What's the best lhbs in SoCal? La/oc

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The one I've been going to (won't name names) just seems to be too cool, or busy, or whatever to spend time helping a noob. I've already dropped well over $200 getting started and just didn't get that feeling you get when someone actually appreciated your patronage.

So what's your favorite lhbs??
 
http://www.maltosefalcons.com/ - Currently a member
http://pacificgravity.org/ -Was a member
http://yeastsidebrewers.org/ - Thinking about joining

Maltose Falcons are hard core. Oldest club in the nation. Lots of events. Super smart brewers. Helpful and friendly. Unfortunately, I usually brew on Sundays and that is when they have their meetings. Have not made a single meeting yet.

Pacific Gravity was a fun club. Lots of west side events. Geographically inconvenient to me so I am not involved.

I have met a bunch of the guys from Yeastside Brewers and they seem cool. I see them at the Eagle Rock Brewery often. They are a newer club, but seem to have the right focus.

You should join one. Saves you 10% off your stuff at the usual home brew shops. Would have saved almost enough to pay for the membership with your initial investment.
 
Just realized you were asking aobut stores (listed by club associated with store):

Maltose Falcons - home beer wine cheese in Woodland hills. - I go here a lot. very good http://www.homebeerwinecheese.com/

Pacific Gravity - Culver City HBS - Have been here infrequently since I moved away from the beach. http://www.brewsupply.com/

Yeast Side Brewers - Eagle Rock HBS - Owned (at least partially) by the guys who own Culver City. All new/fresh ingredients as the place has been open less than a year. Variety is limited, however, especially for hard parts. http://www.brewsupply.com/

Long Beach Hombrew Club - I don't know about the club, but their home store is StenFillers. This place is great. Lots of ingredients (and they will measure it out for you if you call ahead). Tons of keg and serving parts too. http://www.steinfillers.com/
 
The primary shop I go to is Addisons in Fullerton Eric is super helpful and friendly. The address is 1328 East Orangethorpe Ave Fullerton, CA 92831. Plus they have club meeting there usually first Monday of the month.
 
MaltnHops said:
I go to Beer Beer & More Beer in Riverside and love it! The guys there are super friendly and helpful!

I'll second B3. Very helpful and always have what I want. Saturdays are very busy tho, especially during their demo's so the service can be a bit less personalized on those days.
 
you can't start a thread and not name names ;)

I suspect you are talking about Culver although geographically not sure if it makes sense

there is another place in Torrance that i've heard great things about but haven't been down to check it out yet
http://www.southbaybrewingsupply.com/

i've been to Steinfillers and had a good experience but its also a bit out of the way for me
 
i go to southbaybrewing.com. they have a nice little store. i get all my 50lb sacks from them and most of my replacement supplys, hoses, clamps etc. i would get my yeast from them if they were closer to where i live but the timing seems to always be off. ie. gotta make a starter in the middle of the week if i'm going to brew on the weekend. so i get my yeast from the culver brewshop b/c they are down the street from where i work.
 
Only thing down by me in Laguna Hills is Osheas. Cool little store. Guys are really helpful. Grain selection is good and so is hops. Have the basic necessities for equipment too. Small store though, and awesome beer selection.
 
+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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
+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)
 
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.
 
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! :rockin:
 
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.
 
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.
 
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!
 
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