Im soo freaking pissed!!!!!

[Jaybird]

Dude, get a corona mill. It's cheap, kind of a pain in the arse, but you can run the grain through again if it doesn't look crushed right. I had bad efficiency due to a bad crush from northernbrewer and realized it was time to take things into my own hands.

Also you can start buying grain in bulk and actuallysaving as much as you spent on the mill.

well said... well said my friend you hit the nail on the head
JJ

 

[mward]

You could be not so freaking pissed for 19$. Ebay. Corona Mill. If you've gotten a bad crush from these guys before and you went there again...

 

[Aiko]

Problem is, its the owners kid running the place. I think I have finally figured out why no one is ever there.

I went there a couple weeks back to submit some bottles for a compitition and the kid was there. I asked him before I left if he had everything (paperwork, lables, etc) and he said yea, got it all! Well I find out later that he didnt have a clue so I had to drive back there in rush hour to get it all straight. Idiot!! He should be flipping burgers at McD's!

 

[Cregar]

OFF TOPIC

I have one of those Kitchenaide mixers, would this work for crushing grains...Grain Mill | Stand Mixer Attachment

"This all-metal attachment grinds wheat, oats, corn, rice, and other low-moisture, low-oil grains. Choose from 'cracked' to extra-fine consistency. Includes a cleaning brush."

 

[Evan!]

OFF TOPIC

I have one of those Kitchenaide mixers, would this work for crushing grains...Grain Mill | Stand Mixer Attachment

"This all-metal attachment grinds wheat, oats, corn, rice, and other low-moisture, low-oil grains. Choose from 'cracked' to extra-fine consistency. Includes a cleaning brush."

What's the capacity on that MF'er? Seems like a lot of money to spend when you could get a barley crusher with the upgraded large-capacity hopper for less. Or did you already have it for something else?

EDIT: sorry, re-read your post...you're asking IF it would work. I guess so, in a pinch, but the hopper capacity looks pretty tiny. You'd also have to experiment with the consistency, to find out which setting gives you the best efficiency.

 

[o2brew]

Sorry about all the problems you two guys seem to have with The Winemaker Shop. We try to provide the best service possible to all our customers. I recieved a heads up on your complains from another HBS and it is my responsibility to let you know if you have a problem please e-mail us directly. We can't correct the problem if we don't know that there is one.

I am not sure what to say about your grain problem. We have a commerical mill and the settings are checked regularly. We have not had any one else that has complained of this problem. Chris was trying to keep you from turning the grain in to a powder which would have resulted in running it through the mill repeatedly.
I am sorry again that you are upset and that we have lost your business. I am sure that AHB will be able to help you with your future brewing needs.

LHBS act as drop off points for many competitions as a service to the homebrewing community so brewer's do not have to spend time or money shipping their entries in. LHBS's are not affiliated with the competition most don't know if your paper work has been filled out correctly or not. If you are unsure you need to check with the club hosting the competition. I am sure some one in KOBB could of helped you with your paperwork so you would of only needed to make one trip.

 

[Brewpastor]

O2brewer, good for you, stepping forward and addressing the situation.

 

[Ryanh1801]

For a visual this is the last crush I got from yall. Sorry its a bit blurry couldn't get my camera to focus, a good 1/3 of the grain is still intact, I had to take a roller to try and crush it more.

Here is what IMO a crush should look like and the type that gets a good efficiency.

 

[D2T]

...sitting right at 1.03!!!!!! not even sure if its worth my damn time...

I'm all for aiming for a high efficiency, but it's definitely worth your time. I've had some brews that have gotten crappy efficiency for one reason or another, but they've all turned out great.

Don't let it get you down, I'm sure it'll be fine.


