Ocean View Brew Works

Very Local/Neighborhood Vibes which I appreciate ~ generally just okay beer. A great spot for the local community

My first visit to this neighborhood gathering spot was a pleasant experience. I was part of a small group of sketchers that was allowed to meet here to draw anything in and around the quaint establishment including the cozy bar, the tanks that are used to brew craft beer on site and the patio seating area. During my group’s visit a soccer game was playing on the large-screen television and a good number of patrons were enthusiastically discussing the match. Judging from the presence of two well-behaved dogs, it is a pet-friendly place.

Cozy and local. Rotating taps of craft brews for all tastes. Seats about 20 inside and a large outdoor patio can accommodate 50+ more. There's a small kid's play area, and a popcorn machine to grab a free bowl to snack on at your table. No kitchen on site, but sometimes there's food carts that show up in the evenings to give you a good meal. I'll be back for sure! 🍻

Wow! An unassuming yet magical, charming brewery! My gosh. It’s so hard to find a proper brewery by the neighborhood & for the neighborhood, but here we have it. Everyone from the owner to the staff are absolutely fantastic people, welcoming, charismatic, and full of stories they’re willing to share. If I could give 6 stars, I would. I hope circumstances bring me back to the Albany neighborhood so I can visit again.

Delicious food (vegan and meat options!) from the lovely chef at Kitchenette next door. We love trivia with Tyler on Saturdays, and it’s dog-friendly. Our favorite spot for a drink with friends, too!

Great beer, easy going atmosphere, and close to home. Love this little place and will keep coming back.

This place is fantastic! I've never had a beer I didn't at least like, even when trying the types I don't usually care for. They constantly switch out their beers, so there is always something new to try!

This brewery is phenomenal. Lots of selection and rotation moves fast. The inside can be tight but the outside there is a space for kids to play and even a spot to reserve a party. Every once in a while they will have a jazz band that plays which is great to enjoy with the family. This brewery will do classics, IPA’s and even some unique beers like a mushroom porter. No matter what though the beer is always quality. The customer service is great and they have trivia nights, game nights, and live music. The only negative I can give this place is the beers are small batch and rotate fast. Once you get used to a beer more then likely it won’t be back which sucks cus they’re all really good. Highly recommend!

"The Cutest Beer Garden in Northern California?" I had no idea what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised by this little brewery. This is a small, incredibly cute little brewery and beer garden right on San Pablo boulevard. They have a lot of nice indoor seats, as well as a large patio outside. The friendly bartender says they sometimes have live music. Today, I got a Pilsner pint for $9. Just what the doctor ordered! Check out your cute little brewery, as well as their outside seating area. There is not really an ocean view. That was the original name of this town. Thanks for adding such a wonderful feature to this town.

I wanted to get brunch and ended up here because there was no seats next door really. Ambiance inside seems cool, small patio area next to the street. They do have a coffee/ espresso machine here. Service was okay, pretty much order at the front and they bring it to you. Pay at the bar when done. Service was okay didn't feel anything special, pretty casual.

Cool little spot called Ocean View Brew Works...though there is no view of the ocean...but the staff, outdoor patio, and select assortment of brews on tap are well worth it. And, yes, love pups here! Trivia nights, local bands...come on down.

It's an $10 beer with no tip, an $11 beer with a $1 tip, and a $12 beer with a 20 percent tip. Beer was good, but yeesh. Open for 6 hours a day 5 days a week? This is for crusty gen x'ers paying $300,000 assessments to live in $1.5 million homes in the el Cerrito hills. This place is everything that's wrong with the bay. This place should not exist.

I've been coming here for years at this point so this review is long overdue. Since they first opened up I've really enjoyed this small spot in Albany. One of the things I miss most about living in Albany is Solano avenue, the Hotsy Totsy and this gem. The beers have always been delicious and my coworker, who is very particular with his hazys and IPA's, enjoys them here. We've been to other local breweries and this is the only one he really enjoys. Crazy right? Anyways, I enjoy that they usually have a sour on tap since that is my goto. But I've also really enjoyed their hazys they've had. I was worried they wouldn't survive during the pandemic but I'm so happy it seems they've been doing well. Recently we've been going to trivia and live music trivia. We even attended their NYE party as one of the only couples without kids, but still really enjoyed ourselves. If you are a family with kids and/or dogs this place is friendly to all, which makes it super relaxing and chill for a Saturday night. The beer-tenders are always really friendly and quick to help you out. Everyone we've met here has been delightful. All in all this place is perfect for a family night out, a friends night out or a spot to take your fur baby to enjoy a cold one on their heated patio.

