AHS vs MWS vs NB

I am sure everyone has their favorites, but I have only ever purchased extract kits from NB. Was thinking about testing out AHS or MWS. Any reviews or comparisons?

Also if anyone has any killer kits to suggest, that would be great. Thinking of doing a strong / very hoppy IPA.

I've bought from all 3, all 3 did fine and I would purchase from again.

I buy from NB most often because they support BTV and The brewing network, plus they are fastest from order time to my door.

I've ordered from NB mostly because they are closest. I don't think there is enough difference between any of them to matter otherwise.

Of the ones you list, I would recommend Northern Brewer and Austin Homebrew without reservation. Midwest has had some major issues with the quality of their crush. I also recommend Brewmasters Warehouse very highly for ingredients, but not kits.

I routinely order from Austin Homebrew as they are quite close! I've never had an issue with anything from there and they package their orders VERY well.

I've used all 3 but AHB is super good with keeping you up to date on order status and when you look at you order online you can see the notes from the guys that packaged it up and if anything was back ordered right then, not in an email a week later.

I've used all three. Midwest doesn't have flat rate shipping, so if you're not careful the price can jump on you pretty quick. AHS and NB...not really a big enough difference to tell anyone one's better than the other. Another one to look at is More Beer. I've had good luck with their product.

I buy from NB and AHS, most often AHS. I have been pleased with both, never an issue.

Doesn't one of those places draw cartoons on the box if you ask them to?

That's a bonus in my book!

I have used AHS & NB and like them both. But my go-to is BMW.

Try adventures in homebrewing. They're my local but with a great online presence. Absolutely great service, and fresh ingredients. They also have a rewards program.
Www.Homebrewing.org

I've used all three. What I like about both NB and Midwest, is that they have recipes and instructions online. It's not necessary to have this stuff online if it comes with the kit...but to me it's like a person offering you a handshake, or greeting you when you enter a place. It's that extra effort, and trust. It's like saying: "Hey, I'll give you the recipe because we offer such great prices, and have such good customer service, that I don't have to worry about profit loss if somebody takes the recipe." Know what? It works

Am I the only one that uses morebeer.com for the free shipping over $65?

Homercidal said:

Doesn't one of those places draw cartoons on the box if you ask them to?

That's a bonus in my book!

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I want cartoons on my box!

NB has been my standard, and their 115st hopbursted IPA is great.

ArcaneXor said:

Of the ones you list, I would recommend Northern Brewer and Austin Homebrew without reservation. Midwest has had some major issues with the quality of their crush. I also recommend Brewmasters Warehouse very highly for ingredients, but not kits.

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I believe that Midwest addressed that last fall by replacing their crusher.

Midwest takes 4 business days, NB takes 3 business days to deliver packages to my house. Both are comparable for price. Midwest's prices are a bit lower but you take a hit on shipping. If it's a smaller order, I will usually just have both sites up simultaneously and order from both. Whichever comes out to be the cheapest is what I go with. Sometimes one is out of the hops I want which can also plays a big factor. I think by and large they are all equivalent.

Really though you should try to go to your local home brew shop for everything you can possibly get there. You may not necessarily SAVE money, but supporting their existence for the convenience and possible future expansion is only working to your benefit. Helps your local economy, gives you a place to run during an "oh ****" moment, and makes the beer gods happy.

ArcaneXor said:

I also recommend Brewmasters Warehouse very highly for ingredients, but not kits.

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I'm in PA and BW has been the fastest to my door (also the cheapest flat rate shipping...$6.99).

I have purchased from NB and MWS. Most of my online purchases are from NB due to their flat rate shipping, faster service time, outstanding customer service, and lower overall cost.

I had a minor problem with both, NB sent the wrong pack of wyeast and when called shipped the correct pack over nite, no questions asked, no return of incorrect yeast, and a hand written apology for my inconvenience from their shipping department.

MWS got around to ship the missing item a few days later, regular post.

My vote goes to NB

I've used NB mainly, but did order from AHS once and have been satisfied with both companies.

One advantage that AHS has is that it allows you to order grains in smaller quantities. Great for steeping grains that call for less that a pound of grain, which is the minimum order for grains at Northern Brewer.

Have used both NB and Austin many times and both are excellent. NB is closer to MT so I get things a bit quicker but frankly you can't go wrong with either one...

Homercidal said:

Doesn't one of those places draw cartoons on the box if you ask them to?

That's a bonus in my book!

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Yeah, AHS will draw cartoons if you ask, at least if they're not too busy. I actually got a note in an order apologizing for not being able to draw the cartoon i requested.

I've ordered from MW, AHS, and NB and been satisfied with all. I go with Austin unless they don't have what i need primarily because they're the closest.

As mightynintendo mentioned, supporting a LHBS is best, but unfortunately, my localest HBS is 70 miles away. That's a no-go for me.