But then again, get a grain mill. Best brewing purchase I ever made

edit: Just saw your pic in the above thread. That's a $$$$ty crush, so I understand your frustration. If the guy's reaction is "well, the mill is set right..." he must not know what he's talking about, or doesn't care. Personally, I'd never go there again....but then again I'm in NJ so I don't really have any brew shops to begin with

Get a crankenstein or barley crusher!

 

[Sir Humpsalot]

From what I can tell in those pictures, it does look like a bad crush.

Wish I could see it a little better though to be sure...

 

[jdoiv]

Isn't wheat a smaller kernel than barley? I would think that the mill would need to be adjusted when used for wheat in order to get a proper crush. That's why I bought an adjustable mill. Just saying the mill is set to factory spec doesn't take into account the fact that you are not crushing barley (for which the spec was created). Perhaps O2Brew should ask his mill manufacturer what the spec is for the wheat and change the setting accordingly. Just a thought.

 

[FlyGuy]

For a visual this is the last crush I got from yall. Sorry its a bit blurry couldn't get my camera to focus, a good 1/3 of the grain is still intact, I had to take a roller to try and crush it more.

While I appreciate that the shop owner took the time to come here and respond to your problem, I really don't have any confidence in an LHBS that can't tell that this is a bad crush. Ryan - you said in your original post that the clerk at the shop really thought this crush was fine enough, and then he got upset when you disagreed with him? I think this is evidence that the employees at this shop don't know what they are doing. That's really sad.

 

[roofjump]

For a visual this is the last crush I got from yall. Sorry its a bit blurry couldn't get my camera to focus, a good 1/3 of the grain is still intact, I had to take a roller to try and crush it more.
[IMGhttp://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g14/Ryanh1985/DSCF0299.jpg[/IMG]

wow, that is really sad looking crush. I guess if he claims the "settings are correct" then he needs to check that his equipment isn't F'd up. I'm surprised you got what you did out of that.

 

[Jamison Kirmser]

Spam..........

 

[FlyGuy]

The Winemaker Shop offers some of the finest service in the Metroplex. The store is extremely well stocked and the owners, and staff, are conscientious, helpful and very sensitive to all comments suggestions and criticisms from their customers. The Bacas ,continuously, prove their dedication to the brewing community through educational classes conducted at The Winemaker Shop and at Central Market, and are constantly striving to meet the demands and desires of their clientele. I have never been dissatisfied with the quality of any purchase.
Jamie

So you just joined up today to tell us this? Clearly you weren't put up to this by someone else....

 

[Nostrildamus]

Jamison: Have you ever purchased crushed Wheat malt from them or requested a customized crush and if so, what was your experience and your efficiency?

This sounds to me to be a case where one individual may have placed an otherwise decent shop in a very bad light. For anyone in the service/retail industry, take note. One poor transaction with a customer and you could receive five pages of negative posts regarding your service. Remember, the customer service relationship is a two way street.

 

[Ryanh1801]

The Winemaker Shop offers some of the finest service in the Metroplex. The store is extremely well stocked and the owners, and staff, are conscientious, helpful and very sensitive to all comments suggestions and criticisms from their customers. The Bacas ,continuously, prove their dedication to the brewing community through educational classes conducted at The Winemaker Shop and at Central Market, and are constantly striving to meet the demands and desires of their clientele. I have never been dissatisfied with the quality of any purchase.
Jamie

Right!!!!

 

[rdwj]

The Winemaker Shop offers some of the finest service in the Metroplex. The store is extremely well stocked and the owners, and staff, are conscientious, helpful and very sensitive to all comments suggestions and criticisms from their customers. The Bacas ,continuously, prove their dedication to the brewing community through educational classes conducted at The Winemaker Shop and at Central Market, and are constantly striving to meet the demands and desires of their clientele. I have never been dissatisfied with the quality of any purchase.
Jamie

You probably should have made a few other posts before this one. Just a TAD suspicious, don't you think? Probably a better approach would have been to apologize for the error, work to fix it and offer some sort of compensation. That would have gone A LOT further than trying to pull a fast one on us.

