HBS in Chicago

[Halaster]

As mentioned prior, Two Brothers has extremely basic supplies. I bought a kit from there and my friend did also and they were the worst two kits we ever had and the beer would not carbonate up also.

If your close and you need some WL yeast it's a good place to stop or a pound of specialty grains, other than that they have limited selections.

 

[WheeledGoat]

What are you looking for? I want to open up the next group buy for more specialty!

errr.. when i said "bulk" I meant per-wt sales; i.e. weight out however much I want and not have to buy in increments of 1-lb bags...

there's a homebrew shop in Maryland where I used to live that did this - was WAY convenient. It actually keeps you going back to the store more often since you only buy exactly what you need for that batch. You don't find yourself buying to stock up, and you don't have leftovers. Seems like a no-brainer move to me (if I had a brew shop)...

 

[slimer]

The place on Western is like that. Walked in, bought 5#'s of Rye Malt. Done.

 

[bdnoona]

Perfect Brewing Supply is a really nice shop if you live far enough north (in Libertyville). They have a great selection and it's run by good people. I just stopped there over lunch to get a new hydrometer.

Shouldn't they sell hydrometers in three packs? I brake these things all the time.

 

[RC0032]

The place on Western is like that. Walked in, bought 5#'s of Rye Malt. Done.

what one on Western?

 

[slimer]

BevArt

Bev Art Brewer & Winemaker Supply in Chicago | Make it the Best

 

[mklawz]

That is to bad you have had bad luck in St. Charles. But that is why there are websites and phone numbers. Sure the hours are a little unconventional, but once you learn them its easy to remember. And keep in mind, most brew shops are small individually owned operations, not Targets and Walmarts that are going to be open 18-24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Its unfortunate you work in Geneva and cant make it to St. Charles during shop hours. Its only the next town over!

Incidentally, Ive been to the Aurora shop 3 times, and every time they were not there during POSTED business hours! One time I desperately needed rice hulls, I was there at 10am on a Sunday morning. The owner was 45 minutes late. Totally inexcusable. They dont know much about beer making there either. Not that I need much help these days but its still nice to talk beer-making with knowledgeable people at the brewshop. :cross:

For me, that leaves St. Charles or Elmhurst Winemakers... it's pretty much an equal drive for me to either one, but the drive is nicer out to St. Charles so I've been leaning that way. No more! I've now made my 3rd and final wasted trip out there to St. Charles. Their hours seem spotty to me. I think it's Wednesdays that their hours are shorter (or they're closed all together) so I'll take the responsibility for not checking their hours before heading out... but 2 other times I showed up at their door during their posted business hours to find them closed for a 4-5 days stretch. Maybe I'm just unlucky; everybody's entitled to a vacation, but I'm done making wasted trips.


I haven't checked out Fox Valley yet - might give them a whirl since I work in Geneva...

 

[SkewedBrewing]

Is it too late in the conversation for me to give my typical rant on the Chicago Brew and Grow?

 

[bdnoona]

Is it too late in the conversation for me to give my typical rant on the Chicago Brew and Grow?

My friend jackson_d lives close to Brew and Grow in the city so he goes there most of the time for his stuff. He HATES that place. They never have what he wants, screw up his order half the time and have no interest in brewing.

 

[Synovia]

Elmhurst Winemakers...

Any idea what they charge for bulk 2-row/etc? I haven't been out to their shop in a couple months, and I was brewing extract then. Always seemed like nice guys.

 

[BoilerInSoCal]

Hey Irish, where in LG do you live? I used to live on Brainard, but moved to SoCal about 6 mo. ago. When I lived there, I would buy bulk from North Country Malt down in New Holland, and usually would order online for most other stuff. I would hit Winemakers in Elmhurst if I needed ingredients ASAP.

 

[slimer]

Any idea what they charge for bulk 2-row/etc? I haven't been out to their shop in a couple months, and I was brewing extract then. Always seemed like nice guys.

IIRC, it's about $1/lb.

 

[WheeledGoat]

Shouldn't they sell hydrometers in three packs? I brake these things all the time.

heh, heh... gravity has a special affinity for these things, doesn't it? +1 on the 3-pack idea!

Its unfortunate you work in Geneva and cant make it to St. Charles during shop hours. Its only the next town over!

Yeah, you're right, it's super-close... but I work night-shift so they're not open on my way in or when I get off in the AM... so I always have to make the trip on my day off anyway.

