Pearland Texas Brewing

[leadtrumpet]

Just started brewing beer again and am really happy with the first one (American Porter). Can't wait until I start another one but want to wait out the 105 degree temps so I can use the propane burner in the garage instead of the gas stove inside. It was just too slow to get that water boiling. Stopped brewing years ago because I hated the bottling, now have a couple of five gallon kegs.

 

[Kegcowboy]

Just started brewing beer again and am really happy with the first one (American Porter). Can't wait until I start another one but want to wait out the 105 degree temps so I can use the propane burner in the garage instead of the gas stove inside. It was just too slow to get that water boiling. Stopped brewing years ago because I hated the bottling, now have a couple of five gallon kegs.

Welcome back! Kegging is the way to go!

 

[TxBrew]

Welcome to HBT!

 

[GTO_Guy]

Welcome! I run the Chilis at 288 and 518! what side of pearland are you on? I am down in rosharon.

 

[calebawilson]

welcome from Katy

 

[Homebrewt]

Welcome to HBT

 

[Joshaw50]

Welcome from Houston

 

[leadtrumpet]

GTO-I am right by ya across 288 from Chili's.

 

[TomOliver]

Welcome from another Houstonian!

 

[MyNameIsPaul]

I'm in Pearland as well, we go to that Chili's all the time, haha.

We need to do a Pearland BrewDay, seems a lot of us are migrating out to this part of town!

 

[chelero]

welcome from mexico! I dont live in TX anymore, but I'm from dallas and I studied trumpet at UH. and i have been to that chili's several times! maybe we know each other?

 

[leadtrumpet]

I would agree with a Pearland BrewDay! Maybe a Brewers night out.

 

[leadtrumpet]

welcome from mexico! I dont live in TX anymore, but I'm from dallas and I studied trumpet at UH. and i have been to that chili's several times! maybe we know each other?

Went to North Texas myself and still play for fun. Got tired of being away from the fam all the time. I used to play some and help Noe out with the Jazz program at UH in the 90's.

 

[chelero]

that's when I was there. noe is a very good friend and mentor. also did a year at unt, but that was a little later.

 

[leadtrumpet]

that's when I was there. noe is a very good friend and mentor. also did a year at unt, but that was a little later.

We may know each other. Small world.

 

[Coog_Brew]

Welcome! Another Houstonian here. Go Coogs!

 

[MacGyver22]

I love that there are this many Houstonian brewers! I've got my first batch in the secondary right now.

Organizing a meet-n-great would be a good idea one night-

 

[SaltyTX]

I'm close.....Seabrook.

Do you guys just go to DeFalcos or order online? I would have to say I stay away from Brewers Guild in Seabrook/El Lago- Stuff is old and overpriced. Plus, they STILL don't know how to fill a CO2 tank. Sigh..

 

[MyNameIsPaul]

I'm close.....Seabrook.

Do you guys just go to DeFalcos or order online? I would have to say I stay away from Brewers Guild in Seabrook/El Lago- Stuff is old and overpriced. Plus, they STILL don't know how to fill a CO2 tank. Sigh..

Defalco's is great. I prefer to use them since I want a LHBS, so if the cost is a little more, so be it. Gotta keep them in business! Keg Cowboy has also started selling grain/extract. I went in yesterday and was probably one of their first grain customers ever. It went smoothly, and they keep the grains dry and in a chilled environment. Price was great too. Both places will fill a CO2 tank for you perfectly and affordably =)

 

[calebawilson]

Thumbs up for keg cowboy!

 

[leadtrumpet]

I have been using DeFalcos for about 14 years and always found them to be helpful. Their prices seem to be in line with others that I have checked.

 

[Homebrewt]

I'm close.....Seabrook.

Do you guys just go to DeFalcos or order online? I would have to say I stay away from Brewers Guild in Seabrook/El Lago- Stuff is old and overpriced. Plus, they STILL don't know how to fill a CO2 tank. Sigh..

Yeah come in and check us out, we are next to Keg Cowboy. Walk-in grain cooler, great prices and we fill co2 tanks like we were born to do it! :rockin:

 

[leadtrumpet]

Is anyone up to a Pearland Brewday Thursday evening June 23rd? I would think BJ's on 518 might be a good spot.

