# New Sydney Inner West brew shop opening



## Yeastfridge (12/1/14)

Anyone heard about The Hop and Grain on Enmore Road in Enmore/Newtown?

There's no info on their website yet, "coming soon"...

I have no affiliation with them, a friend pointed it out to me because we knew the old tenants of the shop they're in.

It'd be great to cut down my trips from the LHBS from 40 minutes to 5-10 but I guess it'll be a matter of what they've got and how much they're charging, I've only been going to the same shop for about 2 years but I already feel a bit guilty just thinking about it. Regardless of whether they become my new local or not, always nice to have more people spreading good beer and talking yeast.

Know anything?


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## mattfos01 (12/1/14)

I just got rather excited.....


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## eloschgimpel (13/1/14)

Here's hoping they'll have a decent selection of fresh liquid yeast.
That alone would make me a very happy customer


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## fletcher (13/1/14)

i'm excited. please let a brew shop be that close!


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## Phoney (13/1/14)

eloschgimpel said:


> Here's hoping they'll have a decent selection of fresh liquid yeast.
> That alone would make me a very happy customer


+1

Add specialty grain and c02 bottle swaps and I may never have to shop elsewhere (in OZ) again.


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## JDW81 (13/1/14)

eloschgimpel said:


> Here's hoping they'll have a decent selection of fresh liquid yeast.
> That alone would make me a very happy customer


Surely if there are enough brewers in the area, it would be worth their while to get in some decent stuff (liquid yeast, grains etc). I'm sure if a few people went in requesting 1056 they'd get it in pretty quick (if they didn't already have it).

JD.


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## eloschgimpel (13/1/14)

Excellent, this reaction is kinda what I was hoping for here 
So let this thread serve as our petition to Hop & Grain to please stock the things that really make a good LHBS:

Fresh yeast
Specialty grain
Gas supply

Very excited about the place. A huge thanks to the owner(s) for bringing back a brew shop to the Inner West.


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## tiprya (14/1/14)

Yep, I will definitely be interested in what they stock, particularly liquid yeast and spec grain. Co2 would be a bonus.


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## thehopandgrain (14/1/14)

Hi Guys - Sam at The Hop + Grain here.

Just saw this thread today and thought I might jump in and hopefully provide some answers to questions.



Yeastfridge said:


> It'd be great to cut down my trips from the LHBS from 40 minutes to 5-10 but I guess it'll be a matter of what they've got and how much they're charging, I've only been going to the same shop for about 2 years but I already feel a bit guilty just thinking about it. Regardless of whether they become my new local or not, always nice to have more people spreading good beer and talking yeast.


Part of our motivation in opening the store is that we're homebrewers ourselves and found it to be a hassle to have to drive out 45 minutes or more to the nearest LHBS, or have to order online well in advance of brew day. We figured there'd be other brewers in the same boat who could benefit from a LHBS in the inner west, and home brewing is going through a renaissance right now - so here we are.



eloschgimpel said:


> Here's hoping they'll have a decent selection of fresh liquid yeast.
> That alone would make me a very happy customer





phoneyhuh said:


> +1
> 
> Add specialty grain and c02 bottle swaps and I may never have to shop elsewhere (in OZ) again.





eloschgimpel said:


> So let this thread serve as our petition to Hop & Grain to please stock the things that really make a good LHBS:
> 
> Fresh yeast
> Specialty grain
> ...



We've got a focus on all-grain brewing and we will definitely stock specialty grain - we have a fair few joe white varieties on the way and we'll be continuing to expand our range once we're open. We'll also have a decent selection of hops pellets and flowers.

We're actually working on a liquid yeast order at the moment, looking at both Wyeast and Whitelabs, but what we stock will depend on who comes through with the best varieties and prices - liquid yeasts are notoriously difficult source effectively, and we want to be able to pass on a good price to you and not have to charge excessively just to break even. We will of course have a full range of decent quality dry yeasts from brands like fermentis (saflager, safale, safbrew).