 

[Beerrific]

My opinion is that having a well stocked store, friendly employees, great location, clean shelves, flowery smelling bathrooms, valet parking, etc. means nothing if you are not willing to help individual customer (especially before the sale is complete). When someone comes in to buy something and they say "Hey this doesn't look right," and the store says "Well that's what it is," and the customer has less than expected results and the seller says "Well that's what it is," IMO that is unacceptable.

This would be different if the customer bought the item, took it home, used it, and then came back (with spent grain for example) and said "This didn't work." He noticed it right then and there, asked about it, asked to have the problem fixed before buying (double crush, whatever), was refused, and then had the product not work.

 

[ScreaminZ]

You probably should have made a few other posts before this one. Just a TAD suspicious, don't you think? Probably a better approach would have been to apologize for the error, work to fix it and offer some sort of compensation. That would have gone A LOT further than trying to pull a fast one on us.

Jamie does not have any affiliation with the Winemaker shop, nor do I. We are members of the Knights of the Brown Bottle homebrew club, based in Arlington, TX, and are satisfied customers of the Winemaker shop.

We are constantly buying supplies from the Winemaker shop and have always been very pleased with their service and products. I have never personally had any grain crushed by them, but can vouch for their character and quality of their products. I buy most of my grain, hops and yeast from them and have always been more than satisfied with every purchase.

Just because one person had a bad experience with them does not make them a bad shop. Everybody makes mistakes from time to time. Get over it! It's a shame that those that do have a problem have to go an anonymously post a complaint to the internet instead of contacting the owner of the shop directly.

Gene

 

[poptop]

post deleted and user banned.

Spam and abusive.

(Mod.)

 

[Orfy]

The Winemaker Shop offers some of the finest service in the Metroplex. The store is extremely well stocked and the owners, and staff, are conscientious, helpful and very sensitive to all comments suggestions and criticisms from their customers. The Bacas ,continuously, prove their dedication to the brewing community through educational classes conducted at The Winemaker Shop and at Central Market, and are constantly striving to meet the demands and desires of their clientele. I have never been dissatisfied with the quality of any purchase.
Jamie

Would you like to explain your relationship with this business to qualify your post?
Your post is border line spam in my opinion.

 

[ScreaminZ]

Would you like to explain your relationship with this business to qualify your post?
Your post is border line spam in my opinion.

Hopefully Jamie will chime in here, but if not, I'll explain. He is the president of the Knights of the Brown Bottle homebrew club in Arlington, TX. He and the club have no affiliation with the Winemaker shop, and we are not supported by them. We are simply satisfied customers that don't want to see a great homebrew shop cut down like this. One person's bad experience with the shop should not go without at least some word from the many of us that have had nothing but great experiences with them.

 

[Ryanh1801]

HAHAHA This just keeps getting better, this isn't like this was the first time for a bad crush, this would be the third time!!!! whiney College kid, I like that. I want a good product and service with a store I have spent probably close to a grand with in the last few months, is that too much to ask? I like the spam though guys keep it up, just making you look more and more like jackasses.

 

[dantodd]

Well, as the person who first suggested contacting the owner I'm very glad that someone told him about the thread and that he responded here.

I'm pretty disappointed that his response was to defend the store and say nothing is wrong and that the 2 posters here were automatically wrong. I would much rather see a vendor's first concern be the correction of the posted problems and offering to do what it takes to make their customers happy.

Fortunately Phil down at the Los Altos More Beer is a phenomenal guy and has ALWAYS done whatever it takes to keep me, and his other customers happy. So, I really hope you guys can find a good shop to visit and one who's first priority is keeping his customers happy.

 

[Beerrific]

Jamie does not have any affiliation with the Winemaker shop, nor do I. We are members of the Knights of the Brown Bottle homebrew club, based in Arlington, TX, and are satisfied customers of the Winemaker shop.

