LHBS ruined my brew day

Get to brew maybe once a week on Sunday. I picked up a grain order from my LHBS on Sunday afternoon and went home. Waited till I had my boys asleep and started to get the brew going. I went to weigh my grain to calculate my strike water volume. To my hock my bag of grain was pounds off. It didn't even weigh the total amount o my base grain. Canceled the brew, cleaned up, and very pissed.

You're sure your scale is accurate? Call them up and see what happened. Maybe they wrote down the numbers wrong.

Wow! You get to brew once a week?

Lucky!

I'm sure the new guy screwed up the grain bill. I had a 3 lb discrepancy so I'm sure it's not my scale.

Was this by chance the LHBS in Tempe?

Nope hops and tannins up in anthem. I have had great luck with the guys in tempe. I just live too far away. They offer a military discount which is a very nice thing to do.

i guess it's not like this everywhere, but my lhbs lets you (makes you) measure/crush/bag your own grains. they will pour/measure your extract, but that's about it. otherwise, it's just like a grocery store where you pick out everything yourself. i've read stories like this on here (weight off, percentages off, wrong product used, not crushed, poorly crushed, etc), all which would be prevented by letting/making the customer do things on their own (or at least it's the customers fault for messing up).

What do you suppose happened, he left out 3lb of base malt? You going to have them make good on the missing malt? I'd have been tempted to brew it as a smaller batch.

Had the same problem.

3lb bags off by 6oz, so I told the LHBS manager and if I need grains from now on, I get them in 1 pound bags. Plus I have them measure the bags in front of me.

If you're ever in the east valley (Mesa) Brew Your Own Brew has some good people and great prices.

Scratch that, Gilbert.

Lennie said:

What do you suppose happened, he left out 3lb of base malt? You going to have them make good on the missing malt? I'd have been tempted to brew it as a smaller batch.

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Who's to know, if it was base malt or specialty that was missing? I might have made it just because it's more fun to make beer than to not make beer, but I would have been annoyed, too. Unless they can tell you specifically, "Oops, we forgot the 3#s of Munich you requested," they should replace the whole grain bill.

I assume they crushed the grain for you? That might be your problem. My grain is usually 2-3 lbs lighter after crushing. More air.

TyTanium said:

I assume they crushed the grain for you? That might be your problem. My grain is usually 2-3 lbs lighter after crushing. More air.

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Crushed grain will be less dense but it will weigh the same, assuming the mill doesn't magically eat up 2-3 lbs of it. That's a big discrepancy that I would investigate. Sounds fishy.

TyTanium said:

I assume they crushed the grain for you? That might be your problem. My grain is usually 2-3 lbs lighter after crushing. More air.

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Say what? Are you injecting helium into your grain bill?

TyTanium said:

I assume they crushed the grain for you? That might be your problem. My grain is usually 2-3 lbs lighter after crushing. More air.

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.

Winner ^^^^^

smiller said:

Crushed grain will be less dense but it will weigh the same, assuming the mill doesn't magically eat up 2-3 lbs of it. That's a big discrepancy that I would investigate. Sounds fishy.

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Ton of bricks, or a ton of feathers.....volume might be different, but it's going to weigh the same.

Not if you smash some of the Higgs bosons.

TyTanium said:

I assume they crushed the grain for you? That might be your problem. My grain is usually 2-3 lbs lighter after crushing. More air.

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LOLOLOLOL

Thank you for making my day.

StainlessBrewing said:

If you're ever in the east valley (Mesa) Brew Your Own Brew has some good people and great prices.

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Agreed, and they let you measure out your own malt.

I've never liked that about the other LHBS here in the east valley. I'm a big boy, I know how a scale works.

Brew your own brew gets my business about 98% of the time. My only complaint is they don't refrigerate their dry yeast, so I buy that elsewhere. Otherwise, they are fantastic.

scottland said:

Agreed, and they let you measure out your own malt.

