Washington, DC Brewers Beware!!!

[WrongCoastBrewery]

Just wanted to throw this out there. I am sure some will highly disagree, but AVOID myLHBS in Falls Church, VA. I have frequented the shop about 5 times now and each time the owner is rude and selling some serious crap. I bought one keg off him when he boasted it was the best refurbished keg he had seen. It was dirty and the o-rings were not even close to being slightly used. They were crushed and the poppets were also worn out(as I found out today). The employees, including the owner, give the WORST advice. I once asked for some opinions on two different yeast strains and the response I got was far from educated, more along the lines of "this is what I sell and thats it". I bought four more kegs and yet again two of the four were not even closed to being refurbished like he said. The other two I didnt even bother trusting. I replaced everything on those kegs. I have emailed him about the kegs and yet to get a response.

I will admit I probably should have learned after the first keg, but I didnt. Either way, I wont go there again.....EVER. There are other stores further away that IMHO are better since their service and prices eclipse that crap hole.

So take it from me, AVOID at all cost.

 

[RIT_Warrior]

Heh, kind of reminds me of my old LHBS in Rochester. I once asked for a packet of Notty yeast (they kept the dry yeasts behind the counter), and the guy gave me a 5g packet of Muntons yeast. When I told him that this was different then what I wanted, he blew up on me and insisted that "it is all the same ****". It was the best beer store I've ever seen anywhere, but the homebrew supplies were a bit lacking there.

Thankfully I have a much nicer LHBS place now which actually has things like yeast and hops in stock. I don't even carry a hop substitution chart anymore, as they haven't been out of anything since I started going there.

 

[dcbeerboy]

just go a little further north and go to MDHB. myLHBS has always been inconvenient for me anyway, but they've always had what i needed when i went.

 

[dcbeerboy]

also, just like at best buy, i always do my homework before i buy anyway, so i try to know what i'm getting and know what to expect.

 

[the_mox]

been there twice, he was rude, both times. that means he doesn't want my money bad enough. so i have never been back, and will never go back.

 

[bowiefan]

Yep, you have two fantastic shops locally in MHBW and Annapolis Homebrew, Why in the world would you go to a craphole like MLHBS.

 

[ttavenner]

Strange, I've heard from several people about Derek being rude or conceited. I've been going there for about a year now and I've never experienced it. I generally go in with a specific shopping list and I don't ask many questions, but I've never found the people there anything but nice and helpful. I've also never had any problem with any of the products I've purchased, and I've purchased everything from ingredients to equipment to bottles. Granted, I've never purchased kegs from them, or any other used equipment.

It's also true that they only sell Wyeast, but I've known that since the first time I purchased yeast there and now I go in knowing what strain I want. If I want another brand of yeast I order it somewhere else.

Can't tell you what the difference is. It sounds like a completely different shop from the one I go to.

 

[bennyd]

I'm very jealous of you guys who have 3 or 4 homebrew stores so close. My closest one is 2 hours away.

Come to think of it.......that may be a good thing. It will keep SWMBO happier this way.

 

[rwps1971]

Haven't been to MDHB or Annapolis, you might also try the Thirsty Brewer in Baldwin, MD (Baltimore County). The owner, Tom Davidson, is encyclopedic and has answered my every question with great patience. They carry a great supply of ingredients. The website is not much to speak of, however.

 

[the_mox]

I'm very jealous of you guys who have 3 or 4 homebrew stores so close. My closest one is 2 hours away.

Come to think of it.......that may be a good thing. It will keep SWMBO happier this way.

well depending on where you live in the DC area, all of the above homebrew stores are 2 to 3 hours away...

 

[justinakajuice]

+1 to most of what is listed above.

Now if you guys are talking about Derek Satz, who took over www.jaysbrewing.com and has a new shop in Clifton, I will have to rebut the criticism. He has always been SUPER-amazing with his customer service to me. When he didn't have a shop, he would hand deliver me whatever I needed for free when I wanted it. He has gone out of his way many times to explain to me what I had questions about and has offered advice on what I could use to sub as ingredients. He gives free freezer-paks with the yeast just to make sure you don't get a bad vial. He reviews the order to make sure you didn't forget anything (like a lid for an Ale Pail).

So if there is another HBS around him, please do not confuse them with him. Check the website to make sure it's not the same guy. I just googled and saw that there is indeed different stores. Do yourself a favor and call Derek from jaysbrewing if you need something local next time or even if you want to chat to someone about HB-which he is also more than happy to do. I can't believe someone would be such a bunghole in this hobby, everyone I've met and talked to have been cool.

 

[alcibiades]

The reason there might be disagreement over him is because he has his good days and bad days. I've seen him be a complete d-bag, and completely full of BS with his homebrew advice, but I've seen him be pretty friendly and make a good effort to help. Once he got over trying to convince me to NOT go all-grain, we seem to be in good relations.

One interesting encounter though: He got really pissed off at me for asking him to grind about 10 pounds of grain (even though he charges per pound for grinding), uncluding just one or two pounds of speciatly grain....maybe its because he still has a damn hand operated corona mill!

 

[WrongCoastBrewery]

Since I live in DC, I will now spend my money at Annapolis Homebrew. In regards to his good and bad days, all I have seen is bad. I also talked to some homebrewers I work with this morning and they think the Derek from MLHBS is a d-bag as well and do not go there unless absolutely needed. IMHO if you own a shop or are an experienced home brewer, it is in your best interest to help propagate the hobby. He does nothing of the sort.

Like I said before, avoid him at all cost. Even if he has good days and bad days, I dont want to shop at a place where the experiences have more ups and downs than a roller coaster.

 

[pj_rage]

Wait are myLHBS and jaysbrewing related via this same guy or something?

I had considered visiting myLHBS as it's only 25 min or so from me, but read some iffy reviews on google, and this just affirms what I saw there. I may still someday run over there if I need something ASAP on brew day, but at this point, $7.99 flat rate from several reputable vendors is only slightly more than the gas would cost me to check out an iffy store.

Then there is annapolis home brew and MDHB which are each about 45 min away, easily as much cost in gas as shipping, but I've been curious to check them out, just looking for the right excuse.

 

[WrongCoastBrewery]

I would definitely suggest Annapolis Homebrew. Plus they are expanding their store. And while you are out there, stop for lunch at the waterfront in Annapolis. Thats what I do.

 

[wetzie]

I got started with the people at MDHB, they are great. Very patient with a noob and they now setp me up with better recipes. I have also used Thirsty Brewer (it is closer to me) and Tom is amazing. He hsotes the local club and they take some cool trips apparently based on their web site.
:fro:

 

[WrongCoastBrewery]

I got started with the people at MDHB, they are great. Very patient with a noob and they now setp me up with better recipes. I have also used Thirsty Brewer (it is closer to me) and Tom is amazing. He hsotes the local club and they take some cool trips apparently based on their web site.
:fro:

We need something like that here in DC, if there isnt already.

 

[WrongCoastBrewery]

As an update, I got an email back. Of course, he was apologetic. I did however find that he admitted that the company really only replaces the orings and does not check the poppets for damage or even replace them. He was dumbfounded by the fact that they were "sealed" in the store. Well, of course they are when you apply 30+ psi to them. At that pressure anything with a bit of rubber between surfaces will seal. I replied saying that I was going to have to buy new poppets before I used one of the kegs. Hopefully he will fix this.

 

[pj_rage]

I ended up going to myLHBS this past weekend as I needed a couple things and it was too conveniently located.

Based on what I'd heard, it was bigger than I expected, but definitely not huge or even big by any means - about the size of a large bedroom or so. It was packed with customers (at least 5 different customers + friends), which made it seem it seem a little smaller.

They seemed really well stocked in terms of equipment and accessories, although I didn't look too closely at the grain or hop selections.

I didn't have any specific questions about anything, other than where I could find the items I was looking for. There were two people working there, I didn't get their names, but both helped me at different times and both seemed nice and were helpful enough.

Maybe if I was asking for advice, or recipes, or they weren't so packed or whatever, I might have had a dfiferent experience? I dunno, but I'll definitely be headed back given how well-stocked I found them to be and the fact that they are conveniently located, save for some traffic down route 7.

 

[justinakajuice]

Wait are myLHBS and jaysbrewing related via this same guy or something?

No they are NOT the same, one is myLHBS (The one being referred to as rude above) and one is jaysbrewing (Mr.Niceguy). Just another case of the Newhart "and this is my other brother, Derek."

 

[ongreystreet]

MDHB is awesome, and while you're in Columbia, try out the Perfect Pour, great Beer/Wine store, right down the Road.

