Well sobriety and bi polar are two separate issues commonly found together. Not unusual for a BP to self medicate with alcohol or other drugs.
I can't say that you would often find this behavior in the newly sober. Certainly they can be stand offish, and prickish at times.
What I can tell you is the behavior sounds very much like BP. I think you should be concerned about whether or not he is properly medicated, it doesn't sound like it. What you can do about it is another story - there isn't much - just like you can't make someone stop drinking.
BP is very controllable though it can take a while to find the right combos of drugs. Depakote is a really old medication used for BP. There are way better options now a days.