ESB still tasty but prices are not great. $9 + tax = $10 for a pint (as an aside always a little lame to add tax to a beer). Snacks could be cheaper too. Also bring back canned beer! Service is kinda hit or miss.

Great beer and friendly staff! What more can you ask for!! Will definitely go back on my next visit to the area!

My friends and I picked up to-go lunches and looked for a local brewery that allowed outside food. We found Ocean View Brew Works, which happened to be down the street from us. What a cute and quaint spot! It also had a spacious outdoor patio where musicians were setting up for a live set. We tried several of the brews on tap. They had all the essentials including a lager, pilsner, West Coast IPA, stout, sour, etc. They even had a hard kombucha, which I don't see very often at breweries. I sampled a few things and enjoyed them, especially their unique lavender kombucha. Our time spent at Ocean View Brew Works was the recipe for a wonderful Saturday afternoon. Great beers, service, ambiance, and music.

It's a nice local brewery with a kitchenette next door. A great place If you need a place to unwind. Beer of always good and that have other options available too.

Ocean View Brewery is one of my favorite spots in El Cerrito. A fantastic family-owned small business with a cozy brewery and eatery all in one spot. The food menu rotates regularly--and every dish we've tried has been phenomenal. You can really tell they put care into the ingredients and flavors. The beer is equally impressive - less variety but consistently high quality. It's the kind of place you want to keep coming back to. Highly recommend!

What a fun place. Don't blink you might drive right past it. It's a small little place but what character. And it has a nice outdoor area wrapping around the building that allows you to Sit in the area outside.

My dad recently retired, and we had a retirement party at Ocean View. Vonnie was great to work with and accommodated my budget and group extremely well. The location and venue is an awesome set up, the team so friendly and kind, and the food we got at kitchenette was fun (hot dog bar!). I hope to visit them more frequently, plan future events there and continue to recommend them to my friends. Also- the beer is good! A great local business that I'm happy to have around!

I'm not a beer drinker so I unfortunately can't speak to the quality of beers, but I just love this place. They have beers, wine, and you can get delicious snacks next door (or you can bring food in from somewhere else if you prefer). It's a small space, but they do such fun events like a Christmas tree lighting, trivia, bingo, painting, legos, etc. I am most grateful for how family friendly they are. I have a 2 year old who won't sit still and this is basically the only place where we can go and both have a good time. Thank you all so much! They also have a larger back area that you can rent for events!

Here tonight for BINGO! 3/23/23. So fun!!! The BINGO host was funny. The crowd was quite loud (in a good way) they seem to have a pretty fun size crowd. The beer beertender was super helpful & kind. The guava sour was great and my bf had the pilsner then a porter...my friend won a free beer at BINGO. The food next door was great. We had 2 avocado bagles w Brussels sprouts, 3 hot dogs, smoked salmon -no bread, n the tator tots!!!

Ocean View is a true community bar and brewery. Pre-pandemic this was a place where you could go sit at the bar and meet your neighbors. Even with social distancing measures, they still have the ultra-friendly neighborhood vibe. Their beer is excellent and their selection has something for everyone. They usually have on tap an IPA, a couple dark beers, a couple light beers, and maybe something a bit more experimental. They also can their beer to-go. They don't sell food, but you can walk down to the taco truck at the Hotsy Totsy (on the same block) and bring food back to eat at Ocean View. Very dog-friendly, and kid-friendly. Pre-pandemic sometimes they would have crafty activities available for all ages (i.e. coloring!). Their patio is a lovely place to hang out all day - but a heads up that you might want to bring a coat. The shadow of Albany Hill can get a bit chilly in the late afternoon. They do have heaters too. The owners are passionate about highlighting and supporting other local producers and artists. There's always something fun happening at Ocean View that pairs perfectly with a delicious pint of their brew!

