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They won't.
They were bought by Northern Brewer, which is owned by Blackstreet Capital Holdings. They will probably maintain their online presence, but they will be in lock step with Midwest Supplies as the highest priced places to buy supplies except for Northern Brewer itself. I recently (Mar. 25th) priced 3# of Briess DME:
Norther Brewer $20.99
Midwest Supply $17.99
Adventures in Homebrewing $17.99
Austin Home Brewing $17.99
Atlantic Brew Supply $11.99
Label Peelers $10.92
Rite Brew $10.09
Find a new place now!

BTW, this is discussed on "Did Northern BrewerPurchase Austin Home Brew AND/OR Adventuresin Homebrewing"? in the General Home-brew Discussion Forum.
DME did jump $2/pound, upon inspection. Bummer. At that time when I followed the thread you mentioned and went to the site, prices hadn't changed. Oh, well. Is the jump in price just because of the power grab? I live in the metro Detroit area. Any suggestions?
Thank you for the info.
 
They won't.
They were bought by Northern Brewer, which is owned by Blackstreet Capital Holdings. They will probably maintain their online presence, but they will be in lock step with Midwest Supplies as the highest priced places to buy supplies except for Northern Brewer itself. I recently (Mar. 25th) priced 3# of Briess DME:
Norther Brewer $20.99
Midwest Supply $17.99
Adventures in Homebrewing $17.99
Austin Homebrew Supply $17.99
Atlantic Brew Supply $11.99
Label Peelers $10.92
Rite Brew $10.09
Find a new place now!

BTW, this is discussed on "Did Northern Brewer Purchase Austin Homebrew Supply AND/OR Adventuresin Homebrewing"? in the General Home-brew Discussion Forum.

i will not be shopping there anymore it if principle. They fired everyone without notice.
 
First off, if you have a nearby LHBS that you like, then try to patronize them whenever possible. Unfortunately, I don't anymore and it's a long drive across the city to get to MW or NB.

For online, when it's price that matters and I'm not in a hurry, I gather my shopping list and check several vendors. I open a browser tab for each, plug in the stuff I want. Calc the shipping and compare the total costs. Lowest price wins. I've mentioned this method a few times on other threads.

Of course, not every place carries everything on my list, but I have to count out those vendors that don't have what I need. And vendors that are shiatty go on my no-fly list. Treat me like crap, play head games, or don't respond to my communication? I'm done with you.
 
i will not be shopping there anymore it if principle. They fired everyone without notice.
Before you all throw rocks at NB/MS, for what ever reason, I would put some of the blame on the owners of AIH/AHS. A deal of this scale could not have happened over night. I still contend that there was a reason for them selling that we will probably never know.
They were probably offered an insane amount to sell out or not doing as well (read profitable) to resist a sale before the ship sunk. Could be they just took the money and ran.
"Only the shadows know and they ain't talking."
Cheers, :mug:
Joel B.
 
It didn’t happen overnight. It happened a couple months back. Then they fired their employees with a day or two notice last week and skipped town in the middle of the night. People drove out to Ann Arbor on Saturday morning to AIH to find a sign on the door. They still haven’t updated their social media. Probably fired the guy with the password.
 
I placed an order on March 31st and my card was charged but it is still has not shipped. The website now has the physical address of the Northern Brewer warehouse in Roseville, MN.
 
Wondering if anybody has ordered from them lately. I had to recently re-register my account, which seemed kinda weird but whatever. Looks like they got rid of their Reward Program.

and..an order I submitted back on the 31st is still sitting as Unfulfilled. Just sent them an email asking for an update, but they've never taken this long.
Got a order from them yesterday 4/7/22
All my items but 3 had northern brewer labels I ordered 2 week ago sent them a email they were moving in a new building and as soon there in my order would be shipped so if I need stuff I'll oder from Northern brewer in mn am only 90 miles from them and yes it look like I lost 200 points in reward
but saw some talking about northern brewer buy them on this site so I use up my 800 points
 
I just switched to AIH on my current batch because they’re the only online brew supplier that I found that sells steeping grains in fractional pounds. My first order went perfectly. A couple items were on sale, shipping was fast and inexpensive. I plan on making them my go to supplier now.
 
