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Bottle Taps is a brew pub and restaurant with some serious beer cred behind it. Located east of downtown Pleasanton on the Livermore border, BottleTaps is the brainchild of Eric and Michele Wall. She’s been running restaurants for 25 years; he’s a veteran home brewer, cicerone-certified beer server and judge. Together, they’ve created a chic and cozy spot with elevated bar bites and up to 30 rotating taps featuring craft beer, cider, mead and kombucha. Here’s just a taste.
THE VIBE: Open since January, BottleTaps is tucked into the new Vintage shopping center, between a CVS store and a luxury apartment complex — but it’s way cooler than that sounds. Inside, brick and copper accents give the dining room a warm, welcoming energy (friendly servers help with that, too) and there’s a patio with umbrellas and twinkly lights for gathering with fellow beer lovers.
THE DRINKS: You’ll find a steady rotation of all the NorCal faves, from Altamont Beer Works, Ghost Town Brewing, Laughing Monk and HenHouse Brewing to some delightful discoveries from Maine, Michigan and Los Angeles. Pours — of 4 to16 ounces — run $2-$10, depending on the fermented beverage. Want to build your own sampler? It’s easy to do with the provided tablet.
THE FOOD: Lunch offers a selection of tapas ($4-$6), sandwiches and larger bites ($10-$20) and shareable starters ($7-$20). Whether you’re dining alone or in a group, be sure to customize a charcuterie board from the selection of cheeses, meats and other nibbles. We loved the balsamic jam ($2.50) with Marin French brie ($6) and cracked black pepper pate ($5), and it paired perfectly with Social Kitchen’s Puttin’ on the Spritz, a refreshing extra brut IPA.
Like splitting your fare? Sandwich for Two ($20) is your jam: a massive Dutch crunch assemblage of smoked turkey breast, Black Forest ham and housemade pastrami covered in all the fixings, including a striking ghost pepper Monterey jack. Props to BottleTaps for offering single sliders, too. One housemade pastrami slider — topped with just-right sauerkraut — runs $4 and satisfies.
Dinner features the same dishes, along with a few heftier proteins, such as steak tartare with a quail egg ($8) and a half rack of ribs ($18) served with creamed corn. A pinnacle-of-summer gazpacho ($10) sounded promising, with its yellow watermelon, yellow tomato and yellow bell pepper, but the flavors didn’t come together. Mango added unnecessary sweetness, chimichurri lacked acid and the soup was pinkish-red, not yellow.
PERFECT FOR … A business lunch, summer patio dinner, guys’ night out, late-night bites
DETAILS: Open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, until 11 p.m. Thursdays and midnight Friday-Saturday at 3020 Bernal Ave., Suite 160, Pleasanton; http://bottletaps.com