 

[skinydipper]

I've been to myLHBS several times and have never had issue with Dereck. He has always been helpful, never rude, and has always answered my questions. His store is very near me, and I usually visit during weekdays when most people are at work, even then he stays fairly busy.

Maybe I've just been lucky. I purchased my entire kegging system from him. I suppose I could have saved a buck or two buying online, but as a (former) small business owner I prefer to buy local as much as possible. Plus I like instant gratitude, I can't stand t owait for 3 or 4 days for my stuff to get here.

 

[WrongCoastBrewery]

I've been to myLHBS several times and have never had issue with Dereck. He has always been helpful, never rude, and has always answered my questions. His store is very near me, and I usually visit during weekdays when most people are at work, even then he stays fairly busy.

Maybe I've just been lucky. I purchased my entire kegging system from him. I suppose I could have saved a buck or two buying online, but as a (former) small business owner I prefer to buy local as much as possible. Plus I like instant gratitude, I can't stand t owait for 3 or 4 days for my stuff to get here.

Oddly enough the general opinion is the place is horrible at best. If anyone else opened up a shop in the DC metro area and actually ran it how a LHBS should be ran, they would tan his hide. In fact, I have been to many LHBS all over the country just to see how they do business. Not one is like Derek's. All of them are ran by people who love to brew and talk about it. Not once did I ever get a sense of attitude from them or like they had better things to do like he does. Of course he is nice to you. When any business owner sees a repeat customer on a regular basis, they tend to show you more attention. Thats just the nature of any business.

 

[Lando]

I have had good luck with myLHBS, Flying Barrell, MD Home brew(or whatever the place is near Columbia) every time for the last few years. It sucks that it is not a consensus.
I tend to be all over the place with my job and try to stop into the one that is closest when I can, but have had good luck with all of the shops. Sure, one place may not always have exactly the yeast strain or specialty malt I need, but I have been pretty happy with all of them and found most places to have a good sub for what I want and full of info when I ask questions.
If I felt like the employees or owner was being condescending or just rude I would def go elsewhere. Might have to give the clifton shop a try as well. Wasn't aware of that one.

 

[smata67]

I've been there twice. The first to get the BB starter kit and the second 6 months later to get a new capper and a couple of supplies. The first visit was on the weekend, some young guy helped me out and it was a fine experience. The second was during the week and I guess this Derek character was there. He was not the most charismatic person I've ever met, but he did steer me right with a few things and even recommended the cheaper non auto adjusting Italian capper for some reason I quite did not understand. I can see how he might be perceived as brusque. It's a personality flaw I don't intend to hold against him, nobody's perfect.

 

[Jersh]

I used to live in Alexandria off Van Dorn and King St, so myLHBS was very convenient for me when I needed something in a pinch... However, I'll agree with the majority of the posters in this thread, I found Derek to be a serious d-bag pretty much every time I went in there and asked a question... He was almost always condescending and spoke to me like I was asking a stupid question. I rarely spent more than $10 or $15 in there, I would spend a majority of my brew-related dollars at MD HB in Columbia, they were MUCH nicer and always pleasant to deal with.

 

[stevedasleeve]

It is a decent place, pretty reasonable prices. I just don't "get" why people need to dis a store. It's a store man, they sell things. So you didn't get a kiss when you arrived and a kiss when you left and a discount for how pretty you were. Whatever.

Shop around, find the best place for *you* to buy brewing stuff, shop online, but there truly is no need to sabotage a business because you didn't get treated nice enough..

My experience: good all around, and convenient enough for me to not buy online too much. I don't get treated like royalty and I don't expect to.

 

[skinydipper]

It is a decent place, pretty reasonable prices. I just don't "get" why people need to dis a store. It's a store man, they sell things. So you didn't get a kiss when you arrived and a kiss when you left and a discount for how pretty you were. Whatever.

Shop around, find the best place for *you* to buy brewing stuff, shop online, but there truly is no need to sabotage a business because you didn't get treated nice enough..

My experience: good all around, and convenient enough for me to not buy online too much. I don't get treated like royalty and I don't expect to.

Agreed. I find it ironic that a person posts questions on this forum about what an acronym stands for, water cooler composition, brass fittings, or I just started to read a post about a brewstand set-up and the first response was "It will never work." Apparently supposed to be a joke. But Derek is rude? I lurk here most every day because there is a lot of useful information, but if I have a question I would much rather ask Derek and get a straight answer than have to read through several rude replies on here.