I just switched to AIH on my current batch because they’re the only online brew supplier that I found that sells steeping grains in fractional pounds. My first order went perfectly. A couple items were on sale, shipping was fast and inexpensive. I plan on making them my go to supplier now.

I hope this continues on but with NB at the reins now I don't see this continuing you may soon lose that option.
 
I just switched to AIH on my current batch because they’re the only online brew supplier that I found that sells steeping grains in fractional pounds. My first order went perfectly. A couple items were on sale, shipping was fast and inexpensive. I plan on making them my go to supplier now.
Rite Brew sells grain by the ounce.
I hope this continues on but with NB at the reins now I don't see this continuing you may soon lose that option.
I agree, and the prices are already up. I posted some back at #20. Northern Brewer is very high.

Here are some prices for Nottingham yeast, EKG hops and per gold bottle cap (packaging amounts on caps vary):
Northern Brewer $6.49 $3.99 .044
Adventures in Homebrewing $5.49 $3.49 .036
Atlantic Brew Supply $4.49 $2.49 .031
Label Peelers $5.30 $1.96 .021
Rite Brew 3.39 1.59 .024

BTW, my order for my next 9 batches is being split among Rite Brew, Label Peelers, and my LHBS Missouri Malt. Rite Brew carries only Briess DME, but is lower in regular pricing and has cheaper shipping; Label Peelers carries both Briess and Muntons DME, but is only lower in pricing when they run a sale, and it has more expensive shipping and a clunky web site. Trying to wait for a sale at Label Peelers can be aggravating, but they're having one right now where 3# of Briess Light DME is 9.22 instead of the !0.92 I quoted on post #20.

Edit to add: Atlantic Brew Supply selsl grain by the decimal fraction of a pound if you enter that as the amount.
 
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I live in the metro Detroit area.

Me too.. in the metro area I only know of 1 LHBS, Wine Barrel Plus on Plymouth Road, they have a good variety of DME/LME on the shelf and grains in the back room. I do their CO2 exchange. Their liquid yeast has been non-existent the past year but they have a decent variety of dry. Random fittings and goodies to browse, and right now they have a bunch of brewing books at 70% off, I bought 6-7 of them.

For Hops, I use Michigan Hop Alliance about a block away! Of course Yakima does well but we have Michigan grown hops that are nice, homebrewers do not get premium lots anyways.
 
Ritebrew! That's my go-to anyway, and I can buy 3 ounces of things if I want.
Fortunately I have a great LHBS about 15 minutes down the road from me and I can get almost anything I need and they do grain by the .05 lb.

Online though I agree Ritebrew looks like the best option.
 
I just switched to AIH on my current batch because they’re the only online brew supplier that I found that sells steeping grains in fractional pounds. My first order went perfectly. A couple items were on sale, shipping was fast and inexpensive. I plan on making them my go to supplier now.

Great Fermentations is another great option in the region in addition to the ones mentioned above.

Me too.. in the metro area I only know of 1 LHBS, Wine Barrel Plus on Plymouth Road, they have a good variety of DME/LME on the shelf and grains in the back room. I do their CO2 exchange. Their liquid yeast has been non-existent the past year but they have a decent variety of dry. Random fittings and goodies to browse, and right now they have a bunch of brewing books at 70% off, I bought 6-7 of them.

For Hops, I use Michigan Hop Alliance about a block away! Of course Yakima does well but we have Michigan grown hops that are nice, homebrewers do not get premium lots anyways.

Cadillac Straits in Madison Heights is another great option. And you can have a meal and try their beer in the brewpub. Never heard of Michigan Hop Alliance--need to check them out. There's a hop farm in Monroe, Mr. Wizard's Hops as well. I could practically walk there but haven't bought much from them as they weren't really set up for small sales when I first heard of them a few years back but they are getting better each year so I really need to try them first going forward.
 
@matt_m Thanks... Ill have to check out Cadillac Straights, you had me at brewpub!

