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Title says it all.

Must have been reading my mind. My wife's from Chicago and was thinking today about asking you all about the best lhbs in Chicago with the best choice of ingredients so I can go shopping when we get to town.
 
kerant said:
Must have been reading my mind. My wife's from Chicago and was thinking today about asking you all about the best lhbs in Chicago with the best choice of ingredients so I can go shopping when we get to town.

Homebrew Shop LTD in St. Charles. It's at the intersection of 3rd St and 64.
 
kerant said:
Must have been reading my mind. My wife's from Chicago and was thinking today about asking you all about the best lhbs in Chicago with the best choice of ingredients so I can go shopping when we get to town.

There are a few in Chicago.
 
Must have been reading my mind. My wife's from Chicago and was thinking today about asking you all about the best lhbs in Chicago with the best choice of ingredients so I can go shopping when we get to town.

Andersonville here.

I am personally a fan of Brew Camp, in Lincoln's Square. Around Damen and Lincoln on Belle Plaine. Pretty good choice of ingredients, they know their stuff, and I can email them my recipe in advance, and they have it ready for me when I walk in the door.
 
How about some updated Chicagoland LHBS reviews? There's a thread from '06 I think, but not much recently. OP: I don't want to hijack your thread. Feel free to tell me to put this somewhere else, just thought it'd be beneficial for all us Chicagoans.

Brewer's Coop (@Two Brothers Brewery)
Great prices, but very poorly & sporadically stocked. Decent selection of grains & adjuncts, mostly 1-5# bags. Almost non-existent hop selection. Good selection of White Labs yeast, and sell "expired" yeast for $3 each. Carries most basic equipment. Since it's really a giftshop attached to the restaurant, staff has little knowledge of homebrewing or inventory.

Chicagoland Winemakers in Elmhurst
Mostly a wine store, but decent beer stock. Typical basic grain selection (pre-packaged, Hop Union hops, most yeast brands dry & liquid, good equipment section. A little on the pricey side.

HomeBrewShop in St. Charles
Outstanding selection. I drool whenever I walk into this store; they have everything you need at fair prices. Great equipment selection, from basics to Blichmann. Great hop selection (Hop Union) 1oz and 1# packages. Most yeast brands, dry & liquid. Phenomenal grain selection: pre-packaged 1-5#, crushed or uncrushed, bags of bulk base malt, and bins in the back where you can assemble custom recipes. They'll measure & crush for you at no charge. Helpful staff.

Fox Valley Homebrew
Have not been.

Brew & Grow Roselle
Outstanding selection with very competitive prices. Tons of equipment from basic to advanced. Hop Union hops (1oz only I believe). Most yeast brands, dry & liquid. Full and robust selection of grain, but only pre-packaged (crushed or uncrushed), 1# bags are the smallest. Also sell bags of base malt. Most staff are homebrewers and are knowledgeable. Typically brewing on Saturday and offer samples.
 
Clanchief said:
Andersonville here.

I am personally a fan of Brew Camp, in Lincoln's Square. Around Damen and Lincoln on Belle Plaine. Pretty good choice of ingredients, they know their stuff, and I can email them my recipe in advance, and they have it ready for me when I walk in the door.

Whoa, I didn't know they provided this kind of service. I need to try this next time so I can look around for an extra 10 minutes and dream while the SWMBO thinks I am waiting on my order.
 
Chicago here (Lakeview). I've been to almost all the LHBS's in the city and don't really like any of them for various reasons. However, I haven't been to the new Brew & Grow location yet (19 S Morgan), and I hear it's nice. I go to the Kedzie store when I need something ASAP, and buy everything else online.
 
Northcenter here. I'm darn close to Brew Camp. Guys there are great. Prices are as low as the bigger Brew & Grow (which I like too). It's a great beer neighborhood with Half Acre Brewery, Fountainhead, and Bad Apple. West Lakeview liquors and Armenetti's are a couple blocks away too.
 
Brewing 2-3 times a month in Elmhurst.


And as for Ty's LHBS reviews here is my take:

Brewer's Coop : Never been to.

Chicagoland Winemakers in Elmhurst: More of a wine shop than beer if you ask me. I pick up most of my small items here but it has issues with stock especially yeast and hops which is what I really need them for. And the prices are high for such an old shop. But the owner Kyle is a nice guy and is really helpful for new brewers since this is where I got started. And they had free samples in the past while you shop but I diont know if he still doing that.

HomeBrewShop in St. Charles: It's awesome but way to far from me to make it my go to. Great selection, prices and people. Just wish I could make it out more often .

