How Far Would You Drive To A LHBS?

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

stylus1274

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2013
Messages
339
Reaction score
64
Location
Tampa
Now I know a lot of brewers use online shops for their supplies and ect.

But outside of those I'm wondering how far you would drive to a really good LHBS? By 'good' I mean good pricing, well stocked and knowledgable/friendly staff.

30 minutes? 45 minutes? 60 minutes?
 
If I ever live in a city where there isn't a LHBS I'm ordering. My time is more valuable than paying shipping.
 
Currently, about 20 minutes. I used to drive an hour for one, but it was close to the gym I trained strongman and powerlifting at, so I just combined the trip and it wasn't too bad. Sucked ass if I forgot something though.
 
I'm about 25 minutes from my local store. It doesn't bother me much, but I try to plan my trips to avoid morning/evening traffic.
 
The one I go to is about 35 minutes from my house but only 10 minutes away from where I work, so I normally just go on my lunch or way home. I guess it really would depend on the quality of the LHBS to determine how far is too far, for me 35 minutes is worth a well stocked, knowledge-able shop.
 
Mine is 30 minutes. I usually order online. I only go there if I am already in the neighborhood.
 
I drive about 40 now, and its not the great, used to be better...but the rest are even further away...
 
I have one that is about 10 mins and another that is about 20 mins down the road. I tend to favor the 20 mins shop since it's a little bigger and carries a broader selections of both grains and hardware. Not sure if I would drive much outside 30 mins for a good shop unless there was something compelling like being next to a really good micro I wanted to visit.
 
One is about 30mins away. The other is almost an hour. Both are solid stores but for different reasons. I frequent both I'm not much of an online shopper
 
Probably 25 minutes max. Mine is a 5 minute drive away, but I usually cycle there in 10-15. My folks also brew and they live about 1.25 hours out of town. They drive that distance to buy from the same LHBS as me, but I'm sure they wouldn't do it if there wasn't another reason to be in town.
 
It takes me 15-20 minutes to get to either of them. I'd probably go up to 30 minutes but definitely not any longer
 
Mine is about 40 minutes away, but directly on the way to-from work (which is an hour drive) so I'm more than happy to make the drive, it's awful convenient to drop in on the way home from work and grab what I need.
 
30 minutes for me as well. If it was any further I'd probably just order online. I tend to go when I'm already in the area, sometimes they host my hb club and offer 20% off for members.
 
100 miles, maybe once a year, if there was other stuff to do while I was in Minneapolis that day. (can you guess which one I'm talking about?)

Luckily, I have a pretty good LHBS just a couple of miles away, and a liquor store that stocks a few brewing supplies that the LHBS doesn't have -- liquid yeast, 10 lb bags of different malts, etc.

I also order online, mostly from Farmhouse
 
my nearest "homebrew" store is about 4 hours drive away.....so I order online.

I live in Savonlinna, Finland, meaning that there is no big cities within 1 hours drive, so unless it would be in town, it wouldn't be possible to shop at a real store.
 
Mine is a little over a half hour, I'd probably drive an hour or so to get what I need (my LHBS is pretty awesome). I do tend to make infrequent trips, though, and buy enough for 2-3 batches when I go.
 
My LHBS is about a 10-15 drive away depending on the time of day and traffic. I have no problem driving there, but I think about a 30 drive (one way) would be my max. They do have another location about 30 mins away that seems to be slightly larger. My problem is, the LHBS shop is a Hydroponics and Home Brewing shop. Whenever I ask any questions the person working there pulls up a spreadsheet or Googles it (at least at the closer location). So I've learned not to bother asking questions and take the extra time looking up things while I'm there myself if needed (i.e. substitutions for ingredients they are out of).

Usually I only buy my grains there, bulk since they are typically slightly cheaper then shipping. Or the occasional hop variety that I need or want to try before I buy it in bulk or a small part I need ASAP. Bulk hops I'll usually buy online.

Anyhow, this makes me wonder if there is any way I could open a HBS myself closer to me and offer local beers on draft as a bonus. I wish I could take the plunge if it made sense, but having two little kids I don't want to lose the time I have with them now. Maybe when they are teenagers and want their space... ;)

Don't with the lengthy response and rambling...
 
Mine has two locations in town, but they are consolidating into one as soon as a new business takes over their lease. The one that's closing is a 5-10 minute bike ride, and the other one is a 15-20 min. ride. Both are perfectly doable but I'd probably just order everything online if they were much further.
 