Mr. Wizard Hops will be on my list to check out as well, I really want to do a wet-hopped IPA this harvest season! (paranoid wife + family dog means we do not grow hops at home)
 
I've been to Cadillac Straights once. It was a pretty decent store. Smaller than AIHB was though. I'll be making them my new place. There is also Cap N Cork in Macomb. Kuhnhenn Brewing has a store in Warren too, but I think they don't take walk-ins. Need to order in advance.

AIHB Taylor was really close to me. The Ann Arbor store was only 20 minutes too so it wasn't too bad. I'll miss just going in and walking around looking at all the stuff they had in store. At least I was able to use my rewards before this all happened.
 
Last time I was at Cadillac Straits the gentleman I assume is the owner said they were expanding the supply shop in the unit on the other side of the brewery and turning the old supply shop into event space. Not sure if that means they'll carry more inventory or just make it more of a store feel and less of a warehouse.
 
I hope this continues on but with NB at the reins now I don't see this continuing you may soon lose that option.
I live close to Midwest Supplies and a bit of a drive to NB. During the worst of COVID, I was very isolated (live alone) and I mail ordered grain so I wouldn’t have to go out. I ended up NOT ordering from either one because they don’t do fractions of lbs and they won’t double crush. Atlantic Brew Supply did both and terrific service. Very responsive - had questions by email — prompt, friendly. I’ve since bought a grain mill and can purchase fractions of a pound by going to MS in-person. I’ll definitely use ABS again though. Bought a good BelgianDark Strong Ale AG kit from them.
 
I just found out about this today when I called to check why my order was taking so long when usually I got it in 2 days. So sad. It was 30min from home and most of the time I would drive there to patronize plus their prices were good. Knew the people by name. Was nice to buy fresh liquid yeast without worrying about shipping. Also was my CO2 source. I guess from now on I'll order from Morebeer or other places. Will also need to check the LHBS mentioned above. As I mentioned I do not like to order liquid yeast online specially in the summer. Oh well. :-(
 
I've been to Cadillac Straights once. It was a pretty decent store. Smaller than AIHB was though. I'll be making them my new place. There is also Cap N Cork in Macomb. Kuhnhenn Brewing has a store in Warren too, but I think they don't take walk-ins. Need to order in advance.

AIHB Taylor was really close to me. The Ann Arbor store was only 20 minutes too so it wasn't too bad. I'll miss just going in and walking around looking at all the stuff they had in store. At least I was able to use my rewards before this all happened.

I'll need to check Cadillac Straights. It may be my new local option. And having tap beer and food would make it a very easy choice to make me go there from Canton. I see they have competitive prices too. All good :)
 
I hope this continues on but with NB at the reins now I don't see this continuing you may soon lose that option.
AIH has already discontinued selling grains in anything less than one pound. I just checked their website today. I just bought a half pound each of two types of grains just 3 weeks ago. My batch is still in the fermenter (packaging tomorrow).
 
I've been to Cadillac Straights once. It was a pretty decent store. Smaller than AIHB was though. I'll be making them my new place. There is also Cap N Cork in Macomb. Kuhnhenn Brewing has a store in Warren too, but I think they don't take walk-ins. Need to order in advance.

AIHB Taylor was really close to me. The Ann Arbor store was only 20 minutes too so it wasn't too bad. I'll miss just going in and walking around looking at all the stuff they had in store. At least I was able to use my rewards before this all happened.

Cap N Cork is also a brew pub as well!!! They also have an online page that is pretty accurate for inventory. They allow pickup and they ship as well. I always use the pickup option as they are close to me.


I thought Kuhnhenn had closed down the home brew shop, but I could be wrong.
 
I do not get this move to no fractions on grain orders. The same time is taken to weigh and pour out a pound compared to a 1/2 pound... My LHBS has moved to the same thing and it sucks! You can't lose sight of why your customers use your services in the first place. Grain is a loser when it comes to shipping outside of pallets, so having a local shop is important to keep this hobby economical. But if you can't make your recipe or need to buy a lb of roasted malt to use .25lb it gets kind of stupid imho.
 
