Midwest Problems

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WrongCoastBrewery

WrongCoastBrewery

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Sorry for the rant, but I figured I would warn and see if anyone else has been having problems with Midwest Supplies as of late.

The 2 of the last three orders from them were messed up somewhere along the line. My first order problem involved waiting almost a week for them to ship my order. When I called, they gave me the "We're busy dude!" response. :mad: I then get a confirmation number that doesnt work for two days.

The next order went smooth. But this most recent order was placed last week. I called today since I am leaving town to see where in the process it was so I could arrange someone else to pick it up. Guys puts me on hold, goes to check where it is, and comes back to say it wasnt in their computer. WTF!?! Two hours later I get a call back. Aparently some DB placed a ton of orders that they decided to delete. Instead of doing their work and figuring out which orders in a specific timeframe were false and which ones were legit, they cancel them all. Oh, and my order was one of them. Doubly WTF!?!

Anyone else been having problems with them? I guess next time I should order from either AHB or NHB.
 
I've had nothing but good luck and great service with Midwest, but I haven't placed any orders in the last month or two. That said, go with the store that meets your needs and keeps you happy.
 
I have had pretty good luck with them. I did have a couple times when the did ship it a week late. I Normally get my supplies in a day or two of ordering.
 
Let me fill in what everybody else will say:

*you don't know how to use a website
*midwest rules, you fail
*you're an idiot
*midwest is awesome
*hope this made you feel better

And after several people make those comments the admin will pull the thread so midwest can "take care of it" and then it will disappear into oblivion. Sounds to me like it's time to shop somewhere else.
 
WrongCoastBrewery said:
Anyone else been having problems with them? I guess next time I should order from either AHB or NHB.
Click to expand...

I'd also suggest Brewmasters Warehouse. If you order on the weekend, it may take them a couple of days to get the order out, but since they are coming from ATL, it's only 2-3 days for shipping, so you can get it in time for the weekend. Also the one time I waited until lat Tue to order, I called them up Wed morning and they get it on the truck that night so I had it on Friday.
 
My gripe was last spring when they shipped a wyeast 3711 that was a 3 weeks from the use by date. So I needed to really step up the starter to make a super saison but it fermented out as a saison should.
In the same shipment I got a 1388 Belgian Strong Ale that was maybe 2-3 month from use by and got no action in the starter. Complained and was told that at the moment they could replace it check back later and they’d add it to or credit my next order... A few weeks went by and I just decided to move on to a different supplier. I know yeast is a tricky inventory to maintain but…

Now a Whole Foods that I can get on lunch has a home brew supply section and **surprise surprise** their prices are about the same as most of the online shops and I can inspect the goods before I buy.
Never would have fore seen a Whole Foods becoming my LHBS
Never would have fore seen a Whole Foods having competive pricing to OLHBS
 
The Central Market near me sells some really basic homebrew stuff, like starter equipment and crappy extract kits. I didn't see anything at whole foods but maybe I didn't look in the right area. There's also three HBS in the area so it may not make sense for them to try to compete.
 
Yep weird, but a logical progression: good bottle selection> growler filling station> attract beer aficionado> a lot of beer aficionado brew> aficionado who brew need brew supplies. Also there are no HBS in Manhattan.
The men and women who work in the beer room are experienced brewers (and drinkers).

The have AG kits that the Brooklyn brewery puts together for them, haven’t tried one though.
 
Damn, and a growler filling station. That sounds like a pretty cool whole foods beer section. The beer section at the flagship store here in austin is good, but due to lame texas alcohol laws probably still pales in comparison to other cities/stores.
 
ian-atx said:
Damn, and a growler filling station. That sounds like a pretty cool whole foods beer section. The beer section at the flagship store here in austin is good, but due to lame texas alcohol laws probably still pales in comparison to other cities/stores.
Click to expand...

You guys have SPECS, which has a decent selection. I found out last time I was down that not all the stores have the same products.
 
runs4beer said:
Yep weird, but a logical progression: good bottle selection> growler filling station> attract beer aficionado> a lot of beer aficionado brew> aficionado who brew need brew supplies. Also there are no HBS in Manhattan.
The men and women who work in the beer room are experienced brewers (and drinkers).

