Ordinary Response Local Home Brew Store

[Truman42]

When I first told a HBS I was going to start all grain I was told "Why would you bother with all that effort when you can get FWKs here"

"because FWKs cost $50 each and I'm limited to what you sell and I can make what I want every bit as good or better for $1 a litre - that's why"

** Note, that was what I thought, not what I said

That's exactly what you should have said. Its a fair enough comment. I've noticed that with these small LHBS, they don't like it when you tell them you do AG. The shop I went to was the same when I asked him if he sold grain at all.
"What for Ive got kits for every beer style you could possibly want to make"

 

[1974Alby]

i went into my local home brew store......once

HaHa...I went into that one twice! The second time convinced me that the first time wasnt just a bad dream!

What a joke. I was after some base grain to try my first stovetop BIAB, and he could offer me a 5kg bag of pilsner for $38, and that was the only grain he had in bags over 1kg. Pass. Never again.

 

[cdbrown]

Went into my local HBS two days ago, asked wether a particular grain was crystalized or needed mashing no one knew so they rang the " bloke who knows" and handed me the phone. Tried explaining the difference to the expert after being informed you "just boil it up to give a bit of body" Expert then Hung the phone up with " you must think you know more about this than me" I wasn't the least bit rude just trying to find something out about what was stocked on the shelf. Spent a lot of money there in the past setting up my system. Won't name the place in WA because normally the main man is there and he's quite helpful. I did let him know by email I wasn't happy and let him know I ordered in a truckload of stuff from another outlet. Hope the expert got the rough end of the pineapple.

You gotta let the others know so they are aware of the hazards. boil up grain for body haha

 

[Nick JD]

Take ignorant HBS owners a couple of bottle of your best AG beer.

Watch their face when they drink it. Bittersweet - and that's not the beer.

Yup, all I buy from you is out-of-date yeast, my LHBS kit-peddler.

 

[MarkBastard]

Who's your local Nick? The guy on machinery drive?

 

[banora brewer]

Who's your local Nick? The guy on machinery drive?

That's my local, anything I should be aware of?

 

[MarkBastard]

That's my local, anything I should be aware of?

Nah I wouldn't know. I use to go there about 10 years ago when I was into water purification.

Dude has an epic scotch nose.

 

[banora brewer]

Nah I wouldn't know. I use to go there about 10 years ago when I was into water purification.

Dude has an epic scotch nose.

I've only ever seen a lady in there, got quoted $80 for some grain once!!!

 

[Nick JD]

There's a few round by me (in the middle of the GC now, used to be 800m from the border up Tomewin Mountain, should change my location) most are predominately "dextrose + flavour" merchants.

 

[DarkFaerytale]

Is there a store in Rutherford rd in Seaford? if so whats it like, have you been? Ive seen signs up around the place but didnt know if it was a store or just a guy who sells from home type setup???

yeah there is a store there, i live and work right near it, been in there a few times just to grab yeast ect. it's a typical run of the mill shop and the bloke who seems to be there all the time is nice and helpfull, if not a little rough around the edges. it's kinda tucked away and can be hard to find the first time you go there.

unless you live nearby and need something in a hurry your better off buying online tbh

-Phill

 

[Zizzle]

There's a few round by me (in the middle of the GC now, used to be 800m from the border up Tomewin Mountain, should change my location) most are predominately "dextrose + flavour" merchants.

Tomewin, beautiful part of the country.

From day one I pretty much got everything from Ross - cheap fast shipping just down the road, and not a bad drive to his place.

It's been a few years for me, but there was a LHBS in Burleigh waters. K & K guy. I once went looking for some emergency US-56 - had never heard of it - wondered why I didn't have yeast "from under the lid".

But there used to be a shop down in Palmy that stocked US-56. Between me and BradG I don't think he understood why we wanted yeast and not the tin of goo.

He used to have beer in a big vessel there too. BradG has a story of going in and the guy getting him to taste it to "see what he reckoned". Brad said it was very badly infected. So the old mate says, "I know, I'll fix it with some lager yeast" and proceeded to open some sachets and dump them in... :icon_vomit: Brad told him it wouldn't fix it, but he wouldn't listen.

