# Melbourne Home Brew Shops



## francismcphail (18/10/06)

Hi guys I've over the last six months started getting into home brewing with some good and some bad. (It's all a learning experience.)

I've been going to a local home brew shop in Boronia, (The Brewers Den) and have continually got great service, and advise. I've also been over to BrewCraft in South Oakleigh once.. (I'll leave that at the point and go no further.)

I'm wondering in the eastern suburbs what else is around in relation to the home brew / craft brewing supply / shop front. 

I've yet to take a trip to G&G in Yarraville, though that is on the cards, and Ive also found a small shop in Rye. (Magik Home Brew I think was the name.)

Though I'm happy with and will to continue to go over to The Brewers Den, I'd really like to know what other places you guys deal with.

Cheers!


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## danbeer (18/10/06)

Francis McPhail said:


> Hi guys I've over the last six months started getting into home brewing with some good and some bad. (It's all a learning experience.)
> 
> I've been going to a local home brew shop in Boronia, (The Brewers Den) and have continually got great service, and advise. I've also been over to BrewCraft in South Oakleigh once.. (I'll leave that at the point and go no further.)
> 
> ...



Interestingly, I have not shared your experience with the brewers den. Altho i suspect the bloke is just used to giving K&K advice - got told off for wanting to put malt in ginger beer (a no-no apparently), and hops can't be used anywhere exept in the boil...
:blink: 


Make the trip over to G&G.
It's a fair trip from the eastern 'burbs, but worth it. - and with their high turnover you're also more likely to get fresher ingredients as well.


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## voytekl (18/10/06)

Funny you posted that I just jumped on here with a very similar question in mind... :blink: 

I'm more inner north so not sure how useful this is to you, but i've been using a place by the name of wineequip
sydney rd coburg. Not a bad joint with decent prices, has the basics covered and pretty good for equipment, but nothing too flash in terms of ingredients. Very much just a quick and handy type thing - but hey it might help. 

There used to be a place near the vic market too which i've been meaning to swing past - can't even remember the name - but not sure if it still exists or how good it is. I just remember getting a bit of a hard sell (ie stuff i didn't need but was too stupid to realise at the time), so haven't been running back.... :angry: 

My biggy at the moment is trying to suss out a place to get whitelabs yeast from in melbourne without having to pay the shipping? Anyone know? As far as I can work out, just about everything I need is covered between my lhbs and G&G except that...

good luck with the eastern brewing... :super:


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## James Squire (19/10/06)

cowfacedman said:


> My biggy at the moment is trying to suss out a place to get whitelabs yeast from in melbourne without having to pay the shipping? Anyone know? As far as I can work out, just about everything I need is covered between my lhbs and G&G except that...



Hey cowfacedman,

Try the mashmaster link at the top of this thread. Brizzy can sort you out and deliver to your door for a good price.

Cheers,

JS


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## therook (19/10/06)

or likewise use CraftBrewer, i placed an order with Ross and he was only to happy to help me out.

rook


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## DarkFaerytale (19/10/06)

i go to brew and grow in chelsea on napean hwy, one of the guys there is nice, one of the other guys is a bit of a toss, i only go there for dried yeast and i like there extracts, they usually have a decent supply of hops also, they sell grain but have no mill :blink: so i get all my grain from Grumpys in adelaide. i'v been to brewcraft also, hate the place always trying to sell you stuff you don't want or need but there good if i need a small amount of grain quickly, to bad i have to pay double for it. i'v been meaning to make the trip to grain and grape also i would love to see one of there brew lessons but i'm the same as you a bit far out in keysborough

-Phill


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## fifteenbeerslater (19/10/06)

I have always found Peter at The Brewers Den to be very helpfull, he has a lot of knowledge from kits,ag,kegging etc. Never had any problems-GOOD BLOKE.

I believe there is new Shop/Factory in Knoxfield called Allbrew phone: 97649547, never been there, give them a try and let us know.
Cheers 15BL :beer:


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## James Squire (19/10/06)

Hi, I also shop at Brewers Den. Quite happy to recommend them.

I have been to Allbrew in Knoxfield that 15BL speaks of, they are mainly focused on the wine making industry. They do have some kits + bits stuff like the wetpak range but grain-wise it is limited to pre-cracked, pre-bagged grains that are just stored on the shelf. Liquid yeasts were out of date by months and as it is mainly focused on the wine, the beer brewing knowledge is limited. This is just my experience though and hopefully once they are a bit more established they can work on the beer brewing focus. 

Cheers,

JS


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## berazafi (19/10/06)

There are only 2 shops in melbourne that i would go to if you AG brew, they are Greensbourough homebrewing and Grain and Grape, I dont want to be going to a shop and getting advise on brewing from a guy that doesnt AG brew himself. 