Regarding gas cylinder exchange, we'll certainly look into it - we had planned on selling fully charged cylinders as we'll have a range of kegging equipment, but we'll look into offering a swap'n'go style system which would obviously be very convenient.

If there's anything specific you guys would love to see stocked let us know, we're happy to take feedback from the community and we want to provide as good a range as possible - plus we're still ordering stock now, so if there's interest in anything in particular, I'll make sure we have it when we open 

Ultimately our goal is to support a great inner-west brewing community, so we're also planning on playing host to meetups and possibly even special events/talks by brewing experts - our theory is that you can get good information on the internet, but there's something great about being able to chat with other brewers over a beer or two.

With all that in mind, feel free to drop in, even if it's just for a chat, once we're up and running - which should be by the end of the month, or if you see us working away while we're setting up and stocking - say g'day!

Cheers, Sam.


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## eloschgimpel (15/1/14)

Thanks Sam, just got even more excited about you opening soon


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## Yeastfridge (17/1/14)

Thanks Sam!

I'm back from a stint working overseas start of next month and will definitely be bothering you regularly after that.


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## Bribie G (17/1/14)

Not just for locals, whenever I'm in Sydney I head for Newtown / Enmore, being a hipster .... and would be great to pick up some liquid yeast, hops etc to slip into my man bag.  I'll need to look for an insulated model.

Edit: Sam, you'd benefit from getting a "Retailer" tag on the forum then you can announce stuff in the Retail section


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## fletcher (17/1/14)

thanks for the update Sam. that's awesome news mate. you guys are my new local local home brew shop


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## JDW81 (17/1/14)

Bribie G said:


> Not just for locals, whenever I'm in Sydney I head for Newtown / Enmore, being a hipster .... and would be great to pick up some liquid yeast, hops etc to slip into my man bag.  I'll need to look for an insulated model.
> 
> Edit: Sam, you'd benefit from getting a "Retailer" tag on the forum then you can announce stuff in the Retail section



I always had my suspicions About your hipster status Bribie. I can see you riding down king street on a fixie and drinking your beer out of glass jars.


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## thehopandgrain (17/1/14)

Hey Guys, thanks for the great response.

Yeastfridge, it will be a pleasure to be bothered by you. Bribie, we're definitely hipster friendly, don't worry, you're welcome to park your fixie at the shop when you come for a visit.

Can I take a quick poll "by the people, for the people"?

Firstly with those fresh yeasts, what's your preference - do you guys prefer Wyeast or Whitelabs? I'm a big fan of Wyeast because of the smack-pack packaging which lets you know really quick if the yeast is viable, plus it's light tight which just seems like a better way to package yeast all round. I'm erring on the side of getting in mainly Wyeast, and perhaps if there's any demand for it getting in some Whitelabs down the track - but I could go the other way.

The next question is CO2 refills. I've had a chat with Mykegsonlegs, and I think we'll be able to operate a really good swap-and-go system with them. If you come in for a refill and have a Mykegsonlegs cylinder (or want to buy one from us), we'd do an instant swap over, cylinders are serviced, maintained and pressure tested. If you have another brand of cylinder then we could still refill it for you, but we'd have to hold onto your cylinder until our filler comes by and refills it for you - we'd then call and let you know that's it's been refilled and is ready for pickup.

Would this arrangement work for any of you? What brands of CO2 cylinder do you use (and what size)? If say there's a fair few people using keg king cylinders, it might warrant us keeping some filled in our own stock to provide the same swap over functionality. What it all comes down to is that it's quite difficult for us to offer on premises refills due to the cost and size of the equipment required, and we're trying to find a refill partner to make this as easy and cost effective as possible for you.

Love to hear your feedback, thanks guys!

- Sam.


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## jimmyjackpot (17/1/14)

Whitelabs would be my yeast choice. Both brands would be awesome if you can do it. 

Kegking swap and go for CO2 would be my preference. Leaving a bottle for a few days to be refilled would not appeal to me.


