Lhbs's Giving Me The Shatz Lately

[chappo1970]

I gotta admit I feel sorry for some of our far flung AHB members. I live 10mins from Craftbrewers and I feel thoroughly spoilt. I have access to one of the best HBS. Not only is owner is a brewer but damn good brewer and all his staff brew so you never get misinformation. I have also met a lot of fellow AHBer there on any given Saturday which is great.

Mind you I had tried 2 other local LHBS before discovering CB's with simular tales of horror now I look back at it.

In fact it was Mothballs who steered me to this forum.

I'm taking some to Sully's brew day on Sunday .... Hey guys I'm bringing my Reschs Draught wannabe.. :icon_cheers: :icon_cheers: :icon_cheers:

Oi! What about a pre-tasting of your BABBS entry for this month at Sully's Michael?

 

[adraine]

Thats no good with out of date tins.
If you discover that you bought one out of date you should be able to take it back.
MHB in Newcastle makes sure that you get fresh ingredients and the high turn around is definitly helpful as well.


I think it depends on where you go and who is running the shop.

+1 for MHB

Great service and always happy to explain the unkown to noobs like me.
And dont just put your can down and walk out...... Your a consumer give them a piece of your mind its the only way they will learn.
Good luck from the lucky

 

[manticle]

My LHBS is pretty good. I'm not expert or all graining or anything special but they seem very happy to spend time answering my no doubt 8 million time asked questions and trying to help me better my brews. Their extract tins are also 2 years before use by.

When I first decided Iwanted to get a little better than simple kk I went to a LHBS which is now under new management (franchise of the one I visit regularly now). I knew nothing about all grain or the overall process but I asked the guy what I would need to do to make beer from scratch. He was quite disparaging about the idea, suggested there were some adjuncts and additives I could add to make better beer (didn't really bother to explain what any of those were) and suggested that if I were to mash from grain I'd need to buy a ton of equipment and make a massive effort and it wouldn't be worth the effort for 23 litres. I went in happy to spend 100 or so dollars and left having bought a grommet and some caps.

I used to work as a chef. I like control over my product and I enjoy experimenting. This man's attitude may have led to me continuing kk for longer than I should have due to a discouraging attitude but this forum, my own curiosity and enthusiasm and the local cellar plus stores have helped move above and beyond.

 

[Bribie G]

Oi! What about a pre-tasting of your BABBS entry for this month at Sully\'s Michael?

6 litres of it packed and hot to trot :icon_drunk: :icon_drunk:

PS they are in the goon bottles not the pretty comp bottles :lol:

edit :icon_offtopic: two kilos of diced dead pig bought from Chinatown today and in freezer for conversion to Vindaloo.

 

[RdeVjun]

T'ba, my old stomping ground <_<
There used to be 2 up there or has one gone?

Aye, old TBone- not surprisingly 'tis sadly still much the same. The LHBS out at Wyalla bit the dust rather abruptly one day about a year or so ago, just when I was starting out (I was just crestfallen when I pulled up, hopped out of the chariot all loaded up with recipes and a list of kit as long as your arm to a shut door and an empty shop...), so I had no obvious options bar one after that point. Took me a while to work a few things out too and they nearly lost an enthusiast, but thankfully the dark forces of evil prevailed: :icon_drool2: !

Looking back now, yeah I agree with you, and unfortunately I was being blindly lead too.... a five year hiatus and getting away from there opened my eyes.
Check out St Arnolds Homebrew Club, alot of the members are switching to AG apparently.

Many thanks, St Arnold, the patron saint of hop pickers? Got a link by any chance Sully? Cheers!

Also, it may be, BribieG, that I shouldn't give up on the 'gift' Cooper's tin that's BBE some time in 2006 and sits forlornly, but also menacingly, in my pantry? B)

 

[Online Brewing Supplies]

Ok just going back to the original post : would you go to macdonalds for a real burger?Or go to the guy that knows how to make a great burger.
GB

 

[big d]

You mean Mc Donalds dont make real burgers? Im shocked.

 

[Sully]

6 litres of it packed and hot to trot

PS they are in the goon bottles not the pretty comp bottles

edit two kilos of diced dead pig bought from Chinatown today and in freezer for conversion to Vindaloo.

:icon_offtopic: < Insert Drunken Happy Dance Here > :icon_drool2:

 

[syd_03]

Ok, not so bad, but one thing I have noticed with my LHBSs is that you really have to check the dates on the tins.

Hopefully its different in larger areas around the country, but I have 2 maybe 3 LHBSs and thats it.

What do you mean by larger areas? I am in Sydney and it seems only one or two are around here, I consider Sydney to be quite a large area though. I think in greater Sydney there may be 10 homebrew stores of which 5 are of the same franchise. Are you located in Sydney, if so which shop is this, one I would like to avoid from the sounds of it.

The two LHBS on the North Shore here in Sydney are pretty good. Reasonably good to excellent advice, both for perfectionists and practical people alike. Goods are well inside use-by date and fair prices and discounts for larger orders, as well as special orders being taken and handled in a timely fashion.

Which LHBSs do you refer to? I am new around here and looking for a new shop to use.

When I first decided Iwanted to get a little better than simple kk I went to a LHBS which is now under new management (franchise of the one I visit regularly now).