I drive 1/2 hour to my LHBS. The local club meets there and I want to support both the club and the store so I make the drive. I plan things so I rarely need an extra trip.
 
Mine are both about 45 min to an hour, in opposite directions. And quite frankly, not worth the drive. So much easier to order online. Ordered from morebeer last night, will be here tomorrow.
 
45 minutes one way is the closest for me. So I order most of my stuff from the guys with the cheapest flat rate shipping.
 
Currently, about 20 minutes. I used to drive an hour for one, but it was close to the gym I trained strongman and powerlifting at, so I just combined the trip and it wasn't too bad. Sucked ass if I forgot something though.

Lol that would totally blow forgetting something for sure.
 
My LHBS is about a 10-15 drive away depending on the time of day and traffic. I have no problem driving there, but I think about a 30 drive (one way) would be my max. They do have another location about 30 mins away that seems to be slightly larger. My problem is, the LHBS shop is a Hydroponics and Home Brewing shop. Whenever I ask any questions the person working there pulls up a spreadsheet or Googles it (at least at the closer location). So I've learned not to bother asking questions and take the extra time looking up things while I'm there myself if needed (i.e. substitutions for ingredients they are out of).

Usually I only buy my grains there, bulk since they are typically slightly cheaper then shipping. Or the occasional hop variety that I need or want to try before I buy it in bulk or a small part I need ASAP. Bulk hops I'll usually buy online.

Anyhow, this makes me wonder if there is any way I could open a HBS myself closer to me and offer local beers on draft as a bonus. I wish I could take the plunge if it made sense, but having two little kids I don't want to lose the time I have with them now. Maybe when they are teenagers and want their space... ;)

Don't with the lengthy response and rambling...

Not rambling. Good response pshank. Actually helpful. I'm currently in the process of opening a LHBS and why I made this post.
 
Yeah. 4:30 weekdays and I work until 5. 3 o'clock on Saturdays but weekends are precious so I get most stuff online.

Brutal. Yeah, the one's I've always gone to are open at least til 7 PM during the week. I'm not nearly as interested in something that opens at 9 am on a weekday as something I can swing by after work.
 
Its takes me 20 minutes so an hour round trip with shopping time.Much further and I would order online or load up for multiple brews and go to lunch in the area and make a thing out of it.
 
Mine is about 30 mins can be up to 45 depending on traffic. I found another LHBS that is a little over an hour away, but they deliver so I order from them now so its a win win.
 
Until recently 90 minutes!!
There is a store a little closer but its worth the extra time it takes for good service.
I have recently been ordering online though, unless I need liquid yeast, which I prefer to pick up rather than have delivered.
 
My home brew shop is part of a brewery so I buy my supplies and have a beer. It makes the 30 minute drive well worth it.

I use the same one. It's on the way home from work. It's great to be able to grab a beer and shop! From home its about 25 min, but I would probably drive up to an hour (if they have beer too).

EDIT: Maybe LHBS' business model should include having a bottleshop/taps... :)
 
I use the same one. It's on the way home from work. It's great to be able to grab a beer and shop! From home its about 25 min, but I would probably drive up to an hour (if they have beer too).

EDIT: Maybe LHBS' business model should include having a bottleshop/taps... :)

the taxi fees would start getting rather worse than shipping fees then....:tank:
 
The one I use is a 25-30 minute drive from my house, but only 10-15 minutes from work, so I usually try and get over there after work if I need anything, however, when I was living in Florida, the closest one was an hour away and we still ended up using it 40-50% of the time over online... emergencies sucked though, I had to use some Malta Goya for a yeast starter once, haha.
 
The one I use is a 25-30 minute drive from my house, but only 10-15 minutes from work, so I usually try and get over there after work if I need anything, however, when I was living in Florida, the closest one was an hour away and we still ended up using it 40-50% of the time over online... emergencies sucked though, I had to use some Malta Goya for a yeast starter once, haha.

Where in Florida were you?
 
We have one in town i only use it if im in a bind there prices and quality or having things in stock has stopped me feom going there. I drive 25 mins i save money even with gas. They have better knowledge and way better selection.
 
Brutal. Yeah, the one's I've always gone to are open at least til 7 PM during the week. I'm not nearly as interested in something that opens at 9 am on a weekday as something I can swing by after work.

If I ran a HBS, I don't think I'd even open before noon on week days, then stay open until 8 or 9. Then 9am to 10pm on Saturday, 10am to 8pm on Sunday, and closed Mondays.
 
Back
Top