Southeast U.S. Homebrew Shop Advice

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ASantiago

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Joined
Feb 5, 2011
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Location
Orlando
I need some comments on a couple of homebrew shops I'm considering ordering from. My current fave (name withheld for now) failed me on a recent order and, while I will be ordering again, I'm not as confident about them as I once was.

I'm in Orlando, so I need homebrew shops in the southeastern U.S. so I can get my orders quickly once shipped. I'm trying to minimize the time yeast and hops spend in a hot box, even though I always include ice packs.

The two shops I have in mind are Brewmaster's Warehouse (Marietta, GA) and Booth's Brewing (Tampa, FL). Has anyone here had recent experience with either of these?

TIA.
 
You could try http://www.southernbrewingwinemaking.com/. They're in Tampa which isn't too far from you.

Thanks for the response. I did consider them and called them this afternoon. Their web site is not ready. According to the person with whom I spoke, he hopes it will be ready in a month or so.

I'd welcome comments about this shop, though, if anyone has been able to order from them before.
 
I have order from BMW 10+ times and have only great things to say about them. I order all my supplies from them.
 
I've never ordered anything over the phone or internet from southern brewing since it's only 5 miles from my house I just stop in when I need something. In my opinion it's a good little shop. Every time I've had a question, they've had the answer. They carry a good selection of ingredients and equipment, have some local beers on tap and everyone's friendly.
 
If you're ever in Gainesville, check out Hoggetowne Ale Works. No online ordering though.
 
Brewmasters Warehouse , Rebel Brewer are two of the best southeastern online suppliers. I use Austin Homebrew Supply as well.

jww9618, it's surprising you don't use Austin Homebrew Supply.
 
Brewmasters Warehouse. Not sure about Orlando delivery times but I receive my orders 1-day after they ship here in Jacksonville.
 
I have ordered from BMW as well as shopped there when in Atlanta with very satisfied results.
 
You could also consider Barleynvine.com Just south of Atlanta. Excellent service and knowledge.
 
Brewmasters Warehouse is excellent. Customer service is #1 with them, and their prices are nice. It seems too good to be true, but it is not.
 
Hearts Home Brew in Orlando has good prices on most things you need. If you need them shipped they haved always shiped to me the same day and I get it the next day. I live in Titusville.
Tom
 
Yeah I would have to say Brewmasters Warehouse would be who I would go with as well. Great customer service when I ever dealt with them.
 
I ordered from booths brewing and while the stuff they carry is fine Id never order from there again out of cost. They didnt have any way of sending me liquid yeast because they said they couldnt keep it cold, and shipping was like $30. Since then Ive been getting my supplies from austinhomebrew.com .... even though they stopped giving free shipping on orders over $100 recently, the $4.99-6.99(orders under or over $100) flat rate fee is way cheaper than Booth's was. Plus the shipping is just as fast since AHS process the orders quicker, and I can get liquid yeast.
 
The shop that i choose to frequent is in Brandon, on Falkenburg rd. Their website is www.boothsbrewing.com Very nice, as well as knowledgeable staff! They just expanded this past month. I cannot attest to ordering from them, as I make the hour trek to their store two or three times per month, but as far as inventory abd selection, Its a really good place.
 
I'm in southeast AL, about an hour from the Florida Border, and have had excellent shipping from Northern Brewer. I mostly use them because I like the way their kits are put together. I have ordered equipment from Brewmaster's Warehouse and they have always been well priced, quick shipping, and amazing customer service. I have had items I forgot to order added to my packages and have been notified quickly when item's I had ordered were out of stock.
I have not ordered from Austin Homebrew supply but I actually dealt with them on customer service today. A friend had given me his Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat clone kit because he was deployed and didn't have time to brew it. I misplaced the instructions and Austin Homebrew was responding and maintained an email conversation today (Sunday) in a very timely manner. I would definitely trust them with some of my business in the future.
 
I would go with the other votes for driving to Tampa if you have the time and go to Southern Brewing. The shop is fantastic and the people are freindly and knowledgeable. It's a very hands on experience, they have just about any grain imaginable. Grab a bucket, pick a scale and start scooping and smelling all the different grains, then take 'em to the grain mill where I've been hitting 85% efficiency latley. They carry a full line of Wyeast and White Labs yeast as well as some dry. They also have several beers on tap if you're in the mood for a cold one. They recently started carrying some hard to find beers as well, so if you want to grab something new to try this is the place.