Actually I think the guy showed up to a brew day once at Brad's invitation... Ross was there, and Brad, Pistol Patch and myself were doing AG brews. The LHBS guy quickly realized he was out of his depth and couldn't sell us anything so slinked away pretty early.

All of the LHBS I have been too in the US have been completely different. Our "local" one is pretty big - lots of grain, yeast and hops in fridges - lots of Stainless Steel bling to drool on - I haven't even seen K & K tins in there.

We don't get over there often so we get most of our stuff from morebeer.com (free shipping over $60) or austinhomebrew.com or northernbrewer.com ($8 flat rate shipping). We usually only buy the base malt in 50lb bags locally.

K & K isn't big over here. But you can get grain kits in a wide variety. Basically pre-mixed, pre-crushed grain with yeast and hops.

 

[yum beer]

Living in a small town I can only get stock coopers stuff from Big W and the little w...so recently when the wife was in hospital in Wagga Wagga I thought
I would make the most of it and get myself some cans of extract...never tried a full extract and wanted to give it a try.

I walked in and the guys ask what Im after, tells him Im after some malt extract tins and he offers me a can of Muntons Pilsner, "you can have this a bit cheaper coz
its out of date, but only a little bit". No thanks mate I'll stick to extract thats in date. So I grab a few cans of malt plus 2 kits I cant get at home, I also need some Hersbrucker,
"ive got that in Tea bags" their hanging here on the wall....'No thanks, got any pellets'

Yep, he does, sitting in the rack attached to the the north facing brick wall......**** me, too late hes already scanning it into the register.

Then he 'throws in' the Muntons can anyway...oh well good for starters.

I pay up, say cheers and walk out, noticing as I do, the FRIDGE that has about 4 bottles of coke and someones lunch in it....no yeast or hops though.

Looks like I will continue to support our sponsors and pay for postage.

 

[hsb]

I've been lucky to only have pretty good experiences at LHBS but can see from this thread how that is very often not the case.

All I could say is that I doubt any of these LHBS owners are millionaires laughing at you, I'd figure most fell into it through brewing/distilling and might be out of their depths with the retail/business element of it.

I buy most of my stuff online but I do feel guilt that by doing so, I'm contributing to slowly but surely killing off the LHBS. You'll miss em when they're gone, bad advice and all!

Start your own LHBS, show em how it should be done!

 

[going down a hill]

There are home brew shops and faux brew shops.
boom tish

 

[pimpsqueak]

Start your own LHBS, show em how it should be done!

Ross already did that. :icon_chickcheers:

 

[stux]

Really makes me wonder sometimes if the "homebrew" store is just a front for a clandestine spirits distillation store...

If you have a good LHBS near by, or even not that near by, you really owe it to everyone, yourself included, to patronize them when ever possible

 

[Malted]

If you have a good LHBS near by, or even not that near by, you really owe it to everyone, yourself included, to patronize them when ever possible

Interesting word that patronize. It could mean to act as a customer or it could mean to act in a condescending manner. Maybe if they are a good LHBS you should buy stuff from them and abuse them, hmmm I think maybe a lot of folks do that...

 

[stux]

Interesting word that patronize. It could mean to act as a customer or it could mean to act in a condescending manner. Maybe if they are a good LHBS you should buy stuff from them and abuse them, hmmm I think maybe a lot of folks do that...

Tis a funny word

Or to support an artist, etc.

But the sense of "being a customer of a store" is the correct usage of the word in this scenario

 

[kdaust]

Think I'm spoilt for choice in sydney.

Went to a local country brewer that I won't go back to.


But also found a shop not much further away called kirrawee home brew. I have only been to it once so far. But will probably go back because they seemed helpful. Yeast and hops were in the fridge etc. When I called about grain today they do full sacks and half sacks at decent prices comparable to online.

 

[Spork]

You guys that have a 1/2 decent LHBS don't know how fortunate you are. I've spent a bit with the site sponsors, and continue to get most of my needs from them - including grains. Now it's not their fault, but having to have grains shipped adds about 50% to the cost. I can get good prices on grains and freight from Hobart, but their range is smaller than the site sponsors. I think I might have to start choosing more recipes based on what (grains) I can get from them for $8 / 20 - 25 kg's, (freight) instead of $30 / 10kg's...