Atlanta Area Group Buy

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Noob here. I am currently doing extract brewing (not enough $$ to pick up all grain equipment). I was interested in trying to pick up bulk ingredients to cut down on the costs a little and was wondering if you think this would be a possibility? I know only certain grains can be steeped, and I am planning on getting a grain mill if this turns out to be a viable option for me. Thanks for the help!
 
scampbellatc said:
I was interested in trying to pick up bulk ingredients to cut down on the costs a little and was wondering if you think this would be a possibility?
Click to expand...

You certainly can. But if you are partial mashing with just a couple of lbs of grain at a time, it would take you a long time to get through a 50-55lb bag. An idea might be to split a bag amongst a few people who want the same thing and take part. Of course you are always welcome to take a whole bag for yourself.
 
HBT'ers,

Someone mistakenly left Hop City with a bag of Gambrinus pale ale instead of Briess 2row that they actually ordered. I am sure it was a mistake by Hop City, bringing out the wrong bag to the front, but the person who ordered the Gambrinus specifically uses that grain for certain recipes. If you came away with that bag by mistake, please reach out to me so a bag swap can be made. Thanks for your help.
 
I finally got an email back from Kraig at Hop City. He has politely declined participating in any future group buys. He explained that due to labor costs to handle everything, he actually lost money on the buy due to the minimal profit margin.

I explained in the thread earlier that he was really looking to this as a loss leader to get new and existing customers in the store to make additional purchases of homebrew items, bottles, and growler fills. He said very few people made any additional purchases.

If anyone finds another store that wants to host, let me know and we can set our account up with them. In reality, I think our best option is to piggyback onto an order by a brewery or a brew bar like 5 Seasons or Twains. If anyone has an in, feel free to explore and get back to me.

Spencer
 
sfrisby said:
If anyone finds another store that wants to host, let me know and we can set our account up with them. In reality, I think our best option is to piggyback onto an order by a brewery or a brew bar like 5 Seasons or Twains. If anyone has an in, feel free to explore and get back to me.

Spencer
Click to expand...

Doing a piggyback buy with a brewery is against the contract agreement between the brewery and the supplier/malter. This could cause the brewery to either loose the contract in its entirety or cause the supplier to raise their prices dramatically. The suppliers sell to the breweries at a very low cost so the breweries can actually make some money with their brews, not selling to clubs out the back door. Nothing like cutting your lhbs out completely. People are shocked when their lhbs suddenly close up shop. It's because people keep going around them to save a small amount of money and not supporting locally.
 
I am editing my post because my response was snarky and not productive to an adult conversation.

My response is based on assuming 2 things. 1) You are not a troll 2) You are not a disgruntled LSBS owner.

That being said, I disagree with your assessment. Its very easy to jump on the bandwagon of not supporting the little guy. I would like to congratulate you on being in a position in life, financially, where you can purchase what you want, from whom you want, regardless of price. I genuinely mean it when I say I strive to reach that point one day. But I have not yet, so I am forced to evaluate price.

I believe you are mistaken when you talk about trying to save a small amount of money on bags of grain. Through the group buy, I pay about $0.75/lb for base grain. In the LHSBS its about $1.75 a pound, depending on the grain. That's a 133% markup. I am sure a LHBS isn't paying any more for their grain than we were in the group buy. They probably get it cheaper.Now, if you want to sell something with that kind of profit margin and complain when people don't come beating down your door to buy from you, that's a business management problem. It's simple economics and capitalism.

Can I assume you don't do yeast starters. Why multiply your yeast? Just buy 3 vials for your brew. If you don't, you are taking money away from the LHBS.

You buy all your hops by the ounce from your LHBS too, right? Buying in bulk online from a hop grower is cheating your LHBS.

Obviously you don't shop at Walmart or Home Depot. Our mom and pop shops cant possibly buy on the scale they do and sell the same products in their store at the same price.

