Did Northern Brewer Purchase Austin Homebrew AND/OR Adventures in Brewing?

[Teufelhunde]

Not a stretch at all. American corporate history has many examples of this happening. There used to be strong antitrust laws that made this less likely, but they have been watered down over the decades.

Ibrew2

^^^^^THIS^^^^^^

The super big corporations have figured out that by enriching the politicians, it more than comes back to them in desired legislation getting proposed and passed. We no longer have a capitalist system, but a corporatist system.

YMMV

Lon

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

AB/InBev could still be a player in those aquisitions, weather publicly or through a shill company or an entity acting on their behalf.

If you have evidence to support that statement, please present it.

 

[Ibrew2]

If you have evidence to support that statement, please present it.

The word “could” means exactly that, they could be, not that they are or even probably are.

As I stated in an earlier post, I am not posting empirical evidence of anything rather, engaging in a thought provoking exercise. Is that not what we do in open forums like this?

My post are asking questions and discussing possibilities, that’s all.

How about you present evidence that I’m wrong in what I stated as possibilities.

Most likely you can’t, anymore then I can present evidence that they are right.

You seemed to have taken offense to the possibilities I have presented. Are you somehow employed by any of the big brewing companies, either as an employee or paid agent?

Just curious.

Anyway, I stated opinions and questions concerning home brewers access to reasonably priced supplies and the possibility that we as home brewers may not have that same access in the future if the acquisitions continue, that’s all.

I will have no further discussions with you on this matter.

Have a great day and brew on!


Ibrew 2

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

You seemed to have taken offense to the possibilities I have presented. Are you somehow employed by any of the big brewing companies, either as an employee or paid agent?

I did not (take offense). And I am not (employed in the brewing industry).

Anyway, I stated opinions and questions concerning home brewers access to reasonably priced supplies and the possibility that we as home brewers may not have that same access in the future if the acquisitions continue, that’s all.

And I offered evidence, using common business analysis models, that we'll continue to have access.

Or we'll find other hobbies - hobby time is fungible between hobbies.

I will have no further discussions with you on this matter.

OK.

 

[kartracer2]

It really makes no difference who owns NB/MS/AIH/AHS to me. As long as the price and service are acceptable to the buyer (me) that's the deal.
I actually emailed "AIH" today and asked what the "order to ship" time was. The answer was 7-10 days. "I" find that unacceptable, not this day and age. They blamed on lack of staff. It could be that simple, I have no idea what the labor market/wage is like up there. In my opinion something went horribly wrong when they bought AIH, it could be for any number of reasons and they are in damage control right now. When I need stuff I will ask again and if it's not any better I'll order from someplace else.
It's real simple.
I take my homebrew with out conspiracy theories, thank you.
Cheers,
Joel B.

 

[ZmannR2]

I live 3 hrs from Austin and it’s my only “local” choice for ordering ingredients. I found out the hard way that they were bought out and getting a package from Minnesota SUUUCKS in this heat and takes forever. With AHS, they would have it shipped within a day or 2 and another day to reach me. With this change, it took about 10 days for them to ship it and another 5 days to reach me. I’m done with “AHS in MN”. I won’t be purchasing from Austin Homebrew anymore. They’re still going by that name too. Imo it’s false advertising if they plan on continuing to use the AHS name.

Is there any one selling online located here in Texas??

 

[Bassman2003]

Texas Brewing but they have seemingly downsized their homebrew business.

 

[D.B.Moody]

Here's a source of information, though you'll have to check to see which one(s) sell on line.

My last order for 9 brews was split among Rite Brew, Label Peelers, and my local, Missouri Malt. None of these are in Texas, but, then, neither am I.

 

[mashpaddled]

I live 3 hrs from Austin and it’s my only “local” choice for ordering ingredients. I found out the hard way that they were bought out and getting a package from Minnesota SUUUCKS in this heat and takes forever. With AHS, they would have it shipped within a day or 2 and another day to reach me. With this change, it took about 10 days for them to ship it and another 5 days to reach me. I’m done with “AHS in MN”. I won’t be purchasing from Austin Homebrew anymore. They’re still going by that name too. Imo it’s false advertising if they plan on continuing to use the AHS name.

Is there any one selling online located here in Texas??

Well AiH bought out AHS and saved that shop from shutting down after years of unraveling. I'm not sure what the plan was with AHS to operate it just as a storefront or as a southern warehouse for orders as well. Not sure if NB/MW/AIH/AHS intends to use AHS's space to fulfill orders in the south but if not it's a missed opportunity. There aren't many shops shipping orders out of the south which is a lot of lost sales especially during the hot months. I'm not sure they even know what the plan is or how long it will take to integrate everything the way they want it.

