Bowery Whole Foods

Hi everyone,

I typically get my grain through the internet because there is no LHBS near me. However, I recently discovered that the Whole Foods in the Bowery section of NYC sells grains by the lb., and that's not too far from my work It doesn't make sense for me to always buy my grain there all the time, because by the time I pay the subway fair, tax, NYC prices, etc. its almost break even with flat rate shipping. I thought I might use the place for last minute grain purchases though.

Does anyone have any experience with the freshness/quality of their ingrediants? It looked like all the grain was pre-ground, but I'm not sure how much grain they move.

On a side note, I was kind of impressed with their beer selection and the fact that they have beer on tap as well.

Thanks,
Craig

I haven't bought grain there but they do have one of the best beer selections I've seen. Very helpful staff as well!

They sell malted grains like two row and crystal? I've never heard of a Whole Foods doing this... intriguing.

The few times I've bought grain there it has always been very fresh, though the selection of course isn't as good as at brooklyn hombrew.

This caught my eye, too. Many grains, a decent yeast selection if you ask, and basic equipment. I've definitely considered investing in a few of their swing-top 32-ounce bottles, too (full af draft beer, of course.) Very happy to have this in Manhattan. And the beer selection is great, although maybe a shade below that of New Beer Distributors nearby. And the day I was there, the room was fairly hot, and they have a lot of the beer in open shelving next to the windows, so while the grain might be fine, I'm mildly concerned about the beer long-term.

they have beer yeast? Now I gotta take a growler down and check them out.

B

Ghostly said:

And the beer selection is great, although maybe a shade below that of New Beer Distributors nearby.

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That's why I never go there. Not much of a point to pay more for beer with New Beer just a few blocks down.

This is right by my apartment and I go there all the time. I don't usually buy grain there because BMW's prices/selection/grind is so great but I have picked up a few odds and ends there ( not to mention tons of great beer).
Just FYI: their bulk grain (decent selection) is not pre ground, only their kits. They'll grind it for you there but the guy tells me that their mill is set to it's factory setting so the grind prob isn't great (but if you don't mind buying a couple xtra lbs of grain to compensate, no big deal).
In addition to having your typical selction of dry yeast they are a wyeast house but they don't carry the Activator smack packs, only the smaller propigator packs (kinda silly).
They also have a decent selection of hops but pricey.
They often run out of basic stuff like tubing but their prices on things like 2000ml flasks ($15), bazooka screens ($11), and bottles ($10/case) can't be beat.

Oh, yeah BIG +1 for New Beer

There's been a few threads about it on here since it started carrying homebrew supplies. Also several online stories, like this one-Manhattan’s first homebrew shop opens at Whole Foods Bowery Beer Room

Yeah, but they only started carrying bulk grains about 6-8 weeks ago. Before that everything was prepackaged.

I'm in downtown Manhattan. I need to get the gas and beer knobby things for a corny keg. One day I needed a keg wrench. It would be nice to know if they have those things.

chrismcnally said:

I'm in downtown Manhattan. I need to get the gas and beer knobby things for a corny keg. One day I needed a keg wrench. It would be nice to know if they have those things.

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They didn't last time I was there, which was a month or two back.

I go by there twice a week (just a few blocks from my place) and I can say that they definitely don't carry kegging supplies. You're better off ordering online.

bk homebrew for the win man

Thank you to everyone for your replies.

I was able to call them and they answered the phone and told me they did not have any kegging equipment. I brought a keg into work in Manhattan but could not tap it because I forgot those couplers. I didn't want to go back out to Brooklyn and back again so I was looking for a nearby supplier.

I normally go to Brooklyn Homebrew, they have everything and they are certainly the best homebrew supply shop. But lately I also go to Bitters and Esters, the new Brooklyn shop which is closer to my place, and to Brooklyn Kitchen in Williamsburg as well, but I was in downtown Manhattan and I needed the equipment.

When I first started brewing, not that long ago, there was only one store in Queens, now there are three in Brooklyn and I guess a partial one in Manhattan. I always buy from a store rather than order online even if it costs more, it's worth it to keep them around.

Hi everyone,

that's my First time writing here.
My Whole Foods experience with buying other grains (rice and buckwheat, by the pound) was bad, hopefully they will move the grains from this into something like this
Other then that, they have nice and reasonable fair prices.
welcome to the hood.

---------------
English Brown
IPA OAK chip

WF is shutting down the homebrew section in their Bowery store. All homebrew supplies and ingredients are currently 20% off. They're starting to run out of a couple hop varieties and most base malts. They still have some random Brewer's Best supplies.

Went in to get ingredients for two small batches and ended up loading up on hops ($1.59 for any variety). It's not the best LHBS, but it was the most convenient for me. Got to make the best of it though - going to plan a couple more batches ahead and make sure I stock up on what I can :rockin: