By the Bottle

By the BottleBy the Bottle
By the BottleBy the Bottle
Store

104 W Evergreen Blvd
Ste C
Vancouver, Washington, 98660-3124
United States

// CLOSED //

The taproom portion of By the Bottle closed in mid-2012.
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.33
Reviews:
23
Ratings:
29
pDev:
12.93%
View: Place Reviews
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Photo of DesMoinesMike
Reviewed by DesMoinesMike from Iowa

3/5  rDev -30.7%
vibe: 2 | quality: 2.75 | service: 4.75 | selection: 2
Gone are the glory days. The shop is in the process of transitioning to a tap room to rent out. They are down to 3 coolers that are lightly stocked. If you are looking for special local/regional brews look somewhere else. The staff is very personable.
May 31, 2016
 
Rated: 4.21 by hopheaddeluxe from Illinois

Oct 03, 2015
Photo of Goatdavemac
Rated by Goatdavemac from North Carolina

3.78/5  rDev -12.7%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4.25 | service: 3.75 | selection: 3.25
I feel like I walked in to a dying business. Lots of empty shelf space, and it was a little dirty
Jun 21, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by jakewatt135 from Oregon

Sep 08, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by Supradan from Washington

Aug 13, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by atpca from California

Jul 16, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by Hobbit from Oregon

Mar 14, 2014
Photo of Ultra-Plinian
Reviewed by Ultra-Plinian from Connecticut

4.67/5  rDev +7.9%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
Service is outstanding!!! First time in and they were pouring me samples. They were willing to track down stuff for me and they had some sweet vintage stuff. Old Abyss! Sweet! I only wish that it was closer to where I actually lived. Some of the prices were a little bit more than Fred Meyer but only by a dollar or so, so not crazy, I will gladly pay for that type of service.
Aug 20, 2013
Photo of WelshBrewer
Reviewed by WelshBrewer from Oregon

3.27/5  rDev -24.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3.75 | selection: 3
I have been to by the bottle many times and do like the service and the people there.

That being said the selection is above average the priceing is a little much for my taste.

It is right on the border of Washington and Oregon so the tendency to jump the border for better pricing and no tax at the many Oregon bottle shops is a little more than enticing.

I will shop around before buying beer here.
Jul 09, 2013
Photo of ajramirez1
Reviewed by ajramirez1 from Washington

2.36/5  rDev -45.5%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 2.5 | service: 3 | selection: 1.5
1st time going into this place I thought it was somewhat small all around. Beer area is tiny, seating non existent, bottle area was okay. Looking at the prices, they were easily $1.25 more per bottle than goin across the bridge to portland. Even WA beer were marked up more.

Went to a tasting that was okay but now they are charging for tastings.

Price too steep. I like to stock up anyway so I will be driving to PDX for my beer pleasures.
Jan 22, 2013
Photo of drumminlogan
Reviewed by drumminlogan from Washington

4.74/5  rDev +9.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
I love By the Bottle. While they don't carry a huge selection from Breweries on the East Coast, I can usually find some great quality beers.

The owner knows a TON about beer and is always excited to talk to you to find just what you are looking for. Amazing service and beer knowledge.

The new taproom always has some great selections. even though it is a bit small.

Would definitely recommendBy The Bottle to anyone looking for some great beer in Vancouver, WA. Currently is my favorite store to buy beer at in Vancouver.
May 17, 2011
Photo of Airyk12
Reviewed by Airyk12 from Oregon

4.66/5  rDev +7.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4
Amazing place in Vancouver, which has a smaller beer scene than its bigger brother. The first thing one might notice upon walking in is the incredible amounts of beer memorabilia this place has. It's like walking through a history of beer in the US and across the world.

The place is owned by a couple who are total beer geeks. They opened the place out of love of the craft, and it shows in their attitude and the shop. Arlene is knowledgeable and can always recommend beers for anyone, from a newbie to an experienced hophead.

