Beer ingredient kits on-line vs. local store

[Manny_E]

What is best, buying Beer ingredient kits on-line or from local store?

What is a good average pricing?

Thx
Manny

 

[el_horno]

Local Store, if you appreciate them being there then you need to support them. Otherwise, no crying if they should perish.

 

[ShaKeyJ]

I would think buying ingredients would be less expensive than kits, but so far I only tried once to match a kit of Imperial Nut Brown which was $53 at retailer and ingredients came to $47 which isn't much different. I'm looking into bulk or semi bulk and then grinding the grains to see if that would be better. The best part of buying your own ingredients is coming up with new recipes or online recipes which may not have kits.

 

[ShaKeyJ]

Oops! I just re-read your question. I thought you meant ingredients vs kits. I try and support local and where I go they have kits and all the ingredients.

 

[Yooper]

It really depends on your local store. My not-so-local store has dust on the kits of pre-packaged Brewer's Best brand kits, and they are good kits but they've been there forever. You want a store that has a decent turnover. Some of the online stores have very fresh ingredients (like northern brewer or austinhomebrew.com) and pour the LME and crush the grains only to fill your order. In these cases, since fresh ingredients make so much better beer, the obvious choice is with a big online retailer.

but if you have a local store that has fresh ingredients, and can get most of what you need, then local is always best even if it costs more.

 

[Manny_E]

thx

I like the idea of supporting local stores...

Question: How can i tell kits are fresh?

 

[tnvol]

I buy everything locally. There is an awesome shop 5 minutes from where I live that has everything I need. Their prices are very competitive so there is no reason to go anywhere else but local for me.

 

[najel]

I would typically say go for your local store. However, mine seems not to be all that great. When I first started brewingI bought everything there. As far as equipment, they are fairly well stocked. But the guys who work there have given me some strange advice before. They also have some pretty old stuff sitting on the shelves, dust collecting on some of the kits. So I switched to putting it together myself so I can see the dates before buying stuff.
The other day I went in and the guy who worked there seemed to have no clue whatsoever about brewing, did not know what dry malt extract is. They were also pretty much out of everything. The most annoying part was that I picked up yeast and he took it out of the refrigerator and bagged it up. When I got home I saw that it expired in May 2012.
I really like having the store so close, but I guess they do not have enough of a turnover. I like being able to pick up ingredients spontaneously, but I guess I will have to figure out a way to have basic stuff on hand all the time or something like that. Also nice for me is that Northern Brewer and Midwest Supplies retail stores are less than 2 hours from me. I'd still like to avoid driving there.
Anyway, long story short: If you buy local, there is a chance they are out of somehting or it is old, so always buy before you really need it, and check the dates.

 

[anengineer]

Everyone has good points.

My nearby local stocks old yeast and hops and their hardware
and _some_ ingredient prices are sky high. Selection is limited.

They quoted $75 for a 55# sack of Maris Otter and I'd have to
wait for them to get it.

They also sell used corny kegs sell for $55 ea.

If I'm willing to drive 20-miles to a different store, the same
Maris Otter can be had for $55 per 55# sack and Briess two row
sells for $39 per 50# sack.

 

[Kyricus]

I tend to try and buy locally, at least as far as equipment goes. There's an excellent store near where I live run by knowledgeable people. -- The Brew Mentor http://www.thebrewmentor.com/. The only thing I usually buy online are kits and some hard to find items. Though the store has a good amount of kits, they are limited in the brands they sell.

 

[bullinachinashop]

i tend to try and buy locally, at least as far as equipment goes. There's an excellent store near where i live run by knowledgeable people. -- the brew mentor http://www.thebrewmentor.com/. The only thing i usually buy online are kits and some hard to find items. Though the store has a good amount of kits, they are limited in the brands they sell.

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