Albany Ale and Oyster

Bar, Eatery, Beer-to-go

281 New Scotland Ave
Albany, New York, 12208-3123
United States

(518) 487-4152 | map
albanyaleandoyster.com

Formerly The Beer Belly
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.53
Reviews:
12
Ratings:
21
pDev:
5.3%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by WunderLlama:
Photo of WunderLlama
Reviewed by WunderLlama from Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev -4.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
Read about the The Beer Belly on Beer Advocate. Asked the guy at the front desk of my hotel and had never heard of it. Took a chance.

Nice little joint, beers for sale in the front. Grabbed a booth and took a look at the menu. Plenty to choose from. Selected four samplers, 15% off, that we're all 4+ rated on BA. Great beer selection. They advertise the best Reuben in Albany. Very good sandwich, delicious , fresh and big.

I'll return and recommend you give it a try.
Feb 14, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of jmdrpi
Reviewed by jmdrpi from Pennsylvania

4.06/5  rDev -10.4%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.25
There is a small bottle shop in front, then a small bar, and some dining tables. Overall not a big place and on a Friday night there really wasn't any place to stand to wait for a table or seat at the bar. But the beer list is top notch.
Feb 17, 2018
Photo of DoctorZombies
Reviewed by DoctorZombies from Florida

4.7/5  rDev +3.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.5
Great tap selection of New York and regional handcraft beers. Great casual dining vibe and attentive wait staff. Bar seating as well as larger tables. Plenty of parking. Great food, although the lobster roll was a little peppery and over-dressed. Would gladly go again.
Jul 22, 2017
 
Rated: 4.9 by bigred89 from Maryland

Aug 28, 2016
 
Rated: 4.7 by timmy2b from New York

Jul 23, 2016
 
Rated: 4.83 by Beerjuice from New York

Jun 03, 2016
Photo of ProfessionalJ
Reviewed by ProfessionalJ from New York

4.88/5  rDev +7.7%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5
this place is the best! my only complaint is a couple times the beer menu was too sour heavy, otherwise top notch. always had great service and they have the best french dip in the world
Apr 08, 2016
 
Rated: 4.3 by Soloveitchik from New York

Mar 12, 2016
 
Rated: 4.59 by brentblack1 from New York

Feb 27, 2016
 
Rated: 4.19 by Uconnelmo from Connecticut

Nov 16, 2015
 
Rated: 4.2 by OnryAndMean from New York

Sep 22, 2015
Photo of BigRizz62
Reviewed by BigRizz62 from Maryland

4.75/5  rDev +4.9%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.75
The beer selection is great with over twenty beers on tap with a focus on New York beers. The food was great. Had oysters and their version of a lobster roll. Had one of their boards, which consisted of meats and cheeses. Nice presentation and taste. A must place to go
Sep 02, 2015
Photo of GreesyFizeek
Reviewed by GreesyFizeek from New York

4.73/5  rDev +4.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.75
Gotta be one the best beer bars I've ever been to.

The beer selection was admittedly as killer as can be when I went- they were having their Sour Solstice event, so I got to try Iris, St. Lam, and Mamouche. Nonetheless- the list always seems to be well curated and thoughtful, with the best beer available to Albany.

They definitely make sure the beer gets put into the correct glassware, and they have a lot of branded Tekus, which is my favorite glassware style.

The food menu is small, but tasty. The bresaola bites were to die for. Think mussels, pretzels, charcuterie, pickled stuff, small sandwiches, for the food menu.

Prices are a little high, but the quality is there, so it's ok.

As highly recommended as it gets.
Jun 24, 2015
Photo of AaronTyburski6
Reviewed by AaronTyburski6 from New York

4.48/5  rDev -1.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
This place kills it. Only downside is that the beers can get a little pricey. But you're not just paying for great beer, its the atmosphere as well.

Really impressed by beer selection, service and food. Even bought a Teku glass off of them ($12 is steep but why not, right?). Very cool spot, look forward to heading back.
Apr 20, 2015
Photo of Ljudsignal
Reviewed by Ljudsignal from Massachusetts

4.48/5  rDev -1.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.25
A real gem in the CR, even in its relative infancy. A small but clearly meticulously curated selection of bottles, an excellent draught list (with flight options and select growler fills), and great food to boot. (Try the Caprese!) My girlfriend and I were both pleasantly startled to find the server walking over at one point with two small free glasses of Bahnhof Berliner Weisse-- "because," as he explained it, "the keg was about to kick and it seemed a shame for it to go to waste." Really quite exceptional.
Apr 20, 2015
Photo of keenan41
Reviewed by keenan41 from New York

4.8/5  rDev +6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.25
Hands down the best selection in Albany. They get the high end stuff consistently on tap (handful of Hill Farmstead, Brother Soigne, Abraxas, Sump, multiple Bombs, lots of sours, to name a few) do bottle shares during the week, and recently implemented 15% off flights. This place is dangerous.
Apr 01, 2015
Photo of NJBeer265
Reviewed by NJBeer265 from New Jersey

4.54/5  rDev +0.2%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.5
Friend introduced me to this place when I came up to visit. Great selection of highly rated beers. Bomb was on tap and had bottles for sale up front. Good food on top.
Mar 29, 2015
 
Rated: 4.38 by Jlabs from New York

Mar 26, 2015
 
Rated: 4.54 by American_Hawk from Massachusetts

Mar 20, 2015
Photo of wapcap
Reviewed by wapcap from Nebraska

4.31/5  rDev -4.9%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.25
A pretty good place to check out when in Albany. At the front of the place they have a small selection of bottles to go.

The beer selection was good and featured several local options as well as several hard to find. Food was good.

Worth a trip when in Albany
Feb 27, 2015
Photo of vonnegut21
Reviewed by vonnegut21 from New York

4.5/5  rDev -0.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
Though it's been open less than a week as I write this, the Beer Belly has already established itself as the top craft beer stop in Albany. The tap list is well curated, with an excellent mix of styles. The bottle selection is excellent and ever-growing. The focus is decidedly on beer, not on food, but the relatively small menu has several excellent selections. The Reuben is one of the best in town and the 281 board is a fantastic value for the amount and quality of charcuterie and cheese you're given.

The Beer Belly has joined the Bier Abbey and the Ruck as a must-visit beer spot in the Capital Region.
Nov 18, 2014
Albany Ale and Oyster in Albany, NY
Place rating: 4.53 out of 5 with 21 ratings