kitchensqueen
Well-Known Member
Of these two mail order supply houses, which do you prefer, and why?
Northern Brewer. Reason - BrewingTV
I started with Northern Brewer's Deluxe brewing kit as it seemed the most complete. I also like that they list the ingredients of their kits online.
I have never bought from Midwest.
Northernbrewer they have cheaper shipping but I have purchased from both
kitchensqueen said:I'm glad to hear so many positive reviews of Midwest, though I seem to be having some trouble with them... I made an order five days ago, they charged my card right away and then my status never changed to shipped. When I emailed to ask today, they said they didn't know what happened, but it's packed up and ready to go. They gave me a Fedex tracking number. Which still hasn't made it Fedex yet. Sigh. Hopefully it's just a fluke - I really like their prices and selection, and the fact that they don't charge extra for crushing grain.
Don't know what happened there. I usually get mine within 3 days but they usually don't get me the tracking number until the day of delivery.
But another reason I really like NB (aside from BrewingTV :rockin is their catalogs are awesome. I'm a pretty new brewer, with only 4 batches under my belt. So, I don't automatically know how things will turn out just based on the ingredients. And NB's catalogs give a lot of descriptions for their ingredient kits. All 3 of the kits I've gotten from them have turned out pretty much exactly as I expected, and my expectations were based almost completely on the descriptions in the catalogs. AND they put out new catalogs with great pictures and different extended descriptions on a very regular basis. It may just be marketing, and their products might not be any better than Midwest, but I definitely feel more informed as a customer of NB.
I mean seriously, just pick up your latest catalog from the 2 places and compare them. If you are just looking for a specific bit of information on a price or the availability of an item, you'll find that information in both catalogs. If you are trying to keep yourself busy so you don't drink all of your beer while it is still green, I bet you'll have more luck thumbing through a NB catalog. It just makes me more excited about what my next batch could be.
I'm glad to hear so many positive reviews of Midwest, though I seem to be having some trouble with them... I made an order five days ago, they charged my card right away and then my status never changed to shipped. When I emailed to ask today, they said they didn't know what happened, but it's packed up and ready to go. They gave me a Fedex tracking number. Which still hasn't made it Fedex yet. Sigh. Hopefully it's just a fluke - I really like their prices and selection, and the fact that they don't charge extra for crushing grain.
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