OK, let's get this out of the way. No, you cannot actually see the ocean at all from Ocean View Brew Works.* The name is a reference to the old town of Ocean View around these parts in the late 1800's & early 1900's. Alright, history lesson over, onto beer! Ocean View Brew Works is a tiny, cozy little place. If you're driving down San Pablo Ave. too fast, you could miss it completely. & that would be a shame. because good things come in small sizes here. Brewery, taproom, outdoor patio, they got it all. Just miniature. The beers here aren't miniature, however (unless you order tasters, of course). They're fully loaded with flavor. I've had quite a few of their beers up to this point & it's good stuff. Beer styles served run the whole gamut from classic English ales to modern hazy IPA's & lots in between. & their story is that welcome refrain in craft beer of homebrewers going pro, the little guy making quality beer in the face of corporate macro yellow fizzy water. So when you're driving down San Pablo Ave. through what was once Ocean View, slow down, stop in, & have a beer. Take a minute to enjoy the craft. * just like how Bette's Oceanview Diner in Berkeley has absolutely no view of the ocean either, same reason, it's history, son.

Had a Scottish ale and a dark lager. Both were fantastic. A real neighborhood feel inside and out on the patio. I liked seeing their brew room, basically the size of a one car garage! So very cool. I wish I lived a bit closer!

Drove up to the Bay area and wanted a nice hazy. I was looking forward to relaxing to a cold fresh one and enjoying the ocean view. It's a small neighborly brewery, limited selections and unfortunately their hazy was tapped out. Had the WC IPA. Was ok. Biggest disappointment? No ocean view.

Place is fantastic. Beers are terrific. Space is comfortable. Place next door, Kitchenette, has fabulous food. Do yourself a favor.

Was in the area, be aware, no pricing listed anywhere!! I made the mistake of ordering an 8oz "can" of wine. $14. He opened the can poured it then told me the price. Not that big of a deal but, All they had was canned wines, no prices. Pretty terrible wine tasted like box wine, so many other places to get a beer / drink. For yelp ambiance: this place appears to be a child's play pen with beer offerings. I understand they have their niche (family friendly) but just had to leave my 2 cents so others will know!! It is a small brewery with unfriendly yuppie owners with children's books and play toys strewn about for some reason? I personally don't get it? I wouldn't go back but if that is what you are into then yeah. JUST BEING HONEST

Find bingo night and they are pet friendly. I just wish it was a little bigger for more inside seating, though they do have outdoor heaters.

Love this place. It's got great beers and they have very good selection of locally made and brewed beers. They often have cool events like comedy nights open mic and other events are they bringing wine food vendor. Great place to hang out as great outdoor seating and interceding for those cold nights. Parking is free and plenty of parking on the street and very safe next to the Taco Bell

Hey no complaints about a neighborhood brew spot. It's got a welcoming, practically neighborly, feel and their beers are good. They brew small batch, specialty lagers that are tasty and go fast. They've got paninis (delicious pickles!) and snacks if you're hankering for something with your beer. A family affair, they do service with a personal touch.

Love this neighborhood location. Love the live music while enjoying a refreshing brew. We tried the Ranahan Hazy and it's as close to the Armitice Lemon Hazy as it gets. Very creamy, dry, pear like and refreshing! Outdoor seatings so good for dogs and kids. We stop in while our boys are in abacus class for an hour. Good stress relieve from the preteens. Ha! Come and enjoy the sun when it's out.

Enjoyed the great beer and the live music! Service was fast a friendly. Nice little spot with families playing card games and enjoying the weekend. Will be back!

When this place opened, literally around the corner from my house, I figured that even if they had mediocre beer it would be a welcome addition to the neighborhood. But their beers are great -- a rotating cast of beer styles (and names) that are very well done. Their brewers know what they're doing. More than that, however, OVBW has a great staff, from the owners on down. They're welcoming, knowledgeable and friendly. It's a small place with a big heart and a sense of community. Ocean View also features local bands. bingo, trivia and science presentations (find another brewery that does that). And they now offer good food next door at Kitchenette. Check it out. There's a good chance I'll be sitting at the bar.

Excellent service and yummy, interesting beers on tap! Indoor and outdoor seating, food available, and parking right out front. What's not to love? We shared a flight and watched the cut dogs roam about. I look forward to going back.