The have AG kits that the Brooklyn brewery puts together for them, haven’t tried one though.
Click to expand...

Whoa...that's pretty cool. I'm waaaaay closer to WF than my LHBS, so that would be awesome for me, crappy for my light wallet. :)
 
nicely done sir.


ReverseApacheMaster said:
Let me fill in what everybody else will say:

*you don't know how to use a website
*midwest rules, you fail
*you're an idiot
*midwest is awesome
*hope this made you feel better

And after several people make those comments the admin will pull the thread so midwest can "take care of it" and then it will disappear into oblivion. Sounds to me like it's time to shop somewhere else.
Click to expand...
 
runs4beer, where is there a whole foods in NY that has homebrew supplies? You're not talking about the one in greenwich, are you? I did a lot of electrical work in that store, but never went after it opened.

LHBS's are hard to come by in the city. Staten island has NONE, bklyn has one, and someone told me about one in queens, and manhattan has none. I order everything online.
 
ReverseApacheMaster said:
Let me fill in what everybody else will say:

*you don't know how to use a website
*midwest rules, you fail
*you're an idiot
*midwest is awesome
*hope this made you feel better

And after several people make those comments the admin will pull the thread so midwest can "take care of it" and then it will disappear into oblivion. Sounds to me like it's time to shop somewhere else.
Click to expand...

To anyone who would say that, I would tell them they are illiterate and refer them back to the OP. Midwest admitted to screwing up the order. So in fact, I do know how to use a website aparently, Midwest failed, the poster of said comment is the idiot, Midwest isnt awesome, and I do feel better since the ignorance of people made my day.

Yep, looks like I will be shopping elsewhere from now on or calling them to confirm orders and confirm shipping.
 
I live near Midwest, so I don't order, I always just pickup onsite so I have no experience with ordering anything online from them, but I can tell you that in person, the place can be very hit or miss depending on the day you go in. I'd say it's because they recently moved locations and they're still trying to get caught up from the move, but I felt they were the same way before the moved too.

I do have to say, shopping there in person is really good if you don't have any questions. They have a pretty good inventory, they tend to be pretty inexpensive, and they'll give you a discount more or less just because you ask for one. Their personnel does seem somewhat disorganized though, and while some of them are extremely knowledgeable, some are definitely not, and it can be hard to find anyone to answer questions at times.

I tend to alternate between midwest and northern brewer, they're both within driving distance for me (although, neither is the closest homebrew store for me, Brew & Grow is, and I've never been impressed with them.) Midwest has a better selection at their retail space, but the people at Northern Brewer tend to be more helpful.

As far as the yeast goes at Midwest, I have had occasional problems, but it's always when I end up waiting a really long time to brew after I've bought the yeast, so I've always chalked it up to that.
 
Fotunate that my LHBS stocks a great selection of Wyeast but there are occasions when I can't get the yeast strain that I am looking for and need to order somewhere else. Have had very positive experiences with Northern Brewer which is the closest to me geographically. I have also ordered yeast from Austin with good results. Might want to try these especially NB since you are in DC and they are in Mpls. Montanaandy
 
Loup said:
I live near Midwest, so I don't order, I always just pickup onsite so I have no experience with ordering anything online from them, but I can tell you that in person, the place can be very hit or miss depending on the day you go in. I'd say it's because they recently moved locations and they're still trying to get caught up from the move, but I felt they were the same way before the moved too.

I do have to say, shopping there in person is really good if you don't have any questions. They have a pretty good inventory, they tend to be pretty inexpensive, and they'll give you a discount more or less just because you ask for one. Their personnel does seem somewhat disorganized though, and while some of them are extremely knowledgeable, some are definitely not, and it can be hard to find anyone to answer questions at times.

