AHS vs MWS vs NB

[Ultrazord]

Midwest kits are usually tasty. I really enjoyed their Belgian IPA.

 

[BBKing]

Seems to me that the guys at AHS are really proud of their stuff. I was putting together a $300 order back in the summer and compared AHS to NB.

By the time I had put what I needed in the cart plus a few extras, NB was cheaper by about $50.

NB it is!

 

[RM-MN]

Seems to me that the guys at AHS are really proud of their stuff. I was putting together a $300 order back in the summer and compared AHS to NB.

By the time I had put what I needed in the cart plus a few extras, NB was cheaper by about $50.

NB it is!

That will depend on what is in your order. I find them to be quite similar in price with a few exceptions. Shipping can be the difference in price at times, other times they have price changes at different times that skews the pricing.

 

[Malticulous]

I haven't ordered from a single homebrew site that I can't recommend. I shy away form midwest but only because the didn't post a negative review I made of one of their products.

 

[passedpawn]

They might all be the same, with minimal diffs in cost. Here's my order of preference. I don't care about cost... they are all nearly the same.

#1: Brewmaster's Warehouse. Why? Near me. Ed always answers the phone, I love the clean web site.
#2: Northern Brewer. Why? Broad supply, Awesome catelog, Super cool commercials on Brewing Network
#3: Austin Homebrew Supply. Why? Never ordered from them. Recent credit card debacle. Don't care about drawing on the box. I really do like the fact that Forrest frequents this site though (used to, anyway).

 

[seatbelt123]

I'm a big fan of AHS. Disclaimer: I haven't ordered form the others. Every AG kit I've ordered from them has been great.

An it's cool that the owner is starting a brewery. Happy to support that.

 

[shelly_belly]

First online order ever was BMW. Ed called to say he was out of the White Labs yeast I ordered and could he send the Wyeast equivalent. 2 years later I order a March pump and Ed calls to say it's on backorder. Got my pump 4 days later. And, who needs to buy Beersmith when Ed has BrewBuilder for free? Also BMW's crush is almost too good.

http://www.brewmasterswarehouse.com/brew-builder

 

[BBKing]

That will depend on what is in your order. I find them to be quite similar in price with a few exceptions. Shipping can be the difference in price at times, other times they have price changes at different times that skews the pricing.

This is very true, and I should have mentioned this in my original post.

 

[hoppedupbrewer]

I've ordered from all 3, but prefer MW or NB only because they're close to me and that usually means overnight shipping if the shipping queue isn't backed up. I got a sweet deal on Perlick 525ss faucets & stainless shanks from AHS last year with free shipping :rockin:

Midwest has had some major issues with the quality of their crush.

I've pretty solid consistency with Midwest, starting about last fall like RM-MN mentioned. The last few batches I ordered from NB (last couple months) have been a pretty course crush, however, so I've had a few batches with a lower-than-expected OG. I don't hold it against them, though. To me, that just means it's time to buy a mill

 

[Magnum25]

I've only ordered from AHS and my local so far, but I have to say the packaging and shipping were great from AHS. I have the first batch in the primary right now. It's my first mini-mash so it was a great time. I loved being able to track the UPS. I will order from them again.

 

[Austinhomebrew]

Let us know if there is anything you would like to carry. Also, let us know if there is a product that has a price that is higher. It is hard to keep track of all items. We wil certainly match any delivered price. When comparing prices you have to include shipping. No one can have the lowest price on every item, but your overall price should be less with AHS. I had a customer want us to match a store on the 6 wine kits he wanted. He only wanted us to match the kits that were more expensive. He thought he had found a deal elsewhere. The other store charged inflated shipping and I actually saved him $90 because of the shipping. I am here for you guys so let me know how I can help.

If there is a issue that makes you shop elsewhere let us know. It would be best to let us know directly because we might miss a post on someone elses forum. [email protected] or 1-800-890-2739.

Forrest

 

[Xtant]

Hey, Forest, do you guys offer military discounts?

 

[Austinhomebrew]

We dont offer a blanket discount. We have had people that have told us what they want from Northern Brewer and ask if we can match their 10% discount. We told them that we saved them $15 at our regular price and their 10% discount. You really have to compare prices not discounts. It is easy to have a higher price and offer a discount. I want to have a better overall price than have higher prices and throw around a discount. If my prices are lower I cant offer a discount. Put together an order and compare. I cant have a lower price on every single item but your total should be less with us. It is best to shop where your total for many items is lower. If you fall into the trap of buying a few items here and a few items there thinking you are saving, you will be paying shipping charges to several places and you are not saving money. You have to include shipping charges in your price comparison.

Forrest

 

[Brewskii]

I've been happy with all three. Hard to pick a favorite. I've only ordered 1 kit from AHS for a friend this summer. The superFuggleisticESBaledocious using the San Diego super from white labs.
It was the dead of summer and the yeast turned up not viable... I ended up giving him a pack of US 05 on day 3 in the ferm. It was SUCH a good beer that I just brewed in another for myself using their recipe.
I did not go through trying to get them to send me another vial, but I have no doubt they would. I have had the same issue with some of the other guys as well. To me that's just the risk you take ordering liquid strains via mail in summer. I now do starters for this very reason and if I was really counting on it I might get it from the "L"HBS ( 1 hour ride one way) instead.
I was kinda looking forward to trying out the wlp sandiego super yeast though.

 

[PollardsVision]

I just made my first online order and went with NB.

I'm still an extract brewer and wanted to save money on extract and hops. NB was a pretty clear winner on price from what I could tell. I've got room to refrigerate 36 lb. of LME.

The LME was pretty much the same everywhere, with NB being cheaper ordering that 6X6lb pack.
I think MWS was cheaper by the pound buying bulk (33 lb. pail, not the 3.3lbX6 pack), but doesn't come in batch-size individual containers, like NB. I couldn't tell how AHB's bulk LME was packaged, but it didn't appear to come in individual containers either.
That convenience is a big deal.

Hops seemed like a really big price difference though. I wanted 3 lbs. NB has most hops for $14-19/lb. They were out of many of the most popular varieties, but I didn't mind. (No shock with those prices)

The price difference on hops made up for MB's free shipping over $60. Their cheapest hops started around $18/lb and most were $22-25. MWS seemed even higher.

Either AHB doesn't sell hops by the pound or I just couldn't find it on their website. If it's the former, $2/oz gets expensive in a hurry.

I'm sure other sites save money on other products and order configurations, but NB seemed to work out best for me a larger LME and hop order.

 

[McHaven]

Let us know if there is anything you would like to carry. Also, let us know if there is a product that has a price that is higher. It is hard to keep track of all items. We wil certainly match any delivered price. When comparing prices you have to include shipping. No one can have the lowest price on every item, but your overall price should be less with AHS. I had a customer want us to match a store on the 6 wine kits he wanted. He only wanted us to match the kits that were more expensive. He thought he had found a deal elsewhere. The other store charged inflated shipping and I actually saved him $90 because of the shipping. I am here for you guys so let me know how I can help.

If there is a issue that makes you shop elsewhere let us know. It would be best to let us know directly because we might miss a post on someone elses forum. [email protected] or 1-800-890-2739.

Forrest

So, you'd be willing to match NB's prices on similar kits? Suppose NB's British Bitter:
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/...ract-ale-kits/british-bitter-extract-kit.html

And AHS'S Ordinary Bitter
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=369

I'd rather order from AHS, since you're somewhat local and my items get here faster. However, most of the time, your kits are more expensive than NB's kits, and on top of that I have to pay taxes. If the price was just a bit better on some things, I'd purchase from you a lot more often.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

I usually only place an order once a year for bulk hops from hopsdirect and one big (for me) order online for most of my intended brewing for the year. The last couple of years I have made those purchases through BMW. I know they have had some shipping issues recently but that's never been my experience. I like the brewbuilder on the site and I like even more than there's a 10% discount when you use it. I also like flat shipping. I've never bought from NB or MW but I do sometimes look at the kit recipes on NB as part of my research for new recipes so I should probably give them some business.

If I end up needing yeast or something on the fly I go to one of the seven shops in the DFW area, depending on which is the most convenient. When I need just base grain though I go to the cheapest place, which happens to be the closest but tends to be more expensive for 99% of what I would buy.