 

[D_Struct]

Greetings from a bit north of you, in Lufkin!

Seeing all of the Houstonians on here makes me wish I brewed when I lived there. I'm starting to think I'm the only one in this area that brews.

 

[Joshaw50]

Not a big fan of Defalco's myself. The prices are high in comparison, especially the hops and adjuncts. They're always out of stock for the common hops and yeast. And a lot of the workers seem more like salesmen than brewers at times. I've had to return items on two different occassions because I was overcharged.

Prices on grain at Defalco's are about the same as everyone else, a little bit cheaper than keg cowboy. I was also overcharged at keg cowboy the other day too so maybe I just have bad luck. Keg Cowboy does not sell leaf hops, only pellets which is disappointing for a brew store since I only brew with leaf hops. And they do not stock Amarillo which was the reason for my visit.

So i had to drive to to Brew it Yourself and sure enough, they had leaf and pellet Amarillo Hops in Stock.

Brew it Yourself is the best choice for Houston area. It's located near Spring/Woodlands and Ray is very knowledgable. A little bit of a drive but if you happen to be up north, it's very basic, very affordable, and has a very good selection of equipment and ingredients and definitely the cheapest prices in the Houston area.

 

[Homebrewt]

Not a big fan of Defalco's myself. The prices are high in comparison, especially the hops and adjuncts. They're always out of stock for the common hops and yeast. And a lot of the workers seem more like salesmen than brewers at times. I've had to return items on two different occassions because I was overcharged.

Prices on grain at Defalco's are about the same as everyone else, a little bit cheaper than keg cowboy. I was also overcharged at keg cowboy the other day too so maybe I just have bad luck. Keg Cowboy does not sell leaf hops, only pellets which is disappointing for a brew store since I only brew with leaf hops. And they do not stock Amarillo which was the reason for my visit.

So i had to drive to to Brew it Yourself and sure enough, they had leaf and pellet Amarillo Hops in Stock.

Brew it Yourself is the best choice for Houston area. It's located near Spring/Woodlands and Ray is very knowledgable. A little bit of a drive but if you happen to be up north, it's very basic, very affordable, and has a very good selection of equipment and ingredients and definitely the cheapest prices in the Houston area.

Not to start a price quoting war, but you will find that our grain prices average about .10 less per lb than defalcos, and you should research further before making such statements We have no amarillo because several strains are sold out for the season including simcoe and citra, but we will be looking for them, along with other unavailable strains, at next harvest which is usually in September.

BIY may be cheaper but it is also further from River Oaks and Midtown, and who wants to make that drive for amarillo hops? We have a convenient location, great prices and knowledgeable staff so if you are in Houston need ingredients stop in and check us out!

-cheers

 

[Joshaw50]

Not to start a price quoting war, but you will find that our grain prices average about .10 less per lb than defalcos, and you should research further before making such statements We have no amarillo because several strains are sold out for the season including simcoe and citra, but we will be looking for them, along with other unavailable strains, at next harvest which is usually in September.

BIY may be cheaper but it is also further from River Oaks and Midtown, and who wants to make that drive for amarillo hops? We have a convenient location, great prices and knowledgeable staff so if you are in Houston need ingredients stop in and check us out!

-cheers

I have done my research and for me, Defalco's is $1.25 a lb for base grain and $1.30 is the price listed on your website. Both Defalco's and BIY both have the pellet versions of Amarillo and BIY has loose leaf but maybe they bought in bulk early on in the seaon. BIY also has loose leaf and pellet Citra and Simcoe.

I agree that it's a long ways to go for some but I have friends that live a couple miles away that I visit on a regular basis so for me it's not out of the way. And I bought a bunch of Corny Kegs for $25 the same day so well worth the trip. Not all of us live in River Oaks or Midtown. In addition, BIY also offers a discount for brew club memebers on top of their already cheaper prices. What's good for me may not necessary be good for everyone. I was only stating my opinion and my experiences.

I'm not biased towards any specific brewstore. Only stating my experiences with each one. I shop at all of them and will continue to do so. Each one has its pro's and con's. For me, the grain and yeast are cheaper elsewhere and keg cowboy doesn't supply loose leaf hops so they're not always my best choice for purchasing ingredients.

