WANTED - Carboys in Chicago area!

Hey all,

Just getting started out here, but NOT going to drop $50 on a carboy at the LHBS... just reaching out to see if anyone in the Chicagoland area has some they wouldn't be needing. I'm not trying to nickel and dime anyone, but I do have to have some money left over for ingredients, yeah?

Lemme know, I can be reached via PM here, or at "tom <underscore> sanderson (at) yahoo -DOT- com" .. sorry, spam bots suck.

Thanks!

I'm not sure if they are still open, but Chicagoland wine in Elmhurst used to have good deals...

Bleh, I was just there today... I won't be going back. The store was creepy and the dude that was there acted baked and uninterested. They wanted like $55 for a 6 gallon!! I asked if they sold used and he said "that's all we have" ... I was VERY impressed with Fox valley Home Brew & Winery in Aurora compared to this place... cleanliness and selection-wise, not price-wise on the carboys. Seems like that's one of the items LHBS's try to make their money on...

I'm currently trying to see if there are any possibilities with a couple of buddies of mine who are PH.D. chemists at a local chemical plant... yeah, I caught the bug BAD...

It's not that the LHBS are trying to gouge you on carboys but since Mexico stopped producing, they have to be imported from Italy at double the cost.

Nurmey said:

It's not that the LHBS are trying to gouge you on carboys but since Mexico stopped producing, they have to be imported from Italy at double the cost.

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Really? Seems like a ripe opportunity for an American company to step up... I didn't know that, thanks for the info...

If you get downstate at all, Friar Tucks (Savoy, Bloomington, Peoria, etc...) sells them (3, 5 & 6 gal) for around $25.

I'm pretty sure Bev Art sells Better Bottle carboys for much less then that - they're at 101st and Western, you could call first to check the prices.

My home brew shop in Milwaukee sells 6 gal glass carboys for $34.99

MrInternet said:

Bleh, I was just there today... I won't be going back. The store was creepy and the dude that was there acted baked and uninterested. They wanted like $55 for a 6 gallon!! I asked if they sold used and he said "that's all we have" ... I was VERY impressed with Fox valley Home Brew & Winery in Aurora compared to this place... cleanliness and selection-wise, not price-wise on the carboys. Seems like that's one of the items LHBS's try to make their money on...

I'm currently trying to see if there are any possibilities with a couple of buddies of mine who are PH.D. chemists at a local chemical plant... yeah, I caught the bug BAD...

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No! Not Kyle! You should come for one of the instore brew sessions its a real experiance you wont forget!

Go to the brewers coop in warrenville, they have really good prices. I picked up a couple of 3 gallon carboys there and only paid 17 each.

Here's your answer

$25 for 6g and $20 for 5g

OLB said:

Here's your answer

$25 for 6g and $20 for 5g

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^^THIS for the win!

Picked up all three 5G's and 2 6G's while I was there... I thought I was the only one who saw that CL posting. Hey guys, if anyone else needs 6G, they have like 25 left, and they are GOING OUT OF BUSINESS. They are just trying to recoup any cash they can from their remaining inventory. This is Vintner's Cellar in Roscoe Village... these are all brand new carboys, and are throwing in stopper/airlock combos for a buck. Here's a chance to get a deal and help out some fine folks who couldn't quite make a run of it in the current economy... it's so sad to see the store gutted, but the owners are keeping a smile on their faces. You'll need to call ahead, as the store is closed, and they have to meet you there to do pickup.

Hope someone else finds this useful... best deal I've found yet!

That, and the 30 year-old Hinckley Springs 5 gallon glass water cooler bottle I got from some dude on CL for $10. Great condition, he used to keep change in it....

You'd think that somebody named MrInternet would think to check Craig's List. ;-)

Windigstadt said:

You'd think that somebody named MrInternet would think to check Craig's List. ;-)

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Haha... as I said:

MrInternet said:

Picked up all three 5G's and 2 6G's while I was there... I thought I was the only one who saw that CL posting.

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I've been checking CL religiously for the past month, but nothing interesting really popped up... I saw that CLpost literally 5 minutes after they posted it, and had a confirmation on the 3 5G's by the next morning. So yeah, was just saying that I thought I was the only one who had seen it...

ThatGuyRyan said:

No! Not Kyle! You should come for one of the instore brew sessions its a real experiance you wont forget!

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Yeah, I don't mean to bad-mouth a store, but it just wasn't a "compelling" visit...

yeah, if you can find it, the brewers coop is pretty great.