Southern California Brewers, where do you get your gear?

I live in San Diego and most of the places around here end up being far more expensive than buying off the internet in bulk. The only place I've found that is cheap is Riverside's MoreBeer, but with shipping its really not economical to buy from them, and to drive its 1.5 hours out of my way. What do?

Here's where I go. Good service, good people and since it is in the Ballast Point Brewery, great tasters!
Brewmart

You mean brewing equipment, or ingredients?

My number one stop is American Homebrew Supply.
Mainly because that's where I started and I like shootin' the breeze with Vance.

If I need something last minute, or AHS doesn't have it I go to Homebrew Mart.

I haven't bought anything there yet, but there is a liqueur store in Santee that seemed to have pretty good prices.

I have also got stuff on-line when they have deals, or if I'm getting enough that the flat shipping makes it worth it.

gear like kettles, fittings, etc? keg donations from friends and a trip to marshalls industrial supply will take care of everything you need for the fittings.

grain and hops? hops i started ordering from hopsdirect because hops at homebrewmart are way overpriced. grains, usually homebrewmart. but someone just gave me a 50 pound sack of grain so im currently using that. AHS seemed really overpriced. the place in santee is called beveragesforlessinc and they have an AWESOME bottle selection and decent homebrew supply selection. they just recently started supplying homebrew stuff. i dont know how knowledgable they are about homebrewing there. but they REALLY know beers.

The only "gear" I've picked up at the LHBS is a false bottom, a hydrometer and some tubing. Other items were either scrounged or came from McMaster-Carr or the local hardware retailers.

I buy grain and yeast at Stein Fillers in Long Beach. Hops purchases are either there or online.

Seriously, I've found that AHS, although the guy working there is really knowledgable and an alright guy, is overpriced, and so is homebrewmart for hops and yeast at least. Seems like the only two places in San Diego to get brewing supplies though :/

You are either going to pay shipping, tax, or gas money, so make your choice. These homebrew supply places are not pulling in Microsoft money, so stop trying to shave off two bucks from a batch and support the businesses supporting the homebrewer.

Yeah the prices are a little high, compared to most on-line stores, but it's not like they're making a huge profit.

14 years ago, the only other shop around was useless, which is why they are no longer in business. AHS has always been there when I needed it, way before there even were on-line shops.

I don't shop there exclusively, but I go there as much as possible.

I live in Orange County and shop at Addison Homebrew Supply. Good hop/grain selection.

Addison? Where is that?

arturo7 said:

Addison? Where is that?

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Fullerton. http://homebrewprovisions.com

Thanks J-dub, I'll hafta check it out.

There's also South Bay Brewing Supply in Torrance. Great place, it's where I go.

O'Shea's near the 73 & 5 interchange

When I lived in OC it was O'Sheas, got my start there and Jeff is a great guy. Now I live in the IE and go to More Beer in Riverside. The guys there are really good too.

Mother Earth Brewing Co. in Vista has a big selection of grains, but a relatively small selection of equipment and other supplies. On the plus side, they are also a brewery (nano?) and if you go during tasting hours, you can shop and get a beer all in one stop. I buy some of my grains, my yeast, sanitizers, and a few other things there. They only have canned LME, so I buy that and my hops mainly from Northern Brewer.

I typically got o home brew mart for grains and yeast and small supplies. Home brew and gardens in North park is cool too. The guys in there are friendly and they have a decent grain selection. For most equipment, i go online, it's just way cheaper that way. I avoid american homebrew supply at all costs. They guy there is very opinionated and I've heard him give some pretty bad advise. plus, when i went in to use my gift certificate I got from the fair competition, he was just rude about me using it, so i left.

deanfootlong said:

the place in santee is called beveragesforlessinc and they have an AWESOME bottle selection and decent homebrew supply selection. they just recently started supplying homebrew stuff. i dont know how knowledgable they are about homebrewing there. but they REALLY know beers.

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So I just went by Homebrew-4-Less (aka Beverages-4-Less) in Santee to pick up some DME and some yeast. I was looking for two different Lager yeasts, and I found one but had to search a bit for the other. I noticed that they weren't very organized in the cooler, so I started looking at the "Best by" dates. All of the yeasts in the front of the cooler (all White Labs btw) were "Best before Dec-2010". The ones situated in the back were all "Best before Jan-2011". So, needless to say I didn't get any.

This may not be the case all of the time, so I'm not saying don't shop there. Just check the dates before you do.

I did get a some of the Highway 78 collaboration Scotch Ale though.

Is there anything in the "Valley" aka San Fernando/North Hollywood?

-C

I'm an addison guy. Go Eric!

Lotsa hops and yeast and grains! Tons of gear and there are rents, too.

I have been to this shop in the Valley, it is a nice shop.

http://www.homebeerwinecheese.com/map.htm

And a plug for my LHBS, Surf Brewery. (it is also a tasting room).
http://surfbrewery.com/homebrew-supplies.html

jerryboy said:

http://www.homebeerwinecheese.com/map.htm

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Guy at Bevmo directed me to this shop too... Visiting this place first week of April...

Anonatypus said:

I live in San Diego and most of the places around here end up being far more expensive than buying off the internet in bulk. The only place I've found that is cheap is Riverside's MoreBeer, but with shipping its really not economical to buy from them, and to drive its 1.5 hours out of my way. What do?

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If you are talking bulk sacks of grain than yes shipping is going to kill you no matter where you shop. Otherwise MoreBeer has free shipping on any order over 59 bucks on just about everything other than bulk grain. My LHBS sells sack of grain for 12 dollars more than MoreBeer.....in the long run though it only really adds a dollar or two more per batch. Most everything else though I buy through MoreBeer....free shipping, cheap prices, and it gets to my house fast.

