AHS/Midwest Processing Times

I have a great LHBS. But, I repeatedly go back and forth over my recipes and I'm extremely particular about the amounts and specific ingredients. As a result I often order online to be sure my ingredients will be in stock.

I have ordered from Northern Brewer repeatedly and had very good experiences with them. They usually process an order within 2 days and ship in about 3 days for $7.99. So, I order and can plan to brew a week from the date of ordering without issue.

But, they've been hit by shortages in some items.

So I've tried Austin Homebrew Supply and Midwest Supplies. They have taken on average 4-5 days to process orders. Add 4 days to ship (AHS is also $7.99) to Cambridge minimum. And don't forget that the $7.99 shipping means there is no movement of the package on Sunday or Monday. So you're talking a week and a half.

To me, this is too long. The main delay seems to be with processing. I wonder about yeast, hops and ground grain lifespan especially given warmer weather on the horizon.

Have I just had bad luck?

Anyone else have to wait 1.5 weeks for an order?

Happened to me with AHS this week. Usually I get my orders from them in 2 days. I placed my order Monday, planning to brew this weekend. When I called Thursday they told me they are backed up from the 20th anniversary, and that my order would most likely not ship until Monday. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt on this one, but it sure would have been nice to know before I placed my order.

The bottom line is they are a business and they get busy. If this kind of thing were the norm I'd start shopping elsewhere.

Man. Thanks for that info.

I ordered last Friday and will get my stuff on Tuesday and I'll have to let it sit until the following weekend before I can brew.

I really like that I can order i.e. 5 oz of crystal for a recipe (instead of 1 pound) with AHS so I was pretty psyched to give them a try. I was really put-off by the processing time. Maybe I'll have to give them another shot based on your response. But it does sound like something THEY should have told me by email or something rather than just having me wait.

I'm in Connecticut and find AHS, NB, MWS all to be upwards of 5-6 days. If I place an order on a Sunday/Monday I am fortunate to get it by the weekend. It is really frustrating to maybe be able to brew by the weekend but maybe not. Hard to plan a yeast starter (if I have the yeast on hand), and usually means I have to plan two days out. I guess certain things need to be compromised if you want price and selection. I can't say that I have ever had issues with products I think it really comes down to processing time that is my major beef. The "brewsaver" shipping turns out to cost me more in terms of convenience then to saving me money.

I ordered from AHS last Friday and the box arrived in GA on Thursday. I received an email with my tracking numbers on Sunday so I have to assume they were packing orders all weekend. When I checked out they had several shipping options and even the first step up from the 7.99 special offered same day packing and shipping. If I needed the order by a specific date I would have upgraded, but as it turned out I am good to go this weekend anyway.

The last time I used ahs I got a tracking number within 24 hours. When I ordered last week it took 4 days before I got a tracking number.

It's pretty simple, if you need the stuff in a hurry pay for the shipping options that are guaranteed to go out the same day (or next day). I've done flat rate shipping from AHS on many occasions and it ranges from a shipping notification in 2 hours, up to three or four days.

If you are unhappy with the lag time or product just buy locally or somewhere else. I always figure at least 7 business days when I order and I think that's fair. At the price fuel is nowadays and how far I have to drive to pick stuff up locally it's worth it.

I've never been dissatisfied with the ingredients delivered from NB or MWS but have yet to receive my first order from AHS.

But it sounds like I'm not alone in terms of timing.

I agree about sacrificing for convenience but I am spoiled by internet convenience and so I am admittedly demanding and impatient. It is tough getting used to slower processing.

Honestly, my problem is that I only brew recipes that I slave over for many days and if I order too early I regret it. But if I order when I think I'll be ok for receiving a shipment, I may end up not being able to brew when I want.

I guess I'll just have to suck it up.

It sounds like AHS is just super busy from their $20 kits. I placed my first order with them on Sunday, and won't get the package until this upcoming Monday. Sad I can't brew it this weekend, but oh well.

Midwest on the other hand.... processing/shipping time is identical to NorthernBrewer for me (about 3-4 days total), but I've been pretty fed up with having to exchange broken items in every other order. Peter will get your items back to you quickly, but it's still a huge pain in the ass.

