Went to the LHBS...

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z987k

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Well I made a trip to the LHSBS after figuring out where it was via google maps. This is my first batch I'm putting together from a recipe instead of a kit and this first that I haven't ordered online.

Here's my impression, I looked around a bit and while equipment and small things like yeast, dextrose, and other adjuncts were very well priced, the Malt extract was a bit high, IMO. $15 for 3.3lbs of malt extract is about twice what I've seen online. Even with shipping, I think it's cheaper to order online.

However their grains were cheap, for like AG. I don't have the ability to go AG, but I'm looking into PM now.

Oh well, I was hoping to make this hobby slightly cheaper with no shipping costs.
 
I think I remember someone saying Austin Brewing doesn't have shipping costs, but I could be wrong...:confused:

I use midwest supplies.com because they special order me my wheat DME in 55# boxes even though it's not in their catalog, but I pay all shipping.
 
I read on their website shipping is a flat 5 or $6 per order. Thats cheap. The only thing that was way expensive was the extract, so I think I'll just bulk order some extract and get the rest there.

I bought the ingredients for a Belgian wit I found here, and the extract was $30 alone.
 
homebrewer_99 said:
I use midwest supplies.com because they special order me my wheat DME in 55# boxes even though it's not in their catalog, but I pay all shipping.

Yeah, you don't really need a dedicated hefe tap on your kegerator, do you?
DO you use the 55# alone or do you split your order w/another brewer? I have had DME in a bag get hard due to moisture, it's very hygroscopic, I'd think it's tough to keep, particularly over the summer when it gets muggy.

But, jeez, I payed $22 for 5 lb bag of wheat DME a couple weeks back and thought it seemed pretty expensive -- I guess it's about the same as internet - my LHBS is really just a mail-order/e-tailer place that opens the warehouse/store for retail.

What does the price/lb get down to when you order by 55# quantity, after factoring in the shipping?
 
I always assemble my necesary items on line and hit the calculate button. Then I go back and add a few things here and there and keep adding until the shipping cost jumps substantially. Then I back off that item until my next round. They don't charge tax on line and my round trip to the LHBS costs me about $5.00 in my YukonXL so I do the math. Not to mention my time...
 
morebeer.com has free shipping if over $60. That site and AHS for the $6 shipping are great deals. Morebeer seems to have better prices on most things, but AHS has a better selection of recipes/clones.
 
Buy Liquid Malt Extract (LME) online. You can get it down to $2.50 per pound in bulk.

Dry Malt Extract seems to be pretty standard, around $4 per pound. If you can get it at that price locally, suck it up and get it.

Carboys are tough to ship. Get those and other little doodads locally. It may cost a dollar or two more, but you only need to buy them once and you want to support the local business- Remember, if they go out of business, you will be punished with a 4 day lag time anytime you forget the smallest little item. Yuck! Doesn't sound fun to me!!!

Finally, as for MLT's, brewkettles, etc., most of that stuff is bought locally at large hardware stores. That's about as cheap as it gets.
 
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