I don't typically drink beer but the bartender helped me select one I actually enjoyed. Love the vibe here! I came with my sketching buddies and we had a great time. When it started to get cold they even hauled out a heater for those of us on the patio. Turned out the bartender was a bit of a female Michelangelo too. She showed us her sketches of how the equipment goes together, and also had notes about what flavors to mix up. Now I wish I had added her to my sketch! :-)

Thank you for having something for everyone! Well executed beers including a black lager for my husband, a play kitchen and toys for my 3 year old, outdoor seating albeit small for my newborn, and a chill vibe with a clean restroom for this tired postpartum mama. Love that we live within minutes of this place!

Excellent location, great brews, and they have pop up food vendors! Owners are great people and very engaging. Awesome trivia game show on 1st and 3rd Saturdays" evenings with weird prizes. Definitely worth checking out.

Ocean View Brew is a few blocks from Hotsy Totsy, next to Jack In Box. street parking only. small patio. checks hours, limited to 4 days.... brews: raspberry weisse, (5%) long patch porter, (7%) Capt. Kolsch (5.5), pitch rock pale ale(4.6%), old school ipa(4.8), devour, triple ipa(7) ...weiss(4.7) pours: porter(6) 16 oz. -boozy, smooth taste, no notes devour triple ipa(7) 16 oz. -nonhoppy ipa, ultra boozy, variety of tastes. on tap: -brews reasonable, priced per 5 oz., pints. growlers $15 -food vendor available designated days -popcorn self-serve, not so hot. too bitter. -few seats at counter, a table and in nearby patio.

QUARANTINE update. Get the app. Order online. Then go pick up your cans, crowlers, food, merch. Wait, how does this little 400 sq ft brew pub have a keen, functional app? Download it and read the who's who for a GIGANTIC clue. Let's kick this virus' ass and get back to sharing space and suds together.

We just discovered this place a couple of weeks ago. It's really cute and small and has a great side patio to enjoy the sun and great beer!

Got the Guin-ish lightish stout. Very cool vibe, doing take during the pandemic. Brewmaster took care of me instantly and had a nice discussion. Popped open the beer... naming it after Guinness is such a misnomer -- it is WAY better than a Guinness. But it is a lighter stout so I see the concept. Think black lager... but roastier, a bit of hops and lower ABV than most stouts. Really refreshing while satisfying to this stalwart stout drinker. Can't wait to go back! Hoping they'll do a Russian Imperial stout sometime....

I go to as many breweries as I possibly can. I, obviously, rate this one as excellent. I tasted 6 beers. EACH ONE was excellent. I find that extremely rare. Very friendly service and a nice patio. If you're a beer lover, don't pass this place up!!

This place is great. We were looking for a family friendly spot to have a couple ciders with our toddler in tow. We were very pleasantly surprised to see how family friendly this spot is. There were tons of other families with their kids and an abundance of toys. We made new friends and tried some great ciders. We'll definitely be back!

Every once in a while you stumble upon a place that's representative of the town in which it's based in, and in this case, there is no better spot to grab a chill brew along with the chill vibes of Albany than here. Beer is crafted with love and you can't go wrong with any choice here--they're ALL DELICIOUS! I tend to sway Belgian, so all high marks here in terms of pricing, quality, and service. The patio is an added bonus, as the sun sets and you get to enjoy the company of friends and family, all over a fantastic brew.

Small taproom but great outdoor patio space. Beer was very good, especially enjoyed the sour beer. Would recommend!

Love the decor and that's about it. Service was almost non-existent. When we asked for plates, napkins and a knife for our meze platter, the guy gave us one paper towel to share and a knife. I nearly fell over laughing because he just didn't seem to care. The taster glasses were annoying to drink from since the opening was so narrow. Indidnt like anything enough to get a full pour but those glasses seemed more sensible. I won't be back.