I buy all my recipes from AHS and the order usually ships same day or on the following day after you place your order. Placed an order Monday and it hasnt shipped yet, called them and they said A) the 20th anniversary sale has been a success and they have been swamped over the past few weeks B) They were shorted on a hop shipment that one of my recipes needed.... I would say the delay in shipping we have experience is definatly the expection more than the rule with them.

Ahs usually ships next day. But like the others have said it appears their 20th anniversary sale was a bigger hit than they counted on. If you get used to fast turn around from a place you expect it next time. I live way up north so im used to having a little wait.

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Give brewmasters warehouse a spin. I get my orders in PA in 2 days. I think you will get the same shipping time in ma. I can't recommend them enough.

Thanks. I'll give it a shot.

My last order was from NB: Ordered on the 12th, shipped on the 16th, delivered on the 19th. 7 days order to door.

I placed an order today with Midwest... we shall see what the timing is like.

Maybe I will place my next order with AHS just to see how they do (OK, also to get a few of the awesome kits they have on the 20th anniversary deal...)

My last order was from AHS. I Ordered on Monday (over $100, so free shipping) and received today, Friday. I live in Houston so I figured it would be sooner. I can order from northern or Midwest and get my stuff just as quick. Kind of weird since Austin is only 120 miles away and MN is 1295 miles away.

I ordered through AHS before thier 20th aniv and got my order in 3 days. Mind you I live in Dallas. I ordered after thier 20th and it took a few more days. I think the original response is on point with them being backed up because thier 20th.

I order from MWS and it has been three days from order to my door. But I live 80 miles south of St. Paul, MN, where MWS is located. Its right around $10-12 for shipping, which is still a lot cheaper than driving up there. Their LME is about half the price of my LHBS.

gdbrewer said:

My last order was from AHS. I Ordered on Monday (over $100, so free shipping) and received today, Friday. I live in Houston so I figured it would be sooner. I can order from northern or Midwest and get my stuff just as quick. Kind of weird since Austin is only 120 miles away and MI is 1295 miles away.

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Its MN, not MI, and you get it in three days?! I only live 80 miles from Midwest and I get a shipment in three days!

I like Williams Brewing because they always ship the same day if you order before 4pm pacific. I also regularly order from AHS and NB and find they usually ship on the 2nd business day when using the flat rate option, the worst time frame has been the 3rd business day. Not such a big deal.

Until this last order, I've always ordered from Midwest, going back to my original brew kit. They've always been fine (never had anything broken....), in my estimation- 3-4 business days from MN to IL seems all that I can expect, given basic ground shipping. Last week, when I placed the order for my Spring brewing ingredients, I went with Northern Brewer for the first time, because I saved about $20, mostly on the shipping. Shipping was with FedEx, like MW, and the time was about the same.
If you need the stuff quicker, my initial reaction is to just pay for the upgraded shipping, or go local. The latter expedient isn't really an option for me....

Here's my issue:

FedEx ground is the $7.99 option for NB and AHS and it's the one that does not move Sunday or Monday. And they only have a single delivery time = late delivery (around 8pm) to my address each day. The next bump up is stated to be 2-4 days and I think it jumps to $30-40. And there is still no guarantee that it will be any faster than 4 days. After that shipping jumps to about $70.

My current order is around $60 for a highly hopped imperial strength beer so $70 is hard for me to swallow even for an imperial.

I think I'm just going to have to switch back to my LHBS for ingredients that I know they'll have and think 2 weeks ahead for internet orders. It still takes an hour of my time to get there and back through traffic (it's on the other side of town) but its better than not brewing.

Thanks for everyones responses.

ayoungrad said:

Here's my issue:

FedEx ground is the $7.99 option for NB and AHS and it's the one that does not move Sunday or Monday. And they only have a single delivery time = late delivery (around 8pm) to my address each day. The next bump up is stated to be 2-4 days and I think it jumps to $30-40. And there is still no guarantee that it will be any faster than 4 days. After that shipping jumps to about $70.

