is extremely spacious to standing round tables near the center and ample seating off to the sides.
Drake's doesn't offer any food themselves, but people are welcome to BYOF or grab food from food trucks when they're around. Â Case(s) in point, others came in with everything from Chinese to Porky's Pizza in hand. Â My friends and I opted to play Scrabble while sipping (several board games are available) and it was great times all around.
Came to Drake's Barrel House with a bunch of friends to catch up on life, and enjoy a solid glass of beer! My friends (natives of San Leandro) never knew this place existed, so as we were all free, we gave it a shot. It's pretty well hidden behind a Wall-Mart, in a decently large shopping area. Even the sign was partially hidden.
The interior of the brewery was quite a sight. Barrels everywhere, and a decent space with sit-down and stand-up tables for those wanting a cold one!
Our group ended up getting a sampler of almost every single beer on their menu (minus a couple of the strong beers and barrel-aged beers). It was a sight to behold. So many different types of beer - ales, porters, stouts, etc. My weak beer tastes didn't help me so much in terms of differentiating all the beers...well, in comparison to my other friends. But I learned a lot. Definitely never had this many samples in one sitting, so it was amazing tasting these all.
Just a note, and I don't mean to single this one out, but...OMG that Pinot Gallery barrel-aged beer was bad! hahaha...I haven't many many barrel-aged beers before, but this one was quite the kicker out of all the samples we had that night. You could definitely taste that the red wine in this one, as the name implies...but the taste was so bad throughout - from first sip to finish. Wouldn't be ordering this any time soon...
Overall, I had an amazing time at Drake's. Such a great find in San Leandro, with such amazing beers! Also glad to have some beer aficionados among my friends who were able to determine the subtle flavors for all the beers on the menu! :)
What a gem-- i have been here since they were opening the brewing room and fencing off the parking lot. Â Now i see that they have set up an actual barrel house with seating (maybe i've been away too long), and it definitely makes this a favorite of any beer lover.
Their beer is amazing, and they brew one of the best red and American pale ales. Â They even have barrel-aged beers and barley wine on tap, which is impressive. Â And, what's better to leave for a drunk drive than being able to buy a 6 or 12 pack from their refrigerator? Â
Don't be scared by the Walmart crowd-- they are probably more scared of you walking into the dark alley to start who knows what kind of trouble.
My wife and I love this place and always seem to find ourselves here when we have a night without the kids... really, for a number of reasons:
1) Â The beer. Â Obviously. Â But not just because it's 'good' beer (which we happen to be pretty concerned with) - but also because it's incredibly interesting beer. Â The barrel-aged beer program they have going is really unrivaled in our experience - certainly in NorCal at least (which is saying quite a bit, given the beer scene we have here). Â They also continually push the limits with their seasonal / strong beers - never afraid to tip-toe (or leap) outside of style boundaries and brew-up some interesting (and almost always delicious) stuff. Â Trust me - you're bound to find something you'll like - and likely some things you previously didn't know you liked.
2) Â The ambiance. Â Super chill - never overly crowded - urban / industrial with beer barrels stacked all around (in an aesthetically pleasing manner, to boot). Â One of the beer maestro's behind the counter joked that they'd serve someone that came in their bathrobe... not suggesting this, but just saying...
3) Â The people. Â Beer lovers - friendly and talkative - Gabbi (the manager) and the crew are great, and they really appreciate people who have an enjoyment of and respect for beer.
We joke that this place is kinda like our own 'Cheers'... except we only go there once every few weeks, I'm not a mailman, and I'm blessed to have a considerably better looking drinking partner (my wife) than Norm. Â In any case - you get the idea... it's one of those spots we find ourselves continually returning to, largely for the 3 reasons above.
If you're a fan of beer, or at least of drinking some in a relaxed, cool environment - I couldn't recommend this place any higher.
what a hidden gem in the east bay! Great beer, chill ambiance, knowledgable beer nuts, and Josh is awesome!!!
they don't serve food since they are a tasting room, but you can bring your own, order a pizza from Porky's, or get a burger from the food truck outside.
It's in the back so you have to walk between Sports Authority and Walmart to find it.
DRAKE'S
I was drinking Drake's Aroma Coma at a different pub and told myself, you have to find this place.
Sunday afternoon, it was nice day and I decided to find Drake's. Aroma Coma was on tap. I was happy. There are two big posters hanging from the ceiling advertizing two beers, Aroma Coma and Aroma Prieta. Already tasted the Aroma Coma so I decided the try the Aroma Prieta, must try both, but both are seasonal beers.