Texas Brewing Inc. out of Fort Worth ships but from the other post mentioning them they may not have a great selection these days. I was always surprised by their growth given their lack of competitive online pricing.

 

[matt_m]

Not sure if NB/MW/AIH/AHS intends to use AHS's space to fulfill orders in the south but if not it's a missed opportunity.

Nope:
https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/15112-N-Interstate-35-Austin-TX/25210958/

 

[Kemo]

So... at this point, what is a good source to go with? NB appears to struggle with fulfilling orders in a timely manner. They're pretty much my LHBS, and I'm not fond of them. I've noticed you can't call, you can't use their chat, and email is pretty much the only way to reach out to them. No thanks.

I'm an extract brewer, and I'm not too fond of gambling with Amazon for Brewer's Best kits... there's no way of knowing how well or proper they keep the kits.

Morebeer is really the only other supplier that I know of.

 

[Teufelhunde]

So... at this point, what is a good source to go with? NB appears to struggle with fulfilling orders in a timely manner. They're pretty much my LHBS, and I'm not fond of them. I've noticed you can't call, you can't use their chat, and email is pretty much the only way to reach out to them. No thanks.

I'm an extract brewer, and I'm not too fond of gambling with Amazon for Brewer's Best kits... there's no way of knowing how well or proper they keep the kits.

Morebeer is really the only other supplier that I know of.

Morebeer is my go to since NB starting having it's issues. My order is always shipped the next working day and delivered in 2 working days if it is coming from their CA warehouse and 3 days if from back east (PA, I think). A bit less expensive than NB as well....

 

[Bramling Cross]

So... at this point, what is a good source to go with? NB appears to struggle with fulfilling orders in a timely manner.

I'm an extract brewer, and I'm not too fond of gambling with Amazon for Brewer's Best kits... there's no way of knowing how well or proper they keep the kits.
Morebeer is really the only other supplier that I know of.

Morebeer, Beer, Beer, and More Beer, or B3 or whatever they're calling themselves has always been good and remains so. Especially as an extract brewer, you want to buy your goop from a place that keeps its stock moving at a brisk pace. Morebeer moves a lot of goop.

Williams is an interesting outfit, a bit spendy, but they stock some really unique stuff.

Label Peelers frequently has great dry yeast sales.

Hopscraftsupply is one I haven't dealt with yet, but I gave them a shortcut on my menu bar because they have some really interesting ingredients.

Currently, I get my base malt, CO2, and liquid yeast from my LHBS. My hops come from Hopsdirect or Yakima. My dried yeast is purchased based upon discounts from online sellers--I know the strains I like and they'll get used eventually, so price is the only consideration. Morebeer gets most of my character malt and non-pils/otter/US 2row basemalt orders, plus some hops to hit the free shipping threshold.

There's still lots of great options out there, but your LHBS remains the most important one.

 

[Kemo]

Morebeer is my go to since NB starting having it's issues. My order is always shipped the next working day and delivered in 2 working days if it is coming from their CA warehouse and 3 days if from back east (PA, I think). A bit less expensive than NB as well....

Looks like they'll be my go-to from here on out as well. It's sad that Cali/PA is seemingly faster than ordering from within the same state.

 

[kartracer2]

Hello @Kemo
There are many outfits out there. It's sad NB is struggling to fill orders in a timely fashion right now. They have been my go to so I hope it's short term. I have used NB/MW and Morebeer as of late because I have been happy with both.
That said I'll post a few others for you to look into.
RiteBrew.com - Brewing Supplies at Wholesale Prices I have heard good things about them and from Little Chute, WI, "somewhat" close to you.
Home Brewing Supplies and Home Brewing Kits Again good reviews and some interesting extracts that are not found elsewhere.
Farmhouse Brewing Supply Can't say much about these folks but they are from Janesville WI. so again "somewhat" close.
I'm sure others will chime in with their favs.
Cheers,
Joel B.

 

[Kemo]

My LHBS is NB... if I were to drive, it's at least a 600 mile round trip. I am stuck ordering online, it's the most economical route for me.

That said, I appreciate the suggestions for alternative sources.

 

[Jayjay1976]

I also love ritebrew.com, always the best price, especially with their Speedy shipping option, if you live within Speedy's territory.

Sometimes I buy extract from Williams too, they have great sales from time to time and I believe their stuff is custom made for them.

 

[govner1]

So... at this point, what is a good source to go with? NB appears to struggle with fulfilling orders in a timely manner. They're pretty much my LHBS, and I'm not fond of them. I've noticed you can't call, you can't use their chat, and email is pretty much the only way to reach out to them. No thanks.

I'm an extract brewer, and I'm not too fond of gambling with Amazon for Brewer's Best kits... there's no way of knowing how well or proper they keep the kits.