 

[BrewGrow]

Hello Everyone,

It’s Ron here from Brew & Grow. I just wanted to say how sad we are to hear the negative comments regarding our store in Chicago. We are listening. We recently made a management change within this location with a renewed emphasis on customer service. We are striving to make Brew & Grow the best brew store available to you, and we would appreciate your help. If you are looking for an item that you do not see in our store, please let us know. I cannot guarantee that we will stock everything, but if the item is something we should be stocking, we will. And, if we do not stock a particular item that you are looking for, we may be able to special order it for you.

If you have an issue with Brew & Grow or one of our employees, please call David (the owner) at our toll-free number (800)444-2837 and allow us a chance to make things right. Your comments and suggestions are important to us!

Some have complained about our stock levels, and we do apologize. We currently have space restrictions, however, I am excited to say that this will soon be a problem of the past. Construction has begun on our new location at 3627 North Kedzie Ave. The store will be three times the size of Besly Ct, which will allow us to greatly increase the beer and wine making section. Grand opening will be towards the end of this year or early 2010. We hope to see you there!

Ron Strobel
Brew & Grow


Illinois

Brew & Grow
359 W Irving Park Rd Unit E
Roselle, IL 60172
630-894-4885

Brew & Grow
1824 N Besly Ct
Chicago, IL 60194
773-395-1500

Brew & Grow
3224 S Alpine Rd
Rockford, IL 61109
815-874-5700

COMING SOON 09/10
Brew & Grow
181 W Crossroads Parkway
Bolingbrook, IL 60440
630-771-1410
(Southwest corner of Crossroads Parkway & 53)



Wisconsin

Brew & Grow
285 N Janacek Rd.
Brookfield, WI 53045
262-789-0555

Brew & Grow
3317 Agriculture Dr
Madison, WI 53716
608-226-8910

 

[slimer]

Good to hear that someone is listening out there.

Welcome to the community.

 

[Synovia]

Nice to see you Ron, I haven't really had any selection issues at the store, every once in a while theres something I want that you don't have, but usually its one of those things where theres 5 bags of 40L, 5 bags of 80L, and no 60L. Chances are, someone just bought the last bag or two.


What I'd really love to see from you guys though, is some beer related stuff on the website.

 

[Lcasanova]

FWIW I've been to Chicagoland Winemakers several times and have not been disappointed by what they had. Granted, I've not gotten into beer yet because of the whole Gluten Free thing but I am planning on placing an order online to get some things they don't normally carry. I recommend it, but I am biased because 1- they are near me and 2- I've not been anywhere else.

Chicagoland Winemakers

They have their hours and prices online.

 

[jackson_d]

If you are looking for an item that you do not see in our store, please let us know. I cannot guarantee that we will stock everything, but if the item is something we should be stocking, we will. And, if we do not stock a particular item that you are looking for, we may be able to special order it for you.

How about some Caravienne and Caramunich and Carapils Malt? Those are pretty standard in a lot of recipes and you dont even carry them. How can I clone Bell's Two Hearted without Carapils? How can I clone 3 Floyd's Gumballhead without Caravienne? How about Whirlfloc? Great big wooden or ss mash paddles? Better Bottles? Can you get a big employee grain mill and let them mill orders and put it all in a big bag if a customer calls ahead?

All of those things listed above are items I've purchased/ services I've enjoyed at other home brew shops and those are just the things I can come up with off the top of my head.. There are many more instances of the shop not having what i need and me taking my business elsewhere..

The hop selection just expanded and its pretty good now. The one guy in there Steve is super cool and so is the brewmaster. They are friendly with suggestions and thoughts on recipes when I have questions, but I too have had to alter many recipes becuase the day you show up to purchase ingredients, lots of stuff is out of stock..

 

[kyleobie]

I'm a recent homebrewer, but I have noticed the stock of Brew & Grow has increased over the last couple of months. They now carry Better Bottles for example. However, the price is just too high against online websites and that's not even considering the lack of stock (no Centennial hops, for example).

By the way, I'm a Wicker Park brewer too. So rock on.

 

[BrewGrow]

Grains now in stock ready for sale.

How about some Caravienne and Caramunich and Carapils Malt? .

 

[BrewGrow]

Centennial hops is a stocking item, when we can get them. As most home brewers know, a hop shortage has been a problem for the last year or so. Prices are rising, and availability is short. As hops become available again we will stock them.

We are not a mail order company and are in downtown Chicago. I think when you compare prices we are very competitive. I encourage you to take a look.

5 gallon Better-bottle
Our price $21.95
Northern Brewer - $27.95 (ported no plug)
Midwest - $19.95
Morebeer - $24.00
Williams Brewing - $23.90

Thanks again for the feedback.

I'm a recent homebrewer, but I have noticed the stock of Brew & Grow has increased over the last couple of months. They now carry Better Bottles for example. However, the price is just too high against online websites and that's not even considering the lack of stock (no Centennial hops, for example).