Fox Valley Homebrew: Again in Aurora so not close but I make the drive about 2 times a year and stop off at Walter Payton’s Round House since it’s just down the block and the fill corny kegs for next to nothing. This HBS is not very big but the cram it full and the prices on some items can be a bit more but they staff is very nice and they always had everything I needed when I made the trip. Also they are good at serving some beers while you shop. They also have a beer club that gets together by the river every few weeks that I always want to hook up with. One of these days in the summer I will make it out.


Brew & Grow Roselle: I actually just visited them this past Saturday and I was a bit disappointed. The beer supply selection was smaller than the last time I was in and they have very limited portion sizes. It was 1 oz. only packs of hops and 1 LB bags of grain unless you bought a sack. And most of the sacks are of cheap US or Canadian brands. Not much of a premium grain selection. And when I have bought full sacks from them in the past they just had a funky smell to them. I assume it’s from all the chemical and fertilizers that they store for the grow side of the business. But they do have a decent amount of equipment and their prices are probably the lowest in the area on most items.
 
Brew Camp is my go to when I need stuff. I really like how you can email or call in your recipe and they will have it ready for pick up. I know the 2 owners very well and they are great guys! And here is an awesome fun fact: Starting in the spring they will be offering delivery service in the city via bike messenger! How awesome is that! Order your stuff and have it delivered within the hour!
 
Northwest Indiana here. I am new to brewing with my 1 gallon kit, but I am fired out about brewing. I have my first brew in bottles now. I am itching to crack one open, but I am just trying to wait.

LHBS is Brew and Blooms in Hammond
 
How about some updated Chicagoland LHBS reviews? There's a thread from '06 I think, but not much recently. OP: I don't want to hijack your thread. Feel free to tell me to put this somewhere else, just thought it'd be beneficial for all us Chicagoans.

Brewer's Coop (@Two Brothers Brewery)
Great prices, but very poorly & sporadically stocked. Decent selection of grains & adjuncts, mostly 1-5# bags. Almost non-existent hop selection. Good selection of White Labs yeast, and sell "expired" yeast for $3 each. Carries most basic equipment. Since it's really a giftshop attached to the restaurant, staff has little knowledge of homebrewing or inventory.

Chicagoland Winemakers in Elmhurst
Mostly a wine store, but decent beer stock. Typical basic grain selection (pre-packaged, Hop Union hops, most yeast brands dry & liquid, good equipment section. A little on the pricey side.

HomeBrewShop in St. Charles
Outstanding selection. I drool whenever I walk into this store; they have everything you need at fair prices. Great equipment selection, from basics to Blichmann. Great hop selection (Hop Union) 1oz and 1# packages. Most yeast brands, dry & liquid. Phenomenal grain selection: pre-packaged 1-5#, crushed or uncrushed, bags of bulk base malt, and bins in the back where you can assemble custom recipes. They'll measure & crush for you at no charge. Helpful staff.

Fox Valley Homebrew
Have not been.

Brew & Grow Roselle
Outstanding selection with very competitive prices. Tons of equipment from basic to advanced. Hop Union hops (1oz only I believe). Most yeast brands, dry & liquid. Full and robust selection of grain, but only pre-packaged (crushed or uncrushed), 1# bags are the smallest. Also sell bags of base malt. Most staff are homebrewers and are knowledgeable. Typically brewing on Saturday and offer samples.

We recently Got A Brew & Grow in Crystal Lake,prices are better than C.L. health foods,was buying my supplies there for years.Dave is a good guy.I still go in there occasionally,C.L. health foods carries White Labs and B&G has Wyeast,it`s nice to have choice.
 
Lincoln park here.

I usually hit Brew & Grow or Brew Camp, the first having a larger selection than the later. But I must mention Chaos brew club does a fair amount of group bulk malt orders. Check them out, they actually have a club house you can go to and brew.
 
ipsiad said:
Chicago here (Lakeview). I've been to almost all the LHBS's in the city and don't really like any of them for various reasons. However, I haven't been to the new Brew & Grow location yet (19 S Morgan), and I hear it's nice. I go to the Kedzie store when I need something ASAP, and buy everything else online.

Have you been to Bev art on western ave southside? pretty good selection.
 
Arlington Heights

So, the next question for all of us.... what do you do with your water?
 
northwest burbs, I go to Perfect Brewing Supply on rt 176 east of milwaukee ave in Libertyville. Pretty good prices, close to me and best of all, haven't found anything out of stock.
 
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