From a November 16 visit: - Rapunzel Belgian Blonde. 4.4% ABV, 20 IBU. Clear gold; light white head. Crisp and dry, not far off a light lager profile. Hopped with Styrian Aurora and Hersbruger. - Get Wit It! 5.0%, 10 IBU. Light head, fading to halo-and-patches. Weak floral nose. Light tart and fruity, earthy, and spicy taste, with some yeast presence. Hopped with Styrian Aurora. - The Haze Maze. 6.8%, 36 IBU. Moderately hazy gold. Light white halo head, with heavy lace. Floral nose. Dank, with peach nectar morphing into a very bitter, mineral-y finish. Hopped with Sultana, Southern Passion, and Herkules. - Das Dunkel Dunkelweizen. 5.0%, 12 IBU. Clear amber-brown; cream halo head. Weak smoke and roast malt nose. Flavors include cloves and banana esters. Hopped with Crystal and Hersbrucker. - Slayzzonn Black Saison. 6.66%, 21 IBU. Sub-clear brown, with red highlights. Light cream head. Spicy nose. Sweet malt, with noticeable wheat. Touches of orange and black pepper; also, grains of paradise, though I'm not sure I'd recognize that one in a blind tasting. - Lafaza! Nitro Vanilla Stout. 7.5%; IBU not stated. Opaque dark brown; cream halo-and-patches head. There's a distinct vanilla nose, from Madagascar vanilla beans from a local supplier. The taste is sweet roast malt, with vanilla and dark chocolate notes. Creamy mouth feel. Some ethanol presence. Best of the flight! - Rusty Red Ale. 4.6%, 32 IBU. Clear reddish-brown, cream halo head. Light malty nose. Slightly sweet caramel malt and spice. Somewhat in the Festbier style. Chewy nitrogen mouthfeel. Hopped with Northdown. - Chicken Hawk Lite Lager. 3.2%; IBU not stated, but negligible. Clear gold; light halo head. Grainy nose and taste, not much to distinguish it from an industrial light lager. About two-thirds of a Styrian Aurora cone may have been waved in the general direction of the brew kettle. I'll bet the brewer doesn't much discuss this commercially-necessary stuff. - Lazy Hazy. 7.5%, IBU not stated. Slightly hazy copper. Off-white halo-and-patches head. Lemony nose. Sweet, malty, estery, with a note of fruit-cocktail nectar.

Nice and homey, with great brews. A great place to just hang for a few hours, because the staff is laid back and cool.

A fantastic place on a Saturday afternoon for any family with small kids and a dog. They have a great mix of their own brews and also have wine and food next door at the Kitchenette including hot dogs and panini sandwiches. Nice outdoor seating, games, and some toys and they had a small group playing Irish music as well. Fantastic that this is in our community!

The beer is good. We came for comedy night. We bought a set of tasters to decide what we liked, bought 2-3 beers each with somewhat low ABV to gang out for the show. Then it got awkward. I returned a beer because neither my fiance or I liked a beer. I asked to exchange it. The bartender said she wouldn't serve us any more because see remembered us coming back for more beers (we kept closing our tab). It was a little awkward because I was ordering near a few people and she said "I hope this isn't awkward for you but.."... but ok. It was only 9pm and we are staying for the comedy but won't be back.

Super great set up and people here, plus the Beer is good. A few times the selection has been slim, which reflects the small scale production system they have at Oceanview. For an afternoon seat in the sun, with space for kids to play as their parents drink local fresh beer, this is a great spot in Albany

I love coming here! Everyone is amazing and super friendly. I enjoy being able to come and sit and read my book and drink so many different delicious beers. My favorite thing is being able to purchase the 32oz can and they seal it up for you there. The design on the cans is also really awesome so I have kept my 1st can as a memento. It is a family owned place and they speak and treat everyone like they are family. They know who their customers are and take time to talk to them as well. It's a great place with a great atmosphere.

Really enjoyed my first visit to this new local brewery. Had one of the IPA's that I really enjoyed. It seemed like they had cool events going on throughout the week that would be fun to check out. They are perfectly located right next to taco bell. That means you go drink as much beer as possible, stumble a few steps over and get a chalupa! Seriously though, this is a cool spot. Wasn't a fan of the pilsner. I will be back soon!!!

Awesome little brewery with chill outside area - super dog friendly and just friendly people generally. Came after visiting Point Isabel and glad we did!

New brewery having their soft opening (growler fills and pints). Currently have two beers for tasting and will be rolling out many more in the future. The brewmaster said they will have 12 taps eventually! It's a family owned and local business so I can't wait to see what they can accomplish. They anticipate having their full "grand" opening in mid February.

Loved it! 1. Had the pleasure of sitting in the quaint picnic area out back & enjoy our beers in the beautiful Memorial Day sunshine. 2. They are offering $4 drinks for teachers in May. Which, as a teacher, I'm grateful for! 3. The 120G's was recommended as a good sour by the bartender, & it was delicious