I've never liked that about the other LHBS here in the east valley. I'm a big boy, I know how a scale works.

Brew your own brew gets my business about 98% of the time. My only complaint is they don't refrigerate their dry yeast, so I buy that elsewhere. Otherwise, they are fantastic.

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Glad you posted and that I found your blog. I freakin love Hop Knot! They will be releasing a IIPA Double Knot in a few weeks. I just brewed BM's Tits Up recipe so I'll have to wait a few weeks before I can try yours but it's definitely next.

TyTanium said:

I assume they crushed the grain for you? That might be your problem. My grain is usually 2-3 lbs lighter after crushing. More air.

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......... This made me laugh. Thank you.

codycodycody said:

......... This made me laugh. Thank you.

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Welcome, haha. I laughed myself, actually, which is why I decided to post it.

OP: I mean no disrespect, just a little levity. Hope your next LHBS visit/brewday goes better.

StainlessBrewing said:

Glad you posted and that I found your blog. I freakin love Hop Knot! They will be releasing a IIPA Double Knot in a few weeks.

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Ya, I'm soooo excited for Double Knot. As for the Hop Knot clone, I wouldn't change anything. Theirs had a little bit more esters, so you might try fermenting at like 64-65 rather than 62. It's tricky with 007 though, if you let it get too warm to start, it REALLY gets going, and the internal temp will shoot up 5-10* warmer than ambient.

scottland said:

Ya, I'm soooo excited for Double Knot. As for the Hop Knot clone, I wouldn't change anything. Theirs had a little bit more esters, so you might try fermenting at like 64-65 rather than 62. It's tricky with 007 though, if you let it get too warm to start, it REALLY gets going, and the internal temp will shoot up 5-10* warmer than ambient.

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Added your blog to the Favs. Keep up the good work!

StainlessBrewing said:

If you're ever in the east valley (Mesa) Brew Your Own Brew has some good people and great prices.

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Seconded.

I could just be lucky, but my LHBS (Brew and Wine Hobby - East Hartford, CT) lets me bag my own grain, weigh it myself, then tell them the weight at the register. They don't even weigh it themselves, they just take my word for it. That's one of the reasons that, although it's a long drive, I keep going back. Great service.

Banzai said:

Ton of bricks, or a ton of feathers.....volume might be different, but it's going to weigh the same.

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That's what I said. Equal mass with a higher volume equals a lower density.

scottland said:

Was this by chance the LHBS in Tempe?

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scottland I have wanted to find you online. i have read your blog for a while and wanted to ask you questions. you do a great job writing up and photographing your beer.


As for my grain bill issue the guys will replace the whole thing. I dont know what they left out so who knows what i would have ended up with wort wise. I wish i lived near a better LHBS. one in north glendale gave me a bunch of attitude and snide comments when i first got started brewing. I have not returned there since. The one in anthem isn't close but it was at least an option when my schedule opened up and i could put together a last minute evening brew session. by the time i noticed this it was after 20:00 and obviously no way to have them fix it. I like trying to support the LHBS but when things like this happen it gets very difficult. I am just going to buy a mill and get grain un-crushed online.

kickrjason, I got a mill and buy all my base grain & hops in bulk. However, I still buy most of my specialty grain and yeast from the LHBS. I happily spend a bit more to keep them open since they are their when I have an emergency.

kickrjason said:

scottland I have wanted to find you online. i have read your blog for a while and wanted to ask you questions. you do a great job writing up and photographing your beer.

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Thanks! I appreciate it. Feel free to hit me up with any questions.

For the record the LHBS replaced my grainy bill and refunded me for my troubles. Stand up move on their part.

kickrjason said:

For the record the LHBS replaced my grainy bill and refunded me for my troubles. Stand up move on their part.

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Nice. I suggest updating your original post with that information.

Why can beer only be made 5 gallons at a time!?!?!?!?! Oh the humanity!!!!