 

[pj_rage]

It is a decent place, pretty reasonable prices. I just don't "get" why people need to dis a store. It's a store man, they sell things. So you didn't get a kiss when you arrived and a kiss when you left and a discount for how pretty you were. Whatever.

Shop around, find the best place for *you* to buy brewing stuff, shop online, but there truly is no need to sabotage a business because you didn't get treated nice enough..

My experience: good all around, and convenient enough for me to not buy online too much. I don't get treated like royalty and I don't expect to.

Are you saying you don't "get" why people read and write reviews of businesses?

 

[WrongCoastBrewery]

It is a decent place, pretty reasonable prices. I just don't "get" why people need to dis a store. It's a store man, they sell things. So you didn't get a kiss when you arrived and a kiss when you left and a discount for how pretty you were. Whatever.

Shop around, find the best place for *you* to buy brewing stuff, shop online, but there truly is no need to sabotage a business because you didn't get treated nice enough..

My experience: good all around, and convenient enough for me to not buy online too much. I don't get treated like royalty and I don't expect to.

Really? You dont "get" why people write reviews? Ever used Yelp or read a review on a movie or product? I love it how a negative review is viewed as a "dis" by people who dont like it. My guess is that you dont accept other peoples opinions because they are wrong. But whatever man, you keep shopping there. That way you stay out of the better stores and dont crap them up.

 

[WrongCoastBrewery]

Agreed. I find it ironic that a person posts questions on this forum about what an acronym stands for, water cooler composition, brass fittings, or I just started to read a post about a brewstand set-up and the first response was "It will never work." Apparently supposed to be a joke. But Derek is rude? I lurk here most every day because there is a lot of useful information, but if I have a question I would much rather ask Derek and get a straight answer than have to read through several rude replies on here.

Im sorry to here that you have had bad experiences here. I do believe many of us have not. In my experience, he has been wrong about many things. One being that White Labs is not as good as Wyeast. Another being about the reusable hose clamps for kegging systems. On that one, he stated that the red ones used for the gas lines would work on the 3/16" beer line. Wrong, they dont. I look back at this post and many reviews online and all of them say Derek is a d-bag. But hey, each person is entitled to his own opinion.

 

[budbo]

Originally Posted by skinydipper View Post
Agreed. I find it ironic that a person posts questions on this forum about what an acronym stands for, water cooler composition, brass fittings, or I just started to read a post about a brewstand set-up and the first response was "It will never work." Apparently supposed to be a joke. But Derek is rude? I lurk here most every day because there is a lot of useful information, but if I have a question I would much rather ask Derek and get a straight answer than have to read through several rude replies on here.

As one who lives about the same distance (1.5-2hrs depending on traffic) from pretty much all the shops discussed here, I appreciate the reviews (good or Bad). I personally like MDHB but it is still cheaper for me to Order on line at Brewmaster's Warehouse and get $6.99 shipping (which is cheaper than the gas to get to any of the "local" shops). If I am going to make the drive, I'd rather spend my money where they are polite.

As far as not liking to read through replies here, that is your loss as a brewer, you will brew the way "Derek" does and never develop your own style. Home Brewing is far from an exact science, and everyone has their own opinions and ways of doing things. I personally learned much from getting a number of answers to questions when I started coming here. It gave me new ideas on how to do things, and helped me develop "my way" of brewing. I come here and ask when I want to try something new, sometimes I go with advice from other experienced brewers, sometimes the Noobs come up with gems that work for me. Before coming here, I learned from a friend and the owner of my LHBS, by the time I left Nebraska, I was teaching them things I had learned from this board.

 

[stevedasleeve]

Really? You dont "get" why people write reviews? Ever used Yelp or read a review on a movie or product? I love it how a negative review is viewed as a "dis" by people who dont like it. My guess is that you dont accept other peoples opinions because they are wrong. But whatever man, you keep shopping there. That way you stay out of the better stores and dont crap them up.

"I found Derek to be a serious d-bag"
"If anyone else opened up a shop in the DC metro area and actually ran it how a LHBS should be ran, they would tan his hide."
"Like I said before, avoid him at all cost."
"Why in the world would you go to a craphole like MLHBS."

You didn't post a review, you posted a rant. You seem to be terribly pissed of because he sold you a refurbished keg and it wasn't up to snuff and because you didn't get "educated" opinions about yeast and his personality is not to your liking right? And he apologized for the keg but, what, didn't apologize nicely enough?