We are constantly buying supplies from the Winemaker shop and have always been very pleased with their service and products. I have never personally had any grain crushed by them, but can vouch for their character and quality of their products. I buy most of my grain, hops and yeast from them and have always been more than satisfied with every purchase.

Just because one person had a bad experience with them does not make them a bad shop. Everybody makes mistakes from time to time. Get over it! It's a shame that those that do have a problem have to go an anonymously post a complaint to the internet instead of contacting the owner of the shop directly.

Gene

When you have a problem asked to have it fixed by the person that is working there and you are refused, should you have to contact the shop owner directly? I probably wouldn't, I would say "forget it."

If you go back and look, you will notice that in the first post he obviously upset, he did all the work for a decoction mash and ended up with piss poor efficiency.
He came here for advise on what to do.

BTW, are you an all grain brewer? If so, what kind of efficiency do you get?

Ryan, did you calculate out you efficiency with these grains? How about with grain from AHS?

 

[Ryanh1801]

The Winemaker Shop (Fort Woth) - Smaller selection, obviously geared more towards winemaking, no bulk extract, unhelpful, unfriendly staff. A little hard to spot in a strip center off of south Loop 820. I havn't spent much time here because I don't feel very welcome when there, like I'm intruding on their little club.

Posted a few months back, from a Fort Worth member.

 

[SuperSpy]

You probably should have made a few other posts before this one. Just a TAD suspicious, don't you think? Probably a better approach would have been to apologize for the error, work to fix it and offer some sort of compensation. That would have gone A LOT further than trying to pull a fast one on us.

I can assure you Jamie doesn't work for the Winemaker's Shop. He's an avid homebrewer from the Arlington, TX area and the President of Knights of the Brown Bottle Homebrewer's Club. An apology from him for the Winemaker's Shop wouldn't have done much good since he's nothing more than a customer. Of course this is also my first post so take it for what it's worth.

In defense of the Winemaker's shop I haven't made a purchase there since January but on that visit they went above and beyond, and the visits before that left me with no complaints.

When I was moving to Guam and found that the closest homebrew supplier could only be reached by boat or plane, Chris from the Winemaker's shop stayed on the phone with me while I loaded the truck for my move and simultaneously gave him a laundry list of ingredients that I needed. I had to send someone else to pick the items up but I was told that when he arrived the 6 months worth of brewing ingredients that I had asked for were already bagged up and waiting at the front counter. The quick customer service on their part allowed everything I purchased to arrive at my house just in time to be loaded onto the mover's truck and be sent on its way to Guam. Nevermind the exposure to TB that put me on meds that don't allow me to drink until Christmas... (totally unrelated to the Winemaker's Shop)

 

[Evan!]

That's pretty funny, Ryan...I mean, a couple dudes show up here who have never posted before, and their posts read like those fake-ass "customer testimonials" that companies like to post on their websites and commercials, with the tiny, almost unreadable little disclaimer in the corner that says "paid actor - not a real customer". HAHAHA. If these guys wanted us to believe that they were impartial and not affiliated with the shop, the least they could have done was refrain from writing their posts as if they were PR consultants.

 

[rdwj]

Just because one person had a bad experience with them does not make them a bad shop. Everybody makes mistakes from time to time. Get over it! It's a shame that those that do have a problem have to go an anonymously post a complaint to the internet instead of contacting the owner of the shop directly.

Gene

Ryan DID make a request for his grain to be crushed in a certain manner. His request was laughed off. What else do you want him to do?

That's one of the bonuses of being part of a community like this one. We have a voice to warn our fellow brewers when things aren't up to our standards. As a "concerned patron", what you should do is have the owner of the shop stop by and respond. I think all of us would have a lot of respect for an owner that would do something like that.

And while we may not know Ryan by anything other than his screen name, he has a history here and is known to us. Therefore, his words carry some weight. Guys with ONE post don't have much influence.