I tend to alternate between midwest and northern brewer, they're both within driving distance for me (although, neither is the closest homebrew store for me, Brew & Grow is, and I've never been impressed with them.) Midwest has a better selection at their retail space, but the people at Northern Brewer tend to be more helpful.

As far as the yeast goes at Midwest, I have had occasional problems, but it's always when I end up waiting a really long time to brew after I've bought the yeast, so I've always chalked it up to that.
Click to expand...

I am very jealous of you. My LHBS is good and there are a few others about30-45 minutes away. But to be so close to two big stores would be cool, even if one of them was Midwest.
 
WrongCoastBrewery said:
Anyone else been having problems with them? I guess next time I should order from either AHB or NHB.
Click to expand...

If you're worried about customer service, order from BMW (Brewmasters Warehouse.) Not saying AHB or NHB aren't any good, but Ed started his business based on customer service (and homebrewing, of course) and they go to great length (and sometimes personal expense) to make sure you as a customer are happy.
 
Wow, just wow.

Manhattan’s first homebrew shop opens at Whole Foods Bowery Beer Room

tumblr_l4gux2VHxi1qzwy03.jpg


For years, Manhattan’s homebrewers had to venture far off the island in order to get homebrew supplies. It wasn’t long ago that they had to go to the outer reaches of Queens just to pick up a packet of hop pellets. Then came Brooklyn Brew Shop, Brooklyn Homebrew, and The Brooklyn Kitchen, small businesses that brought supplies within reach with a subway ride. But now, Manhattanites won’t even have to venture off the island, as the Whole Foods Bowery Beer Room at the corner of Houston and Chrystie has rolled out their new homebrew department.

Already, the supplies are starting to pop up on the shelves. Carboys, bottles, caps and cappers, tubing, brewpots, and even wort chillers are available now at the shop. The store expects to have grains, hops, and yeast for sale in the next couple of weeks. While the store probably won’t offer the same expert level of service that some of the smaller stores provide, the prices are in line with the competition in Brooklyn, and Whole Foods’ longer hours (8am-11pm every day) mean that it’ll be a great spot to pick up some last-minute provisions for that late-night homebrewing session.

If that last paragraph was all Greek to you, you might want to consider signing up for The Brooklyn Kitchen’s two-hour homebrewing class. For $125, you learn everything you need to know to get started with brewing, and you get $80 worth of equipment so you can brew at home. They’re holding a class tonight, but will also offer classes on July 15th and July 28th. And for anyone intimidated by a lack of space, consider that my small East Village kitchen, pictured below, is where I brew every ounce of all-grain homebrew I make.
Click to expand...

They even have a facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/New-York-NY/Whole-Foods-Market-Bowery-Beer-Room/83242826637
 
My gripe was last spring when they shipped a wyeast 3711 that was a 3 weeks from the use by date. So I needed to really step up the starter to make a super saison but it fermented out as a saison should.
In the same shipment I got a 1388 Belgian Strong Ale that was maybe 2-3 month from use by and got no action in the starter. Complained and was told that at the moment they could replace it check back later and they’d add it to or credit my next order... A few weeks went by and I just decided to move on to a different supplier. I know yeast is a tricky inventory to maintain but…
Click to expand...

Are you sure it was a use by date and not a manufacture date? I only ask because all the Wyeast I have ever had was MFG date not use by date.
 
Your right, I what I ment to say is it was 3 weeks shy of 6 month form the manufacture date.
 
Holy Moses......FINALLY. Thanks for that post Revvy. I can't believe there's finally a HBS in Manhattan. I'll be there monday, for sure, checking this place out. Damn, don't know if I can wait till monday, but I'll try.
 
That's where I shop (now or I can go to a true value hardware they have supplies in the basement but expencive and not fresh). They won’t everything you might want to put together a ever recipe but you can put together a session beer.
I’ll say it again because I still have a hard time myself the Whole Foods is less expensive or about the same as others.
$9 for 10 lbs. for 2 row base malt.
Yeast $6(I think) for wyeast activator (unless it was $6.99?) but it was less then 45 days old that I remember.
SS weldless ball valves under $15.