My current order is around $60 for a highly hopped imperial strength beer so $70 is hard for me to swallow even for an imperial.

I think I'm just going to have to switch back to my LHBS for ingredients that I know they'll have and think 2 weeks ahead for internet orders. It still takes an hour of my time to get there and back through traffic (it's on the other side of town) but its better than not brewing.

Thanks for everyones responses.

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Yes, given what you're doing, that seems to be the best expedient. Given what transportation costs have done in the last 10 years, I'd be looking at an LHBS for single batches myself.....if I had that option. As it is, I must plan large orders (5-6 batches), which suits my Spring / Fall brewing habits pretty well anyhow....

I've received yeast from AHS after purchasing the $0.99 cold pack and the pack was melted and the yeast was warm. I made a starter to be sure that it was still good to go, and it sprung to life just like normal. So if you're worried about it, my experience is that everything turned out fine in the end.

Still, I think it's strange to sell a cold pack...I mean, to me that's like charging for bubble wrap. To me it's more efficient to at least buy the yeast from a LHBS where you can get it straight from the refrigerator. Also, if the yeast doesn't start I can return it for a new tube. The only yeast I'd buy online again will be ones I can't get locally.

Another thing to consider is that AHS has gotten more customers over the years. With more popularity that means more customers and orders, which means yours will take longer. There are still quite a few great websites to buy from that aren't as popular which are just as good. Shop around some.

Teromous said:

I've received yeast from AHS after purchasing the $0.99 cold pack and the pack was melted and the yeast was warm.

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Those cold packs will melt even with 2-day shipping and an insulated shipping box like White Labs uses. This won't hurt the yeast unless they get too hot.

I rarely order yeast online, but whenever I do, I usually place the order mid-week and add a special request for the order to be shipped the next Monday to minimize loss of viability.

Cheers! We try to turn all of the orders around in 1-2 days. We process the orders in the order which we receive them. If you need expedited shipping, feel free to call us for a quote.

BillyBock said:

Its MN, not MI, and you get it in three days?! I only live 80 miles from Midwest and I get a shipment in three days!

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My bad, I meant MN. If I order on Monday and usually receive on Friday, one time on Saturday, I'm pretty sure that's 5 days not 3.

You guys on the east coast should use a store that is closer (http://www.brewmasterswarehouse.com/) that will cut down on the transit time a lot.

Thanks for the support and understanding. We know the $20 recipe kits would be popular but we didn't think that we would be selling over 160 of them a day. On Monday we pour and shipped out over 3,500 pounds of liquid extract. We received that extract on Monday as well. It shipped out the day we received it.

We make every kit when you order it so it is fresh. I know of 2 big stores that don't do that. Ask the other stores if they make their kits in advance and how long they sit there before you receive them. I have seen videos on youtube that show a huge warehouse with kit after kit lined up ready to be shipped. In order to have over 800 recipe kits available and get the freshest ingredients to you we can't do that. It just doesn't make sense to have hops sitting in a box on a shelf at room temperature and having grain pre-milled getting stale just so it can be shipped out a little faster.

I want to get you the freshest ingredients. Hop Union lost our order for Falconer's flight hops so it put us behind on the most popular $20 kit.

I have hired 2 new shippers and I need 2 more. We will keep the specials coming so be patient if it is such a good sale that we have sold over 1500 kits in 9 days.

Sign up for our newsletter to make sure that you receive the latest specials.

Forrest

HarkinBanks said:

Give brewmasters warehouse a spin. I get my orders in PA in 2 days. I think you will get the same shipping time in ma. I can't recommend them enough.

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Thanks for the recommendation. In all fairness MA is a 3 day transit time from our store. We try our best to ship by next business day.

I noticed a couple of folks from GA talking about longer transit times. The entire state of GA is next day shipping. So if we ship it on Wednesday you get it on Thursday.

Ed

I just made my first order from AHS last week because of the $20 kit special. I ordered on Tuesday (3/15), called Monday (3/21) to check on it and was told that they were slammed with orders and were still processing. My order shipped yesterday (3/22) with an expected delivery date of 3/28 to upstate NY. That's 13 days from order to delivery. A little slow for my taste but I'll wait happily for the good deal.