IMHO you sabotage a business - by that I mean post in public forums "AVOID myLHBS in Falls Church, VA" and the like - for serious legit reasons not because you don't like the persons character. Seriously man it is really just a matter of putting on his shoes for a second. Do you truly think it is fair to cause him to lose business, in this economy, because of these things?

I only post in response to this because I have been there and to all the LHBS in the area and found his prices to be more fair than the others around here and decently equipped and stocked. Save your ire for Exxon and MacDonalds, not small local businesses.

 

[WrongCoastBrewery]

"I found Derek to be a serious d-bag"
"If anyone else opened up a shop in the DC metro area and actually ran it how a LHBS should be ran, they would tan his hide."
"Like I said before, avoid him at all cost."
"Why in the world would you go to a craphole like MLHBS."

You didn't post a review, you posted a rant. You seem to be terribly pissed of because he sold you a refurbished keg and it wasn't up to snuff and because you didn't get "educated" opinions about yeast and his personality is not to your liking right? And he apologized for the keg but, what, didn't apologize nicely enough?

IMHO you sabotage a business - by that I mean post in public forums "AVOID myLHBS in Falls Church, VA" and the like - for serious legit reasons not because you don't like the persons character. Seriously man it is really just a matter of putting on his shoes for a second. Do you truly think it is fair to cause him to lose business, in this economy, because of these things?

I only post in response to this because I have been there and to all the LHBS in the area and found his prices to be more fair than the others around here and decently equipped and stocked. Save your ire for Exxon and MacDonalds, not small local businesses.

Just because he is a small local business, I am supposed to cut him slack. If anything, they should work harder because they do have to compete with bigger conglomerates. What I really find funny is that you split hairs and say that certain adjectives are harsher than others therefore it is a rant. Most negative reviews could be classified as rants. Am I sabotaging his business? Hardly my friend. Sabotage would more like me opening that shop in the same complex as his, calling it something like My Local Homebrew Supply, and then charging half of what he does. Now that is sabotage.

And furthermore, at what point do consumers owe anything to a business, let alone a small business that has crappy customer service and debatable prices? Just because the economy is bad doesnt mean that I have to shop there. I go where my dollar goes the farthest. Even people like my girlfriend and various non-brewing friends that have been there agree his store is small and his customer service makes it a poor business. Granted I can forgive the space concerns. Well, maybe not. Annapolis Homebrew is a small business in the homebrewing market. They are expanding. Hmmmm. Makes you wonder why Derek is still in the same craphole of a building. Like I said before, everyone who doesn't have a problem with his "charm", keep shopping there and keep taking his crap. Saves the better places for homebrewers who actually care if their hobby grows. When you wake up and realize the place isnt that good, come find me and I will tell you where the good places are. Better yet, read the entire post and you will find out that info.

 

[stevedasleeve]

Yeah whatever. Happy holidays.

 

[ptakers]

I have to weigh in on the side of myLHBS. I've been there many times and Derek has always been nice and professional. Never had a complaint.

 

[WrongCoastBrewery]

Yeah whatever. Happy holidays.

LOL. Same to you bud. I see your rebuttal is at the level I suspected it to be at.

 

[WrongCoastBrewery]

I have to weigh in on the side of myLHBS. I've been there many times and Derek has always been nice and professional. Never had a complaint.

I find this so hard to believe. I have been there 4-5 times. Never have I seen this. When do you shop there? I have been there during the week and on the weekends. So I am not sure if it matters.

 

[JauntyJames]

It could just be that he doesn't like you. Not having met you, I have no idea why that might be the case, but your presence is a common thread in all your experiences with him. Now, that in and of itself is bad customer service; you treat any paying customer the same regardless of personal feelings if you want them to come back. So don't go back. Just be the better man and don't try to take away his business. Live and let live.

There was an article in the Washington Post about a month ago about homebrewing, and it featured myLHBS. It'll probably send a good bit of business their way.

 

[Bmorebrew]

Guess I'm not really going to add a whole lot to this thread, but I do want to voice my support for MDHB. I've been brewing AG for a year now and the people there are great. I've spent a lot of time discussing things with them and asking lots of questions. When I step into the store they always ask if they can help with anything - aside from a few bulk orders of things like hops over the internet, this place receives all my business. I love to support them because they know how its done.