Listen, I even have had guys from my own homebrew club give me a hard time about group grain buys, yet last year they did a group keg buy and that was perfectly ok despite the same kegs being sold at our LHBS. The thing I think most people, heck, even LHBS owners seem to overlook is, and I can only speak for myself, when grain prices are twice as much (for the sake of argument) I am not digging into my wallet deeper to fund my hobby. I brew half as much if base grain costs twice the price. That means I buy 1/2 as much yeast, 1/2 as much hops, 1/2 as much specialty grains. I wear down my equipment at half the speed and need to replace items from my LHBS at 1/2 the rate. All of which I actually do. The amount of money the LHBS loses from me brewing 1/2 as often far exceeds the money they lose from me not buying base grain from them.

Man, I respect your right to purchase any way that is right for you. But until I win the lottery, I will continue to be price conscious.

I wish you happy brewing.
 
sfrisby said:
I am editing my post because my response was snarky and not productive to an adult conversation.



My response is based on assuming 2 things. 1) You are not a troll 2) You are not a disgruntled LSBS owner.



That being said, I disagree with your assessment. Its very easy to jump on the bandwagon of not supporting the little guy. I would like to congratulate you on being in a position in life, financially, where you can purchase what you want, from whom you want, regardless of price. I genuinely mean it when I say I strive to reach that point one day. But I have not yet, so I am forced to evaluate price.



I believe you are mistaken when you talk about trying to save a small amount of money on bags of grain. Through the group buy, I pay about $0.75/lb for base grain. In the LHSBS its about $1.75 a pound, depending on the grain. That's a 133% markup. I am sure a LHBS isn't paying any more for their grain than we were in the group buy. They probably get it cheaper.Now, if you want to sell something with that kind of profit margin and complain when people don't come beating down your door to buy from you, that's a business management problem. It's simple economics and capitalism.



Can I assume you don't do yeast starters. Why multiply your yeast? Just buy 3 vials for your brew. If you don't, you are taking money away from the LHBS.



You buy all your hops by the ounce from your LHBS too, right? Buying in bulk online from a hop grower is cheating your LHBS.



Obviously you don't shop at Walmart or Home Depot. Our mom and pop shops cant possibly buy on the scale they do and sell the same products in their store at the same price.



Listen, I even have had guys from my own homebrew club give me a hard time about group grain buys, yet last year they did a group keg buy and that was perfectly ok despite the same kegs being sold at our LHBS. The thing I think most people, heck, even LHBS owners seem to overlook is, and I can only speak for myself, when grain prices are twice as much (for the sake of argument) I am not digging into my wallet deeper to fund my hobby. I brew half as much if base grain costs twice the price. That means I buy 1/2 as much yeast, 1/2 as much hops, 1/2 as much specialty grains. I wear down my equipment at half the speed and need to replace items from my LHBS at 1/2 the rate. All of which I actually do. The amount of money the LHBS loses from me brewing 1/2 as often far exceeds the money they lose from me not buying base grain from them.



Man, I respect your right to purchase any way that is right for you. But until I win the lottery, I will continue to be price conscious.



I wish you happy brewing.
Click to expand...





Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
 
Agreed sfrisby... I would support locally more too if the one or two around me just had a decent website... at LEAST showing all products in stock... I work for a living and to try and make it to one of the few stores during their hours of operation to hopefully find what I'm looking for is somewhat of a guessing game...




Sent from my SGP312 using Home Brew mobile app
 
sfrisby said:
I am editing my post because my response was snarky and not productive to an adult conversation.

My response is based on assuming 2 things. 1) You are not a troll 2) You are not a disgruntled LSBS owner.

That being said, I disagree with your assessment. Its very easy to jump on the bandwagon of not supporting the little guy. I would like to congratulate you on being in a position in life, financially, where you can purchase what you want, from whom you want, regardless of price. I genuinely mean it when I say I strive to reach that point one day. But I have not yet, so I am forced to evaluate price.

I believe you are mistaken when you talk about trying to save a small amount of money on bags of grain. Through the group buy, I pay about $0.75/lb for base grain. In the LHSBS its about $1.75 a pound, depending on the grain. That's a 133% markup. I am sure a LHBS isn't paying any more for their grain than we were in the group buy. They probably get it cheaper.Now, if you want to sell something with that kind of profit margin and complain when people don't come beating down your door to buy from you, that's a business management problem. It's simple economics and capitalism.

Can I assume you don't do yeast starters. Why multiply your yeast? Just buy 3 vials for your brew. If you don't, you are taking money away from the LHBS.