My NB and MW orders usally average around 2-3 days processing and 4-5 days standard shipping. I've never had a problem with yeast viability or hops freshness. Nearest LHBS is 80 miles from me, the mail order co.'s have me by the balls!

Yeah. I just received my shipment yesterday and I ordered on the 11th. Everything was well packaged and I'll brew this Saturday.

My LHBS is within a few miles, but through the city. Besides, I order everything (including groceries) over the internet.

I'm thinking about giving AHS another shot. But maybe it's better to wait until after the sale. I don't use kits so the sale has no benefit for me.

Wonder when the sale ends?

They do have different shipping options, you could have had your stuff delivered way faster.

_

wildwest450 said:

They do have different shipping options, you could have had your stuff delivered way faster.

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Prioritized shipping (4-5 days) would've cost $56.00, UPS 2-day was $233, UPS next day was $318. I think I'll just wait the extra five days!

wildwest450 said:

They do have different shipping options, you could have had your stuff delivered way faster.

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Cost definitely plays a role. But I'm willing to wait for shipping times given the costs.

But, my original issue was not with shipping times but with processing times.

I ordered around noon on the 11th and it shipped on the 16th. 5 days to process is too long.

After having posted here, it definitely sounds like the sale they have going has horribly impacted their processing times.

Why is anyone surprised by increased processing times during a big sale? I mean the free/flat rate shipping option says this when you select it:

Your order is ready for shipping in 2 - 4 business days. Delivery time takes 1 - 5 business days depending on your location. During sales and periods of increased order volume, this shipping method may take longer. Flat rate shipping is only available within the 48 contiguous states. If you need your order sooner, please chose another shipping option.

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I'll trust you that that statement was there when I ordered but I didn't see it.

I am absolutely the type of person to have simply glanced over the words and not taken them to heart. Not to mention that I didn't even know there was a sale until I posted this thread. I went to the site, I looked for my ingredients and ignored any sale items because I already knew what I wanted.

Doesn't really matter. And I don't think anyone is suprised that a big sale would slow things down. But for those of us who didn't know about the sale outside of this thread, it's helpful. Since hearing the responses here, I feel a lot better about the prospect of reordering from AHS.

ayoungrad said:

Cost definitely plays a role. But I'm willing to wait for shipping times given the costs.

But, my original issue was not with shipping times but with processing times.

I ordered around noon on the 11th and it shipped on the 16th. 5 days to process is too long.

After having posted here, it definitely sounds like the sale they have going has horribly impacted their processing times.

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I have hired 4 extra full time people and have extra employees working because of the sale and we are receiving 3 times the normal amount of orders. We are giving these kits away below cost for as long as I can. Below cost and free shipping. Sorry for the delay, we are peddling as fast as we can. Thanks for your patience.

We put your kits together as they are ordered to assure the ultimate freshness. Most stores including the big ones have kits sitting on shelves at room temp with grains milled waiting for someone to order the kit. Quality takes time.

Forrest

Austinhomebrew said:

I have hired 4 extra full time people and have extra employees working because of the sale and we are receiving 3 times the normal amount of orders. We are giving these kits away below cost for as long as I can. Below cost and free shipping. Sorry for the delay, we are peddling as fast as we can. Thanks for your patience.

We put your kits together as they are ordered to assure the ultimate freshness. Most stores including the big ones have kits sitting on shelves at room temp with grains milled waiting for someone to order the kit. Quality takes time.

Forrest

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Thanks for the response. And like I said, I'm sure I'll order from you guys in the future.

I've ordered from all three and found Northern Brewer to take the longest. But it probably all depends on how busy they are at the time of order. And I would definitely order from Northern Brewer again. I wasnt waiting for months or anything. I think it took just shy of a couple weeks or so.

EDIT - I will also add the kit I ordered from Norther Brewer was probably the nicest of all three sites. They packaged it well, had great ingredients, and even threw in a catalog!