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## fletcher (18/1/14)

thehopandgrain said:


> Hey Guys, thanks for the great response.
> 
> Yeastfridge, it will be a pleasure to be bothered by you. Bribie, we're definitely hipster friendly, don't worry, you're welcome to park your fixie at the shop when you come for a visit.
> 
> ...


hey sam. i'd vote wyeast only because there is no other brew shop i know in sydney that sells them so you'd have the margin. unless i'm completely mistaken.

i don't have feedback on c02 as i don't keg yet


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## Yeastfridge (18/1/14)

Only used White Labs but that's because it's what my brew shop has, I'd definitely try Wyeast. It seems like they have a lot of the same main strains, just different speciality yeasts.


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## HalfWit (18/1/14)

Hi, I'll be passing through the area on my way home from work so very handy. +1 for Wyeast.


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## joshF (18/1/14)

Yet to use wyeast only white labs but would certainly see what all the rave is about


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## NewtownClown (18/1/14)

Swap'n'go KegKing Co2 for me. Don't see why you can't do both... 
White Labs AND Wyeast, if you can only supply one, please don't make me choose, I'll accept whichever way it goes


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## MCHammo (18/1/14)

I don't see much of a point in stocking both whitelabs and wyeast. Unless you can shift both brands quick enough to keep fresh yeast from each on the shelves, you're shooting yourself in the foot a bit. Nobody wants 3 month out of date yeast (unless they're building up a few starters). My local stocks whitelabs, and I am happy with their offerings. It wouldn't make much of a difference to me at all if they suddenly switched to wyeast. From what I can tell, they have very similar offerings along most of their range.

The KegKing swap and go system seems to be very popular (but MyKegsOnLegs may well be too). I'm not kegging (yet), so I'm not familiar with all the options out there. It might be worth trying to find out what system most keggers in your area currently use. Blending in seamlessly would be the best bet (if at all possible).

I'm not local to Enmore itself, but I may come and have a look sometime anyway. I've referred on a few homebrewers who are in your area, and they seem pretty keen. One or two of them are still at kit or extract stage in their brewing. Will you have much in the way of kits and extracts for them?


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## tonyt (18/1/14)

Co 2 keg king swap for me, I'm only using dry yeast ATM. where exactly in enmore are you. I grew up around those woods. Remember a couple of busted knees playing league in enmore park. Is it down that end or up near Edgeware rd?

Cheers


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## thehopandgrain (18/1/14)

MCHammo - Yeah that's my main concern, if we overstock on Yeast varieties we'll end up with a lot going out of date if they don't move. You're right in that the do have very similar offerings and there are conversion charts around that provide a Wyeast/Whitelabs equivalent.

TonyT - we're right near Enmore Park, just a bit further up Enmore Rd towards Newtown. It's 263 Enmore Rd, although we're not open just yet we should be ready to roll by the end of Jan.

As Keg King seems so popular I'll make sure we have a good arrangement to do Keg King cylinders for swap-overs.

Cheers guys!


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## piraterum (18/1/14)

Great to see another homebrew shop in Sydney, particularly the Inner West!

For years i've had to travel to Peakhurst or North Sydney to get basic supplies and order online to get bits and pieces. I've been dying for a local shop where I can walk in and buy everything in one go.

+1 Wyeast

I've used both White Labs and Wyeast and I much prefer the Wyeast smack packs.


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## neonmeate (20/1/14)

hooray bout time we had a shop round here. i can get coffee from coffee alchemy and brew supplies from you in one fell swoop. i'll be a customer for sure. unless you're as ridiculously expensive as my closest lhbs in north sydney - usually works out much cheaper to order everything from queensland.... happy to pay a little bit more for convenience but within reason...

hoping you'll have weyermann and fawcetts everything.


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## tiprya (20/1/14)

Another keg king CO2 owner here.

Would prefer wyeast as these are harder to get locally.


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## NewtownClown (20/1/14)

MCHammo said:


> I don't see much of a point in stocking both whitelabs and wyeast. Unless you can shift both brands quick enough to keep fresh yeast from each on the shelves


So, you _do _see a point in stocking both_, _If you can shift it, stock it_. _


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## MetalRooster (20/1/14)

+1 for Wyeast


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## davedoran (20/1/14)

+1 for Wyeast for me too.