Living in Hawai`i shipping is a problem. MW will ship USPS Priority Mail. Their shopping cart is set to show you the shipping charge. I keep loading the "box" until it changes and then drop an item. Pretty much I only buy hops and dry yeast. Grain I get locally.
Package usually arrives in about a week, can't ***** about that.

AHS will also ship USPS but you don't know the actuall shipping cost until they pack it. Their "shopping cart" can't be set to show USPS shipping rate. I'll use them if I can't get the item from MW.

I've only dealt with NB. They've been great from the start. I bought my starting equipment from them and every extract kit. Their customer service is awesome.

I ordered their Peace Coffee Stout. It arrived. I unpacked several kits I had purchased and put things in the freezer, the fridge, and on my beer shelf. The coffee stout was the last kit I went to brew. I could not find the coffee. I did not know if I had thrown it away accidentally or if it wasn't shipped. I called NB to order the coffee. They shipped it to me at no charge because I couldn't remember if it was in the kit or not. The very possibility they messed up was enough for them to make things right.

NB also gives a 10% military discount. That goes far in my book, too :rockin:

Brewskii said:

I want cartoons on my box!

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https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/box-art-282064/

I used to use austin but have switched to NB,I get my orders faster from them.

Ordered from all three and have never had a problem. I usually just order from AHS right now. I live in TX so it takes two days from order to arrival and you just cant beat that!

I'm a Northern Brewer loyalist. They fix order problems quickly and with no questions where as Brewmaster's Warehouse won't, you have to order more and they'll fix it then.

I'm a NB fan, very good customer service. I had a poor experience with MWS in their store, I called to advise their manager who said "that's too bad". I haven't gone back since. Both have stores locally so I go to NB but wouldn't mind giving AHS a try, maybe for my next batch.

I'll definitely ask for a cartoon on my next NB order...lol

I never knew about cartoons on the box. Who and how do you get them that s a awesome perk.

Midwest kits are usually tasty. I really enjoyed their Belgian IPA.

Seems to me that the guys at AHS are really proud of their stuff. I was putting together a $300 order back in the summer and compared AHS to NB.

By the time I had put what I needed in the cart plus a few extras, NB was cheaper by about $50.

NB it is!

BBKing said:

Seems to me that the guys at AHS are really proud of their stuff. I was putting together a $300 order back in the summer and compared AHS to NB.

By the time I had put what I needed in the cart plus a few extras, NB was cheaper by about $50.

NB it is!

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That will depend on what is in your order. I find them to be quite similar in price with a few exceptions. Shipping can be the difference in price at times, other times they have price changes at different times that skews the pricing.

I haven't ordered from a single homebrew site that I can't recommend. I shy away form midwest but only because the didn't post a negative review I made of one of their products.

They might all be the same, with minimal diffs in cost. Here's my order of preference. I don't care about cost... they are all nearly the same.

#1: Brewmaster's Warehouse. Why? Near me. Ed always answers the phone, I love the clean web site.
#2: Northern Brewer. Why? Broad supply, Awesome catelog, Super cool commercials on Brewing Network
#3: Austin Homebrew Supply. Why? Never ordered from them. Recent credit card debacle. Don't care about drawing on the box. I really do like the fact that Forrest frequents this site though (used to, anyway).

I'm a big fan of AHS. Disclaimer: I haven't ordered form the others. Every AG kit I've ordered from them has been great.

An it's cool that the owner is starting a brewery. Happy to support that.

First online order ever was BMW. Ed called to say he was out of the White Labs yeast I ordered and could he send the Wyeast equivalent. 2 years later I order a March pump and Ed calls to say it's on backorder. Got my pump 4 days later. And, who needs to buy Beersmith when Ed has BrewBuilder for free? Also BMW's crush is almost too good.

http://www.brewmasterswarehouse.com/brew-builder

RM-MN said:

That will depend on what is in your order. I find them to be quite similar in price with a few exceptions. Shipping can be the difference in price at times, other times they have price changes at different times that skews the pricing.

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This is very true, and I should have mentioned this in my original post.

I've ordered from all 3, but prefer MW or NB only because they're close to me and that usually means overnight shipping if the shipping queue isn't backed up. I got a sweet deal on Perlick 525ss faucets & stainless shanks from AHS last year with free shipping :rockin:

ArcaneXor said:

Midwest has had some major issues with the quality of their crush.

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I've pretty solid consistency with Midwest, starting about last fall like RM-MN mentioned. The last few batches I ordered from NB (last couple months) have been a pretty course crush, however, so I've had a few batches with a lower-than-expected OG. I don't hold it against them, though. To me, that just means it's time to buy a mill

I've only ordered from AHS and my local so far, but I have to say the packaging and shipping were great from AHS. I have the first batch in the primary right now. It's my first mini-mash so it was a great time. I loved being able to track the UPS. I will order from them again.