By the way, I'm a Wicker Park brewer too. So rock on.

 

[R2-D2]

BeerGrow, thanks for participating here. Will you being putting inventory online in the near future? I live fairly close to the new Bolingbrook location and would prefer driving there instead of into downtown Aurora. But, I don't have any idea what is in stock and if it would be worth it to drive there.

 

[BrewGrow]

BeerGrow, thanks for participating here. Will you being putting inventory online in the near future? I live fairly close to the new Bolingbrook location and would prefer driving there instead of into downtown Aurora. But, I don't have any idea what is in stock and if it would be worth it to drive there.

There is no intention of putting the inventory on-line. Since we do not participate in mail-order, we just do not see the advantage. We are retail only, in regards to the home beer and wine making supplies.

Bolingbrook, being a new location has a large stock and great selection. I promise it is worth the trip. If you are looking for a specific product, just give them a call (630)771-1410.

We are working on a simple catalog for downloading, should be ready within a couple of weeks.

Thanks again
Ron

 

[R2-D2]

Ron, thanks.

A simple catalog is all that I'm looking for. I do like to plan my purchasing ahead of time and knowing what is available (perhaps with slightly different pricing) would be nice to know. I have a queue of about 15 recipes I will be working on over the next 6 months and want to know if I can do it all in one-stop.

 

[DRoyLenz]

This isn't exactly an HBS, but I use it all the time to assist in my recipes (both beer and otherwise). The Spice House really offers a great resource for spices. They get their spices direct from the distributors, so they are REALLY cheap. You can buy them bulk as well. It's just so much fun to walk around and take a look at all the cool things they have there.

I would definitely recommend if you're making anything (from beer to steaks) that requires some spices (and you don't feel like dropping $7 a bottle at the supermarket, check this place out.

They have 3 locations, Old Town - Chicago, Evanston, and Geneva.

 

[Glasfeena]

Ron (Brew and Grow)-

I understand it is not your business model to deal in online shopping, and that's cool. There are plenty of alternatives if one feels compelled. I buy all my grain/hops/adjuncts/sanitizers/etc from your Chicago store, and am generally pleased with my experience there.

I was at that store last night (Monday night) as a matter of fact and had serious problems with your stock however. You were completely picked over. I changed my grain bill and hops selection drastically because you were out of stock. My question is, what day of the week is it best to come in when you have a full inventory? I've been at that location a number of times on various days and run into the same problem.

I am pleased to support my LHBS, but I want to know if I go down to your store to buy the ingredients I need, I won't be brewing something different that night.

Also, when are you moving to your new location? (on Kedzie)? It's much much closer to my house!

 

[MrInternet]

Just checked out the Bolingbrook Brew & Grow today... fantastic! Had a huge malt/specialty selection, and pre-crushed was only like .10-.25 more a bag. Great selection of equipment, kits, brushes, stoppers, $30 reconditioned cornies, etc etc... I think I just found my new "go-to" shop!!

 

[PurdueDerek]

So I've seen a lot of stuff in the northern burbs and Chicago proper, but I'm from NW Indiana and don't feel like driving out there on the few days of the month I'm back home to drive up there and get it. Anyone know HBS in the southern suburbs?

I use Kennywood in Crown Point since they're only a few minutes from my house and the owner is really nice, but their hours suck and I can't get there a lot when I come home.

P.S. - I only buy when I'm back home because there aren't any around W. Lafayette, and I don't like the ones that are kind of close

 

[BrewGrow]

Ron (Brew and Grow)-

I was at that store last night (Monday night) as a matter of fact and had serious problems with your stock however. You were completely picked over. I changed my grain bill and hops selection drastically because you were out of stock. My question is, what day of the week is it best to come in when you have a full inventory? I've been at that location a number of times on various days and run into the same problem.

Also, when are you moving to your new location? (on Kedzie)? It's much much closer to my house!

I will make a promise now, our stock will be going way up (3-4x) from what it is now. I hope you can have a little patience and accept our apologies for the problems. We just do not have the space in our current location. If you ever get a chance to check out our new store in Bolingbrook, chicago will be twice the size.

Thanks

 

[BrewGrow]

Ron, thanks.

A simple catalog is all that I'm looking for. I do like to plan my purchasing ahead of time and knowing what is available (perhaps with slightly different pricing) would be nice to know. I have a queue of about 15 recipes I will be working on over the next 6 months and want to know if I can do it all in one-stop.

We are working on a simple text catalog of our beer products, and should be ready for download before the end of the month. You will find the catalog when ready on our retail store location page.