Grain and Grape also offer a flat shipping rate in melbourne of aprox $7 for 25Kg or less

No affil of either of these stores


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## DarkFaerytale (19/10/06)

berazafi said:


> There are only 2 shops in melbourne that i would go to if you AG brew, they are Greensbourough homebrewing and Grain and Grape, I dont want to be going to a shop and getting advise on brewing from a guy that doesnt AG brew himself.
> 
> Grain and Grape also offer a flat shipping rate in melbourne of aprox $7 for 25Kg or less
> 
> No affil of either of these stores




thank you berazafi, didn't know G&G dilevered, obviously havn't looked at the site properly, i might give them a try next time

-Phill


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## warrenlw63 (19/10/06)

cowfacedman said:


> My biggy at the moment is trying to suss out a place to get whitelabs yeast from in melbourne without having to pay the shipping? Anyone know? As far as I can work out, just about everything I need is covered between my lhbs and G&G except that...
> 
> good luck with the eastern brewing... :super:



Cowfacedman.

Not trying to dissaude you by any means but may I ask why you're so firmly set on getting Whitelabs yeast? Wyeast have an equivalent for virtually every Whitelabs strain and are easy enough to source in Melbourne, combined with the fact that XL smackpacks contain a higher pitching ratio. In fact Grain and Grape carry virtually every strain you could ask for now. If not they'll order it in for you pronto.  

No affiliation just a happy long-term customer.  

Warren -


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## chimera (19/10/06)

Brewcraft - my experience is they are good for K&K brewing. Good range of the 1.7Kg cans for a base, saf dried yeasts, reasonable range of dried pellet hops, prices set a reasonable benchmark.

For advice on what or how to brew some of the people who work ay my local are good for a yak. In reality, everybodys brewing methods differ, everybodys tastes differ, and experience is something learned with practise. Things you may learn listening to their cash-register chit chat are nothing compared to a few hours reading these forums - which is the reason we're all here anyway.


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## berazafi (19/10/06)

Chimera said:


> Brewcraft - my experience is they are good for K&K brewing. Good range of the 1.7Kg cans for a base, saf dried yeasts, reasonable range of dried pellet hops, prices set a reasonable benchmark.
> 
> For advice on what or how to brew some of the people who work ay my local are good for a yak. In reality, everybodys brewing methods differ, everybodys tastes differ, and experience is something learned with practise. Things you may learn listening to their cash-register chit chat are nothing compared to a few hours reading these forums - which is the reason we're all here anyway.



Personally brewcraft is not the type of store I wish to support, they try and stop brewers from improving just to sell there own product. 

I think if you were to do a poll on this site about hbs you would find very little to no support for the brewcraft model of hbs


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## chimera (19/10/06)

They try to stop brewers from improving?
How can they do that?
They're a shop, you go buy stuff, then you go home and make what you will from it.


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## StuBear (19/10/06)

Haven't been there yet, but there is a HBS in Narre Warren

Narre Brew
4/6 Rebound Crt
Narre Warren

Also there is small Brew & Grow shop in South Oakleigh on the corner of Center and Warrigal Roads (round the corner from the Piano Shop). Some of the stock looks like it's been there a while but the staff are very friendly and helpful (although one of the them doesn't believe there is such a thing as "no-rinse" sanitisers and recommends just using their brew-chlor -combo detergent and chlorine bleach)

Brewcraft has a good suply of K&K stuff, but they are about 10-20% above the prices I see online or in other shops. They want $19 dollars for a hydrometer that G&G sell for $13.50

Stu


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## James Squire (19/10/06)

They try to stop brewers from improving? Yep! Sure do!
How can they do that? By ranting on about their quality kits and "brew improvers!" and talking about AG like its all just a lot of fuss for nothing!
They're a shop, you go buy stuff, then you go home and make what you will from it. There's less money for them to make from selling grain and hops so they try to hold brewers back by flogging them one of their own over-priced kits and booster packs...

Just my 2c of experience with them....

JS


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## berazafi (19/10/06)

James Squire said:


> They try to stop brewers from improving? Yep! Sure do!
> How can they do that? By ranting on about their quality kits and "brew improvers!" and talking about AG like its all just a lot of fuss for nothing!
> They're a shop, you go buy stuff, then you go home and make what you will from it. There's less money for them to make from selling grain and hops so they try to hold brewers back by flogging them one of their own over-priced kits and booster packs...
> 
> ...