You buy all your hops by the ounce from your LHBS too, right? Buying in bulk online from a hop grower is cheating your LHBS.

Obviously you don't shop at Walmart or Home Depot. Our mom and pop shops cant possibly buy on the scale they do and sell the same products in their store at the same price.

Listen, I even have had guys from my own homebrew club give me a hard time about group grain buys, yet last year they did a group keg buy and that was perfectly ok despite the same kegs being sold at our LHBS. The thing I think most people, heck, even LHBS owners seem to overlook is, and I can only speak for myself, when grain prices are twice as much (for the sake of argument) I am not digging into my wallet deeper to fund my hobby. I brew half as much if base grain costs twice the price. That means I buy 1/2 as much yeast, 1/2 as much hops, 1/2 as much specialty grains. I wear down my equipment at half the speed and need to replace items from my LHBS at 1/2 the rate. All of which I actually do. The amount of money the LHBS loses from me brewing 1/2 as often far exceeds the money they lose from me not buying base grain from them.

Man, I respect your right to purchase any way that is right for you. But until I win the lottery, I will continue to be price conscious.

I wish you happy brewing.
Click to expand...

Amen. The only thing I buy at a LHBS is special yeast or maybe a random thing or 2. If i could get all stuff at the LHBS for the cost of what I can online + shipping +10% I would do it, but at a 100%+ markup + gas it is not economical. It won't break the bank, but why would I do it if it is not necessary? This is not a small guy/big business argument here. If the small shop isn't getting business, that's their bad for being greedy.. If they make prices right, people will go there. Another example is the shops around that sell beers like KBS for $10-12 a bottle, when others charge $20-24 a 4 pack. I will not support a beer store like that. Their bad, not mine.

Locally, look at Brewmasters Warehouse. It's a local shop, they are one of the biggest online vendors, yet still have insane prices and are out of stock on lots of stuff all the time. And the cost of gas to go there for a small order for me is as much as putting in an online order and paying for shipping. At some point one has to support their needs, not local.
 
I just priced my last purchase from the Local Shop against Morebeer which has free shipping and could have saved 25bucks getting it from Morebeer PLUS I wouldn't have to try and hit the during the week hours of 10am to 6pm (I work for a living and traffic trying to get there after work by six is impossible) or waste a Saturday going to the brewstore when I should be brewing and I would have saved on gas.
 
I would also like to add that Brewmasters Warehouse, last time I checked a few months ago, will not sell hops in bulk or grain in bulk at a discounted price from their standard price per pound. There are, however, other shops that do sell grain in bulk that is significantly cheaper than buying per pound. For example, as someone posted in this thread earlier, Wine Workshop and Brew Center sells sacks at a decent price. Not as good as a group buy, but much better than per pound. So it's possible for LHBS to sell in bulk at a cheaper price than they do per pound, but of course they won't make quite as much. I know that Wine Workshop and Brew Center is where I get my grain unless I can get it with a group buy.
 
I bought a sack of pale malt from BMW a few months back for $45 (which is obv. a discounted rate compared to the price per pound) so unless they've changed their policy, they'll sell grain in bulk (although it depends on what they may have on hand).


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew
 
+1 for Dogwood Growlers. I have been in there a few times and the owner is really laid back. I am getting ready to send him an email to request pricing for the grain I wanted to buy on this thread. Could probably get a whole price list if anyone is interested.


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew
 
I go to Brewmasters Warehouse all the time. They will sell you sacks of grain, if they have enough. They also sell bulk hops in 8 oz. packs at a good price. Selection is limited. I think it is under misc. items. I love them and drop lots of $ there. They are not obligated to sell me sacks of grain at group prices and I am not obligated to only buy grain from them. I recomend them whenever I can because I think they have good prices. However, LHBS are not charities. If you like a business support it and recomend it. But it is not your wife. You can shop around.
 
bizarrojosh said:
I would also like to add that Brewmasters Warehouse, last time I checked a few months ago, will not sell hops in bulk or grain in bulk at a discounted price from their standard price per pound. There are, however, other shops that do sell grain in bulk that is significantly cheaper than buying per pound. For example, as someone posted in this thread earlier, Wine Workshop and Brew Center sells sacks at a decent price. Not as good as a group buy, but much better than per pound. So it's possible for LHBS to sell in bulk at a cheaper price than they do per pound, but of course they won't make quite as much. I know that Wine Workshop and Brew Center is where I get my grain unless I can get it with a group buy.
Click to expand...

