Bobby's Liquors

brikelly

New Hampshire

4.66/5  rDev +0.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | $

I was in Santa Clara for a week for business and searched online for good places, and found Bobby's. Well, color me both impressed and surprised!

Bobby's does not look like a "typical" craft beer store from outside. Actually, even inside it doesn't look great - the middle aisle is for porn mags and the like, and as you walk in you think , "Uhh...I'm in the wrong place..." but fear not! Go to the right and you'll find an excellent selection of US and European beers.

I fount HoTD, 50/50, Drie Fonteinen, Struise, Tilquin, Russian River, De Molen, you name it. The owner came over and we talked for a little bit about the differences between the recent batches of HoTD's Adam, and he was as sweet as can be (and knowledgeable about the beers on his shelves!). Not to mention that his beers are very reasonable priced - I found some high-end beers priced many dollars less than I'd seen at more well-known places.

If you're near San Jose, this place is absolutely worth your time, and your money.

02-01-2013 07:25:29 | More by brikelly

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.74/5  rDev +2.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

It's a shame that this store can't be a little bit bigger. I'd love to see what they'd do with more space than they have. That being said, this place is packed very tightly everywhere, and the aisles offer very little space to maneuver. All of that aside, I don't think I saw one beer here, in the clearly separated "craft beer" section that was mediocre. Lots of top of the line stuff. And when I say top of the line, I'm talking Red Poppy, iStout, Supplication, and on and on. Lots of quality stuff. As many have said before, Dee is on top of things, ready to help, and knows what he is talking about. I feel like he's probably an underutilized asset for the beer scene in the south bay. Anyways. This place is bringin' it. A must visit.

08-30-2012 16:35:42 | More by RblWthACoz

afrokaze

California

4.08/5  rDev -11.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$

About time I got around to reviewing this place, I've been shopping here for over a year and it's the best bottle shop in San Jose hands down. The owner Dee is a great guy, knowledgeable and friendly. It looks like a random liquor store from outside, although the new brewery logos painted on the front give you a hint at what's inside. About 8 coolers of quality craft, with selections ranging from regular releases, IPAs, DIPAs, stouts, sours, wild ales, Belgians, etc. The stock is well taken cared of and the stock is kept up to date, especially the hoppy beers. There are also 2 huge shelves of dark beers and a decent choice of glassware. Prices are lower to middle range, never felt like I've been ripped off here. Just got some 2 day old Pliny yesterday, where else can you get that around here? Check it out.

02-17-2012 23:12:24 | More by afrokaze

sfprint

Germany

4.56/5  rDev -1.5%
vibe: 1.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$$

I was pretty sketched out as a woman going into this store which doubles as a porn shop (as advertised outside). And it's located in a run down strip mall. But I wormed my way to the narrow aisle in the back where I was very surprised to find an incredibly good selection. But the prices were a bit high. Even though they had so much of what I wanted, I couldn't afford to get it all (although I had made a trip out to go to this place).

And the guy there (I guess he's the owner) wasn't sleazy at all, which isn't what I was expecting. He was very nice, and when he saw my list, unexpectedly just ran through all of them, saying whether they were available or not, where to get them, if you can get them. It was pretty shocking. I haven't met someone that knowledgeable about those specifics before.

Highly recommended. I appreciate a seedy place with a hidden goldmine.

01-17-2012 23:09:06 | More by sfprint

InfernoBoss

California

4.8/5  rDev +3.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$

Bobby's is truly a one-of-a-kind establishment. As others have posted, this is not a chain store environment. Bobby's has rough edges, namely the adult entertainment aisle with the "No Minors Allowed" gate at the entrance to the aisle. But hey, rough edges are part of life, so put your fears aside and enter a beer wonderland.

To really appreciate the selection, drop in, or check www.bobbysliquors.com. Their product pages will blow you away with the breadth and depth of their offerings. All chilled, except for a few boxes of singles on the floor, and a shelf of items suitable for aging. I turned away from the refrigerator cases on my last visit, and found myself eye to eye with a Deschutes Abbys. Glad I looked!

Basically, its time to stop reading about this place and just go there...NOW!

12-20-2011 08:12:14 | More by InfernoBoss

Philousa

California

3.91/5  rDev -15.6%
vibe: 2 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

Although in a less than desirable spot and the space is cramped, this is the pearl in the oyster that is the south bay beer scene. The first thing I noticed was the great selection of Belgian imports. This was literally the first place I saw a geuze in the south bay. Then I noticed they had selections from notable yet hard to find SoCal breweries such as The Bruery and AleSmith. The prices are marked up a bit, which makes sense for a mom & pop shop like this. So if you're just looking for a sixer from a local brewery that can be found at BevMo, go there instead. I only go here when I want a hard to find craft beer or Belgian, and I am never disappointed.