I really wish I saw this thread before I placed my order a couple weeks ago. I've been a long-time supporter of AIH. Over the years, I have found them to have great products, reasonable pricing, and most importantly - exceptional customer service. I thought it was bizarre when I attempted to place my order that I needed to re-register a new account on their website, but didn't think too much about it as communication from the company hadn't changed. I am now regretting the decision not to look into it further.

After not receiving my order for nearly 2 weeks (usually their orders shipped same day or next day), I checked the website to see if the order status had been updated. Nothing, it just states "unfulfilled." I never received any email or anything indicating a problem with the order, so I decided to call. Instead of being greeted by the friendly and familiar voices at AIH, the phone was answered by a guy who clearly doesn't like his job and responds to customers as if they are a nuisance. Before I could even explain the situation he abruptly told me that "online orders can take up to 5 days to arrive once shipped so you'll just need to wait." Every time I attempted to talk, he would quickly interrupt me with some canned response about order shipping times, etc. I kept trying to explain to him that I don't believe the order had even shipped yet, until he finally acknowledged me and rudely stated "Well you need to give me the order number before I can do anything about that." Yeah guy, if you didn't interrupt me ever time I tried to explain to you and give you the order number, you'd have that information.

Long story short, he basically told me that it is not unusual for orders to take 10 business days to process and that I should receive an email when the order ships (it has already been more than 10 business days). I asked if there was a change to their business practices or if they were bought, because at this point I was becoming very suspicious. Also keep in mind that they still advertise Fast & Free Shipping for all orders over $59 on their website. I have NEVER had this experience with AIH staff nor any delayed shipping without proper communication. I always received all my orders within 3-4 days from the time the order was placed, they were extremely fast. He responded and told me that they were recently acquired by another corporation but that online sales remain the same. He wouldn't elaborate on who bought them or when, but did confirm all retail sales were no longer available and it was now an online only operation. Had he told me who they had been acquired by, I would have immediately cancelled my order.

A quick search online revealed that AIH and AHS were bought out by Blackstreet Capital (Northern Brewer) which is extremely sad but now explains why they have such terrible business practices and poor customer service. I rechecked their website and sure enough, they have updated the address to the MN location. Then I found the threads that outline how this all went down. So yeah, they bought AIH, flipped it upside down, fired all their employees without adequate notice, robbed the customers of their rewards points, changed their order processing and shipping practices without updating their shipping policy on the website, ran a bunch of sales to generate orders that would be immediately billed but unable to be fulfilled, and never once sent an email to loyal AIH customers to let them know anything was changing. Is all of this perfectly acceptable from a business standpoint in the realm of capitalism? I guess. But this is not the type of business I will ever spend money at ever again. RIP Adventures in Homebrewing 😔
 
MW is local to me, but it's about a 45 minute drive across town, so I usually order online. I had an order last month that didn't ship for quite a while. About 2 weeks after ordering, the status still said "unfulfilled." I sent an email (they don't answer phones), and to their credit, they replied later that day. They said they were "short-staffed," which may very well be the case, given their recent acquisition of AIH. However, my order shipped the next day and it arrived a couple days after that.
 
Adventures In Homebrewing had been my supplier for many years but mostly in person at the Taylor store. I've ordered from them only occasionally.
They are now based out of Minnesota according to their customer service.
It's a shame that they closed their brick-and-mortar locations ... going there always had that "kid in a candy store" effect. It was a great place to visit ... great staff and advice and a sort-of barber shop effect of a gathering of customers, business supporters and store employees ... all they were missing was a pot belly stove, a few casks as seating, and an active tap.

I'm not familiar with any other bricks-and-mortar home brew supply in the Detroit metro area that still exists,
I would think that with the potential for continued increase in the cost of beer & wine in general, a homebrew shop ... combined with, say, a Microbrewer or Small Winemaker business, would be an opportunity for a viable business that is also a destination.

There is always opportunity in change.
With the developments in the worldwide agricultural commodities markets, I wonder whether there is a sharp edge to be found somewhere on better priced regional brewing ingredients, as well.

I miss their store.
 
I'm not familiar with any other bricks-and-mortar home brew supply in the Detroit metro area that still exists,
I would think that with the potential for continued increase in the cost of beer & wine in general, a homebrew shop ... combined with, say, a Microbrewer or Small Winemaker business, would be an opportunity for a viable business that is also a destination.

