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GroovePuppy

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Sorry guys but I have to vent to someone. I posted earlier in the week about how crappy my last experience was at the LHBS, how they dissed my Nut Brown Ale recipes that I got on here and the advice I was given.

Today I swung by to pick up an extra airlock, bung and blow off tube so I could make Apfelwein tomorrow. I swore after last week I'd limit myself to just buying stuff and not ask for their input. So I get the airlock and bung and I ask the woman behind the counter for blow off tubing that would fit the airlock center shaft and she asks what I need it for.

Now I should have ignored the question but I told her I was making AW in a 5 gallon carboy and wanted to be on the safe side. So she gives me a big patronizing lecture on how what I'm doing is wrong and I should make less to avoid losing any. I explain that the Montrachet yeast you guys usually use apparently doesn't foam and now she sneers and tells me what a cheap and nasty yeast it is. I explain it's supposed to be a low-budget carboy filler and that I'd gotten it in a forum. She says "and have you tried any of the beers these guys make?"

What a stuck up old sow. It's not like I've tried any of hers! She may brew effluent for all I know. She certainly looks like she drinks a lot of vinegar. She actually took the blow off tube off the counter and put it back before I said, no, I'll take it anyway. So she doesn't believe in "better safe than sorry"? If they think blow off tubes are so unnecessary why do they stock them. They even have them right at the counter like every second customer is going to buy one.

You know I shouldn't expect better. In the Sonoma wine country anyone remotely connected with wine has their head so far up their arse that the only thing they can taste is their lower intestine. So if you're ever in Sonoma County be aware that the folks at the Beverage People in Santa Rosa are some of the most condescending, patronizing, supercilious, pretentious, puffed up, self important twats you could ever hope to meet. Right now I have no intention of ever setting foot in the place again, which is a real pain in the pisser as I need 2lbs of corn sugar for the AW. However I will substitute with rat poison before I buy it from them!

I am so freaking mad you wouldn't believe it! I need a beer!!!!!!:mad:
 
Have a glass of apfelwein instead.... oh wait. :p

Joking aside, customer service should renamed to owner service. Too much thinking you deserve to shop there and not enough thinking they deserve to serve you good quality service.
 
So, at risk of sounding like a pretentious bastard.....

TELL US HOW YOU REALLY FEEL!! Better yet, forget about those A$$Wad's and have a home brew.

That is one more reason I get my stuff online. Except for the new homebrew store in Slinger, WI (There's a Plug for ya, SuperiorBrew), which I will go to once I have time to brew again.
 
I feel for ya man. I've not run into condescending, but there's certainly incompentence and poor service in a certain LHBS in my area and I'll tell ya what: I haven't been back since. Shop your values.
 
Don't worry about going back for the corn sugar, sub in regular table sugar. The yeast won't know the difference, it works just as well.
 
Yup, I hear ya. I was shopping at one store, but the owner was anti-all grain, because you could get a beer that was just as good via partial mash and all grain is a waste of time in comparison. Ok, I'll agree that you can make great extract and pm beers, but it's my time I'm wasting so what does he care.

I've since started going to a store in another town and I am much more in line with this guy's brewing ideas than the other. On top of that, I don't get a long republican diatribe regurgitating all of Sean Hannity's nonsense. I'm there to buy beer stuff, not discuss politics.

Good luck with your future purchases. +1 for AHS!
 
Have a glass of apfelwein instead.... oh wait. :p

Joking aside, customer service should renamed to owner service. Too much thinking you deserve to shop there and not enough thinking they deserve to serve you good quality service.

Exactly. As I said before folks like me are the future of their business. They're not entitled.

Sounds to me like you're jonesing to try some of our beers.

Ok, pm me your address and I'll send you a couple.

Finally someone takes the hint! ;)

I feel for ya man. I've not run into condescending, but there's certainly incompentence and poor service in a certain LHBS in my area and I'll tell ya what: I haven't been back since. Shop your values.

Incompetence I can handle as long as I can buy what you guys recommend. When I know what I want and get an argument??????

Don't worry about going back for the corn sugar, sub in regular table sugar. The yeast won't know the difference, it works just as well.

If I need to I'll go that way.

Yup, I hear ya. I was shopping at one store, but the owner was anti-all grain, because you could get a beer that was just as good via partial mash and all grain is a waste of time in comparison. Ok, I'll agree that you can make great extract and pm beers, but it's my time I'm wasting so what does he care.

Even a noob like me has figured out there's many ways to make good brews.

Thanks for the responses (even the sarcastic ones). I have beer now and the world is good. :mug:
 
Unfortunately you will run into people like that... I love the folks at my LHBS, they are really helpful and encouraging, but unfortunately I can buy all of my supplies at Morebeer for much less than I get get them for there. I mean, a 30% savings is hard to pass up... so I no longer shop at my LHBS.
 