They have a great selection of quality brews; they don't stock bad beer. The prices are reasonable, especially considering the 150-mile distance the owner drives to the distributor. The tap room is always filled with great brews, and you can always count on their lines being clean, and the beers being well cared for.

Their relationship with brewers is great, and they have FREE tastings with local brewers often. You can't beat that. Meeting brewers and talking shop with some masters of the craft is an amazing experience.

All in all, a great place to learn about beer and taste some great ones on the premises. Never had a bad experience.
Apr 30, 2011
Photo of alamere
Reviewed by alamere from Washington

4.54/5  rDev +4.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5
A - It's Vancouver, Washington.. it ain't the French Riviera.

Q - Doesn't get much better and really.. it doesn't get better in SW Washington. I think they've been named the top beer store in SW Washington State for the past few years.

S - They're great.. especially in the bottle room, but I love the tap room as well. Arlene knows her stuff and is usually happy to describe a beer to you if she knows it..

Selection - Again, it really doesn't get much better and they're always getting something new and interesting in.. the tap room has a number of rotating taps and I stop by once a week and usually drink something I've never heard of.. it's a place to discover great beer.

Value - Well, I've paid less for beer.. but, who cares?!
I can't say that I've purchased better beer anywhere in the world.
Apr 28, 2011
Photo of gkunkle
Reviewed by gkunkle from Oregon

4.72/5  rDev +9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4
I just got an apartment in Vancouver and checked BA to see what was nearby. I was lucky to find that I am within walking distance of this little gem. It's a small shop in downtown Vancouver staffed by a husband and wife team. When I was there the husband was around but not up front helping people (he's got a business to run, so totally acceptable) his wife was out front chatting with customers and giving suggestions. A pair of people came in looking for bitches brew and she did a great job of giving them some suggestions of things they might enjoy more. The seleslction was good and it was pretty well organized. One think I really appreciated was that they kept the bottle room a little dark. It is still nicely lit, but sunlight isn't able to ruin any bottles (thank you!) I purchased 4 assorted 12 oz bottles of US craft, sone DFH, southern tier etc. The prices were pretty reasonable. I have not been there during tap hours yet, so I'll have to return again.
Jan 23, 2011
Photo of Docer
Reviewed by Docer from Washington

4.09/5  rDev -5.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4
Moved to Vancouver, and it is so very nice to have this place over here where craftbeer just doesn't seem to be what it is in SE PDX. I would make special trips to By The Bottle even from Gresham when I lived there at the time.

The people are great and extremely friendly. Husband and wife pair who know what they are doing and talking about. Always a great bottle selection, and always stuff that doesn't get distributed down into Oregon as well.

Love the new tap room in the back and always love the rare selections they have on tap. They even often cellar and tuck stuff away for a long time to spice things up.. as well as their bottles. Very cool.

Wade in the taproom is quite the cool guy too... great to chat with. A very quite.. chill.. relaxing little taproom which is very nice to kick back in.. like a nice speakeasy.

Go there and buy some bottles!
Dec 29, 2010
Photo of CaptainTripps
Reviewed by CaptainTripps from Arizona

4.36/5  rDev +0.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
This is a small shop located with the heart of downtown vancouver. What I like about the shop the most was that they offered a lot of beer that wasn't available in Oregon. My only gripe about their selection is that they seem to be a little behind on getting new releases, but this shop is close enough to portland where there is many other shops that have the new releases so if you are willing to travel its not that big of a deal.

The lady at the shop was very nice and very knowledgeable. I don't think I brought up a beer she didn't know about. They have a call/contact list that you can add yourself to get info on new releases and when they are coming to the store.