Hey mikeysab, don't forget your growler!

-N
 
Wow, you've been there? lol. I can't wait to go. I'm going back to work on monday, so I'll be there monday afternoon. with my luck, I'll go to a queens or brooklyn job. I can't wait.
 
mikeysab

I missed your earlier post but you now know it’s the bowery store the one on Brooklyn and queens are “real” HBS w/ more supplyes but are more expensive and out of my loops. If you’re driving off Staten to Brooklyn and queens just keep going to Karp’s out on the islands there better (they know what they're selling).
The one warning as you can see in revvys post the carboy are stacked high so don’t bump the shelf!
 
The Bowery Whole Foods is great for a few emergency supplies, and if you are in lower Manhattan and simply don't have time to go out to Brooklyn. Their selection is about in line with what is offered at The Brooklyn Kitchen, which is in Williamsburg right across the east river. Neither of these are really homebrew stores but they can be useful in a pinch if you just need yeast or some extract.

Brooklyn Homebrew is a fantastic store. It may be out of the way for a lot of people, being a good 30 minute train ride from Manhattan, but it's worth the trip every now and then. The people that own the store know their stuff and they always offer very fresh ingredients. I've never gotten yeast there that was more than a month from the manufacture date.

Brooklyn Brew Shop is kind of a joke. They go to a lot of flea markets and sell their kits to local stores (they don't have a physical store and only sell the kits) which is great for getting new people into the hobby, but they offer some pretty bad advice generally and hadn't even been brewing for very long when they started up the business. All the ingredient kits they sell are all-grain, but they don't really set people up with the equipment or instructions to make all-grain beer without significant quality shortcuts/oversights. For an example of what I mean, just check out the bottling video on their website (http://brooklynbrewshop.com/instructions) and think of all the newbies that are going to have cardboard-tasting oxidized beer and give up on the hobby before they ever have a chance to do it the right way. They could just put a bottling wand in their kits and mention avoiding aeration generally but for some reason they choose to give bad advice instead.
 
I recently went to Midwest's new warehouse location, they just moved in very recently. I was very impressed and will for sure shop there again soon. Their grain selection was greatly expanded and all grains and extracts were guaranteed to be fresh every week. The yeasts were also delivered weekly. Kits are assembled on site, I saw the workers putting them together. The only make enough kits to fill the shelf in the store (at least that I could see), which is not more than 20 kits of each recipe.

I also go to Brew n Grow all the time and they are the very helpful and knowledgeable. Their selection cannot rival a warehouse like Midwest but they know me by name.

In my opinion you should go back and change your original post, considering the info changed from near-expired goods, to 5 month old yeast. You said you didn't even have any problems with the fermentation, so whats the problem?

I don't really see how this helps anybody. There are tons of brew stores online. Buy from whoever you prefer. Another posted pointed out that you're going to get an argument from people for this post, but if someone just wants to talk crap about a store, of course you are. I can easily go out and find ten positive opinions too.
 
Do you work there?

MikeRoBrew1 said:
I recently went to Midwest's new warehouse location, they just moved in very recently. I was very impressed and will for sure shop there again soon. Their grain selection was greatly expanded and all grains and extracts were guaranteed to be fresh every week. The yeasts were also delivered weekly.QUOTE]

That seems very similar to what I read on their web page or their catalog…

I think you should go back and read the post, wrongcostbrewery (who started started the thread) had his on line order screwed up (basically).
I stop use them because I got bunk yeast and an almost 6 month old pitch of yeast and they wanted me to place another order to replace it, I didn't like that as a customer service approach. think that was his point; to find out if others had a problem w/ their customer, which I did.
then we moved on to other OHBS and LHBS that we feel have better customer servise.
Click to expand...
 
runs4beer said:
Your right, I what I ment to say is it was 3 weeks shy of 6 month form the manufacture date.
Click to expand...

I have probably just been lucky with yeast form Midwest then. The oldest they have ever shipped me was within a month of the manufacture date when I recieved it.