 

[calebawilson]

Not to start a price quoting war, but you will find that our grain prices average about .10 less per lb than defalcos, and you should research further before making such statements We have no amarillo because several strains are sold out for the season including simcoe and citra, but we will be looking for them, along with other unavailable strains, at next harvest which is usually in September.

BIY may be cheaper but it is also further from River Oaks and Midtown, and who wants to make that drive for amarillo hops? We have a convenient location, great prices and knowledgeable staff so if you are in Houston need ingredients stop in and check us out!

-cheers

Really? Your trying to draw people to your store why would you demean some one about not knowing there is a shortage of certain hops. I know you can't get Amarillo hops but someone who is going to take the time to brew the beer they drink will drive 30 miles to get the specific ingredient they want. The .10 a pound cheaper is not a huge selling point for a 15 pound grain bill your only saving 1.50. I had to get that off my chest.

 

[Kegcowboy]

Really? Your trying to draw people to your store why would you demean some one about not knowing there is a shortage of certain hops. I know you can't get Amarillo hops but someone who is going to take the time to brew the beer they drink will drive 30 miles to get the specific ingredient they want. The .10 a pound cheaper is not a huge selling point for a 15 pound grain bill your only saving 1.50. I had to get that off my chest.

Yeah your right Caleb - I see a key sentence that could have been left out to make this a more pleasant exchange. We will try and focus on the positives and address the critism in an appropriate manner in the future. The crew has been working hard to make the store something special and I think some of that passion bled through in this conversation. Ray is a great guy with a great store and if he had what you needed then I think think that is awesome. I mean if you want Amarillo then you want Amarillo .....right? Thanks and Sorry everyone.- Jeff

 

[Joshaw50]

Really? Your trying to draw people to your store why would you demean some one about not knowing there is a shortage of certain hops. I know you can't get Amarillo hops but someone who is going to take the time to brew the beer they drink will drive 30 miles to get the specific ingredient they want. The .10 a pound cheaper is not a huge selling point for a 15 pound grain bill your only saving 1.50. I had to get that off my chest.

My thoughts exactly Caleb. Anyone that brews with passion knows that there's no true substitute on Hops. If you want Amarillo, then you're going to do whatever it takes to find amarillo. Not some substitute. And if you want loose leaf for dry hopping, then you're going to find loose leaf for dry hopping. Which makes me slightly question how much experience and passion management has ifor brewing.

I took the higher road and didn't choose to respond in a demeaning manner but I very easily could have. That's the difference between being respectful or disrespectful. This tends to happen when you have new inexperienced management. Very sad because I was excited to have a third brewstore in town but after this nonsense, I'm not convinced that I'll ever want to walk in there again. I actually knew there was a shortage in Amarillo but that hadn't stopped the other two brew stores in Houston from having it in stock. So i figured that kegcowboy would also have found a way to stock it.

The $1.50 a batch in grain isn't that big of deal to me either. But the fact that they told me to "do my research" is once again disrespectful. I research everything before I buy and Defalco's is $1.25 for me and keg cowboy is $1.30. Which agrees with my original statement prior keg cowboy's unnecessary response to my opinions and experiences.

But when I'm looking for a one stop shop, this hasn't been the place for me since they do not carry loose leaf hops.

 

[mredge73]

Hello
I am new on this board as well and I have been brewing about 2 years.
I am right down the road, Seabrook TX.

 

[calebawilson]

I have bought stuff from Jeff at keg cowboy and have always been satisfied. The shop is new to carrying grain and homebrewing supplies and I'm sure when Delfalcos or Biy opened they didn't have every single item then. There at a disadvantage with missing the hop harvest last year as well. I think we should give them a chance to get stocked up and feel out the Homebrew business some they are new to it.

 

[Joshaw50]

I have bought stuff from Jeff at keg cowboy and have always been satisfied. The shop is new to carrying grain and homebrewing supplies and I'm sure when Delfalcos or Biy opened they didn't have every single item then. There at a disadvantage with missing the hop harvest last year as well. I think we should give them a chance to get stocked up and feel out the Homebrew business some they are new to it.

I think that's reasonable and I'm sure they were at a disadvantage this year.
But that doesn't lend to poor customer service and disrespect. There's always nuissances of new startups and lack of management experience but being respectful of customers should always be a priority.

I have made several purchases at Keg Cowboy and always do my best to support local brewstores.