What he said :super:


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## mikem108 (19/10/06)

Sample brewcraft response to AG "oh your one of those" then Shop guy quickly looses interest and goes back to reading his newspaper while I scour the shelves for something usable that looks fresh


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## ArnieW (19/10/06)

James Squire said:


> They try to stop brewers from improving? Yep! Sure do!
> How can they do that? By ranting on about their quality kits and "brew improvers!" and talking about AG like its all just a lot of fuss for nothing!
> They're a shop, you go buy stuff, then you go home and make what you will from it. There's less money for them to make from selling grain and hops so they try to hold brewers back by flogging them one of their own over-priced kits and booster packs...
> 
> ...


Obviously it's horses for courses. Brewcraft have found a viable niche and good luck to them. If you want to make a decent k+k, then Brewcraft are probably the goods. My last abode in Melbourne had the Heidelberg Brewcraft shop as closest brew shop; My new home in Melb has the Oakleigh Brewcraft shop as closest brew shop - must be some kind of cosmic conspiracy. :blink: 

Anyway, the Heidelberg fella went out of his way to tell me that AG was not worth the effort - he'd tried it but the stuff they sell was obviously the way to go. This was before the internet opened up a whole world of otehr opinion, for which I'm grateful.

Now, thanks to their delivery service, Grain and Grape are my local brewshop (despite still living in Oakleigh). I occasionally go to the Brewcraft shop if I have an emergency, but G&G I would recommend without hesitation. Even though they are about 40 mins away, I actually get to G&G more often than the local. For anyone who is wondering, they are certainly worth the visit, especially so now that they stock 150 different quality micro beers. :beerbang: 

No affiliation, just a very satisfied customer, one who shares their passion for making good beer and improving the skills of anyone (k+k or grainers).

Arnie


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## ArnieW (19/10/06)

ArnieW said:


> Obviously it's horses for courses. Brewcraft have found a viable niche and good luck to them. If you want to make a decent k+k, then Brewcraft are probably the goods. My last abode in Melbourne had the Heidelberg Brewcraft shop as closest brew shop; My new home in Melb has the Oakleigh Brewcraft shop as closest brew shop - must be some kind of cosmic conspiracy. :blink:
> 
> Anyway, the Heidelberg fella went out of his way to tell me that AG was not worth the effort - he'd tried it but the stuff they sell was obviously the way to go. This was before the internet opened up a whole world of otehr opinion, for which I'm grateful.
> 
> ...


PS. I should have added that I still visit G&G even though I might accidentally bump into Warren there


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## chimera (19/10/06)

Shock horror - a shop trying to sell their product!

The two gripes i have is that nowhere can you find out what the proportions/contents of their brew enhancers are, and they dont stock idophor.

As for asking about AG brewing - i never got any negative blowback.
The woman said it was a choice they made to keep away from AG brewing and stick to selling cans, she even mentioned G&G and gave me some rough directions on where there shop (was) in Canterbury Rd

If you think some shop selling their cans is holding back people from brewing AG then you're being hypercritical. If someone wants to make top beer they will look for other resources they can find, which will soon lead them to books like Palmer, Papazian, forums like this one where they can learn to take their hobby as far as they feel the urge.

Im in no mood to defend BC anymore, like em or not, they've never rubbed me the wrong way


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## Wardhog (19/10/06)

+1 for Greensborough Home Brewing Supplies. Was planning my first extract brew when I happened to mention tasting LCPA for the first time really liking it. 
The guy there (Dave?) instantly reeled off the modifications necessary to my plans to transform my English bitter into something resembling LCPA, and was extremely helpful without prompting.
By the end of the conversation, he'd even invited me to one of his brew sessions so I could see an AG in action.

Excellent customer service.


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## Jerry (19/10/06)

I'II also give a vote to Dave at Greensborough Homebrewing. Good range of products (that he's improving all the time), good prices, very helpful and is always up for a chat. :beer:

I haven't been to G&G yet (bit too far away) but its probably the only other HBS I'd go to. Tried one in Boronia about 8 years ago. Wasn't that happy so didn't go back for a while. Went back about 18 months ago when I got serious with my brewing again. Wont be going back again......................................EVER! :angry:

Scott


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## warrenlw63 (19/10/06)

Wardhog said:


> By the end of the conversation, he'd even invited me to one of his brew sessions so I could see an AG in action.
> 
> Excellent customer service.



:lol: You should have went there when Paul Bowlen used to run it. You'd walk in and ask a question about some hops and walk out 3 hours later with about twice the amount of hops you paid for, he's really a top bloke. IIRC he's still doing partial mash demos once a month at G&G these days.  