Morebeer is really the only other supplier that I know of.

Morebeer is my go to since NB starting having it's issues. My order is always shipped the next working day and delivered in 2 working days if it is coming from their CA warehouse and 3 days if from back east (PA, I think). A bit less expensive than NB as well....

My go to online suppliers are Great Fermentations, Atlantic Brewing, and as a last resort MoreBeer.
I had my LAST “experience” with NB over a year ago and will NEVER order there again.
i do have a small LHBS operation that I try to use when I can order in advance but they’re 1 1/2 hours round trip.
I’ve gone to all dry yeast for 98% of my brews.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

I'm sure others will chime in [...]

This may look like the start of an online store meta-list ...

• American Homebrewers Assocation we site (via duckduckgo search link)
• BeerMaverick web site (mentioned in #170)
• /r/homebrewing wiki (aside: the wiki keeps getting better and better and ...)

... with their favs

I mentioned mine earlier. If HomeBrewTalk has any meaningful influence on where people buy, it's possible there may be some delays in orders and deliveries with these sites. Time will tell.

 

[Steveruch]

I'm an extract brewer, and I'm not too fond of gambling with Amazon for Brewer's Best kits...

If you use dme ritebrew has the best prices, by far.
And it isn't that far away from you so shipping wouldn't be too bad.

 

[Kemo]

My go to online suppliers are Great Fermentations, Atlantic Brewing, and as a last resort MoreBeer.
I had my LAST “experience” with NB over a year ago and will NEVER order there again.
i do have a small LHBS operation that I try to use when I can order in advance but they’re 1 1/2 hours round trip.
I’ve gone to all dry yeast for 98% of my brews.

A curiosity here... is there anything wrong with MoreBeer that they're a last resort (for you)?

If you use dme ritebrew has the best prices, by far.
And it isn't that far away from you so shipping wouldn't be too bad.

It has been quite a while since I've used DME. I'm not against it, but it isn't really a preference. I'll keep an eye out for stocking inventory with RiteBrew. I ended up going a different route this time because inventory appears to be somewhat of an issue all around.

 

[z-bob]

Farmhouse Brewing Supply Can't say much about these folks but they are from Janesville WI. so again "somewhat" close.

I have not ordered from Farmhouse since just before covid so I can't say how they are right now, but I've ordered from them many times before that and got great service at good prices. I really like their 10 pound grain specials and their selection of hops, especially in 4 ounce bags. (I haven't ordered recently because my freezer is full of hops already from previous orders from them and from Hops Direct)

 

[Worf]

Not sure how good their interstate-shipping is, but I use a Tucson based shop. BrewYourOwnBrew.com

I always pickup. They have a shops in Tucson, Scottsdale, & Gilbert, so I always go in to pickup.

 

[Pennine]

For what it's worth I just ordered some used kegs from AIH and it shipped the next day.

 

[stealthfixr]

Not sure how good their interstate-shipping is, but I use a Tucson based shop. BrewYourOwnBrew.com

I always pickup. They have a shops in Tucson, Scottsdale, & Gilbert, so I always go in to pickup.

I use Brew Your Own Brew almost exclusively as well--fantastic Tucson shop worthy of support. Anything not on their website is usually just a phone call away, and their customer service is superb.

 

[GoodTruble]

For what it's worth I just ordered some used kegs from AIH and it shipped the next day.

AIH still has good price & reliable shipping on kegs, but their quality is all over. I've ordered about 7-8 kegs from them (and would again) but every kind of dent and stubborn soda smell is possible.

 

[Pennine]

AIH still has good price & reliable shipping on kegs, but their quality is all over. I've ordered about 7-8 kegs from them (and would again) but every kind of dent and stubborn soda smell is possible.

Yep this is my second 2 I have bought from them, the first two took about 3 weeks to get to me. These two will take 3 days so it seems like they are getting their order processing issues under control.

The first two were surprisingly clean, nothing a pbw soak had any issues with, although one has a weird tilt like it was run over or something.

And I used my $10 off coupon from the first delay so 2 kegs for $85 is
hard to beat.

I did buy the one new one they had at the LHBS first though.

 

[Draft Master Flash]

Pre NB take over AIH was the place to get used corny kegs and I had bought several that were in pretty good shape form there. But after the NB take over I searched for other sources to get used corny kegs and stumbled upon The Chi Company and not only were the corny kegs cheaper they were in pristine condition and came pre-cleaned.

DMF

 

[bracconiere]

isn't labelpeelers a homebrew store? don't think they've been mentioned?

 

[PoolBrews]

The big issue I've had with RiteBrew is shipping costs. I'm in Florida, and their shipping makes them the most expensive shop for me. I typically order bulk LME to save money. When ordering from NB, I get 6 6lb jugs (36lbs) for $67.99 (I always wait for 20% off sale - happens about once every two months or so), and shipping is free.