For actual equipment I shop wherever I can find what I need the cheapest. In a lot of cases that has been Amazon (I love Prime). For ingredients I've been getting most of my grains from AHS, and hops from a couple of the vendors on here. If I need something real quick I'll head to the nearest LHBS, which is 70 miles from my house. Because of that, I usually go mail order. One of these days I'll make the drive out to Riverside (about an 80 mile drive in a different direction) and check out the More Beer store.

I do most of my grain/hops shopping at Homebrewmart. AHS is closest to me but their prices are outrageous, in my opinion, and I've gotten some bad advice and attitude from Vance (hey, that's sort of the domain of older homebrewers, but it still put me off).

I also really love Hydrobrew up in Oceanside, great selection and awesome dudes up there. The guys at Home Brews and Gardens (in North Park) are super nice, but it's a tiny shop so the selection is fairly limited. That said, both times they've had all the things I needed, so it's definitely a great backup.

All About Brewing in El Cajon near Parkway Plaza is pretty good for ingredients. Best part is every time I go in, they've got more stuff for equipment/inventory. Jim (owner) is a good dude, and the best part is - the store is a hobby, so he's not looking to make a lot of money. Cheap grains.

jerryboy said:

And a plug for my LHBS, Surf Brewery. (it is also a tasting room).
http://surfbrewery.com/homebrew-supplies.html

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That's where I go also! I live in Oxnard near Gonzalez/Ventura

cannman said:

Guy at Bevmo directed me to this shop too... Visiting this place first week of April...

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Instead of Bevmo checkout Total Wine in Thousand Oaks. We have a Bevmo in Ventura and Camarillo, but I won't even go to them anymore, instead I drive up the grade to Total Wine.

I typically try to go up to Addison when I have to make a big purchase due to cost, and to O'Shea when I need something convenient since it's 10 minutes from my house.

O'Shea has never been known for great pricing, but they just instituted a 10% discount for AHA members, and with that discount it at least gets them close to being competitive.

vince805 said:

That's where I go also! I live in Oxnard near Gonzalez/Ventura




Instead of Bevmo checkout Total Wine in Thousand Oaks. We have a Bevmo in Ventura and Camarillo, but I won't even go to them anymore, instead I drive up the grade to Total Wine.

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FYI, for youse in Ventura County, this place opened in Simi this past November. Bit more stuff than Surf's store, which I found to be very disappointing.

And, I agree about the Total Wine. It makes BevMo look like a 7-Eleven.

Gear? Often morebeer.com for most gear, since they'll ship free over $59. Kegging equipment? Ritebrew.com (cheapest place I've found, I saved quite a bit building my keezer ordering through them). Hops? Hopsdirect.com.

For just about everything else, it's O'Shea down here in Laguna Niguel... They're a bit pricey, but when we're talking about sacks of grain (which are reasonable), specialty malt, and yeast, and the fact that they just instituted a 10% AHA discount, the prices are now in line.

Of course, I end up spending a bunch of money on commercial beer every time I walk in there, so that makes up for it!

Big_Blue said:

FYI, for youse in Ventura County, this place opened in Simi this past November. Bit more stuff than Surf's store, which I found to be very disappointing.

And, I agree about the Total Wine. It makes BevMo look like a 7-Eleven.

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I saw that homebrewexpress place on craigslist yesterday. I'll have to check it out next time I'm in the simi area. Do you get your brew stuff from there now?

I've only been once so far, though I'm planning on stopping by again this week. Nice staff. Clean. Good variety. Simi is a little bit of a drive and it's in an odd spot, but I think it's worth it, even just to browse. Surf is nice. HBE just has more.

I like to browse.

Prior to that I was using HomebrewHeaven.com, but since they dropped that flat rate shipping it no longer makes sense. Prior to that, it was Mr. Suds in Ventura, before they closed.

I usually get kits from Austin Homebrew, if I am doing another recipe I found on here (like Edworts pale ale) I have gone to Surf and purchased all the stuff there. It usually costs more than Austin does though, but it's good if I decide late in the week that I am going to brew and don't have time to wait for the shipping.

In San Diego I recommend the Homebrewer on El Cajon Blvd. Prices are not bad and they have pretty much any possible grain you were thinking of, even relatively obscure ones.

mooshimanx said:

In San Diego I recommend the Homebrewer on El Cajon Blvd. Prices are not bad and they have pretty much any possible grain you were thinking of, even relatively obscure ones.

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Ditto. George and his staff rock

vince805 said:

I usually get kits from Austin Homebrew, if I am doing another recipe I found on here (like Edworts pale ale) I have gone to Surf and purchased all the stuff there. It usually costs more than Austin does though, but it's good if I decide late in the week that I am going to brew and don't have time to wait for the shipping.

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Yeah, it's definitely cheaper (usually) to order online and Surf has the added obstacle of the cost of a few pints when you stop by (not always a bad thing).

I have a recipe I'm looking to try out and I need a replacement True Brew lid and, since HBE has them (searched high and low through the internets, could not find) I'm headed back there. Figure I'll price this recipe there and then online afterward, see who wins. HBE does fill CO2 tanks too, which is handy.

As far as ordering somewhat locally online, I think I'm going to try William's Brewing. $6.90 flat rate and same day if before 4 PM.

Big_Blue said:

I've only been once so far, though I'm planning on stopping by again this week. Nice staff. Clean. Good variety. Simi is a little bit of a drive and it's in an odd spot, but I think it's worth it, even just to browse. Surf is nice. HBE just has more.

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I have to agree, this guy and his shop were nice.

His selection and prices are great. I may find myself in Simi more often.

He is now selling full sacks of grain.