I can remember walking in once and asking him about mashing equipment and if he sold it. Paul was is a very accomplished A/G brewer. As it turned out he sold no A/G equipment but had plenty of spare HDPE white plastic buckets which he basically gave to me free of charge with detailed instructions on how to make a mash/lauter tun with them. Those buckets were instrumental in about my first 20 AG beers. :beerbang: 

Good old days. :lol: 

Warren -


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## Bigfella (19/10/06)

I have been going to Greensborough for the last couple of years. The shop is a bit rough but Dave sure makes up for it with his service, I usually loose a couple of hours when I go there. Sittin chatin like old mates over a home-brew.


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## Fents (19/10/06)

Dave @ Greensborough is an absolute legend. I've been going there for 3 or 4 years. First time i went there Paul still owned it but then Dave brought the shop. Dave sold me my first K&K and my Kegging system...Helped me make my first Partial and has now set me up for AG. Always up for a chat, helping with my recipes, and i too loose about 2-3 hours chatting over a coldie. I live just around the corner too so its great. Tried Brew Craft Heidelberg once or twice but didnt like the service.

Greensborough Home Brewing Supplies
22 Louis Street

Greensborough, VIC, 3088

Phone 9432 0283


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## voytekl (19/10/06)

warrenlw63 said:


> Cowfacedman.
> 
> Not trying to dissaude you by any means but may I ask why you're so firmly set on getting Whitelabs yeast? Wyeast have an equivalent for virtually every Whitelabs strain and are easy enough to source in Melbourne, combined with the fact that XL smackpacks contain a higher pitching ratio. In fact Grain and Grape carry virtually every strain you could ask for now. If not they'll order it in for you pronto.
> 
> ...



mostly out of laziness and paranoia. h34r: What i've just started doing is taking a little bit out of the tube and stepping that up and putting the whole tube back in the fridge hopefully uncontaminated. I think that's probably better than mucking around with stepping up a whole bunch or using cake and trying to store it myself, and having constant fear of infection.... and the tubes are good for reuse.

that said, given i'm getting a heap of batches out of one tube, i guess worrying about a few bucks postage is a bit on the tight side


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## lucas (19/10/06)

I've recently decided on Greensborough to be my local. I'm sort of midway between a few hbs shops and have been alternating between them, but Dave comes across as the most genuine brew shop owner i've met. I actually thought most people would probably be going elsewhere because the shop is nothing flash, but it seems that many others arent fussed about that sort of thing either. 

I really like grain and grape as well, they have such a lovely range of shiny things to oogle but it is a fair hike from home.


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## NRB (19/10/06)

Oakleigh's close to work, nothing's close to home. I always visit G&G for my supplies. It's a long way, but it's worth it.

I've never been to GHBS, but have heard other good reports outside this thread.


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## ldleon (19/10/06)

Francis McPhail said:


> I've been going to a local home brew shop in Boronia, (The Brewers Den) and have continually got great service, and advise. I've also been over to BrewCraft in South Oakleigh once.. (I'll leave that at the point and go no further.)
> 
> Though I'm happy with and will to continue to go over to The Brewers Den, I'd really like to know what other places you guys deal with.
> 
> Cheers!



Francis, the brewer's den is my local too, and they're pretty helpful but they do have pretty definite ideas about what's right and wrong, like when they insisted that glass bottles are the only way to go because PET is porous and beer can't be stored in them long term but if you can store other carbonated beverages in them then why not beer and like my beer is going to last that long anyway...

However, I'm sticking with them because there really aren't that many HBSs around this area and they have all the supplies you need, but just double-check any advice they give you because they're helpful but pretty conservative with their ideas.

Daz


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## bhami (22/4/09)

I normally go to G&G as they have the best range that I know of for the AG brewer. They can be a bit expensive on some items but the advice is normally first class.

If you are looking for other stores then you could look them up here:
http://pint.com.au/links/homebrewshops/victoria/

We compiled this list from a range of sources including our own knowledge, the yellow pages and google.

Cheers
Ben


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## mr_tyreman (23/4/09)

Sam at Grain And Grape has been a life saver for me, I highly reccomend him for a chat if your unsure on anything


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## Yob (6/7/11)

I was going to post something and dug this one up, it's old but better than a new topic.

Having recently moved to the Eastern Burbs I thought I would go and check out the LHBS, I wanted some Notto and some Windsor Yeast. The nice lady told me that they hadnt stocked Notto for years but they had Windsor.. cool thinks I, made the decision of which yeast to go for for the dark ale in the planning.. erm..

she came out with a 7g packet of vac packed something... never seen windsor in a 7g silver plain packet before so told her not to worry about it... suspect was my gut feel so jeft with 5kg of dex and 5kg LDME and probably something else..

but no yeast.. went into richmond (on other buisness) and stocked up there on both.

just my experience with the store, I will continue to get fermentables there but I will get my yeast elsewhere, 

I didnt admittedly ask about smack packs, will do next time

Yob


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