Brew Craft

[reviled]

I pretty much just want to rant and warn off any potential brewers before they go spending their hard earned money on such a useless company...

I dont know how Brewcraft is still in business in this current day and age? They still push Sodium Met as a sanitiser, they sell me crappy dead yeast <_< And they try to charge poor guys in NZ close to $12 for a kg of base malt! $12!!!!! Like, what the hell? You work that out, if you want to do a fairly boring 1040 batch using only one malt, its still going to cost you close to $50??? And thats not including hops and yeast...

I understand they focus more on k&k brewers, but does that mean that they can rip off AG'ers? I still fail to see how this poor excuse for a business is still trading! I will never, ever be going back there, not for anything, even though they are the closest shop to me, I would rather spend $10 on gas going to a store thats further away!

Has anyone else had an unpleasant experiance with BrewCraft? If I had my way id have an angry mob down there with pitchforks right now :lol:

Edit : Oh yeah, and they charge $10 for 500grams of DME?!?!?! $10?!?!?! bastards <_<

 

[peas_and_corn]

Which store is this? Where is it?

 

[reviled]

Which store is this? Where is it?

Good point! Albany Highway Brewcraft, Auckland NZ, allthough in saying that, BrewCraft in other stores sucks the big fat one too, and they try to dominate the NZ market, its really unfair

 

[Crunched]

I don't have a grudge with any particular brand, but my LHBS is like this. They charge about 20-30% extra for the same product that another HBS that is a little further away does. And this is every product too. So whilst they are much closer to me, I'd rather drive the extra 20 minutes so that I don't have to pay $15-20/kg for DME. He even tried to sell me a keg on legs bottle for $369 the other day?? Aren't the 6.8kg ones like $300-320 everywhere else?

I'm guessing he picks up the customers that don't research or shop around, but surely he'd do way better if he dropped his prices to at least somewhere near RRP.

 

[Hutch]

Which store is this? Where is it?

Doesn't matter which store - they're all crappola. 2 in Malbourne (Richmond and Heidelberg) are equally bad, and the staff equally ignorant and unenthusiastic. I too wonder how they manage to stay in business judging by other opinions you read on this forum.

Reviled, all I can say to you is "mail-order". The above sponsors are all worthy of your business, though not sure how economical it is shipping grain to NZ.

 

[reviled]

I don't have a grudge with any particular brand, but my LHBS is like this. They charge about 20-30% extra for the same product that another HBS that is a little further away does. And this is every product too. So whilst they are much closer to me, I'd rather drive the extra 20 minutes so that I don't have to pay $15-20/kg for DME. He even tried to sell me a keg on legs bottle for $369 the other day?? Aren't the 6.8kg ones like $300-320 everywhere else?

I'm guessing he picks up the customers that don't research or shop around, but surely he'd do way better if he dropped his prices to at least somewhere near RRP.

I think they prey on new brewers who dont know any better... Which was me, at first, but 9 months into the hobby, I quickly figured out I was getting screwed! And now I will never go back... IMO customer retention is imperative! Specially with the current market/economy...

 

[newguy]

I'm all for supporting local stores, but only if they don't try to screw their customers. Sounds like you should be giving your business to a more distant store or a good mail order outlet.

Our club had a good fight a few months ago regarding this same issue. We have one kind of halfway decent HBS local to us, but his prices for some things are beyond outrageous. A few months ago, a few of us brought up the idea of a bulk malt buy. We thought we'd bypass the HBS because he was shafting us with his malt prices. For instance, I (and anyone else who drives there) can get 25kg bags of ordinary 2 row base malt for $22.50 direct from the wholesaler. The HBS was selling 1/2 bags of the same malt for $75. Around 6x what his cost is, which I found abhorrent.

Long story short, I still buy my malt directly from the wholesaler. There are others who don't, because they want to support a local business. If he wasn't screwing us so hard, I'd consider it.

 

[mika]

Yeah...the Brewcraft rep over here..Westbrew...nuff said <_<... not that I'm bitter or anything.

 

[reviled]

I'm all for supporting local stores, but only if they don't try to screw their customers. Sounds like you should be giving your business to a more distant store or a good mail order outlet.

Our club had a good fight a few months ago regarding this same issue. We have one kind of halfway decent HBS local to us, but his prices for some things are beyond outrageous. A few months ago, a few of us brought up the idea of a bulk malt buy. We thought we'd bypass the HBS because he was shafting us with his malt prices. For instance, I (and anyone else who drives there) can get 25kg bags of ordinary 2 row base malt for $22.50 direct from the wholesaler. The HBS was selling 1/2 bags of the same malt for $75. Around 6x what his cost is, which I found abhorrent.

Long story short, I still buy my malt directly from the wholesaler. There are others who don't, because they want to support a local business. If he wasn't screwing us so hard, I'd consider it.

Its funny you say that, cos I drive for a good 40 mins to go and get my malt from a top bloke who runs an awesome HBS and happens to be the retail wholesaler for all of the weyermann malts... So now my base malts cost me $4.60, and my specialtys cost around $5.70... I was all for supporting the local, but after seeing how brewcraft is basically trying to dominate the market, at a ridiculouse profit margin, makes me want to run them into liquidation!!!

its just not cricket :icon_cheers: I mean, how do you get $12, from $3 (wholesale full bag price) ?????

 

[Back Yard Brewer]

I pretty much just want to rant and warn off any potential brewers before they go spending their hard earned money on such a useless company...