Cadillac Straights in Madison Heights is exactly that--brewery and supply shop. They are actually expanding the supply shop, a decision made before AIH closed.
 
I'm not familiar with any other bricks-and-mortar home brew supply in the Detroit metro area that still exists,
I would think that with the potential for continued increase in the cost of beer & wine in general, a homebrew shop ... combined with, say, a Microbrewer or Small Winemaker business, would be an opportunity for a viable business that is also a destination.
Try Cap and Cork in Macomb if it's not too far north for ya :cool:
 
I really wish I saw this thread before I placed my order a couple weeks ago. I've been a long-time supporter of AIH. Over the years, I have found them to have great products, reasonable pricing, and most importantly - exceptional customer service. I thought it was bizarre when I attempted to place my order that I needed to re-register a new account on their website, but didn't think too much about it as communication from the company hadn't changed. I am now regretting the decision not to look into it further.

After not receiving my order for nearly 2 weeks (usually their orders shipped same day or next day), I checked the website to see if the order status had been updated. Nothing, it just states "unfulfilled." I never received any email or anything indicating a problem with the order, so I decided to call. Instead of being greeted by the friendly and familiar voices at AIH, the phone was answered by a guy who clearly doesn't like his job and responds to customers as if they are a nuisance. Before I could even explain the situation he abruptly told me that "online orders can take up to 5 days to arrive once shipped so you'll just need to wait." Every time I attempted to talk, he would quickly interrupt me with some canned response about order shipping times, etc. I kept trying to explain to him that I don't believe the order had even shipped yet, until he finally acknowledged me and rudely stated "Well you need to give me the order number before I can do anything about that." Yeah guy, if you didn't interrupt me ever time I tried to explain to you and give you the order number, you'd have that information.

Long story short, he basically told me that it is not unusual for orders to take 10 business days to process and that I should receive an email when the order ships (it has already been more than 10 business days). I asked if there was a change to their business practices or if they were bought, because at this point I was becoming very suspicious. Also keep in mind that they still advertise Fast & Free Shipping for all orders over $59 on their website. I have NEVER had this experience with AIH staff nor any delayed shipping without proper communication. I always received all my orders within 3-4 days from the time the order was placed, they were extremely fast. He responded and told me that they were recently acquired by another corporation but that online sales remain the same. He wouldn't elaborate on who bought them or when, but did confirm all retail sales were no longer available and it was now an online only operation. Had he told me who they had been acquired by, I would have immediately cancelled my order.

A quick search online revealed that AIH and AHS were bought out by Blackstreet Capital (Northern Brewer) which is extremely sad but now explains why they have such terrible business practices and poor customer service. I rechecked their website and sure enough, they have updated the address to the MN location. Then I found the threads that outline how this all went down. So yeah, they bought AIH, flipped it upside down, fired all their employees without adequate notice, robbed the customers of their rewards points, changed their order processing and shipping practices without updating their shipping policy on the website, ran a bunch of sales to generate orders that would be immediately billed but unable to be fulfilled, and never once sent an email to loyal AIH customers to let them know anything was changing. Is all of this perfectly acceptable from a business standpoint in the realm of capitalism? I guess. But this is not the type of business I will ever spend money at ever again. RIP Adventures in Homebrewing 😔
My local homebrew supply store just closed down, so I was looking for an online source for extract recipe kits. I ordered one from Adventures in Homebrewing and one from Atlantic Brewing company. My order from AB came in one business day and my order from AiH came much later. I also had problems with the AiH website. I had to redo my account information and for about a week everything was "out of stock" on their website. I am not going back to AiH, even though they have more products than other places.
 
expand...
My local homebrew supply store just closed down, so I was looking for an online source for extract recipe kits. I ordered one from Adventures in Homebrewing and one from Atlantic Brewing company. My order from AB came in one business day and my order from AiH came much later. I also had problems with the AiH website. I had to redo my account information and for about a week everything was "out of stock" on their website. I am not going back to AiH, even though they have more products than some other places.
 