Atmosphere in the shop is awesome. I love all of the beer memorabilia around the shop and on top of the coolers. You can tell these people really enjoy beer just as much as their customers do. Pretty cool little place.
Oct 18, 2010
Photo of jdense
Reviewed by jdense from Oregon

4.65/5  rDev +7.4%
Situating across the river from Beervana, By The Bottle is a must stop for any beer afficionado seeking brews not available in the Beaver State. Lost Abbey, Port, Shipyard, small Washington breweries are all lovingly cared for in refrigerated cases-they really know how to take care of beer here. The help is absolutely superb. The married couple who own this place take great pride in their selection, and are more than willing to discuss the beers they carry or offer recommendations. On Tuesdays they feature tastings of selected beers, and I was lucky enough on 3.30.10 to stumble in while they were having a Nogne-O tasting, how cool is that? The atmosphere is about to get a lot better as they are about to open a tasting room with 8 taps in the back of the store which will feature small and hard to get Washington breweries. Anybody that drives 150 miles to obtain hard to get beers for his clientele is more than alright in my book. When the tasting room is finished this will be the Belmont Station of Washington, high praise indeed. I'm glad I ventured out of my way to go here, and you will be too. Very Highly Recommended.
Apr 01, 2010
Photo of squaremile
Reviewed by squaremile from Oregon

4.5/5  rDev +3.9%
This is THE only real beer store in Vancouver. So if you are in Portland and want stuff that isn't distributed in Oregon just yet, get up there! The staff is amazingly knowledgeable and friendly beyond belief.

I used to go up there to get Oskar Blues, Port, Lost Abbey, and Southern Tier stuff until they came to town, now I just stop by once in awhile to see what else they have and grab a special bottle or two.

The prices are fair and I love supporting a place in the 'cove. If they opening up a little taproom this place would be exceptional.
Mar 14, 2010
Photo of djbreezy
Reviewed by djbreezy from Washington

4.85/5  rDev +12%
A very quaint and low key spot in my hometown. I'm proud that Vancouver has such an amazing bottle shop.

The selection is good and the bottles are cooled and stored properly in refrigerated cases.

The owner is very kind and knowledgeable. The stock is usually very high class. My only gripe is that the store seemed to have trouble getting in new beer as quickly as some of the Portland stores.

That being said, amazing selection. Very clean and well kept inside. Good people, good products, and a nice floor layout to browse the selection.
Feb 19, 2010
Photo of Sarlacc83
Reviewed by Sarlacc83 from Oregon

4.8/5  rDev +10.9%
Every time I come to By the Bottle, I walk out with a big smile on my face. I'd say that's well worth a hefty review. In addition to being the only place near Portland (that I know of) where you can get Lost Abbey, their small size and small 'fanbase' makes it a place where they have rare stuff that Belmont Station sold out of weeks ago. Their prices are usually a little steeper (up to about 2 or 3 bucks for the big boys. For instance, Abyss is 9.99 at Deschutes, 11.99 here.), but for the pure joy and the smile, I'm willing to pay that premium.
Dec 16, 2008
Photo of WaveRebel51
Reviewed by WaveRebel51 from Nebraska

4.8/5  rDev +10.9%
Stopped here while visiting family in the Northwest and I have to say that this is a must-see if you are ever in the area. Great selection (although I may have been on sensory overload because they had so many beers not available where I live) and great service. Everything was top notch. My purchases included some Gordon, Dale's Pale Ale, Ninkasi Total Domination IPA and my new favorite beer, Deschutes Hop Trip IPA.

I noticed A LOT more stuff, like good Belgians, Germans and other American micro styles, but stuck with the IPA genre simply because I would not have enough time to sample more beers. I thought some items were a bit on the pricey side, but the quality is worth it and I didn't think the prices were out of line. I doubt you can beat the quality of their stock and the friendly service anywhere else.

I highly recommend this place to any serious beer enthusiast as well as anyone who simply wants to learn more about beers.
Dec 02, 2008
Photo of JackCrow
Reviewed by JackCrow from Washington

4.85/5  rDev +12%
So I'm on my way back from the Oregon coast headed towards Seattle where I have access to great beer stores, I stopped by on a Sunday afternoon in search of something special for my friends wedding. He and I are huge BAs. I found By the Bottle after stopping at Belmont Station.

It was closed but I figured I would knock anyway and see if someone was home. Dave answered and I was able to pick his brain, they have a really nice selection, but I was looking for something much harder to comeby than usual. He had availability of a beer that will go un-named in this review. It was exactly what I was looking for. He couldn't get it at the moment because they were closed so I went home and was able to work with their shop and arrange for a friend to pickup and deliver the beer. This happening on such short notice really helped make this gift special.

Arlene and Dave were great to deal with, great conversation and personality. they seem to be running this gem more for the love of beer than the love of money, which is great to see. This kind of service is really rare today, alot of shops have an arrogant "don't care if you come back" attitude. It's refreshing to see a business with such personality and customer care even moreso since it's a beer shop. This has now become a permanent stop on my way south.

Consumers and BAs alike have a responsibilty to support businesses such as By the Bottle. Make it a haunt for the locals and a must see for the passersby.
Oct 14, 2008
Photo of SickBrew
Reviewed by SickBrew from Washington

4.5/5  rDev +3.9%
I just visited By the Bottle for the first time this weekend. For Vancouver Washington this little shop is truly a diamond in the rough! Great selection and friendly staff make this a must for: anyone who's a beer fan, anyone who knows one or anyone who would just like to try something different in their beer world. They have beers from around the world and a good selection of craft beers. Their craft beer is a bit biased to the west coast, but can you blame them! I stopped in for some Belgians and there selection is great.

Prost!
Aug 10, 2008
Photo of rye726
Reviewed by rye726 from Colorado

4.65/5  rDev +7.4%
Located in downtown Vancouver, WA. Kind of hidden, but has a very nice selection. Similar to a bottle shop one might find in Belgium. Run by Arlene and David who are very nice people.

All beers are kept refrigerated and in normal light.

Good selection of North West, West Coast and European Brews. Some Rockies and East Coast breweries as well. Also a nice mead selection and possibly the best cider selection I have seen. Some items were a little pricy and no case discount. Most items fairly priced.

Great place.

Highly suggested if in the area.
Jul 23, 2008
Photo of GJ40
Reviewed by GJ40 from North Carolina

4.15/5  rDev -4.2%
After consulting Beer Advocate, I stopped in to check this place out while on a business trip.

It's a nice place with a large selection of good beers. They organize it by region (US, Belgian, British, etc.) and then within that, by style. I'm used to seeing it more by region and then brewer. I kind of like their use of style as the second grouping. It's harder to find all beers by a particular brewer but it does let you easily see all offerings of a style (such as IPA). The woman behind the counter was very nice and helpful.

If you're in the area, drop by.
Apr 08, 2008
Photo of Dubbercody
Reviewed by Dubbercody from Washington

4.5/5  rDev +3.9%
Great little shop. I went in to check it out, and wow. I’m pleased with a great shop up here in the ’couve. Right next door to Salmon Creek, in a slightly set back door, opens up to a nice room of reach in coolers. The other room will apparently be turned into a tasting room, but for now is the evening special tasting room.

Lots of great beers, and a pretty awesome selection of things unavailable in Oregon. I was able to find Port Brewing...Older Viscosity, Santa's, etc. Some stuff from up near the Seattle area and other smaller breweries in Washington.

I'm hoping to check out BTB for a tasting sometime soon.

I’ll be back....
Dec 03, 2007
Photo of msubulldog25
Reviewed by msubulldog25 from Oregon

4.38/5  rDev +1.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4
After finding this bottle shop here on BA and reading a nice article about their one-year anniversary in the Portland Tribune, I finally made it across the river to downtown Vancouver to pay By The Bottle a visit.

They're not too hard to find, near the corner of Main St. and Evergreen, next door to the Salmon Creek Brewpub. The building is a fairly non-descript squat concrete building which benefits from large windows facing Evergreen that are great for posting signs, beer posters, waving at passers-by etc. Inside the main door, the space is divided equally between a mostly empty room (used for tastings/events) to the left and the bottle shop to the right.