I dont know how Brewcraft is still in business in this current day and age? They still push Sodium Met as a sanitiser, they sell me crappy dead yeast <_< And they try to charge poor guys in NZ close to $12 for a kg of base malt! $12!!!!! Like, what the hell? You work that out, if you want to do a fairly boring 1040 batch using only one malt, its still going to cost you close to $50??? And thats not including hops and yeast...

I understand they focus more on k&k brewers, but does that mean that they can rip off AG'ers? I still fail to see how this poor excuse for a business is still trading! I will never, ever be going back there, not for anything, even though they are the closest shop to me, I would rather spend $10 on gas going to a store thats further away!

Has anyone else had an unpleasant experiance with BrewCraft? If I had my way id have an angry mob down there with pitchforks right now :lol:

Edit : Oh yeah, and they charge $10 for 500grams of DME?!?!?! $10?!?!?! bastards <_<

As I duck for cover I will say move to Ozz.....

Not until I started AG beer making have I realised about the lack of knowledge and what little some HBS actually know. When I got back into brewing a few years back and I had being making K&K a HBS in Adelaide was more interested in pushing his kits than even promoting AG. Whilst this particular shop does also sell grain his bloody prices are well over the top. Needless to say I don't go there anymore.


BYB

 

[newguy]

What's funny is how far I drive for my malt. The HBS I mentioned is roughly 2/3rds of the way across the city from me, which is ~ 30 minutes if traffic is good. The wholesaler I mentioned is about 5 hours, and roughly 550 km away. The only reason I do business there is because my hometown (and most of my family) is in the area.

 

[gibbocore]

most lhbs will tell you that there is no money in AG, not that i beleive them, just saying is all.

 

[horner34]

I was just doing a job in richmond and I thought I would drop past and pick up some extract for a starter and then I was confronted with $12.90 for 1kg I couldn't believe it.

I also had a look at their kegging gear and was shocked.

They think that because the shop is set up like a show bag stand they can charge what they like.

My rant.

 

[bouncingcastle]

I was just doing a job in richmond and I thought I would drop past and pick up some extract for a starter and then I was confronted with $12.90 for 1kg I couldn't believe it.

I also had a look at their kegging gear and was shocked.

They think that because the shop is set up like a show bag stand they can charge what they like.

My rant.

$13/K - GEEZUS... good thing I just pick up my starter malt from the local supermarket. Only $9/K there, and comes in a brightly coloured coopers box.

I stopped frequenting the local brewcrafts in melbourne a long time ago. My local guy gets all of my business. If he doesn't have it, I order from the sponsors.

 

[Back Yard Brewer]

They think that because the shop is set up like a show bag stand they can charge what they like.

My rant.

:lol: :lol: :lol: and they do


BYB

 

[Wasabi]

I can understand the mark up in some instances. If you take the HBS here in Ballarat, 99% of his business is Extract and Distilling.

If he buys a 25kg bag of Crystal, it could take him over 2 years to move it, and he's too principled to sell old malt. He has to mark up his grain for the few extract brewers that steep so he can cover his losses, but I don't think he marks it up as much as reviled's local. The same goes or hops and yeast as well.

However, if you ask him to bring you back a 25kg bag next time he's buying on the premise that you'll buy the whole lot, he usually comes in very reasonably, especially to repeat business.

6 x though is pushing it a bit. At with the almost endless shelf life of extract, the above argument of losses doesn't carry any weight.

The Ballarat HBS also diversified a bit and sell Bread Making stuff, preserving stuff and are thinking of getting in cheese making stuff.

 

[br33zy]

We use the Richmond Brewcraft quite regularly. And are happy with them. Strangely three out of the five in our brewery got very poor treatment at another well known brew store (name omitted to save a bunfight); so ended up at Richmond Brewcraft by default.

Jason there will talk the legs of a table of you give him a chance; but he's always helpful and always goes out of his way to make sure we're not wasting money - apparently to the chagrin of his employers.

I think its a case of store by store; sale-person by sales-person.

Cheers

Breezy

 

[marlow_coates]

I also have had bad experiances with Brewcraft. Found them unenthusiastic to say the least.

However.... Ross only charges $6.60 for deliveries under 25kg in brisbane. When ordering we get two mixed grain loads for 2 double batches. One time I managed to get the order weighing 24.98kg just to keep the postage cost down. Dodgy I know..

If you don't like your local LHBS and one of the sponsors can deliver at good prices go with them.

 

[Shortz]

The local Brewcraft guy near me isn't inspiring at all. I think that is the most important point! Probably turns off a lot of potential brewers! He's very grouchy!

I was suckered into them for AGES! until i found a place over in greensie which was charging similarly to G&G.

G&G is good but it's a fair hike for me to get to, otherwise i would!

When i actually started crunching the numbers i realised how much money i had spent there and how ripped off i was, i vowed never to mention that place again and send everyone else away from there!

I agree with previous points that i just didn't know enough to realise i was getting screwed!

 

[Pennywise]

I too used to buy all my stuff from Brewcraft untill I found out about Craftbrewer and G&G, the only decent people I have spoken to at Brewcraft in Melb are Hamish and the lady that does the paperwork for the internet orders, top people, the rest are just plain unhelpful. I will add though that even upon my first trip to G&G one bloke there was very "whatever" with me, next time I went there Chris was much more helpful and actually wanted to serve me. I guess the other bloke must of had his rags that day :icon_cheers: or is just a plain knob