Dollar Reaches Parity...

[mje1980]

Beat me to it.

It would be unreasonable to expect Australian prices to be as low as OS. But prices not just 30, 40, even 50% higher, but several times those available to American consumers? There is something seriously wrong with this picture.

I want to support local firms. I would happily pay a reasonable premium to do so. But really, this is ridiculous.

Happily I now have seven hop plants on the go, so hopefully this should soon become academic for me.

And a Columbus i have here for you!

 

[Duff]

Back on topic, those hops are looking mighty tempting, I just wish they had some warrior.

JamesCraig,

I don't know what you brew, but after trying Warrior a few times a great sub is Super Alpha.

 

[lastdrinks]

I'm all against capitalism too and if anyone is organising a burn down your local home brew shop brew day, let me know i'll bring my pitch fork and few hops i bought from hopdirect to chuck on the fire.

But more importantly can anyone tell me which shops they have had good experiences and prices with buying perlick taps and shanks from? Down with the man! You wont believe how many LHBS owners i see driving porsches and bentleys, pricks. They remind me of corporate lawyers, heartless barstards

Cheers

 

[Bribie G]

My LHBS sells garden gnomes as a sideline to keep in business. I use them for all my dex, LDME, fermenter, o-ring etc purchases and I think they drive a Toyota.

 

[manticle]

I think anyone who understands the cost of doing business in Australia would realise that LHBS are not rubbing their hands together like Mr Burns and laughing at the stupidity of consumers. As stated previously, the cost of labour and other overheads are quite high plus they are also at the end of a supply chain. The fact that they also insulate the fluctuations in the Australian dollar also contribute. I agree in taking advantage of the current AUD, but remember you also need to support the local otherwise they won't be there when you need them.

Add to that it's a pretty niche market. Just because you price the hops at $12 per 100g doesn't mean they walk out the door as you'd like.

This kind of bullshit (the general thread discussion NOT the quote above) is a little indicative of some of the things that are starting to annoy me a little about the net and forums. A simple idea like 'hey with a reasonable exchange rate, we could get one ingredient for some of our brewing at reasonable cost' becomes, becomes on one hand an anti-patriotic, this will kill the industry shiznit and on the other a chance for people to stick the proverbial boot in to small business owners in a niche market.

Just buy some from the US if you want. Guess where all the grain etc will be coming from to make the majority of those brews? Australian retailers. If you don't want to take advantage of a good rate then keep buying hops at higher prices and fighting the good fight against globalisation. Whichever way you go there's no need to create a big drama about what others are doing.

I buy hops from: Grain & Grape (AU)
Ellerslie Hops (AU)
through a forum user who gets them from various international places
I will be buying some from hops direct (US).

My grain generally comes from grain and grape and from bulk buys organised through grain and grape. Some of it is imported malt, some is from Joe White (AU). My yeast mainly comes from GG (imported), I aim to buy some from Gryphon Brewing (AU retailer and yeast from an AU company) and I recently got some from the UK through another forum user. I will continue to shop this way and don't see the need to either justify it to anyone else OR use it as a chance to have a crack at people making a living from a niche business, most of whom in my experience are very passionate, dedicated and helpful beyond expectations.

Support your local good HBS (and boycott the bad ones) AND take advantage of bargains? What a novel idea.

Pretty sure lastdrinks was having a laugh bribie.

 

[brettprevans]

Manticle.. The voice of reasonability.

Good work A-man.

A lot of pop psych economics and accountancy and 'i've read this so I know what I'm talking about' as well as some sensible retailer reality info for the non retailers and never in business people.

Do what u thinking best. Just like politics. Stop the bullshit and fkn well vote for what's right and not for what u think u should do bc of others.

Edit.

PS I like beer

 

[tcraig20]

JamesCraig,

I don't know what you brew, but after trying Warrior a few times a great sub is Super Alpha.

Ive been eyeing off Jamil's Pliny the Elder clone. Ross has warrior, but its a little more than some other varieties (to be expected I guess). Its good to know that super alpha would make a reasonable sub though. A beer that big needs a lot of planning, so its something to think about.

 

[brettprevans]

Ive been eyeing off Jamil's Pliny the Elder clone. Ross has warrior, but its a little more than some other varieties (to be expected I guess). Its good to know that super alpha would make a reasonable sub though. A beer that big needs a lot of planning, so its something to think about.

Pli elder is exactly the beer u blokes should make. It's awsome and what better time to make massive hop beers. I've made a clone twice and it kicks ass

 

[bum]

Ive been eyeing off Jamil's Pliny the Elder clone.