Their website has been lacking for years and I don't know if they offer shipping yet. But if you want to take a look at their inventory and prices check out their Facebook page in the photo albums. https://www.facebook.com/#!/SouthernBrewingWinemaking
 
Thanks everybody for the great posts and recommendations. Because of you, I've been able to compile a nice list of alternatives in the SE US.

At the time I posted, I had an issue with an order from Brewmasters Warehouse; the grain wasn't crushed and I wasted an entire brew session. However, after writing them, they immediately owned up to the problem, apologized, and resent me the ingredients free of cost to me.

I've been dealing with BW for about a year on an almost monthly basis and can attest to their great service. So you can add my voice to the growing chorus of approval expressed in this topic.

Brock's Homebrew in Melbourne, FL was very responsive when, in a pinch, I recently ordered from them. They answered my e-mails on a Sunday, shipped on a Tuesday per my request, and the package was at my doorstep on Wednesday, so they definitely provide one day shipping within FL for a very standard fee. What's more, they include a *free* ice pack with their yeast and pack it well in a nice pouch. I would still order and pay for a second ice pack, even for next day delivery, when the weather is hot.
 
Who charges actual cost of shipping on small orders? I need a single pack of dry yeast and maybe an oz or two of hops... it seems insane to spend $7 to ship something that can fit in a USPS mailer
 
I need some comments on a couple of homebrew shops I'm considering ordering from. My current fave (name withheld for now) failed me on a recent order and, while I will be ordering again, I'm not as confident about them as I once was.

I'm in Orlando, so I need homebrew shops in the southeastern U.S. so I can get my orders quickly once shipped. I'm trying to minimize the time yeast and hops spend in a hot box, even though I always include ice packs.

The two shops I have in mind are Brewmaster's Warehouse (Marietta, GA) and Booth's Brewing (Tampa, FL). Has anyone here had recent experience with either of these?

TIA.

I've been inside Booth's Edit: Southern Brewing when I was in Tampa a couple months ago. Awesome shop compared to what is available where I live.

I'm not sure on shipping, but their prices were great and selection was huge.

I order from Brewmasters as my main source of supplies, and switched to dry yeast because the ice pack would be shot by the time my order got to me.
 
Who charges actual cost of shipping on small orders? I need a single pack of dry yeast and maybe an oz or two of hops... it seems insane to spend $7 to ship something that can fit in a USPS mailer

Fair enough. I guess if you have enough time, you can order from a place that will give you free shipping on those items. But most likely it won't be at your doorstep the next business day.

I'm not defending them, but it seems reasonable to me to pay for what amounts to next day shipping, particularly when that includes a free ice pack.

Just sayin'...
 
I've been inside Booth's when I was in Tampa a couple months ago. Awesome shop compared to what is available where I live.

From all the comments, I guess I'm gonna have to make a special trip to Tampa to see the shops people keep talking about.

And while at it, maybe a quick stop by Cigar City Brewing. :D
 
ASantiago, have you not tried Heart's? I know the service isn't the greatest but if you know what you want you can get in and out without any problem. I've just been doing small 1g batches so I just head over there after work since it's so close to Maitland and get what I need.
 
ASantiago, have you not tried Heart's? I know the service isn't the greatest but if you know what you want you can get in and out without any problem. I've just been doing small 1g batches so I just head over there after work since it's so close to Maitland and get what I need.

Hi, Blake. Yeah... I've tried Hearts.... and I've been trying really hard not to comment about them here. But since you asked...

I'm just not into them, you know? They are the LHBS, so I know I should support them and I really want to.

But, to put it mildly, Hearts' "heart" just doesn't seem to be into homebrewing anymore. This is from conversations I've had with them, from their prices, from their 90's style outdated web site, and from the fact that they never have everything I need so I can just place *one* order from *one* shop (understanding this may happen with any shop).

And the same way you mentioned "service isn't the greatest", so say other people. So it's not just you and me thinking this way.