If I go to RiteBrew, the 32lb LME is $69.99 and shipping is $26.53 for a total of $96.52. So, I get 4lb less of LME, and have to pay nearly $30 more.

Interestingly, bulk LME does not qualify for free shipping at AIH or AHS. If they're owned by the same conglomerate, I would expect the policies to be the same.

 

[hout17]

I got an email from Northern Brewer saying they have their staffing levels back up and to come back and that they were sorry if I experienced slow service. They included a 22% off sitewide coupon. They definitely have me thinking.

I've really been using my local homebrew shop as much as I can (like 90% of the time) as supporting them is much more important to me.

Edit: I meant to say that they said their shipping speed is back to normal and most things are back in stock.

 

[z-bob]

The big issue I've had with RiteBrew is shipping costs. I'm in Florida, and their shipping makes them the most expensive shop for me. I typically order bulk LME to save money. When ordering from NB, I get 6 6lb jugs (36lbs) for $67.99 (I always wait for 20% off sale - happens about once every two months or so), and shipping is free.

If I go to RiteBrew, the 32lb LME is $69.99 and shipping is $26.53 for a total of $96.52. So, I get 4lb less of LME, and have to pay nearly $30 more.

Interestingly, bulk LME does not qualify for free shipping at AIH or AHS. If they're owned by the same conglomerate, I would expect the policies to be the same.

I'm close enough to Ritebrew that I can use Speedy Delivery, which is a lot cheaper than the other common carriers. Their tracking sucks (but probably works just fine for finding a missing package) but delivery is usually 2 days. I bought a 50# bag of malt from ritebrew recently for $50, and then shipping was about $20. Everyplace else I checked the malt was at least $75, including having a local brewery tack it onto their wholesale order, plus I added a few other small items to the RB order and it didn't bump up the shipping.

If you have to pay for FedEx or USPS (etc) shipping, I can see how the calculus could be totally different.

 

[Draft Master Flash]

I got an email from Northern Brewer saying they have their staffing levels back up and to come back and that they were sorry if I experienced slow service. They included a 22% off sitewide coupon. They definitely have me thinking.

I've really been using my local homebrew shop as much as I can (like 90% of the time) as supporting them is much more important to me.

As the saying goes, "They cooked their goose"!

Not going back to NB.

DMF

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

I'm close enough to Ritebrew that I can use Speedy Delivery, which is a lot cheaper than the other common carriers. Their [Speedy] tracking sucks

On my last order (a couple of weeks ago), the tracking was "back on track".

• Ordered on Monday (around 6:00a),
• got the "ready for carrier pickup" email around noon,
• saw the tracking entries for Monday night & early Tuesday morning.
• Package was on my front step Tuesday at noon.

"Dock to door" in 24 hours.

 

[GoodTruble]

Yeah, I am just using local shop for everything I can.

 

[Nextech]

As the saying goes, "They cooked their goose"!

Not going back to NB.

DMF

Same here. Fooled me one too many times... Fortunately there are still other options that focus on customer service from the get-go and not just when they're trying to save face.

 

[Nextech]

isn't labelpeelers a homebrew store? don't think they've been mentioned?

Matt and the team are the best! I've been using LP for wine supplies for quite a few years. Since the death of AIH I have also started using them for some beer supplies as well. Prices are competitive especially when they have sales, shipping is fast, and the people are just great to work with!

 

[Teufelhunde]

Same here. Fooled me one too many times... Fortunately there are still other options that focus on customer service from the get-go and not just when they're trying to save face.

Yeah, I'm afraid that NB's corporate overlords have kinda screwed the pooch with me (and I'm sure I'm not alone) this time. I might order from them again, but only if it was an item exclusive to them (big mouth bubbler, etc.) or if the deal was just too good to pass up, but likely will just spend my money elsewhere.....fool me once, shame on you.....twice,shame on me......

 

[bmc1313]

I lost AHS as my local store (less than 5 miles away) so that has sucked. couldn’t believe they didn’t keep a southern hub for shipping from. I just use morebeer now for most of my purchases. it’s hard to buy any liquid yeast, though. :/

 

[charoldson]

I placed an order with NB on 11/13 and it remains unfulfilled on 11/23.

Response from NB after an inquiry from me on the status of the order on 11/18:

"Thank you for the recent order. We have had some challenges with the current labor market and supply chains, which has lead to some delays. Your order was originally slotted to fulfill/ship on 11/17, but is currently back logged, by about 1-3 business days. We have brought on additional labor to help alleviate the back log."

5 days later it is still unfulfilled. I do believe I'll be cancelling this order and finding somewhere else to do business.