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## razshan (20/1/14)

Yeah really stoked that you guys will be opening up.

Only being new to the home brew game I'll be keen to pick your brains for knowledge, and hit your shop up for supplies.

I would be interested in a gas refill system and would have no problems leaving the tank there for a few days.


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## eloschgimpel (20/1/14)

And another KegKing (6kg) user here, so +1 on that.

As yeast goes I'd say the same, White Labs is already available in Sydney, if with a bit of a drive or using express post and hoping for a coolish day.
I've used both and agree that the smack pack's a nice way to tell if the yeast still has any decent stamina to perform 
And if somewhere down the line you can complete the spectrum by adding the handful of White Labs specialties, things like their multi strain blends, or could get those in on special order, all the better.

Side note: You can find a good comparison chart between the two labs and their corresponding strains over at mrmalty.com

Oh yeah, as malt goes I'd agree with neonmeate, +1 for Weyermann, then TF

Glad you're choosing the "by the people, for the people" approach. Cheers!


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## BeerNess (20/1/14)

Just a couple of quick shots from the peanut gallery, what about filling co2 in store instead of swap & go? I'd hate to need a fill but have to wait if you didn't have the same brand and size straight away. 
For yeast Sydney seems to have a few WL suppliers already, Wyeast primary shelf stock but then maybe offer special ordering of WL strains... I'm a fan of Wyeast UK, Belgian and sour strains, but hear many comments about WL us strains been better? Would love to try them some time but it's all Wyeast up here in Newcastle .


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## /// (20/1/14)

Hi Mate

Best of luck, must say that being around this gig since 1993, there is no renaissance, it has only been growth from years before.

Just down the road at Alex with a brewery install and will be a WL site. Contact us any time.

Scotty


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## thehopandgrain (20/1/14)

razshan, sounds great, I'm always happy for my brain to be picked. If I don't know the answer to a question I'll straight up admit that, but I'll help you figure out the right answer anyway!

eloschgimpel, no worries, we'll have some kegking 6kg cylinders for swapping. I'm also working on getting in Weyermann and Thomas Fawcett malts - although they might take a little longer. We're going to set up with a good selection of Wyeast, and we'd be able to special order in Whitelabs strains as needed. I'd seen that chart over at mrmalty - solid effort they made in putting it together. Figuring out which strains I need to order in straight away is good fun, just reading through their range is making me thirsty, I think I'll be putting on a saison with 3711 pretty soon. Glad you like the approach, I figure it's best to be transparent and try to get people what they want!

BeerNess, I hear you re: refills, at this point it's probably going to be prohibitively expensive/difficult for us to set up a refill station, but we'll see how we go with the swap overs and if the demand is there for on the spot refills we'd certainly consider it.

///Scotty, you're right, renaissance is probably the wrong word, but the interest in decent beer is still growing as it has been for years now and with it comes a wider interest in homebrew - I think it's brilliant.


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## jaypes (21/1/14)

Whats not to love about a new brew shop opening in Sydney?


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## NewtownClown (21/1/14)

jaypes said:


> Whats not to love about a new brew shop opening in Sydney?


 The fact it is not open NOW?


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## mckenry (22/1/14)

Can you get oxygen bottles too please? These ones 

I imagine there will be a fair turnover of them, reading about the rates of usage per brew.


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## eloschgimpel (28/1/14)

mckenry said:


> Can you get oxygen bottles too please? These ones
> 
> I imagine there will be a fair turnover of them, reading about the rates of usage per brew.
> 
> ...


You get those (or compatible 136g O2 cylinders) at any Bunnings.
And probably at a cheaper price than it would be worth stocking for a small home brew shop (compared to the Big Green Shed  )

http://www.bunnings.com.au/bromic-136g-oxygen-cylinder-_p5910220


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## fletcher (29/1/14)

any updates on open date yet?


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## NewtownClown (30/1/14)

fletcher said:


> any updates on open date yet?


