Brew Supplies Poll - You deserve another beer for contributing.

[rnm410]

Hi all homebrewers, out of curiosity:

Where do you buy your supplies and why?

Do you buy your equipment from the same supplier?

I am split on whether to buy local, or to get what I want and ship across country.

I want to know what others do.

Peace
R

 

[CJ-3]

Equipment - Amazon
Ingredients.- local homebrew store but I have bought online when I saved enough to more than cover the shipping charges
Yeast - local shop only. I never worry about it getting too hot during shipping

 

[Jayzon]

Depends. When it comes to ingredients, I try to stay local. The same goes for hardware and equipment. I go to my LHBS with an idea of how much certain pieces of equipment cost online (after shipping), if the price difference is significant, I'll buy online. If it's only off by a few bucks, I'll support the local guy. With that in mind, a lot of my little things (scale, digital thermometer, etc) are from amazon.

 

[Calder]

100% on-line these days.

There is very little that's cheaper in my LHBS; bottle caps is the only thing I can think of. And with tax and a 25 mile round trip it just adds time and expense.

I buy from various places depending on what I want. Different places are cheaper for different things.

I buy in bulk, so am not needing items for a specific recipe. I usually have what I need for a brew at any time.

And because of the large turnover at most of the on-line places, it is usually fresher.

 

[N4teTheGreat]

Equipment, mostly online. The homebrew shop I go to doesn't stock much beyond starter kits. That said, I get my ingredients from them as they are extremely helpful and a great shop. For someone new like me who is still working on process, let alone crafting a recipe it's great to walk in with an idea and walk out with a recipe and everything I need.

-- Nathan

 

[gometz]

Mostly from my LHBS (Defalcos). Grain and yeast always from them. Lately I've been finding great deals on hops online (farmhouse brewing). I normally like to support local, but when I can get hops for almost half the price, I can't justify it. Also, if I'm already buying hops, I'll see if they have other things in stock cheaper and get that too (mainly candy syrup and some fruit puree).

 

[chumaniel]

The same goes for hardware and equipment.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

I like to be able to look & hold & examine stuff, so I try to buy locally whenever I can, but some things just aren't available locally without the store making a special order; I can do that myself online. Some online HBS's also have their own recipe kits & while you can get some recipe kits locally, some are only available online, unless you happen to live near one of their brick & mortar stores. So I mostly buy locally, but will buy online when the need arises.
Regards, GF.

 

[Dirt_McGirt]

Everything execpt for major equipment purchases I do through LHBS, the rest is via Amazon. My town has gone through 3 or 4 homebrew shops in the past 7-8 years because it's a marginal market, so I support them whenever I can. Their prices are usually pretty good, and they're willing to double-mill my grain for BIAB, which is nice. They're also a mile and a half away.

Might change if/when I have the space/storage to buy in bulk.

 

[dstockwell]

LHBS is 1 1/2 hours away, so I get everything on-line.

 

[dcrog]

As others have said mostly local. I have bought some hardware from them but mostly online or at the hardware store, depending on what I'm looking for.
Grains, hops,yeast, and things I support them. Even in buying 50lb. sacks.

 

[beergolf]

Mostly LHBS. Probably 95%. Grain prices are pretty good. Good selection of fresh yeast. Hops are expensive so I usually buy hops in bulk online, but do get some random hops at the LHBS. I like having one close by so I will support it as much as possible. More than once a brew day was saved because I could run up there at the last minute to get something that I needed.

 

[fd4413]

purchase my gear from Amazon , have to buy my ingredients from out of province. New Brunswick doesn't have ANY stores that sell grain.

 

[Hamaki]

My LHBS is also an hour+ away but I buy grain & yeast there and a few other items on occasion. Hops on line and hardware via craigslist or Amazon.

 

[MarshmallowBlue]

Hi all homebrewers, out of curiosity:

Where do you buy your supplies and why?

Do you buy your equipment from the same supplier?

I am split on whether to buy local, or to get what I want and ship across country.

I want to know what others do.

Peace
R

MoreBeer - Free shipping, so I can get 10 gallons worth of ingredients for 65$ FLAT BABY! and no LHBS.

Equipment - I look around for the best deals.

If you have a LHBS, I'd go there.

 

[Clonefan94]

I get my grain and yeast from the local shop. I will also buy equipment like buckets, siphoning, smaller things as well and carboys there when needed also. Their prices are fairly competitive, especially when you add shipping to online orders. They don't keep pounds of hops in stock though, so I don't buy my hops there, unless I need a few ounces of this or that for a recipe. I keg and have also found that their prices, even for replacement parts are through the roof, so I usually go online for any of that stuff.

 

[stella_tigre]

Closest hbs is 45 miles one way, and often does not have what I need/want. Get many things from Ritebrew, good pricing and shipping. Sioux Falls has a nice shop, so if we're there visiting and need something, we stop there. He's also got good prices. Would love to shop more locally. And WTH LaCrosse WI doesn't have much in the way of hbs...???

 

[Wgoose1]

Grain and small things LHBS. Bulk hops and major equipment online.