But the Barrel House, I love this place. Indoor / Outdoor seating, lots of room, you don't feel crowed.
The bartenders are friendly.
LOVE THIS PLACE. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE.
My boyfriend and I stumbled upon this place after leaving Berkeley. We live in the south bay and Drake's was on our way home. We've experienced Drake's at a few Beer festivals this summer.
I love their spot. It has so much seating and is super welcoming. When we went there was a food truck out front so that was even more of a bonus. Â The space is just cool. I can't really say much more than this has been my favorite tap room out of all of the tap rooms I have visited.
The beer selection is amazing. I recommend getting there a little early so you can experience all the beers. While I was there I noticed some of the beers had "gone fishing". My favorites when I visited were Aroma Coma and Apes of Wrath.
They also have some bar snacks if you are feeling so inclined. My boyfriend tried the jerky they have there. It's $5, and I would say save the money and buy another beer.
I will be back soon and often! I wish they had more Aroma Coma in their selection to take home. It was all gone by the time I went around to look! :(
We came to try the Fists of Flour pizza truck and mom and dad wanted a beer to go with their pizza, unfortunately the patio and tasting room are 21 and over only so we couldn't sit and enjoy our pizza with the kids on the patio or in the tasting room.
We were able to get creative and put one table on Drake's patio and another table on the side by the pizza truck/parking lot so we could enjoy our pizza with some beer (separated only by a hand railing).
The fact that there are no kids allowed leaves me mystified as to why they sell goldfish crackers???
Hubby loves their beer and says this new set-up is much better than when they had the tasting room in the bottling area.
Long time drinker first time visitor. Big fan of drakes 1500 and their denoginizer. Some friends and I went for the return of the aroma coma and the aroma prieta... and we were not disappointed.
The barrelhouse was a little hard to find. It's wedged between walmart and another shopping center. But once found, it was on. Â
There were benches and umbrellas to sit outside, inside there were more tables to sit at. I love that they offer almost all their beers PLUS they sell goldfish crackers!
All in all it's a cool place and I can't wait to go back again.
Oh Drake's, you've turned me into quite the groupie. Your Aroma Coma, 1500, IPA, and Robusto are like liquid happiness. I loved your beer prior to my visit here, but my Saturday at your Barrel House have only reaffirmed my loving feelings.
In addition to damn good, quality beer, this place provides a great space to kick back and enjoy the weekend. It really doesn't get any better than sitting outside on the patio and enjoying good company while sipping a hoppy beverage. Make sure you bring a growler home to continue the experience once you leave. This is a super casual atmosphere that lends itself nicely to meeting up with a group of friends in search of some craft brews.
Never would I have guessed that Drake's Barrel House was in San Leandro, right next door to a Walmart and Sports Authority. Drake's is much too cool for that. The place isn't really that hard to find as long as you know that. The place itself is real nice. There are tables of all sizes indoor and there are some picnic tables with umbrellas outside too. They also welcome food trucks, outside food, and food deliveries! Plus, they have all their barrels aging out in the open warehouse.
They have some pub snacks like nuts and crackers for $1 a cup. They also do growlers and kegs. The growlers they sell are good looking. They do six packs that you can grab from the fridge. They also do taster trays. I haven't tried much of their ale beers except the IPA and Red Eye. I didn't like the IPA that much, but the red was pretty good. I enjoyed the blonde, hef, alpha session, le resistance, and 1500 (not so bitter even though its dry hopped)... But I really enjoyed the 1 Candle. It was sour, but dense like a cab or pinot noir, kind of like a sour porter.
On Fridays, they do tours, except they don't get very many people signed up and can cancel it if low demand.
Great beer, great crowd, great service! They have their basic beers (1500 Pale Ale, Blonde, IPA, etc.), strong beers (Denogginzer, Drakonic), various barrel aged beers and seasonal beers on tap at fair prices. Some days they have a food truck that varies from BBQ to pizza. They offer packaged beer, growlers, kegs and merchandise to go.
Drake's First Friday of the month is the best deal you can find any where. For $15 you get a glass and three tokens to trade in for beer. $3.50 gets you an additional token. You get to keep the glass and use it for a future Drake's First Friday.
They also just added some picnic benches outside for more seating.
P.S. Don't drink 4 Denogginzer's on an empty stomach. Not a good look.
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