Finally, I'm actually quite far from them, so there is no such thing as a quick drive to their shop for me. By the time I drive up and back, I've spent the same amount in gasoline as I would've in shipping from anywhere else, plus I've had to deal with the hassle of I4. Yeah... I don't think so.

To be fair, they have been around for a long, long time and appear to have a very large, loyal customer base that are very happy with them. So, as the saying goes, "your mileage may vary."
 
I'm here in Raleigh and I use Brewmaster's Warehouse. I haven't had any problems with them yet and aside from the packing peanuts, I have no real complaints. I'm also not the kind of guy that's going to stress out if my order hasn't been shipped within 48 hours of placing it either. I used to use Northern Brewer, but BMW will ship grains in the actual quantities that I'll use in my recipes, rather than in 1 lb increments.
 
BMW will ship grains in the actual quantities that I'll use in my recipes, rather than in 1 lb increments.

That's one of the things I love about them. I've been saving my recipes in their system so when I need to order them again, the exact quantities are already there.
 
Hi, Blake. Yeah... I've tried Hearts.... and I've been trying really hard not to comment about them here. But since you asked...

I'm just not into them, you know? They are the LHBS, so I know I should support them and I really want to.

But, to put it mildly, Hearts' "heart" just doesn't seem to be into homebrewing anymore. This is from conversations I've had with them, from their prices, from their 90's style outdated web site, and from the fact that they never have everything I need so I can just place *one* order from *one* shop (understanding this may happen with any shop).

And the same way you mentioned "service isn't the greatest", so say other people. So it's not just you and me thinking this way.

Finally, I'm actually quite far from them, so there is no such thing as a quick drive to their shop for me. By the time I drive up and back, I've spent the same amount in gasoline as I would've in shipping from anywhere else, plus I've had to deal with the hassle of I4. Yeah... I don't think so.

To be fair, they have been around for a long, long time and appear to have a very large, loyal customer base that are very happy with them. So, as the saying goes, "your mileage may vary."

If the drive sucks for you I can see why you shop online. The hassle of I4 would be enough to keep me away as well. Their selection is defiantly limited though. I find myself looking at substitutions so I don't have to shop online. When I stopped by last week to get ingredients for a SMaSH IPA, I talked to one of the employees and he said they would have a new website up in a month or two so that's a step in the right direction.

I might be switching to a new job in the Lake Mary/Sanford area and since I live in Longwood, I'll probably just order online in bulk like you to save on shipping.
 
Southern Brewing in Tampa is my main lhbs and they are second to none as far as I'm concerned. Huge selection of equipment and supplies and the staff is all experienced, friendly and knowledgable.
Booth's is a good alternative - I was just there last Saturday. Small and cramped but with a good selection and very helpful friendly staff.
There is also The Beer and Winemakers Pantry in Pinellas Park. More geared toward wine but they have a good selection of beer making equipment and supplies as well.
I guess I'm just lucky to have a selection of places to shop in the immediate area. Still order hops online though - none of the lhbs can touch the prices.
 
I got my stores mixed up. :eek:

Southern Brewing is the awesome store in Tampa, not Booths (Booths may be great, but I never made it there)

Sorry for the confusion.
 
Who charges actual cost of shipping on small orders? I need a single pack of dry yeast and maybe an oz or two of hops... it seems insane to spend $7 to ship something that can fit in a USPS mailer

Rebel Brewer does 2.99 "super saver shipping" for small orders (must be small and under a pound). I use it all the time because it saves me from burning up 2 gallons of gas and an hour of time to get to them.
 
For those still interested it looks like Southern Brewing out of Tampa is very close to launcing their web site. They gave a sneak peak on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/#!/SouthernBrewingWinemaking and it looks like they will be offering a $7.80 flat rate shipping on most items. This is a top notch shop with great prices and selection. I will still go to the shop in person, but I may do a little more window shopping before I head on down there!
 
For anyone near Winter Springs, you might want to try out Brewer Cellars/Wine Making Superstore. They sell a lot of wine making equipment that will cross over for beer and some home brewing supplies like yeast and extract for people that need it in pinch. I was able to get the owner to order me some 7oz bottles and he said they can order pretty much anything you might want for making beer since their supplier carries both, even hops/grains if they're available.
 
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