Fredericksburg Homebrew Supplies

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devaspawn

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So on a whim today I looked up wine making in Fredericksburg, VA. Driving south of Richmond or to Falls Church is a real PITA! I found a place that listed winemaking in their Yellow Pages description. As they were on my way home I decided to check them out. I walk into the store and lo and behold...beer kits, dry yeasts, liquid yeasts, pellet hops, whole hops, beer making equipment, etc! I couldn't believe it!!! This place, for those that have been to Weekend Brewer outside of Richmond or My LHBS in Falls Church, is by no means a one stop shop, but they have all the necessities to make beer and their prices are comparable to most places online. They don't have bulk LME but they have multiple brands of 3.3 lbs cans. They don't have grain but they can order it. They do have DME but again not in bulk. I suspect they can order it in bulk if asked. I didn't have a chance to ask a lot of questions as I had an appointment to get to but they seemed to know some things.

Now they aren't exclusively a LHBS. They have a 10 foot by 15 foot section set aside for brewing and winemaking but they tried to use all of the square footage for it as they could possibly squeeze in without the risk of customers knocking stuff over. They seem to be largely about farming and gardening which is why I only stumbled upon them. Their website mentions nothing about their brewing supplies.

Anyway they are called Roxbury Farm & Garden Center. Their website is www.roxburyfarmgarden.com. Their address is 601 Lafayette Blvd, Fredericksburg, VA 22404. They are in Old Town Fredericksburg. When I spoke to a lady at the counter I told her that I was posting their info on my brew forum tonight cause I felt that everybody in this area who didn't know about them needed to know about them! I don't think she was super impressed but I can't blame her - I doubt the HB business is a major source of income for them. Based on their setup I don't even know why they have it at all. I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, though. I wanted to be helpful for the brewers in my area which is why I am posting this. Maybe I'll find out there are some of you out there and we can all meet to discuss and drink HB someday!!!

:tank:
 
If it doesn't appear to be their primary source of business, I would be a little bit worried about the age of some of their supplies.
 
Well I will be aware of expiration dates but it beats the crap out of driving 160 miles round trip to get to my "local" home brew store. Not only that I figure if there are enough HBers in the area that weren't previously aware of it maybe it will drive more business there and make them pay more attention to that side of their store. I saw no layers of dust on anything except the shelf they had above their window displaying 9 different glass carboys. That's expected though as they were only display models that weren't within easy reach.

:tank:
 
devaspawn said:
..but it beats the crap out of driving 160 miles round trip to get to my "local" home brew store...
:tank:

Yeah, I think if my local LHB store was that far away, I would let UPS make the drive for me. Good to hear that you found a closer place :mug:
 
So I stopped by the place again this afternoon after I got off work. I had more time to ask questions. Turns out they do have high turnover on stock and they do get a significant amount of business from the home brew section. Also, found out that there's a local homebrew club so YEAH!!!

:tank:
 
I just noticed this thread... Roxbury is down the street from me and is a great place to pick up odd ands ends (DME/airlocks, etc.) Does anybody know if they will crush grain? I haven't invested in a mill yet
 
As a matter of fact they have a corona grinder in there. I think you would be able to crush it yourself. I am not sure if they do it for you.

They are great. They don't have all the liquid yeasts in there that most HBs have but they have about 8 to 10 of the main ones used. They'll special order for you any of the whitelab yeasts though.

By the way are you a member of the local homebrew club?

:tank:
 
Just found this site on Google while searching for "Fredericksburg homebrew"....looking for a new supply place -- moved from Baltimore area about a year and a half ago (there are numerous places up there) and haven't brewed a single thing since I moved, as I thought there was nowhere local to buy supplies.....

Thanks for posting this place -- I will be there in the next day or two to pick up some supplies for my fall pumpkin ale

Thanks!
 
Just be sure to tell him it was the big tall guy that always wears the Boston Red Sox hat that let you know about the place. :)

:tank:
 
Just as an update for anyone in the area....

the shop must have started stocking quite a bit more lately.... there were many types of boxed kits, a small rack with a dozen or so types of hops, all of the brewing equipment you might need (save for any carboys), many types of dried and refrigerated yeast, AND -- about a dozen or so types of grain (pre-weighed and pre-packaged). I found everything there I needed to brew a fall pumpkin ale (except the pumpkin and spices of course).

Only caveat - they don't have an electric mill - just a hand-crank that is not well secured to the counter -- but it works. Prices were very reasonable, but none of the staff seemed too knowledgeable at all about the items they stocked. They can get just about anything if you pre-order....and they are VERY friendly, so don't hesitate to call first to see if what you need is actually in stock.

highly recommended -- especially since I don't have to drive to Richmond or Falls Church anymore!

Just be sure to tell him it was the big tall guy that always wears the Boston Red Sox hat that let you know about the place. :)

:tank:
 
Well they do stock glass carboys. They have them on a shelf above the window in the brew area. They can order PET carboys if you ask. There is one guy there and off the top of my head I can't remember his name...I think it's Jeff and he does all the homebrew ordering. He's knowledgeable on products and he was there at Blue and Gray Brewery on National Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day. I think he is knowledgeable in the process of brewing beer but he may not be a brewer himself so may not have that much insight. He's great though and very accomodating.

:tank:
 
There is a Home Brew/Wine Making Supply store on Rt. 29 in Ruckersville, VA which I believe is somewhat close to you all. If you're interested the information is below. There is also a website if you want to look in advance:

Fermentation Trap, L.L.C.

www.fermentationtrap.com

6420 Seminole Trail
Barboursville, VA 22923 (or Ruckersville)

(888) 985-2192
 
I know tis is an old post but you guys will be happy to here that there is going to be a new place to buy brewing supplies in Fredericksburg. Starting sometime in june 2010 The Natural Path at 4413 Lafayette Blvd is going to have a room of brewiing supplies. We will have 8 to 10 bulk malts with a real grain mill as well as most other brewing supplies. If anyone has any suggestions on what we need to stock they can look at our wholesale dealer at this link http://crosby-baker.com/index.php/home/internal/?SID=5613e4ecff77d1e02a51798f7c7ca812
send an email to [email protected] if you have a product you would like us to carry.
 
Learn to Homebrew Day
Sponsored by* the (FBI) Fredericksburg Brewing Insiders

In 1999, the American Homebrewers Association (AHA) established Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day as an international event to introduce people to the homebrewing hobby. This year the (AHA) American Homebrewers Association are changing the name from Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day to Learn to Homebrew Day to better reflect the nature of the event.* Learn to Homebrew Day occurs each year on the first Saturday in November, when homebrewers around the world are encouraged to invite friends and family who have not yet been initiated into the homebrewer ranks to celebrate Learn to Homebrew Day and brew a batch of beer together.

November 6th is the National Learn to home Day where you will:
Learn how to homebrew your own & beer
Learn how to bottle beer by actually filling & capping your bottles
See different homebrew set-ups and equipment
Talk to homebrewers with a variety of experience
Extract and all grain demonstrations with mash and sparging
*
Hotdogs, Chile & Chips and any other snack you bring
Be ready for a good time
*
Time:* *********** 9:00am to 3:00pm
Location******* Blue & Gray Brewing Company
Located in the Bowman Center near the Fredericksburg Fairgrounds off of RT 2
*
For more information call: The Natural Path (Brew Room) @ (540) 891-6200 or
Rod Bergquist @ (540) 842-4807
 
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