Mine too has a pretentious habit. I tend to only buy sacks from them to save shipping. Stopped going for some time and then needed a sack. The guy was a suck up for the first time.

I guess at some point he realized that my brewing wasn't a passing fancy.
 
Man, there are 4 homebrew stores within 30 minutes of my house, and every one of them has great customer service. I guess the more there are, the more friendly they have to be to retain you as a customer.
 
Unfortunately you will run into people like that... I love the folks at my LHBS, they are really helpful and encouraging, but unfortunately I can buy all of my supplies at Morebeer for much less than I get get them for there. I mean, a 30% savings is hard to pass up... so I no longer shop at my LHBS.

Mine too has a pretentious habit. I tend to only buy sacks from them to save shipping. Stopped going for some time and then needed a sack. The guy was a suck up for the first time.

I guess at some point he realized that my brewing wasn't a passing fancy.

You know I'd be happy to spend a few extra bucks to buy in a local store. No waiting on the mail, the chance for some last minute advice and supporting local business.

Man, there are 4 homebrew stores within 30 minutes of my house, and every one of them has great customer service. I guess the more there are, the more friendly they have to be to retain you as a customer.

I need to see what else there is around here. Online is going to take some effort. I need to be sure I don't miss a planned brew day because I didn't order soon enough. I'm finding my happy place for the 6 weeks of brew to bottle but an extra week because the DME is in the mail? :drunk:
 
I see it differently... business is business and I am not rich, I cannot simply justify spending more $$ to get the same product at a different store. I also save a gallon of gas each time I dont go to my LHBS, which is another bonus for me and our country, the UPS guy is on my street daily anyway, might as well make a stop. Over the past three months I have made four large buys and have saved over $100 by NOT shopping at my LHBS or certain online stores. I have detailed some of the comparisons on this site in fact. It sucks that they dont get my business, but Id rather invest that $100 in my family than in thier inflated prices. If they want more business, then sometimes thier pricing also has to come into line... like every other business that has competition.

Here is a little comparison between the some popular HB supply stores. I ordered from Morebeer... this is what I would have paid at these stores for the identical items. (22# of various crushed grains, 8oz of cascade leaf hops and a couple packets of yeast)

$89 Northern Brewer
$87 Austin Homebrew Supply
$71 Midwest Brewing Supplies
$62 Morebeer

I almost exclusively shop at Morebeer for this reason, I have yet to buy kits or ingredients anywhere else for less.
 
I buy from wherever is cheapest for what I need. I usually only buy 1 batch worth of ingredients at a time, so my LHBS is cheaper since I don't have to pay shipping (but their products are a bit more pricey than most places). Morebeer has really cheap sacks of 2-row, but their shipping is atrocious ($5 more than the bag). AHS has great shipping, but...interesting prices on bulk stuff. I say that because even though the prices look about the same as most other places, they for some reason take a 20% cut of the product. I.e. $46 will get you 50lbs elsewhere, but only 40lbs at AHS. I'll just wait until I'm in Houston next and get the 50lb bag for $52 from BIY.
EDIT: that may be because the AHS sacks are Rahr and the other stuff isn't...not sure. However, it's the same 'same price, less product' with all the bulk grains and extracts as far as I can tell.
 
I generally plan my brews 2 at a time... therefore I surpass the threshold for free shipping at B3, that coupled with the fact that thier ingredient prices are really reasonable is a win win for me.

I recently ordered 35# of grain, 6oz of hops and 4 packs of S-04 for $65 shipped... that is pretty darn good. That is enough for 20 gallons of my Haus Ale!
 
Man, there are 4 homebrew stores within 30 minutes of my house, and every one of them has great customer service. I guess the more there are, the more friendly they have to be to retain you as a customer.

there are several in the SF bay Area as well.
One sponsors my Brew Club... and he get's a fair share of business.
And considering the amount of free hops and yeast he has thrown at me , It's hard to just say goodbye.
But MoreBeer in Los Altos is my new favorite..
and the place in Campbell is always cool when it comes to wine and mead questions. Decent wine bottle prices as well and decent customer service.
And I will purchase items online if the price is right.

Economics is key... I am no where near wealthy.
But I do look at customer service and value when I purchase grain and brewing ingredients. With hardware, I tend to go to an online source unless I can meet or beat a price.
 
Something like that would never happen around here. Here's a depiction of the last LHBS that was a rude jerkass in Portland....

tar and feather.jpg



Just a thought ;)
 
Something like that would never happen around here. Here's a depiction of the last LHBS that was a rude jerkass in Portland....

