Greetings from Chicago!

[patjofo]

New to the forum and home brewing! Just purchased a kit from Brew and Grow in Chicago. Great store, any other good spots in Chicago that people recommend? Thanks!

 

[SteveCourtright]

Welcome! I like Brew Camp as well.

 

[richwyso]

If you ever come out to the burbs grow masters in gurnee has a great selection and really friendly staff

 

[Clanchief]

Welcome! I like Brew Camp as well.

If you are in the city itself, Brew Camp is the go-to spot IMO.

 

[Sippin37]

if you are in the city itself, brew camp is the go-to spot imo.

+1

 

[patjofo]

Thanks guys! I checked out the brew camp website, looks like a great store, I'm going to check it out. Got my first brew scheduled for Sunday, really excited!

 

[Jim Karr]

Welcome to the madness. I did four years in Marquette Park in the 80's.


Glad you're aboard!

 

[Pappers_]

Welcome to HBT, good luck on your first brew! What part of the city are you in?

 

[duboman]

Welcome to the obsession! +1 to Brewcamp as well and I shop at the Growmasters in Gurnee as well if you get up that way!

 

[forstmeister]

Lots of Chicago home brewers here! I will add another vote for Brew Camp. Their website doesn't do the store justice, you just have to go in. It's nowhere near as large as Brew n Grow but the service is far and away superior.

 

[patjofo]

Thanks everyone! I'm from the far north side of the city. Looks like I'm in a prime location for home brew shops.

I love beer but I wonder how I'm going to go through 5 gallons. Hopefully Brewer's Best makes a good IPA!

 

[oldstyle69]

+1 to the brew n grow on Morgan...i like the service ALOT better then the kedzie store. i also have yet to go to brewcamp. welcome aboard! TONS of brewing going on in chicago these days.

 

[oldstyle69]

Hopefully Brewer's Best makes a good IPA!

hopefully you make a good IPA with Brewers Best! 5gal will be no prob to go thru. esp if you have any friends that like free beer.

 

[Sippin37]

Lots of Chicago home brewers here! I will add another vote for Brew Camp. Their website doesn't do the store justice, you just have to go in. It's nowhere near as large as Brew n Grow but the service is far and away superior.

Couldn't have said it any better than this.

 

[patjofo]

hopefully you make a good IPA with Brewers Best! 5gal will be no prob to go thru. esp if you have any friends that like free beer.

Haha, I need to change my mind set. A friend told me that brewing with a kit is like making pasta with pre-made sauce in a jar, He is into all- grain brewing.

 

[Pappers_]

Haha, I need to change my mind set. A friend told me that brewing with a kit is like making pasta with pre-made sauce in a jar, He is into all- grain brewing.

Your friend is wrong. The only difference is mashing, which is a small part of brewing a good beer. A friend (and member of our homebrew club) only brews extract and consistently wins awards at competitions.

If I were to use your friends analogy, I would say that all grain brewing is like making sauce with fresh tomatoes and extract brewing is like using canned tomatoes. Either requires a lot of expertise and work to make a great pasta sauce or beer.

 

[patjofo]

Your friend is wrong. The only difference is mashing, which is a small part of brewing a good beer. A friend (and member of our homebrew club) only brews extract and consistently wins awards at competitions.

If I were to use your friends analogy, I would say that all grain brewing is like making sauce with fresh tomatoes and extract brewing is like using canned tomatoes. Either requires a lot of expertise and work to make a great pasta sauce or beer.

Thanks for the clarification. I think I misinterpreted my friends analogy. I like this board already, I'm learning a ton! Thanks!

 

[GMP428]

If you ever come out to the burbs grow masters in gurnee has a great selection and really friendly staff

+1. Love the grain bins.

 

[mikescooling]

Ya know Brew&grow is not a bad store. The people are nice and the prices are OK. Airgas on elston is a good place for gas, they say "we get 2 to 3 brewers a day" so their must be a lot of brewers in Chicago.

 

[tinleymike]

While I've only been to the brew n grow in bollingbrook and have nothing to compare them with within the hobby, I do work in retail. The service was pretty awesome. The clerk at the store took as much time with me as I needed and was willing to answer any questions I had.
I have been told Alsip Nursery in Frankfort also carries supplies but are more expensive. I will check them out just because of their proximity.

 

[patjofo]

Was definitely impressed with the service at Brew and Grow. They gave me their card and told me to call If I had any additional brewing questions. Still looking forward to checking out Brew Camp

 

[forstmeister]

Ya know Brew&grow is not a bad store. The people are nice and the prices are OK. Airgas on elston is a good place for gas, they say "we get 2 to 3 brewers a day" so their must be a lot of brewers in Chicago.

There are a bunch of locations and I would guess that somebody from this board has had good and bad experiences at least once at one of them. My only experience is at the Kedzie location. The first couple times were good but I felt the service started to slip after a while. It may be better now or the same or worse. Fact is that we now have choices which is awesome. I highly suggest to anyone who will listen to try all options before choosing their "local" store.

Also, for anyone who hasn't been there, check out NFC beverage on Leavitt for CO2 and hardware needs. They will fill your tank (not swap) and have lots of cool stuff for kegging and dispensing.

 

[oldstyle69]

odd question...but has anyone been to the Liquor store on Archer..i think its called Archer liquors...last time i was in for a pit stop, i noticed they had a bunch of brew pots and mash paddles hanging up above the counter for sale.