Bottlecraft

What Bottlecraft does

Bottlecraft is a privately held craft beer shop and tasting room chain founded in 2011 in San Diego's Little Italy neighborhood by Brian Jensen. The company operates five brick-and-mortar locations across California — Little Italy, North Park, and Liberty Station in San Diego, plus Long Beach and San Luis Obispo — each combining a retail bottle shop with an on-premise taproom. Locations are sited in high-foot-traffic urban neighborhoods and as anchor beverage tenants within major food halls (Liberty Public Market, The Hangar at Long Beach Exchange, and SLO Public Market at Bonetti Ranch). The product offering spans hundreds of craft beers (with 12–30+ rotating taps per location), wine, cider, kombucha, and a growing spirits selection that includes exclusive single-barrel picks such as Whistlepig's 12 Year Rye and Barrell Whiskey private releases.

The business model is direct-to-consumer retail and on-premise consumption, with three revenue streams: on-premise draft and wine sales, retail bottle/can takeout, and ancillary merchandise and gift cards. Draft beer prices range from $2.00–$15.00 depending on size and style; gift cards are sold in $25–$500 denominations; and merchandise (shirts, beanies) is priced at roughly $20. Marketing is primarily organic — Instagram, Facebook, and an email newsletter ('Gene's Picks of the Week') — supplemented by in-store events, collaboration beer releases, and word-of-mouth from knowledgeable staff. There is no proprietary technology; the operating stack relies on third-party SaaS (TapHunter, Evergreen, Toast Tab) for digital menus, tap-list management, and gift card processing. The company is bootstrapped with no disclosed institutional funding, has sister concepts Vino Carta (natural wine) and the upcoming Bock Bar, and added Chris Sarette as CEO alongside founder Jensen as the business has scaled.

Name

Bottlecraft

Legal name

Bottlecraft, Inc.

Website

https://bottlecraft.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bottlecraft is a privately held craft beer shop and tasting room chain operating five California locations, offering rotating draft lists, hundreds of bottles, wine, cider, kombucha, and spirits to on-premise and retail consumers, with sister concepts Vino Carta and Bock Bar.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Beverage Retail

NAICS

Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (445320), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (44532), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

akta.pro primary industry

Beer Retail (Bottle Shops & Beer Merchants) (CRANABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Craft Beer Bars & Taprooms (THAFAEAG), Brewpubs & Taprooms (On-site Beer Service) (THAFALAA)

Keywords

• Craft beer retail
• Bottle shop
• Tasting room
• Specialty beverages
• Craft beer curation

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. On-premise beer, wine, and beverage sales: Revenue from serving drinks for on-premise consumption at tasting rooms. Customers pay for draft beers, wine, cider, and kombucha by the glass or flight.
2. Retail bottle and can sales: Revenue from selling bottles and cans of craft beer, wine, cider, spirits, and kombucha for takeout.
3. Merchandise and gift cards: Revenue from branded merchandise including shirts, beanies, and gift cards sold both in-store and online.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Bottlecraft runs multi-location craft beer bottle shops combined with on-premise tasting rooms across Southern California, selling rotating draft pours (12-30 taps per store), hundreds of curated bottles and cans of craft beer, plus wine, cider, kombucha, and select spirits for on-site consumption or take-home. Ancillary retail includes branded apparel, glassware, and gift cards distributed in-store and online.

Product overview

Bottlecraft is a multi-location craft beer shop and tasting room chain operating across California — with five locations in Little Italy (opened 2011), North Park, Long Beach, Liberty Station, and San Luis Obispo. Each location functions as both a retail bottle shop and a bar, featuring rotating draft lists (ranging from 12 to 30+ taps), hundreds of bottles and cans, plus wine, cider, kombucha, and spirits. The portfolio includes the core Beer Shop & Tasting Room product at each location, the weekly 'Gene's Picks of the Week' curated staff recommendation service, the Merch Store offering apparel and specialty spirits, and Gift Cards. Bottlecraft also collaborates with brewery partners on exclusive co-branded beer releases such as the CouCou Alsatian-Style Pilsner (13th anniversary, June 2024). Sister stores include Bock Bar (coming soon to South Park) and Vino Carta (natural wine shop in Little Italy). The company has been recognized as San Diego's Best Bottleshop by West Coaster Magazine (2017 Readers Poll).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bock Bar: Coming soon to South Park, San Diego. Inspired by old-world neighborhood pubs and German-style taverns, featuring a curated selection of American craft beers and international brews on tap.
• Vino Carta