 

[BrewerBrad82]

Im pretty lucky around here in the Twin Cities, my LHBS(s) consist of two Northern Brewer stores and Midwest Supplies, none of which are more than 15 mins away.

 

[Firewalker11]

Big shout out to Minnesota Brew and Grow, Kevin and his crew do an awesome job!

If they can get it or have it, I buy from them.

 

[hunter_le five]

Hardware - wherever I can find it cheapest

Ingredients - local

 

[hs1149]

I shop at two LHBS. One is close to work (CapNCork) the other is close to home (Adventures in Homebrewing).
From those stores I purchase yeast, bulk grain & small qualities hops.
Hops by the pound and equipment purchased online.

When AIH had $5 shipping on any purchase within the state of MI, I purchased EVERYTHING (except control panel parts) from them.

 

[Vandulus]

Amazon and manufacturer direct for equipment
Amazon + LHBS for supplies
LHBS + online for ingredients

 

[chudsonvt]

I have bought a lot from my LHBS, equipment and ingredients. A lot of my equipment was DIY so I purchased a lot from hardware stores and box stores as well. I recently started buying my favorite, go to hops in bulk from Farmhouse Brewing Supply, but I still buy hops locally as well. Yeast is local or harvested. I buy miscellaneous equipment from places like NorthernBrewer, Midwest, Amazon, BargainFittings, eBay, etc. Usually grains are local. I recently ordered a recipe worth of grain from NorthernBrewer just to see how they packaged it. I liked it but it is not really any better deal than my LHBS so I intend to keep buying local, here on out. When I start buying bulk and milling, I will re-assess...

 

[monkeyman1000]

Depends on where I am. I work in a new town every 3-6 months. I always go to a local shop if one is available to buy ingredients. Most of my equipment has come from somewhere online. I haven't bought ingredients online in about 3 years.

 

[slym2none]

My LHBS is about 2 miles away. I can ride my bike there in 10 minutes or so, if I have to.

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

Equipment - Amazon
Ingredients.- local homebrew store but I have bought online when I saved enough to more than cover the shipping charges
Yeast - local shop only. I never worry about it getting too hot during shipping

Plus 1

 

[Redlantern]

I generally get about 80%+ of my ingredients from LHBS. I need to support these guys. I can plan and do with online purchases, but if I forget, misstep or decide at the last minute on a change, I cannot react and have to put off my brew.

Equipment will be craigslist as much as possible.

Learned this a while ago as a cyclist. Support the guys that can give you immediate help/supplies or they will go away. Just realized that a critical part/ingredient is missing? Well now you are gonna have to wait a few days because the guys that could have taken care of you are out of business.

 

[Zekk]

Grain, yeast and if I only need an ounce or two of hops I get them from my shop. Their grain prices are good and they sell 50 lb sacks. Hops they over charge for and don't store then very well. They had a pound of Citra for $45, no thanks.

I'll buy my buckets and siphons there as well, all other equipment is More Beer. One of their stores is on the way to my parent house.

 

[KWright_VT]

I get most of what I can from the LHBS. They also run a brewery next door (Apocalypse Ale Works), as well as host the local home-brew club. They are a lot of help and very knowledgeable. Larger purchases and equipment come more from the interwebs. I also try to visit other HBS's when I'm traveling and support them when I can.

 

[NothingRhymesWithCurtiss]

Equipment - Amazon, Midwest Supplies, LHBS
Ingredients - Adventures in Homebrewing, Northern Brewer, LHBS (Only if I am desperate. Their equipment prices are fair, but for ingredients, they don't stock much, they don't have a grain mill, and the prices are on the high side)

 

[Oginme]

LHBS for grain, yeast, and other small assorted items

On-line for hops (Farmhouse Brewing Supply)

Equipment where I can find what I want at the best price.

 

[drainbamage]

Ingredients: LHBS (there are several only a short drive away).

Equipment: Generally also the LHBS, but occasionally online.

 

[schatzke]

Everything, equipment, ingredients from the LHBS unless the price is extremely different(I'm not going to pay $60 for a refractometer that costs $22 on ebay) or he doesn't have something specific I'm looking for. The advice alone is worth the trip(I started brewing 5 months ago) and the store is only a few miles away.

 

[rnm410]

Thank all of you for contributing, let's keep this rolling

cheers

 

[PADave]

I get some equipment from a LHBS, which is actually a smoke/lottery shop. I don't buy ingredients there, because some of them look like they've been sitting there for a long time. Majority of equipment and ingredients ordered online.

 

[mongoose33]

It all depends. Some things my LHBS doesn't have, so getting it online is a no-brainer. It's about a half-hour trip to the LHBS, so it may be cheaper and more convenient to buy certain things online than taking an hour round trip.

I do feel I need to be loyal as I can be to that store and owner--he's been willing to offer advice and suggestions and that's part of the service I get there. If you want local support and advice, then you have to be willing to support it, IMO.

His prices on most stuff are not materially different from what I can get online, so it's a no-brainer. There are some things I'd like to buy he doesn't have, so I get them online.