HBS Owners and Younger Home Brewers

I'm a 22 year-old home brewer and it seems like every time I go into a home brew shop I get a sort of cold holier-than-thou-youngster treatment. Last shop I went to the guy pedantically talked to me like I knew absolutely nothing about brewing and tried to sell me things I didn't need without asking me if I needed them... he just started punching things into the register (and everything was a bit overpriced compared to my LHBSs).

I get the feeling that there could possibly be made more of an effort geared at welcoming younger and less experienced budding home brewers into this exclusive private old men's club. Granted, we college students are notoriously strapped for cash and eager to ask lots of annoying questions, but didn't most of y'all start out as poor college students as well?

If the youth is the future of brewing, then don't we deserve some encouragement or am I missing something obvious like: redundancy of my kind of people showing up asking questions, generational gap, personal bad luck, home brewers having big egos by default, etc...?

Excuse my ventilations... just wanted to throw it out to HBS owners/workers to consider a more nurturing attitude (maybe that way you can sell more products while also inspiring younger brewers to someday become as passionate as you are [or were when you had decided to become full time home brewer]

Legal customer is a customer. I agree, anyone who can legally purchase supplies in their state should be treated with some basic respect.

Then again, any business owner has an equal right to drive business away by failing to treat customers with respect if they choose....Plenty of online suppliers out there that are more than happy to take your business if your LHBS couldn't be bothered.

Must be your LHBS... both of them around my area treat me just fine.

I'm 25, but literally get told by every other person I meet that I look 18...

Ehh... Chances are that guy was just a ****** looking to make extra money off of you because he assumed you were ignorant. Some people are just jerks.

It ain't necessarily age based from my experience.

At least your getting some emotion out of the guy! The guy at my LHBS is cool and all, but he is also very mundane, and doesn't offer help without me asking. He is great when asked and I dont get the feeling like he is treating me like a Noob or a youngster. Maybe its that he is always busy, who knows.

olllllo said:

It ain't necessarily age based from my experience.

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I would agree. I'm over 50 and got the same treatment when I first came to the local store. They are better now since getting to know me a bit.

I'm young and got decent treatment from my LHBS. Course, their fans of kit and kilo beers.

I ended up taking a part time job there. To my knowledge, I'm the second most knowledgeable person there (only after the owner, since I've never questioned him about AG brewing as I never work with him). Classic example happened two weeks ago. A fellow co-worker, about my age, was explaining to a new customer how the malt is placed on the store shelves. On the right side, there is base grain (2-row, 6-row, pilsner, marris otter) and on the left specialty grains (flaked maize, cara-pils, roasted barley, etc.). He said "You can't make a beer with only these types of grains (pointing at the specialty grains, specifically Munich). In my head I'm going "OMG, that customer must never learn about Munich and Vienna Lager."

I freaking love working there, and most of the beer crowd (those who actually want to do more than Kit and kilo and Wort in a Box) are young (18-25). Basically, it's up to the open-mindedness. I think the whole mentality of "if you're under 21 and get caught with booze, you must die" in the US (although most people here seem to see it differently... who the heck is propagating that mentality?) is what is causing you problems, although it might just be that the guy doesn't like what he's doing. If your not happy with the treatment you get, try finding a LHBS that will treat you decently, or just come here for info and order online.

I've been treated very badly in a number of stores, actually. In one, (a party store/wanna be HBS) I asked the guy if he had any hops or yeast in the refrigerator since they were all sitting out. He got all huffy and told me that he's been in business for 15 years and I obviously didn't know a thing about brewing. I've also been completely ignored in some HBS. I'm old, so it's not my age. I think it's because they assume I know nothing about brewing by the looks of me.

I'm 23 - My LBHS dudes are pretty cool. They started talking to me about recipes and lagering and all kinds of other stuff.

I was at a wine tasting event that went pretty badly for me though out in Santa Barbara. I was standing in line to taste a bunch of Zins. The reserves they had at this one tent were pretty much gone - but I was the next in line and there was enough for a last taste. Well - I didn't get to taste them because the woman in the tent asked me to step to the side, then casually poured the last tastes for this older woman behind me. I asked why I couldn't taste and the woman behind the bench told me not to be rude.

I paid my money - I had as much a right to taste any of the wines there as the older woman behind me did.

I'm 26 and still get people talking down to me occasionally. It actually happened to me today at the Jeep dealer. Some people are just *****ie and handle everyone that way. I'd switch suppliers or make sure you can work with someone else at the shop. I hate condescension, so I'd go out of my way not to work with that guy...

Threads like this really make me appreciate my LHBS. Everyone there is knowledgeable and genuinely interested in what I'm brewing and my recipe that I'm using. Most times I go, I bring along some homebrews and we talk about homebrewing, beer, etc.

I always try to support a local business, and my LHBS is very good - a one-person shop, and from what I've seen, everyone who comes in is treated well and respectfully.

That said, I would not patronize any store that treated people like they were the high priests and the customers were only being admitted to the sanctum sanctorum by their good graces. There's no need to put up with that kind of nonsense.

I'm sure the owner would want the feedback about his employee (assuming the jerk was not the owner).

