surferdrew

Recipes 

+1000 on the Home, Wine, Beer, Cheese Shop in Woodland Hills.

Amazing customer service...they've walked me through troubleshooting over the phone mid-brew.

Amazing knowledge...they convinced me to enter a brew into a different category than I originally was and I won a gold medal in the Strong Ale category at the 2012 LA County Fair.

Amazing selection...I don't think another shop has the extensive library of grains, hops, yeast, and equipment in So Cal like they do.

Amazing homebrew club...Maltose Falcons can't be beat when it comes to their history, event calendar, and members.

weirdboy

Recipes 

I like the Maltose Falcons and the shop, and they have by far the best club setup I have ever seen for meetings and whatnot. It's too bad they are so amazingly far away from my house. I am in Strand Brewers as they are by far the most convenient for me. Glenn, the owner is a nice guy and I like the shop in Torrance. I have been to Culver City several times, but gave up because I almost never had a good experience at that store, although I know several Pacific Gravity club members and do stuff with them socially. I was a member of Long Beach for a few years, but finally gave up on my membership as the traffic getting to Steinfillers for the meetings just got progressively worse over time. I do really like Steinfillers as a shop, though, and I thought the Long Beach club meetings were excellent in terms of organization.

chevyblazer5150

Recipes 

Thanks for all the good replies guys. I was forced to go back to the same shop for a keg tap for guiness and they were way more helpful. I think it's one those places you establish a relationship and they treat you better (which still isn't right) but at least it's "better for me" gonna try the place in Fullerton for my next kit though.

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Does a fish piss in its drinking water?

Anteater

Recipes 

+1 to osheas, super helpful people. If I'm ever looking at something for more than a minute someone walks up and asks if I need help.

I want to try the more beer in riverside though, if only for their sheer size and volume of sales (online+offline)

holyguacamole

Recipes 

Stein Fillers in Long Beach is a great place, and its my favorite place in the south LA/OC area.. All of the guys that work there are very nice and helpful. They usually have a great selection of hops, yeast, and grain (and extract kits). They will also mill your grain for you.

Madvillain

Recipes 

My two local shops are Culver City Brew Supply and South Bay Brewing Supply. My choice by far is South Bay...in my experience they are happy to help no matter your brewing experience. I just get a good vibe from the place. They are closed on Sundays though.

Last time I was in Culver City BS I mentioned I was looking to do 3gal. all grain batches and the guy acted like I was a complete fool. Luckily I only needed a packet of yeast for some cider, so I didn't need to spend any more $ there.

Brew on!

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There is nothing on my horizon except everything. Everything is on my horizon - Dwight Schrute

bigego236

Recipes 

Another +1 for Osheas. A cool little shop, with a nice selection. The guys have seemed nice enough and answered my newbie questions politely. Prices are a tad higher than what I have found online, but I like being able to walk in and look at what I'm about to purchase so its worth it.

DadOfRad

Recipes 

I second South Bay Brewing Supply. Friendly, knowledgeable staff. Didn't try to upsell me a bunch of gadgets and trinkets I didn't need. And they always seem willing to give advice and tips for the new (and perhaps overzealous!) first-time brewer.

craigmw

Recipes 

Another vote for Addison's Homebrew Provisions in North OC. The owner is really helpful and really appreciates the business. They also have a nice forum and are likely to have pretty much anything I need. O'Shea's is great for South OC, but I'm really becoming partial to AHP. They are really committed to their customers and getting more folks into homebrewing, including weekend brewing seminars, etc. Their prices are competitive with online vendors, which is almost hard for me to believe. Great LHBS!

Bigdaddyale

Recipes 

Another Vote for SteinFillers.Cal West Hydroponics in Riverside is starting to stock more brewing stuff.