Which franchise would that be?
I found the last franchise I used was overpriced compared to the prices many quote on here for malt extract and hops etc.

 

[Fermented]

:icon_offtopic: two kilos of diced dead pig bought from Chinatown today and in freezer for conversion to Vindaloo.

:icon_offtopic: here too...

And that's one recipe I want! Can you PM it to me, please?

Cheers - Fermented.

 

[Pollux]

Those who have a LHBS should consider themselves lucky, those who have one where the staff actually have a clue should consider themselves even luckier...

I do all my purchasing online, I use Absolute HB for my grains/hops/yeast and Craftbrewer for equipment.

Both delivered my orders within 20hours of them being processed last week, both were very understanding when my bank stuffed up, both are brewers and can offer good advice.

As it's been said, vote with your wallet, hopefully a war of attrition will knock out the poorer places, although there is always going to be someone who walks in there and believes the man behind the counter is the Messiah of HB..

 

[manticle]

Which franchise would that be?
I found the last franchise I used was overpriced compared to the prices many quote on here for malt extract and hops etc.

Cellar Plus. I don't know how their prices compare though as I've not been to any other brew shops besides the aforementioned where I bought the grommet.

Online and grain and grape are possibly cheaper but as I learn more about what I'm doing I'll research further. Freshness, service and willingness to offer advice are very much a part of their overall approach though (from my limited experience)

Around $10-11 for a 1.5kg tin of Morgan's LME, between 10 & 15 for most kits, 7.90 for a 100g pck hop pellets.

 

[chadjaja]

At first I got everything from Brewcraft in Richmond but got sick of over paying for hops etc.

I discovered Brewers choice online but its too far for me to get out to but their service online is great. Whats more Colin who runs it is happy to chat on the phone about things and is real friendly. Its a great shop for the kit and bits brewer that is probably Brewcrafts main customer type. I get my stuff either the next day I order or the day after, can't complain about that! And the region he is in has been masively effected by the fires and when I spoke to him last he was real worried about some customers of his that lived in Marysville. I hope they are ok.

Anyway i've got a few mates onto his store and good service is good service so he gets ALL my business now for ingredients seeing Im still only on kits and bits and full extracts at the moment.

Brewers choice

Wish I was closer so I could pop in or go to one of their brew club meetings in Woori Yallock.

 

[Nick JD]

One of my LHBSs owners, when I asked if he sold unhopped malt extract asked me, what I wanted unhopped extract for? He then proceeded to rubbish any ideas of making anything but a K&K and even went to the trouble of selecting for me what I should be brewing - took it to the couner and rung it up on the beeper.

I walked out. What a dick.

I now have a rule ... if the shop doesn't sell vacuum packed hops is simply isn't a HBS. I can get kits at the supermarket.

 

[rclemmett]

Which LHBS's do you refer to? I am new around here and looking for a new shop to use.

These two would be your closest.

https://daveshomebrew.com.au/

http://www.countrybrewer.com.au/

Both sell grain, but Daves is the better bet if your doing AG.

 

[pdilley]

Another LHBS gotcha to look out for is hops, when I get pellets I notice some older bags or bags I don't like to pick up have clear plastic side(s) that let you see the hop pellets. I quickly dig through the hops to find ones in bags that are fully opaque and protected from outside light.

Cheers,
Brewer Pete

 

[goomboogo]

Aye, old TBone- not surprisingly 'tis sadly still much the same. The LHBS out at Wyalla bit the dust rather abruptly one day about a year or so ago, just when I was starting out (I was just crestfallen when I pulled up, hopped out of the chariot all loaded up with recipes and a list of kit as long as your arm to a shut door and an empty shop...), so I had no obvious options bar one after that point. Took me a while to work a few things out too and they nearly lost an enthusiast, but thankfully the dark forces of evil prevailed: :icon_drool2: !

Many thanks, St Arnold, the patron saint of hop pickers? Got a link by any chance Sully? Cheers!

Also, it may be, BribieG, that I shouldn't give up on the 'gift' Cooper's tin that's BBE some time in 2006 and sits forlornly, but also menacingly, in my pantry? B)

RdeVjun, the shop at Wyalla didn't close down but moved to another location. It was still open a few months ago but don't expect to be able to buy anything there. Almost zero stock. As i say, I went there once a few months ago. It may or may not still be there and if it is still operating the stock situation may be different. Only commenting on what i saw on one occasion.

 

[Uncle Fester]

My LHBS always checks the date. If even close, he takes the yeast out, and replaces it with a true yeast (US05, Nottingham etc...) and uses the old yeast as a nutrient in a boil.

If he discovers some old stuff on the back of a shelf, into the bargain bin it goes, with a warning that it will be fine, if not a little darker than expected.

Some of the many reasons I go back time after time.....


My 2c.


Fester.

 

[RdeVjun]

RdeVjun, the shop at Wyalla didn't close down but moved to another location. It was still open a few months ago but don't expect to be able to buy anything there. Almost zero stock. As i say, I went there once a few months ago. It may or may not still be there and if it is still operating the stock situation may be different. Only commenting on what i saw on one occasion.

Many thanks goombongo, so we have one and maybe a bit LHBSes. Its allright, I guess we can be thankful for site sponsors!

 

[mckenry]

wish I had a LHBS