I was warmly greeted by co-owner Arlene Nunez, who quickly took me to a cooler where she was holding a couple bottles of the Silver City Fat Bastard I'd called for earlier in the day (she also included the last bottle of Fat Woody, the barrel-aged version for me - couldn't resist). Then she gave me the 5-minute tour, lingering at each of the dozen or so reach-in coolers to point out how the stock of beers was arranged & conversing about beer in general.

In the coolers, which line two whole walls, I'd estimate 500 bottles reside, carefully arranged by country of origin and/or style (US). A few displays of cases/specials fill the center of the room but most of the stock is in refrigerated cases with good representation from most of the European countries, Asia and South/Central America. the international collection, though not immense, was nicely representative of many styles. US beers leaned toward the NW brewers and fortunately included a good assortment of smaller WA brewers not currently distributed across the river in Oregon (e.g. Port Townsend, Maritime, Harmon, Boundary Bay, Baron, Hood Canal).

A decent assortment of glassware lines one wall and there are plenty of advertisements and posters elsewhere. A little breweriana (old bottles and whatnot) top several of the coolers, with a few giant magnums or jereboams on display, too.

Overall, I thought the prices were reasonable (despite that darn sales tax we Oregonians aren't used to paying). I'd certainly go back for the selection of brews not available in Oregon alone. But what really made the experience outstanding was the service; Arlene was so helpful and enthusiastic about beer. There may be shops that have better selection, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a nicer store owner.

By the Bottle was a great find and is definitely a place I'll go back to; if you're in Portland, do yourself a favor and check this place out.

Update: Summer 2010 - BtB now has a Taproom!
May 24, 2007
Photo of weefisheads
Reviewed by weefisheads from Oregon

4/5  rDev -7.6%
Quite the find in downtown Vancouver!

From the outside you wouldn't guess that your in for quite a surprise - mostly because it's right next door to a brewput and that's probably what you'll notice first. Nonetheless, curb appeal is somewhat...er...limiting as it's a rather unimpressive store front on a major thoroughfair through downtown Vancouver.

Entering the place is somewhat odd, too - when you open the door from a street you're faced with a large empty room with an open door to the right. OK. Turns out, the empty space you're staring at is used when they do their tastings, but in when not in use, it's a rather vast space of emptiness. Odd.

Anyway, going through the door to your right, you actually enter into a realm of loveliness. Though the carpeted room and decor is a tad on the stark side (as in the ONLY things in the room are some coolers and one counter), the contents of the coolers are quite delight.

While many of the "harder to find beers" are a real treat to find, most of them are actually available at John's or Belmont Station in Portland for considerably less. What can I say, it's good to be from Portland! However, in amoungst the rather impressive collection of imports, there were also a number of Washington and Idaho beers that aren't found in all of Oregon (even at John's or Belmont Station!), a scant 1 mile away.

Service while we were there was quite good, but it I rather expect it to be as there was only one other patron in the place in the 15 miutes I was there. Still, the bloke behind the counter was matey and I was grateful that he held onto my stash while I went next door to try their beer.

Overall, By The Bottle is quite a place. I doubt I'll frequent this place as it seems on the pricey side (especially since you have to pay a SALES tax, and I daresay we OR folks are a tad spoiled), but it's definitly a place I'll go back to again to find some of the WA beers that don't make it "across the boarder". It's also right next door, LITERALLY, to a brewpub, so it's a nice place to go to "get one" (or more!) and then walk next door to "have one".

dB
Aug 09, 2006
Photo of JohnY
Reviewed by JohnY from Oregon

4.7/5  rDev +8.5%
A great place to buy beer "By the Bottle" everything your heart desires from Great Belgian specialties (Delirium, Dupont, Duval, Orval, chimay, Karmeleit, etc) to Fantastic Northwest brews and even some other great beers from around the country (dogfish head) and (Stone). The only place in town with Unibroue beers, and a super place to find (hard to find) German beers in the bottle (Spaten, Schwelmer, Franzikaner, etc). Nice people, great service,easy to find location, go buy some beer there!
Jun 18, 2006
By the Bottle in Vancouver, WA
Place rating: 4.33 out of 5 with 29 ratings