You may have already come across this but there is a homebrew scaled recipe for Pliny put out by Russian River (link below). Dunno how it differs from Jamil's (except that Russian River don't use Warrior in Pliny) but I can say that I've got this one in primary now and it is looking pretty great so far (although I have made one or two changes based on my process, preferences, etc).

View attachment 1Pliny_the_Elder_clone_PDF.pdf

 

[lastdrinks]

Buy from who and where ever you like. I buy from G&G, craftbrewer, dave in greensborough, the brewers den and even brewcraft on sundays after 12. And i should not forget online shops here and overseas. Also from members on this forum, including the infamous chinese hops. Shit i am a whore.

anyway any perlick 525ss tap purchasing advice or are we all still on our high horse?

 

[avaneyk]

anyway any perlick 525ss tap purchasing advice or are we all still on our high horse?

I got mine from craftbrewer - but others have got them from the US via ebay

 

[haysie]

Let's work them out. I could pay $100 for 1kg, or I could pay $50.

When I run the numbers though Beersmith and SWMBO's "if you buy that I'm buying curtains" accounting software I get a savings of $50.

Sometimes proving savings is as good as making money appear from nowhere when the Minsiter of Finance has fangs.

If you buy 1kg of POR for $35 and sell half of it for $35 ... you get the kittenskins, for nothing. NOTHING I TELL YOU!

I love economics. I love POR in beer - it tastes like capitalism.

Far fetched rant is unlike you Nick. I think I bought POR for even less you claim via a recent BB of Wolfy`s, certainly not my hop of choice hence they sit in my freezer, if i dont use them in 3 years I`ll throw them out. not much lost!. I dont buy any brewing ingredients on price alone. Who has the freshest yest in Australia? no plug but he does because he turns it over.

edit. short@9850

 

[Wolfy]

Who has the freshest yest in Australia? no plug but he does because he turns it over.

Yeast-slants made a few days before pick-up.

 

[manticle]

I dont buy any brewing ingredients on price alone.

best way to approach it (and that comes from a brewer on a constant budget). I'm generally the same with food ingredients too.

If I can take advantage of low prices to either try something new or get something of an expected quality cheaper I will. I won't usually buy something purely because it's cheap (and when I have, I've often been disappointed).

Does any of this kind of discussion ever enter any of the 'let's buy a few millmasters from the US so we get them cheaper' threads?

 

[pbrosnan]

OK. I understand that the larger the market and the more competition, the more downward pressure there should be on prices.

But the difference between what we pay here and what they pay there is beyond outrageous. We literally pay up to five times as much for the same hops? FIVE TIMES?? What possible justification could there be for that? How can shipping hop pellets across the Pacific incur a fivefold increase in price? And that's comparing retail/retail, not wholesale/retail.

Australian consumers are being royally screwed somewhere along the line, yet again.

I'm afraid you just have to accept it. I've ranted on a number of occasions about the disparity between craft beer here and the US ($12.00 a six pack there as opposed to $20.00 plus here and I mean locally produced not imported US). I really think it comes down to what you first mentioned, larger market, more competition. Anyway I think I'll partake of the buoyant South Pacific peso and purchase me some US hops. This is the internet people, local cartels beware, the choice is vastly larger.

 

[bum]

Does any of this kind of discussion ever enter any of the 'let's buy a few millmasters from the US so we get them cheaper' threads?

Not really.

But then again the OP doesn't expressly ask a question relating to such a conversation in those threads.

 

[tcraig20]

You may have already come across this but there is a homebrew scaled recipe for Pliny put out by Russian River (link below). Dunno how it differs from Jamil's (except that Russian River don't use Warrior in Pliny) but I can say that I've got this one in primary now and it is looking pretty great so far (although I have made one or two changes based on my process, preferences, etc).

View attachment 40983

Thanks Bum,

It looks a bit to Jamil's in brewing classic styles (although I dont have the book with at the moment to check). To be fair Jamil says that it's a Pliny the Elder 'inspired' beer, so I may have been wrong to call it a clone. Good one to ferret away for later reference though.

 

[brettprevans]

JC
If u search the what are u brewing thread III ull find the elder clone I used. Very well received.

 

[bum]

JC
If u search the what are u brewing thread III ull find the elder clone I used. Very well received.

Uh...it is also in your sig...

 

[argon]

Buy from who and where ever you like. I buy from G&G, craftbrewer, dave in greensborough, the brewers den and even brewcraft on sundays after 12. And i should not forget online shops here and overseas. Also from members on this forum, including the infamous chinese hops. Shit i am a whore.

anyway any perlick 525ss tap purchasing advice or are we all still on our high horse?

At the reisk of answering a post in this thread... I got 4 from here... great products and quick delivery at the right price.

:icon_cheers: