All Grain Assortment?

[brewtasting]

I am opening a home brew shop and would like some quick thoughts. Besides the staples....what do you think your LHBS is lacking but should have on hand?

I hope this is the right forum to post this.

 

[OneImpBrewery]

I would say after your staples just to be open to special orders with prepay. Most people are willing to wait for something until you place your order. Have an order list for seasonal recipes so you can have the ingredients to the customers to brew then complete in time for seasonal consumption.
Used kegs, and whatever the competition is to the big mouth bubbler with the spigot.
Wish you luck. Post pictures,

Cheers
-Imp

 

[day_trippr]

I'm pretty fortunate to have a few shops to choose from, but my "go-to" carries well over 100 different "specialty" grains along with a pretty broad selection of base malts.

Match that and be someone's "go-to"...

Cheers!

 

[DromJohn]

I've been using the now evil Northern Brewer as the backup for my LHBS for organic malt, organic LME, out of stock yeast and oak.

 

[ACbrewer]

I would say after your staples just to be open to special orders with prepay. Most people are willing to wait for something until you place your order. Have an order list for seasonal recipes so you can have the ingredients to the customers to brew then complete in time for seasonal consumption.
Used kegs, and whatever the competition is to the big mouth bubbler with the spigot.
Wish you luck. Post pictures,

Cheers
-Imp

bouncing off this, DONT stock to much liquid yeast. Obvious a few of the common ones (American Ale?), but something exotic (Begian sours) should be prepaid order type things. What can happen if you are not careful is a lot of old yeast, and then your business has to absorb that cost

 

[petrolSpice]

A list of all the grain you carry! I wish my LHBS had this, it would make it easier to formulate my recipes at home.

 

[20grit]

A website or even paper list of what they actually stock.
And my shop doesn't even carry the basic UK hops. They have maybe 20 varieties, in 1 oz packages.
But then, it's not a dedicated homebrew shop. Hippie food store with a brewing section.

 

[mredge73]

SS Hardware and kegging equipment. You may get few sales on this stuff but you will inspire many.
Show people what a $3-$5K fully automated home brewery system looks like; show live demos with it once a month or so. You won't likely sell the entire system but can piece it out.
Most LHBS stores that I have been in are happy just selling buckets, carboys, extract, and turkey cookers to novices.
You should want to show new brewers how easy it is to transition to all grain, selling them new equipment along the way.
This is a niche market so design your store for repeat business and don't screw over your customers. Instead of prepackaged kits have a list of recipes available with a free packing service and kit discount.
Crazy how most stores will charge more if I bought a prepackaged kit vs if I came in with an ingredient list containing the exact same recipe.
Fresh grain and bulk pricing on large orders go a long way at keeping customers happy. An alternative to expensive wine kits would be cool, I know some vineyards will sell crushed grapes in 50+ gallon totes that you can distribute.
It also would be cool to find a shop with used hardware due to customers trading up, you can be the gamestop of LHBS.

 

[Sparge]

My LHBS has occasional "Learn to Brew Day" in their parking lot. It attracts new and beginner brewers. They also stock a lot of specialty grains (which they have learned to do after some experience in the local market with what home brewers want). I was an early customer of the store and frequently in the beginning, they would have to order for me. Now, they pretty much have everything I need when I walk in. If they did have to order, it was without me having to prepay (and I always pick up what I order).

Our relationship has gotten to the point where they sometimes call me and tell me that they had a screw up in ordering and had an excess bag of some specialty grain and offered me a discount. It is all about customer service and knowing your customers - you can't get that at InBev's NB! Support the local store by developing a relationship with the owners. You won't regret it.

 

[20grit]

Southern Hills?

 

[brewtasting]

I would say after your staples just to be open to special orders with prepay. Most people are willing to wait for something until you place your order. Have an order list for seasonal recipes so you can have the ingredients to the customers to brew then complete in time for seasonal consumption.
Used kegs, and whatever the competition is to the big mouth bubbler with the spigot.
Wish you luck. Post pictures,

Cheers
-Imp

Right now I'm listening and ordering what I hear is wanted. for expensive i will have to go the prepay route.

Thank you, I shall post an update.

 

[brewtasting]

I'm pretty fortunate to have a few shops to choose from, but my "go-to" carries well over 100 different "specialty" grains along with a pretty broad selection of base malts.

Match that and be someone's "go-to"...

Cheers!

i have added a lot of grain and will add more when i see the demand. thanks

 

[brewtasting]

I've been using the now evil Northern Brewer as the backup for my LHBS for organic malt, organic LME, out of stock yeast and oak.

i have been thinking of adding organic malt.... thanks

 

[brewtasting]

bouncing off this, DONT stock to much liquid yeast. Obvious a few of the common ones (American Ale?), but something exotic (Begian sours) should be prepaid order type things. What can happen if you are not careful is a lot of old yeast, and then your business has to absorb that cost

i totally agree. JIT inventory and clearance for older yeast.

 

[sky4meplease]

Munich Dark and CaraBrown
My LHBS didn't have a Munich Dark for a long time though I was in the other day to notice they now have a Briess Munich 20L.
They quit carrying CaraBrown and I used a bit of that in a lot of recipes. I see Northern Brewer carries it so I will have to get it from there if I want to start using it again.

 

[brewtasting]

A list of all the grain you carry! I wish my LHBS had this, it would make it easier to formulate my recipes at home.

in the works and this has been a request, thanks

 

[brewtasting]

SS Hardware and kegging equipment. You may get few sales on this stuff but you will inspire many.
Show people what a $3-$5K fully automated home brewery system looks like; show live demos with it once a month or so. You won't likely sell the entire system but can piece it out.
Most LHBS stores that I have been in are happy just selling buckets, carboys, extract, and turkey cookers to novices.
You should want to show new brewers how easy it is to transition to all grain, selling them new equipment along the way.
This is a niche market so design your store for repeat business and don't screw over your customers. Instead of prepackaged kits have a list of recipes available with a free packing service and kit discount.
Crazy how most stores will charge more if I bought a prepackaged kit vs if I came in with an ingredient list containing the exact same recipe.
Fresh grain and bulk pricing on large orders go a long way at keeping customers happy. An alternative to expensive wine kits would be cool, I know some vineyards will sell crushed grapes in 50+ gallon totes that you can distribute.
It also would be cool to find a shop with used hardware due to customers trading up, you can be the gamestop of LHBS.

I am looking more into the automated brewing and equipment at this point. I will def look into ways to make the transition easy and affordable to new all grain brewers. I am also deciding what to do with the brew kits going forward. thank you

 

[brewtasting]

My LHBS has occasional "Learn to Brew Day" in their parking lot. It attracts new and beginner brewers. They also stock a lot of specialty grains (which they have learned to do after some experience in the local market with what home brewers want). I was an early customer of the store and frequently in the beginning, they would have to order for me. Now, they pretty much have everything I need when I walk in. If they did have to order, it was without me having to prepay (and I always pick up what I order).

Our relationship has gotten to the point where they sometimes call me and tell me that they had a screw up in ordering and had an excess bag of some specialty grain and offered me a discount. It is all about customer service and knowing your customers - you can't get that at InBev's NB! Support the local store by developing a relationship with the owners. You won't regret it.

i don't know about classes in the parking lot at this point (great initiative) but classes are in the works.

i am working on a good relationship with the customers. like anything else it takes listening skills. which some people lack in general. i will make the effort, thank you

 

[brewtasting]

Munich Dark and CaraBrown
My LHBS didn't have a Munich Dark for a long time though I was in the other day to notice they now have a Briess Munich 20L.
They quit carrying CaraBrown and I used a bit of that in a lot of recipes. I see Northern Brewer carries it so I will have to get it from there if I want to start using it again.

I will look into those two bad boys, thanks

 

[RedlegEd]

I am opening a home brew shop and would like some quick thoughts. Besides the staples....what do you think your LHBS is lacking but should have on hand?

I hope this is the right forum to post this.

Just for giggles, where are you located? It would be kind of nice to go to a LHBS where the owner actually asked what we (the customer) thought would be nice to have on hand? Ed

 

[brewbama]

I recommend you have a recipe book for all the styles and stock the grains, hops, and yeast to make them. You might be surprised at how short the list of ingredients that something like that requires. Breweries don't have a LHBS full of ingredients in stock yet they brew award winning beers with the few key ingredients they do have. Having a quick turn on orders for the customer who wants specialty items is a great thing.

 

[RM-MN]

Start with a small inventory selection but keep good notes on what customers ask for that you don't have including the quantities. You can use this information to adjust what you stock. Use the prepaid special orders to help find out what you are missing that should be a stock item. Be aware that you can make a lot of your customers happy with a smaller selection and prepaid orders with fast turnaround but that there will always be a few dissatisfied ones that will gripe about the lack of some exotic that only they will use and then infrequently. Be prepared to fire some of this type of customer. Be mindful that the customer is not always right and that you may need to just get rid of some to keep your venture profitable.