I always like to support LHBS, even though you pay like 10-20% more. But I feel you,

this jerk at my LHBS must have had something up his as* , but I asked him where their WhiteLabs yeast was and he told me that it had to be special ordered, which is all fine and good. Then I asked him where their fridge was and he snapped "I TOLD YOU, WL YEAST MUST BE SPECIAL ORDERED, WE DON'T CARRY IT," and stormed off. Little did he know I just wanted to look at their selection of whole hops. I didnt say anything at the moment, but i bought my hops and left. Later on when pissed off driving home I figured out what I would have said if I were quick enough....Here is to you ******-bag guy with your stupid hat -

I don't have to come here to your stupid little shop, I can easily find this shi* online for cheaper. I want to help you out, so thats why I do. So don't give me your attitude because of my age because ill never come back here again and you would be losing half of your business in this hole in the wall store. I want to punt your stupid cat your allowed to have in here for some odd reason, and the stupid thing makes your shop smell like a litter box covered in 2 month old cat shi*. Now tell me where you fridge is, and ill get the hel* out of here. And your hat is stupid.....really stupid.

There it is, I sort of feel better now.

EamusCatuli said:

I want to punt your stupid cat your allowed to have in here for some odd reason, and the stupid thing makes your shop smell like a litter box covered in 2 month old cat shi*. Now tell me where you fridge is, and ill get the hel* out of here. And your hat is stupid.....really stupid.

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ROFL... one of my LHBS has pets like this... but the guy's actually really nice and prices are very fair (despite the smell) maybe I'm just spoiled.

Hilarious, Eamus. What HBS do you go to around the U of I. I do all my ordering online, and a decent LHBS would just be darn convenient.

EamusCatuli said:

I always like to support LHBS, even though you pay like 10-20% more. But I feel you,

this jerk at my LHBS must have had something up his as* , but I asked him where their WhiteLabs yeast was and he told me that it had to be special ordered, which is all fine and good. Then I asked him where their fridge was and he snapped "I TOLD YOU, WL YEAST MUST BE SPECIAL ORDERED, WE DON'T CARRY IT," and stormed off. Little did he know I just wanted to look at their selection of whole hops. I didnt say anything at the moment, but i bought my hops and left. Later on when pissed off driving home I figured out what I would have said if I were quick enough....Here is to you ******-bag guy with your stupid hat -

I don't have to come here to your stupid little shop, I can easily find this shi* online for cheaper. I want to help you out, so thats why I do. So don't give me your attitude because of my age because ill never come back here again and you would be losing half of your business in this hole in the wall store. I want to punt your stupid cat your allowed to have in here for some odd reason, and the stupid thing makes your shop smell like a litter box covered in 2 month old cat shi*. Now tell me where you fridge is, and ill get the hel* out of here. And your hat is stupid.....really stupid.

There it is, I sort of feel better now.

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LMAO... great rant!

AndrwHock said:

Hilarious, Eamus. What HBS do you go to around the U of I. I do all my ordering online, and a decent LHBS would just be darn convenient.

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I go to Friar Tucks mainly, they have a great grain selection and hops (when they are in stock). They, like many other LHBS's, have a 2oz. per week limit, but you can get away with 2oz per day. When they don't have what I want, go to Leisure-Time Pet and Hobby (N. Mattis Av., across from the Kraft plant) , the guy in the stupid hat works there. Don't ask him where the fridge is.....and clothespin your nose.

Yeah, great rant

Anyways, I'm 29 but look like I'm in my early 20's, and have never gotten crap at my LHBS- actually, they're always quite friendly and helpful. There's always customers in there every time I stop by too, which is definitely a good sign.

I wouldn't put up with crap from someone running a shop though- if they don't want your business, there are plenty of other shopowners (either online or brick & mortar) who certainly do.

Thanks for the LHBS tips. Friar Tuck's is a great place, but I haven't used their homebrew section yet. Due to your rant, I probably won't be checking out that other place, maybe just to make fun of the guy's hat.

I'm 25 and my lhbs guys are really cool but I could see where this could happen. I don't think it's necessarily the age though, I have experienced shops that the owners just thought everyone was an idiot and treated everyone but the most regular of customers as if they knew nothing. I will say I knew little before I found this forum but that is besides the point, I guess if they don't want your business then go somewhere else.

My LHBS is pretty good. they dont have everything and the stuff they dont have I have asked about and basically get the attitude that because they dont like it they wont carry it. oh well. I am 24, look like I am 30 but I have no problems for the most part. The wife of the owner of the LHBS gets snippy when I ask for anything. I tried another store thats about 30 minutes away but they only carry specialty grain, I am not sure why but thats it, specialty grains and mr. beers.

Arneba28 said:

My LHBS is pretty good. they dont have everything and the stuff they dont have I have asked about and basically get the attitude that because they dont like it they wont carry it. oh well. I am 24, look like I am 30 but I have no problems for the most part. The wife of the owner of the LHBS gets snippy when I ask for anything. I tried another store thats about 30 minutes away but they only carry specialty grain, I am not sure why but thats it, specialty grains and mr. beers.

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Is the place you use right off the 90? Sorry I can't remember the name. I have a friend that goes there all the time. He comes up from Alfred, NY where we went to school.

I think the guys who own/run my LHBS aren't even 30 yet. They're real stand-up guys even in this time of shortage (to me, at least).

Prices aren't the greatest, but I am pleased to support them and the local shop.