Yes


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## fletcher (30/1/14)

aah this saturday i see...and i'm working


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## thehopandgrain (30/1/14)

That's right, we'll be open for business this Saturday. As we're still setting up, we won't have absolutely everything in stock just yet, but come pay us a visit, and if there's anything you like to buy that we don't have let us know and we'll try to get it in stock.

McKenry, As for those O2 cylinders, I agree with eloschgimpel - Bunnings is probably doing them at a better price than we would be able to, but regardless I'll have a look into it and see what kind of a price I could do if I got them in.


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## Phoney (30/1/14)

Any idea when you'll be ready for c02 bottle swaps? I'm running dangerously low, dunno how much longer she'll last.


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## HalfWit (30/1/14)

Will you have any ginger beer kits on Saturday? What time are you closing?


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## dicko (31/1/14)

Hi thehopsandgrain,

Please read you PM's re Retailer Status on this forum

Cheers


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## mckenry (31/1/14)

eloschgimpel said:


> You get those (or compatible 136g O2 cylinders) at any Bunnings.
> And probably at a cheaper price than it would be worth stocking for a small home brew shop (compared to the Big Green Shed  )
> 
> http://www.bunnings.com.au/bromic-136g-oxygen-cylinder-_p5910220





thehopandgrain said:


> That's right, we'll be open for business this Saturday. As we're still setting up, we won't have absolutely everything in stock just yet, but come pay us a visit, and if there's anything you like to buy that we don't have let us know and we'll try to get it in stock.
> 
> McKenry, As for those O2 cylinders, I agree with eloschgimpel - Bunnings is probably doing them at a better price than we would be able to, but regardless I'll have a look into it and see what kind of a price I could do if I got them in.


Bunnings does a Bromic cylinder. These are Oxyturbo and according to MHB, have a unique thread and therefore I wont be able to fit my reg to the Bunnings bottle. His post here.
Happy to hear from anyone who has bought MHB's wort aeration kit that can get replacement o2 from Bunnings.


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## thehopandgrain (31/1/14)

phoneyhuh - We will have Keg King 6.0kg, MKOL 6.8kg and MKOL 2.3kg this Saturday!

HalfWit - we do have one type of ginger beer kit in - the copper tun/brewcraft kit. If you haven't tried it yet give it a go, or if you have a favourite brand let me know and I'll try to stock them.

dicko - thanks for that, will check out the PM.


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## thehopandgrain (1/2/14)

Hi Guys, A bit of an update on our stock levels today. Full disclosure: we've had two deliveries delayed in the last day. Which included most of our all grain equipment, our malt mill and kegging equipment.

What we do have are kit beers, fermentables (dextrose, liquid and dry malt extracts), some wyeasts and fermentis dry yeasts, hops and bottling equipment.

All the all grain equipment like boilers, chillers, BIAB stuff, filters, aeration kits, and kegging equipment like keg king CO2, taps, disconnects, etc will come after the weekend. We will still be open today, but unfortunately we don't have nearly as much in stock as we should.

Just wanted to post it here, so no one makes a trek to get something they need and then not be able to find it. If you want to find out if we have something in stock, you can call us on 02 9516 3008. If you just want to say hello, pop in anyway, and if we don't have something in stock, we're happy to order it in for you at a discount for your trouble!


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## NewtownClown (1/2/14)

I was chuffed to be their first customer then highly embarrassed when my card was declined due to me not correctly transferring funds to my transaction account yesterday :blush: . Raced home to rectify my stuff up then back to Hop & Grain. Two return trips (by foot) over 2+ hours for bits and bobs that weren't really needed but happy to support a new, local business.

The shop is still being stocked but there is a fair selection of grain, Wyeast and Safale yeast, DME, LME and said bits and bobs. Currently MKOL cylinders for swap'n'go but KK expected midweek along with more Wyeast and other stock.

They are a very nice, enthusiastic couple for whom I wish a prosperous future.


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## Bribie G (1/2/14)

JDW81 said:


> I always had my suspicions About your hipster status Bribie. I can see you riding down king street on a fixie and drinking your beer out of glass jars.