11-13-2011 23:17:21 | More by Philousa

Seanibus

California

3.91/5  rDev -15.6%
vibe: 2 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

Ok, let's be blunt about this. This store is not just NEXT to an adult book store, it IS an adult book store. There are racks of skin magazines, sex novelties, rubbers, and porn flicks. Do not take your kids here (I made this mistake and despite my best efforts, my 8 year old said as we left "Daddy, I saw those pictures of girls in bikinis.")

That having been said, the beer selection is pretty great. It's not huge, but is wide-ranging and appears to be quite fresh - with imports, East Coast beers that are unusual in the area, some sought-after limited releases. The prices are decent and the staff is friendly.

This place is not a beer lovers dream, perhaps, but its is pretty good. And perfect if you need a copy of, say, "Juggs" along with your rare 22 oz bomber of craft brew.

11-06-2011 22:40:29 | More by Seanibus

adsomers

California

4.35/5  rDev -6%
vibe: 2 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | $$

I was pretty puzzled by the lack of craft beer options when I moved to the South Bay. Bobby's Liquors brought me a sigh of relief. They stock a very good selection of locals and imports like De Dolle, Haand, Panil, Petrus (aged pale), Ichtegems, Hannssens, Cantillon, Mikkeller, and much more. I haven't seen anything like this selection in the South Bay, so that's where it gets a LOT of points!

The atmosphere is just f-ed up and I'm not gonna lie about that. Aside from the beer it's just a ghetto junky corner store next to a porn shop. It's kinda cute in a weird way but I hope this transforms into a respectable bottle shop some day.

That having been said, it's obvious the beer is well cared for. Anything that should be refrigerated is (except the entire Mikkeller single hop line-up, but I can understand not wanting to devote that much real-estate to one thing).

Two Indian ladies were working there when I visited. I had grabbed some IPA that wasn't in the cooler and one of them was nice enough to exchange the bottled for chilled ones. I found that to be extremely cool.

The South Bay still pretty much sucks for craft beer, but if you happen to live there Bobby's is your only option, and they do a good job!

10-18-2011 19:18:01 | More by adsomers

Falcon91Wolvrn03

California

4.73/5  rDev +2.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$$

I first visited this store in 2010, and thought it was a great store for the south bay area, but wasn't as good as other top bay area liquor stores. However, after seeing so many A+ reviews, I thought I'd give it another try, and I'm glad I did.

The selection here was better than it was when I first visited. I found quite a number of beers that I had trouble finding elsewhere; Midnight Sun T.R.E.A.T., Rogue Double Chocolate, La Trappe Quadrupel Barrique, Drie Fonteinen Schaerbeekse Kriek, plus a ton of other very hard to find beer that can only be found in the bay area's best beer stores.

They even had Utopias ($250)!

This is definitely one of the best beer stops in the entire bay area, and clearly the best in the south bay.

10-13-2011 05:51:14 | More by Falcon91Wolvrn03

peacebone116

California

4.81/5  rDev +3.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

I do not care where in the world you look, if you find a liquor store as cool as Bobby's Liquors, then it is a total gem.

As stated by others, this joint is located in a strip mall, next to an "adult" store. Once you get past this fact, and enter the store itself, you will find a liquor store not unlike many of the locally-owned stores in just about any urban setting.... However, this one has two of its entire wall-chillers and one opposing shelf devoted to hard-to-find craft beers. If it is distributed to the area, then you can find it at Bobby's.

If you happen to be shopping when the purchaser, Dee, is working, you will often be greeted with a pleasant hello and an offer of assistance. Dee goes to great lengths to make sure that his store is well-stocked with excellent craft choices because he is a true beer-lover himself, and he is willing to help you find the right beer for your mood and budget. (I can report this as fact because I have had several beer-related discussions with him.)

Most of the prices are right in line with what you would pay at other liquor stores and Bev Mo--some beers/brands are slightly more expensive, some are less--but the keg selection is truly what does it for me. It is so refreshing to have all my local favorites available in half-keg format, especially the rare & seasonal kegs!

I really cannot say enough great things about Bobby's Liquors--it is, hands down the best store I have found in the South Bay, and potentially anywhere. Cheers to Bobby's Liquors for making my favorite beers available!

09-12-2011 20:50:34 | More by peacebone116