Products and services

• Bottlecraft Beer Shop & Tasting Room Hybrid bottle shop and bar offering rotating draft beer (12-30+ taps per location), hundreds of bottles and cans of craft beer, plus wine, cider, kombucha, and select spirits, available for on-premise consumption or to-go purchase at each California location.
• Bottlecraft San Luis Obispo Location Bottlecraft's San Luis Obispo location inside the SLO Public Market at Bonetti Ranch, featuring 30 draft beers plus hundreds of bottles and cans for take-away, plus wine, kombucha, and cider by the glass or to-go.
• Bottlecraft Long Beach Location Bottlecraft Long Beach, situated at The Hangar food hall at Long Beach Exchange, offers 27 beers on draft plus a large can list, wine, kombucha, and cider by the glass.
• Bottlecraft Liberty Station Location Bottlecraft's Liberty Station location at 2820 Historic Decatur Road within Liberty Public Market, with 22+ drafts, beer, wine, and spirits; includes a dog-friendly patio, free Wi-Fi, and is all-ages.
• Bottlecraft North Park Location Bottlecraft North Park at 3007 University Avenue in San Diego offers 12 beers on draft plus hundreds of bottles, a Venissimo Cheese counter for cheese boards and take-home cheese, plus beer, wine, and spirits-to-go.
• Bottlecraft Little Italy Location The original Bottlecraft location on India Street in Little Italy with 24 taps and hundreds of bottles of craft beer plus wine, named San Diego's Best Bottleshop by West Coaster Magazine's 2017 Readers Poll.
• CouCu (CouCou) Anniversary Collaboration Beer An Alsatian-Style Pilsner collaboration beer brewed with Dave Ohmer of Seek Beer Co for Bottlecraft's 13th anniversary in June 2024, sold in cans and kegs across all Bottlecraft locations.
• Bottlecraft Merchandise Store Branded merchandise including apparel (t-shirts such as 'Drink Good Beer', location-specific shirts, beanies), Bottlecraft glassware, and specialty spirits (Barrell Whiskey Private Release, Whistlepig rye picks), sold both in-store and online.
• Bottlecraft Gift Cards Gift cards available in fixed denominations from $25 to $500, redeemable for draft beers, bottles, glassware, shirts, and merchandise, with electronic delivery via Toast Tab; not redeemable at the Liberty Station location due to the food hall's payment system.

Quantifiable outcome

• Named 2017 Best Bottleshop by West Coaster Magazine Readers Poll
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Vino CartacoreOthersSister company natural wine shop located in Little Italy, San Diego. Founded by Bottlecraft founder Brian Jensen, sharing the same dedication to quality curation and discovery in the wine space. Represents strategic diversification into natural wine retail.
• Bock BarminorOthersUpcoming beer bar concept inspired by old-world neighborhood pubs and German-style taverns. Coming soon to South Park, San Diego. Will feature curated American craft beers and international brews on tap.
• Venissimo CheeseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCheese counter partnership at North Park location featuring hundreds of cheeses available for takeout, plus cheese boards for in-bar consumption. Creates complementary food and beverage pairing experience.
• San Luis Obispo Public MarketminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated within SLO Public Market at Bonetti Ranch. Food hall setting with 14 artisanal food vendors. Bottlecraft serves as the beverage anchor for the market.
• Liberty Public MarketminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated within Liberty Public Market, a 25,000-square-foot food emporium with 27 artisan vendors in historic Liberty Station, San Diego. Market is near San Diego International Airport and popular tourist areas.
• Long Beach ExchangeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated within The Hangar food hall at Long Beach Exchange, a 17,000-square-foot structure reminiscent of an aviation hangar. Home to 14 small artisanal food vendors and boutique retailers.
• Seek Beer CominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Dave Ohmer of Seek Beer Co to create 'CouCou' - an Alsatian-Style Pilsner for Bottlecraft's 13th anniversary celebration. Sold as cans and kegs across all Bottlecraft locations.
• The BrueryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration brewery partner for Bottlecraft's 6th anniversary beer 'Geburtstagskranz', an imperial stout inspired by black forest cake. The beer scored 94/100 from Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine.
• Whistlepig / FernsideminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBottlecraft founder Brian Jensen collaborated with Fernside's Christian Siglin at Whistlepig's Vermont distillery to select barrels for exclusive private release whiskeys. 'Bottleside' 12 Year Rye and 'Ferncraft' 10 Year Rye are Bottlecraft exclusive single barrel picks.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hamilton's Tavern: A South Park, San Diego craft beer bar and bottle shop built around curated local and national drafts plus bottle/can sales. Directly comparable to Bottlecraft in combining on-premise and retail formats in the same San Diego craft beer market.
• Beachwood BBQ & Brewing: Long Beach and Seal Beach craft beer bar and bottle shop hybrid with strong reputation for rare and barrel-aged selections. Directly comparable hybrid retail-on-premise format and Southern California positioning to Bottlecraft.
• Bottle King: Multi-location specialty beer, wine, and spirits retailer with on-premise tasting elements at several stores. Comparable multi-door bottle shop retail scale and category focus to Bottlecraft's five-store footprint.
• Pure Project Brewing: San Diego-based craft brewery with tasting rooms focused on curated experimental IPAs and lagers. Comparable regional Southern California craft beer positioning and on-premise tasting room + packaged retail model.
• Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens: Large Escondido brewery with extensive on-premise bistro and beer retail program. Comparable craft beer-centric SoCal tasting room with packaged beer sales that overlap Bottlecraft's retail function.
• Mikkeller Bar: International craft beer bar concept built around curated rare drafts and curated bottle/can take-home programs. Comparable curation-led, rotating-tap craft beer bar/retail hybrid model to Bottlecraft.
• The Hop (3rd Cousin): Renamed San Diego craft beer bar concept (formerly The Hop) with curated drafts and bottled selections. Directly comparable San Diego craft beer bar/retail hybrid with similar curated positioning.
• Bottle House: San Francisco craft beer shop offering curated bottle/can sales and on-site tasting. Directly comparable California-focused hybrid bottle shop/tasting room concept.

Broad incumbents

• BevMo!: Large multi-state specialty retailer of beer, wine, and spirits with much broader assortment and scale. Comparable category leadership in off-premise alcohol retail but at far greater scale than Bottlecraft's five stores.
• Total Wine & More: Largest US specialty retailer of beer, wine, and spirits with a national footprint. Comparable as a major off-premise specialty alcohol destination but with vastly broader assortment and scale than Bottlecraft.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Bottlecraft
• Instagraminstagram.com/bottlecraftnorthpark
• Xx.com/bottlecraft

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bottlecraft