My first experience was great. Bought a CO2 Splitter and works wonderful.

The second was for a ball lock keg that was advertised to be cleaned, sanitized, and pressure checked online. But after picking it up and taking it home, I spent about an hour cleaning out all of the soda residue, disassembling the keg, and replacing all the soda enriched seals and a bent ball lock post myself.

The third was for yeast and after looking at the online price, I was overcharged.

The fourth was to buy loose leaf hops but they don't stock them. I should have looked online first so I'll take responsibility for that one but I figured that a brewstore would have both styles of hops in inventory. Loose leaf are very popular and for many of us, a necessity for brewing.

To this day, the only thing I've ever purchased non-local has been two perlick 575 faucets. They were $60 shipped for two online as opposed to keg cowboy's price of $95 for two.

 

[El Pistolero]

A hearty welcome to HBT leadtrumpet.

As for the rest of you...this is the introductions forum...it's purpose is to introduce yourself, and to welcome newcomers. Beyond a quick "check us out" or "check this place out", any other discussion of LHBS's is really out of place here, don't you think?

 

[WhiteToad]

I think it obvious to everone at this point that Joshaw is affiliated with a competing homebrew shop just by the responses and the initial subtle attack on the other homebrew stores. Just by going through his threads you will see that he is selling equipment online a little more frequently than would be expected.

I think the manager at the new store may have recognized the post as an indirect attack (maybe no body has inquired about amarallilo in the last two weeks) and that is why he responded harshly.

just by the way Joshaw50 started out with the price as a big deal in the first post and then not a big deal after that when the tables were turned? This sounds way too hokey.

 

[Joshaw50]

I think it obvious to everone at this point that Joshaw is affiliated with a competing homebrew shop just by the responses and the initial subtle attack on the other homebrew stores. Just by going through his threads you will see that he is selling equipment online a little more frequently than would be expected.

I think the manager at the new store may have recognized the post as an indirect attack (maybe no body has inquired about amarallilo in the last two weeks) and that is why he responded harshly.

just by the way Joshaw50 started out with the price as a big deal in the first post and then not a big deal after that when the tables were turned? This sounds way too hokey.

This was my initial response about pricing. "Prices on grain at Defalco's are about the same as everyone else, a little bit cheaper than keg cowboy. I was also overcharged at keg cowboy the other day too so maybe I just have bad luck." There is no indirect attack within this statement.

I am not affiliated with any brew store in Houston nor will I ever be. I support all three of them as stated at the end of my last post. Other than one item, I have purchased everything at local Houston Brewstores. Either BIY, Defalcos, or Keg Cowboy. I've probably spent nearly $1000 upgrading my system this year and other than some perlick faucets, it's all came from one of the Houston Brewstores.

I have made several posts trying to get rid of several pieces of equipment I own. I recently upgraded my whole system and have had random spare parts sitting around along with a few unused items which aren't needed after purchasing the new setup. So far, I've only had interest outside of the Houston area so I have not sold any of it except the wort chiller. I don't want to mess with shipping the large items so not easy to get rid of this stuff.
Hence, the reason for posting more than once.

I'm only an avid brewer living in Houston. I was stating my own observations and experiences just as others were doing in this thread.

 

[calebawilson]

There actually 4 Homebrew stores there's b&g homebrewers guild in seabrook

 

[GTO_Guy]

I am gonna get with the wife and try to get the sign off on a brew day at my house some time in July. We have done 3 over here at one time but more would be fun!

 

[WhiteToad]

Yes but your responses don't match the prices shown online and they appear to target the few items that may be slightly more than the places you are referencing. As far as I can tell almost all of the ingredients are cheaper than the store you were quoting and the equipment is nearly half the price on the few items I compared. You used internet pricing to compare the perlick faucet but from what I remember they are significantly cheaper than anywhere else in Houston. You fail to mention that buying a CO2 tank at the store would be $70 less or that the kits are around $50 - $150 less than anywhere in Houston. How is it that you overlooked all of the other lower priced ingredients and the fact that all of the equipment is so much less than everyone else? Very suspicious when coupled with your used equipment listings on the web.

 

[GTO_Guy]

and if any reps from the brew stores wanna come out I am sure you could share some info or throw out some door prizes taht could be fun!