 :icon_offtopic:
Got the fixie, girls step through model so I can put shopping on the back. Where do I get a jar from?


Surprised that there was a Wyeast drought in parts of Sydney. I've only used Whitelabs once, and it did ok, but for me there's nothing like smackin the biatch and watching it swell. B)
If I ever had to move to Whitelabs it would seem like switching from Android to Apple. :huh:

Looking forward to popping in when I'm down that way, will wear my insulated man bag


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## eloschgimpel (1/2/14)

Hailed in today as well. Really lovely folks and a nice setup, even without the full stock they had wanted to launch with.
Looks like I'll be returning there soon and regularly.

If you could please put a 30L drum type fermenter aside for me when they arrive that would be amazing 
Cheers


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## mattfos01 (1/2/14)

Dropped in for a chat today. Looks like a nice hop and wyeast selection. Had a bit of a chat about opening hours and at this stage the shop is likely opening until a bit later on Thursday for the after work purchases and Sunday morning which will be handy. Nice people, who I will be happy to support as my lhbs.


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## mckenry (2/2/14)

So, what are the business hours?


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## mattfos01 (2/2/14)

https://twitter.com/thehopandgrain/status/429792387410313216

9-8 Thurs, 9-5 Fri and Sat, 10-2 Sunday.


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## Spiesy (2/2/14)

Bribie G said:


> it would seem like switching from Android to Apple.


Sounds like a good move to me! Lol.


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## Byran (2/2/14)

Will be great to have a shop local for once............. Nice work guys ill have to get in there soon as I can! :drinks:


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## tiprya (2/2/14)

Open on Sunday and late on Thursday, awesome.

This will definitely make my life easier.


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## mckenry (3/2/14)

Mattfos01 said:


> https://twitter.com/thehopandgrain/status/429792387410313216
> 
> 
> 
> 9-8 Thurs, 9-5 Fri and Sat, 10-2 Sunday.



Bugger. Was hoping Monday and Tuesday.


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## Phoney (3/2/14)

thehopandgrain; Are there any plans on getting a website up and running with your full stock list, prices and a special request(s) form? From what I've seen in other HBS - when you guys are busy as one-armed paperhangers serving customers in the shop (esp Saturday mornings), it makes both lives much easier if customers can walk in, pick up pre-orders and walk out rather than having to pull all the bits and bobs together for them on the spot.


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## eloschgimpel (19/2/14)

mckenry said:


> Bunnings does a Bromic cylinder. These are Oxyturbo and according to MHB, have a unique thread and therefore I wont be able to fit my reg to the Bunnings bottle. His post here.
> Happy to hear from anyone who has bought MHB's wort aeration kit that can get replacement o2 from Bunnings.


A little off topic, but I just found this catalogue on the Bromic website: http://www.bromicplumbing.com.au/media/Soldering%20and%20Welding.pdf
On the last page you can see the Bromic OxySet soldering/welding kit and it's using...... an OxyTurbo 136g disposable O2 cylinder (item number 1811320).
Just punch that item number into the search box at Bunnings and you get the Bromic O2 cylinders: http://www.bunnings.com.au/bromic-136g-oxygen-cylinder-_p5910220
Also the regulator looks the same.


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## Mikedub (19/2/14)

just found this thread and would like to say, oh yeah, a freakin brew shop in my hood!
looking forward to some transactions with you


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## fletcher (23/2/14)

went in there this morning and met the lovely couple who run it. looks like the beginning of a fantastic little shop. friendly, ever-growing stock supply and great location. can't wait til it's in full swing. 

fletcher


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## floppinab (5/3/14)

Sam, I really really really hope you are able to make this venture work. Those of us that have been around a while have seen a few LHBS come and go in Inner Sydney, one of which was located in Llewellyn St. not 500m around the corner from where you are now. The common thread from those proprietors was being unable to build up enough turnover due to competition from online on variety and price.
I hope you have started well and will pop in over the coming weeks, if you do it well you'll certainly get my business (and by the looks of this thread a few others) from Nth. Sydney (sorry Dave!!!)


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