BMW sells me 50 lb sacks of 2-row cheaper than their per pound bag (for the past 2 years) and cheaper than the other brewstores i have used in the past
 
Dawgs47 said:
I go to Brewmasters Warehouse all the time. They will sell you sacks of grain, if they have enough. They also sell bulk hops in 8 oz. packs at a good price. Selection is limited. I think it is under misc. items. I love them and drop lots of $ there. They are not obligated to sell me sacks of grain at group prices and I am not obligated to only buy grain from them. I recomend them whenever I can because I think they have good prices. However, LHBS are not charities. If you like a business support it and recomend it. But it is not your wife. You can shop around.
Click to expand...

THIS

i had not ordered from them online with instore pickup since Feb 2013, i would walk in and hope they had what i needed in stock because the turn around online would take a week or more. my brother started ordering and shipping from them recently and they have gotten back to their quick response times so I ordered some stuff today at 3 and it was ready to pick up at 4. :mug: glad to have that awesome response back!!!
 
so anyone have a lead on where we can do the next group buy? i just opened by last sack of 2 row and I will probably want to get a sack of MO now as well
 
I PM'ed the guy who had a lead on something and never heard back. It has been suggested to try Wine Work Shop and see if they would be interested. They offer 10% discounts on orders of 20+ bags through a grain company different from Brewcraft. If someone wants to take the lead, I can forward you the Brewcraft documentation that I have that outlines the program and you can reach out to them to gauge their interest.
 
Doesn't group buying have to be a part of a home brew club that is connected to a store? Wine work shop is great but is there a club connected to them?
 
After Hop City declined doing this again, I personally haven't been motivated to start from scratch. Now if anyone else wants to pick up and run with it...
 
Actually, the last two buys were from Wine Workshop in Decatur. The last one was a customer appreciation sale but he used the group buy pricing, if memory serves.

One of you guys that shop there, or are local should drop by and talk to Gerald about doing it again. I haven't been in the store, but I have talked to him on the phone. Seems like a really nice guy. I our HB club has a guy that works in Atlanta daily, and he picked up our orders the last two times. We all ordered a ton of extra stuff, so it works out well for them too.

I would contact him, and may, but I think a face-to-face conversation might be the way to work it.

Gerald
Wine Workshop & Brew Center, Inc.
627-F East College Avenue
Decatur, GA 30030
404-228-5211
 
Ok I spoke with the guy that owns 5 points bottle in Athens last week and he said that he'd do a group buy. I've never been a part of one but if someone would be interested in taking the lead I can PM you his number. He's pretty easy going
 
gregorybriscoe said:
Ok I spoke with the guy that owns 5 points bottle in Athens last week and he said that he'd do a group buy. I've never been a part of one but if someone would be interested in taking the lead I can PM you his number. He's pretty easy going
Click to expand...

I would be interested in a group buy, never done one either, don't know what restrictions on minimum quantities would apply.

I'm in the Buford area.
 
A new LHBS, Schoolhouse Beer in Marietta said they'd do a group buy at cost+20%. Not sure if that's a good deal or not. PM me and I'll shoot you his contact information.
 

Similar threads

sweets17
How do you buy grain?
2
Replies
77
Views
3K
OakIslandBrewery
OakIslandBrewery
R
Hard Seltzer
Replies
2
Views
360
redrocker652002
R
B
Fermentation Under Pressure & Dry Hopping
Replies
6
Views
662
McMullan
McMullan
OzzyPeeps
Reverse osmosis question
Replies
14
Views
1K
Buckeye_Hydro
Buckeye_Hydro
JAReeves
California SOLD!!!-USED-SS Brewtech 10Gal Mash Tun w/Recirculation Kit-Los Angeles Area-PRICE REDUCED!!!!
Replies
23
Views
2K
JAReeves
JAReeves

Latest posts

Back
Top