LOL! Is there anyone in Portland who is NOT a homebrewer? My new neighbor moved here from Portland a few months ago and saw me brewing one day, he came over and told me several of his old neighbors and friends there were homebrewers. Meanwhile, everybody else in the neighborhood thinks I'm cooking meth. :D
 
So I was annoying SWMBO last night with my 73rd retelling of my conversation in the LHBS and I remembered a key section of the conversation that I'd forgotten. It seems their not so brew-savvy after all.

When talking about 5 gallons in a 5 gallon carboy the older woman (who seems to be an owner) says "But you need the headspace in a primary to give the yeast oxygen." "Yes", pipes in one of the assistants, "the yeast need oxygen."

So I reply "But surely when you aerate as you fill the carboy you'll get oxygen?" "Well yes", says the assistant "but the yeast need more to properly ferment." "I thought the yeast just needed oxygen to reproduce and you didn't want oxygen once fermentation was under way" I replied.

"Well..... " At this point the older woman tailed off, obviously realizing I actually knew something (thanks to you guys) and the assistant chimes in with "But some yeast will die off and you still need them to reproduce."

This was the point where I said I'd just take the blow off anyway, paid and left. Of course I realize now that, once the fermentation takes off, even in a primary with a bunch of headspace, it's full of CO2 anyway!

I suppose it all makes no difference since I'm done with the place, and it may seem petty to keep flogging the dead horse, but ya know they made me feel really small yesterday so it's a huge relief to have some evidence that they're not so smart as they think they are. Suddenly I feel like a competent brewer again in my own noobish way. :rockin:
 
I have looked at buying from Adventures in Hombrewing, but sheesh, $50/pound for hops, but $2.25/ounce? How does that compute? WLP yeasts are 6.50 a vial. Thier grain prices are pretty reasonable.
 
I feel lucky every time I read a thread like this. My LHBS (What Ales You) is so friendly and helpful (Chuck has over 25 years of brewing experience). Prices are very close to online prices and no wait or shipping charge. Last week I picked up a 50LB bag of American 2 row for $48 and he carried it to the car. Notty is .89 each. He has a great selection of hops and yeast. Even when I special order something the price is fair and no shipping charges apply. He says he's working on a e-store front so maybe soon you all will be able to try his store.
Pup, it sucks that you have had a bad experience, but there are many good shops out there, look around and try each out till you find a local shop you like. Local shops can really save a brew day.
 
I would still go back for emergency items, but I'd also try to limit the conversation. If she asks what you need a blow-off tube for, tell her it's for making beer. If she don't like the answer, she can refuse to sell it to you.

Then buy your big items online.
 
FWIW.... In my experience, homebrewed beer can be as good or better than commercial beer, but I have never had a home wine that equaled even a pretty good commercial bottle. I know it is a drastic price savings for homemade wine, but so far, none compares with a $12 well chosen bottle. So on to my point....

you live in my favorite US wine region, with great wine everywhere, right? This homebrew store is in Sonoma, surrounded by all this great wine, right? And these people think their homemade wine is so good that someone living in Sonoma and buying from them will be impressed with their wine kits in boxes but should be made to feel small and dumb because they brew beer and cider.... sounds like they need a major 'tude adjustment.
 
First class rant, Pup! :D

You should have directed the stuck up witch to here! Maybe she would have learned something! :)

Compliments indeed from the master ;).

You notice I managed to restrict the use of expletives. The problem was that once I started to use them in describing my "adventure" there were two for every other word. :mug:

I'm all better now. Trouble is that their prices are good. Their DME is cheaper than anywhere else I see online. I am prepared however to pay more to not go there. As my sainted Grandmother would say "I wouldn't give them the steam off my piss!"
 
I've found that most retailers of any sort here in NJ have the same attitude. I've learned to avoid conversation and walk out of the rudest stores. It sucks, but more for them than it does for me. I have no problem buying over the internet.
 
If the prices are soo good, then why not keep buying there? You can let them know how you feel about their attitude by telling them exactly why you don't want their advice. It's not like you are boycotting to bring down the price! That way they know not to engage you with their witty repartee, and you still get the savings. I sometimes shop at places I don't prefer as long as I'm getting the better deal. Now, if there was a nicer place nearby, then I'd pay a bit more to go there, but if I had to go to the LHBS to get a packet of yeast, or some missing hops, then I'd go where it was most convenient.

I mean, there is this video store in town who had people that didn't really seem, how should I say... upstanding. Then I started going there when the one store went out of business, and the other decided to not stock widescreen movies if they could get full screen (separate rant..). Anyway, I learned to like this place because the cute chick from the bank works there on some weekends, and the regular girl likes to wear tops that reveal a great portion of her upper anatomy. So I go there for the customer service.
 
Hey two thumbs up. I have a smile on my face that wasn't there before, and not because of your misfortune. Tbh, though you really should write a formal letter to the owner. Tell him/her that you aren't going there anymore and tell him/her exactly why. It's the only way they could ever change. Just my $.02.
 
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