My local homebrew supply store just closed down, so I was looking for an online source for extract recipe kits. I ordered one from Adventures in Homebrewing and one from Atlantic Brewing company. My order from AB came in one business day and my order from AiH came much later. I also had problems with the AiH website. I had to redo my account information and for about a week everything was "out of stock" on their website. I am not going back to AiH, even though they have more products than other places.
Agreed. It's not so much the delay that bothers me, I could deal with that if they communicated and showed an ounce of care for their customers. But they purposefully promoted sales to charge for orders they knew they wouldn't be able to fulfill, never communicated to their customers, and then acted like complete turds when people call in to ask what's going on. The old AIH crew would have NEVER done that. This represents a massive decrease in the level of customer service I've been receiving for years and I will not be giving AIH, NB, or MW any of my future business.
 
Have to report the same lower support with the "new: AIH and AHB.

I have an order in with both of them 10 (business) days now and both show the same "unfulfilled" status (and yes they have the money), guess its going to be net 21 from now on.

I've been using them both for many years. Lived in the Austin area for a long time and used AHB frequently (also St. Pats way back in the day). I continued to support them when I moved as there is no local HBS for me.

Don't know if this is just a bump in the road due to the transition, but honestly as its not the same folks I had known and supported, I don't feel the same loyalty, and given this level of service will look elsewhere for supplies. I've placed a couple of orders with Atlantic and have been pleased.

In the past what I had ordered from them would be in the fermenter and well on its way to being keg or bottle conditioned, now I'm still waiting for it to ship! This has caused my Krausen to drop quickly.

YMMV
 
Have to report the same lower support with the "new: AIH and AHB.

I have an order in with both of them 10 (business) days now and both show the same "unfulfilled" status (and yes they have the money), guess its going to be net 21 from now on.

I've been using them both for many years. Lived in the Austin area for a long time and used AHB frequently (also St. Pats way back in the day). I continued to support them when I moved as there is no local HBS for me.

Don't know if this is just a bump in the road due to the transition, but honestly as its not the same folks I had known and supported, I don't feel the same loyalty, and given this level of service will look elsewhere for supplies. I've placed a couple of orders with Atlantic and have been pleased.

In the past what I had ordered from them would be in the fermenter and well on its way to being keg or bottle conditioned, now I'm still waiting for it to ship! This has caused my Krausen to drop quickly.

YMMV
The AIH/AHS customer service was second to none. I am beyond sad to see them go. The new team isn't even making an attempt at keeping up. Bump in the road or not, they're clearly putting the old AIH/AHS customers last.
 
I tried to get some supplies for National Homebrew day from the LHBS I used in the Houston area Saturday. They were closed, I thought for the day, but turns out they are shuttering for good. Hoppin Grapes in Webster, Texas. Their FB post indicates they are negotiating with someone who will open a store soon in the area. I'll have to give them some business when they open. Houston, the 4th largest city in the country, now only has 2 Homebrew stores. Both are far away from me. I placed an order with Morebeer and Austin Homebrew Supply, MoreBeer has already shipped. The only reason I used AHS was that they were in the state and I wanted to see how fast they'd ship. Today my order still shows unfulfilled with AHS and an arrival date of Friday for the Morebeer order. Northern Brewer had the slowest estimated ship time so I didn't order from them. I'll check out the others mentioned in this thread. Houston lost Defalco's during the pandemic. St Arnolds, 8th Wonder, and Bayou City brewing founders all started homebrewing with supplies from Defalco's.
 
To the AIH customers that might have missed this, I just got an email from them bout their reward points program. looks like they got it back up running again.

Blimey we are excited to tell you that the rewards program is back at Adventures in Homebrewing! After a brief hiatus, our rewards program is back online, and your points are waiting for you. If you had an existing points balance, but have not logged in since April 1st, you need to re-register your account with the email you previously used. By re-registering, you will also be able to access your previous order history.
To Activate Your Rewards Account:

  • Log into your customer account
  • Important, if you haven't logged in since 4/1/2022 you'll need to re-register your account.
  • Open our new rewards dashboard.
  • Start earning new points and/or redeem existing points.

Cheers, :mug:
Joel B.
 

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