I have had mistakes on 2 of my 5 orders from them though. They forgot to ship ice with my yeast once(the yeast was ok but they said they would have replaced it if it wasn't) and they shipped me the caps another time. They responded quickly and fixed things. I wish there had not been a problem in the first place but their customer service was great.
 
When I read things from a catalog, a web site, or what is printed on the door to the grain room, I tend to just type what those words said. So when they tell me the grain and extract is fresh weekly, that's what I type. Accusations that I work there are just sad - read my posts or look at my count I am a relatively new brewer. I dont work for any brew store, obviously.

Just because an order gets misshipped, that's that's a pretty minor problem. Every store in existance has misshipped at some point. But now you have generated almost 1,000 views where you knock midwest in public. Over 6mo yeast that worked fine and they offered to replace? Bottlecaps?!? Come on, man!!
 
If you read through the post and determent for yourself that it is a miner problem and will continue to buy from them why do expect other will do any difference, it's just one post?

Now, what if every day you see a different thread about disappointing service or merchandise would you buy from them, get my point? I sure most people reading this can all think for them selves.

I’m sure every store has had problems and I’m sure you could find a post about those problems here.
My allegiance to the uses of HBT is stronger then that to Midwest

Don’t take it personally, I just thought it was funny that you wrote that, I think it stuck in my mind too but because my experience w/ the yeast was so contrary to that statement.
 
I like Midwest, never had a problem with them. I've had problems with other OLHBS's, but never Midwest. I've gotten several kits from them, and they were all great.
 
MikeRoBrew1 said:
I recently went to Midwest's new warehouse location, they just moved in very recently. I was very impressed and will for sure shop there again soon. Their grain selection was greatly expanded and all grains and extracts were guaranteed to be fresh every week. The yeasts were also delivered weekly. Kits are assembled on site, I saw the workers putting them together. The only make enough kits to fill the shelf in the store (at least that I could see), which is not more than 20 kits of each recipe.

I also go to Brew n Grow all the time and they are the very helpful and knowledgeable. Their selection cannot rival a warehouse like Midwest but they know me by name.

In my opinion you should go back and change your original post, considering the info changed from near-expired goods, to 5 month old yeast. You said you didn't even have any problems with the fermentation, so whats the problem?

I don't really see how this helps anybody. There are tons of brew stores online. Buy from whoever you prefer. Another posted pointed out that you're going to get an argument from people for this post, but if someone just wants to talk crap about a store, of course you are. I can easily go out and find ten positive opinions too.
Click to expand...

I was the OP and my comment was about the bad service and asking if this was anything anyone else was experiencing. Talking crap about someone/something is based on perspective. If I complain about a store for bad service or what not, you as a loyal customer see it as talking crap. Besides the old saying goes that one bad experience and ten people here about it. I would say this post goes to prove that.
 
I just recently placed my first order with them, so I do not have a large base to draw upon yet. However, the experience was good enough that I will go through them again. I did also notice that there was a bit of lag time between the order being placed and getting notification that it shipped. Luckily, I did get my order on the day before brew day. It was cutting it close, but I will build that in to the next time I order.

My yeast experience with them was quite good, though. When I had gotten my delivery from them, my WLP002 vials were both just a mere ten days old.
 
Up until recently, I've gotten all of my ingredient kits from Midwest. I also got my initial equipment kit from them. I have never had any problems. Everything has arrived pretty quickly and in good condition. The only reason I didn't get my last one there was because I was using a recipe I found on here and it was easier to put it together at Brewmaster's Warehouse.

I guess it's a case of YMMV.
 
MikeRoBrew1 said:
Sorry if I came across too negative, not really my intent.
Click to expand...

No biggie man. I will say that when something is crap, I call it. But on the flip side of that, I will give props. They re-sent my order and gave me a few upgrades and goodies. While the goodies were small, its still a gesture of good faith that they intend to do better.

Upgrades were faster shipping, a couple of pint glasses, and White Labs yeast for one of the kits. The other two had Wyeast. I will probably give them another chance.

So right now I am sitting at 0.500 average with them, which in baseball is good.
 

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