Local Home Brew Shop Prices

[cheezydemon3]

My main gripe is that they won’t split pounds of specialty grains

WTF?????

The main benefit of the LHBS is when I need 3 oz of roasted or 8 oz of crystal 120 (that I don't normally use) and I don't want the rest of the pound lying around for 8 months.

 

[camiller]

My main gripe is that they won’t split pounds of specialty grains

WTF?????

The main benefit of the LHBS is when I need 3 oz of roasted or 8 oz of crystal 120 (that I don't normally use) and I don't want the rest of the pound lying around for 8 months.

Admittedly, I haven't been in a lot of other homebrew shops by my LHBS doesn't split one pound packages either. Like I said in my previous post my LHBS does not maintain a scale certified for trade. If your LHBS is large enough that they package their own specialty grains then they probably have no problem selling you whatever small amount you want. If on the other hand they buy the one pound packages pre-packaged by the wholesaler then they probably won't want to split up packages.

 

[kcinpdx]

We're a bit spoiled in Portland - Steinbarts, Above the Rest, Let's Brew, Brewbros.biz and a newer place in N. Portland whose name escapes me. Now the prices are not stellar, but not bad either. The best in price so far is brewbros.biz - about .82 cents / lb base malt, 50# bag 2 row about $30. They also have delivery points all over the city at set times and places where you can pick up stuff - a great feature for a supplier!Steinbart's dropped hops prices quite a bit too. Craigslist is typically full of hops farmers who will sell direct - I bought cascade last Fall for 15$/ lb. Needless to say I don't think I've ever mail ordered ingredients. Hardware - another story...

 

[brettwasbtd]

My homebrew store has pretty competitive prices. I buy online for some items, but I have a little different reason. Both myself and my fiance are still living with our respective parents and are 2 hours away from each other. We take turns visiting each other on weekends, but I seem to go to her more often. My Homebrew shop closes at 6PM and is not open on Sundays. I cannot make it during the weekdays because of work, and I am often not around on Saturdays to buy ingredients. They also don't open until 10AM on Saturdays and when I brew I like to get an early start (like 8am). So sometimes I will buy online on a monday so I can have my ingredients ready for a brewday. I guess I could always have my mom go to the store for me... but online can sometimes just be easier.

I would use my LHBS 100% if I lived here full time as I could pick up ingredients in the afternoon on a saturday so I would be ready for the next. I actually plan to line up my next couple brews and just by all my specialty grains/hops and yeast so I won't have this problem.

 

[Henrythe9th]

My local shop is good, 50lb Great western pale ale malt $43.00 MO $52.00.
they have a bulk grain deal where you can buy in at bag prices and take the grain home as you need it, they track your usage. that way you don't have year old grain by the time you use up say 50lbs of crystal120..
they also started refilling your empty PBW containers for 2 bucks less than buying a new lb of PBW..
they buy everything in bulk and repackage, avg hops $2.75 to $3.95 for 2ozs.

for being the only shop for 150 miles you would think they had competition besides the inter-webs

 

[Got Trub?]

I think it's easy to overlook how much it costs to run these small independent shops. Most of these guys aren't getting rich. It's easy to say "that's a ridiculous markup," but we have no idea what they actually paid for the item, or what their operational costs are. Not to mention that it costs more to stock something you don't sell a lot of.

Not trying to be argumentative here - I'm about to place an online order right now - just saying that most of these little shops aren't trying to gouge us, many are just trying to stay afloat.

Agree. I had a brief conversation with the proprietor of my LHBS about getting the belgian candy syrup you see at More Beer and Northern Brewer. He told me his regional supplier doesn't carry it and if he orders it from another source it becomes much too expensive. He'd rather not carry it and have me order it online. He has great selection and prices are reasonable on brewing essentials, some specialty items can be had significantly cheaper online so I order them there.

GT

 

[artyboy]

My LHBS is fine. I know that I could get it cheaper elsewhere but I like having the convenience of being able to go down the street to pick up what I need when I need it. I'd save "a lot" of money if I just planned everything a week or two ahead and bought everything online. By "a lot" I mean probably $10 or so for the batch. Personally, I don't go by percentages. I go by dollars. Being able to buy a pound of hops for cheap is awesome but if you're using different hops varieties every brew day then it's not much of a savings. When I can get into a bulk buy I can get base malt ridiculously cheap (last time it was $25 per 50# bag) but those are few and far between and I brew enough that it goes fast. I just pay the premium at my LHBS in between bulk buys. Things like specialty malts, special ingredients and stuff like airlocks, bottlecaps, corks and crap like that are what I really like about having an LHBS. Of course, if I didn't buy some of the other meat and potatoes stuff then they wouldn't be in business. I shop at my LHBS because it's convenient. Unless I'm thinking ahead and really desperate to save a few bucks it's kind of a waste of time to buy online.

 

[silver97232]

Well I love my lhbs, and I support them to an extent that works for both of us. I buy hops from hopsdirect and my malt I get delivered in bulk from brewbrothers. I also culture and repitch yeast, but for specialty malts, new yeast strains adjuncts bottlecaps etc I go with the store.

I figure it's better for both parties, I can afford to brew more so I still spend $70 a month in the store. I also try and get people into the store to help support it.

 

[kmk1012]

I agree with kcinpdx, I love living in the fruitfull Willamette Valley-hops are abundant! I drive up to Portland from Salem once a month to purchase my ingredients for the month. The local shop here in Salem buys his supplies from one of the same shops that I go to!

 

[mkorpal]

I used to shop online almost exclusively. It was a bit cheaper if I bought 5 batches at once, and used flatrate shipping. But I'm getting tired of having that much grain around, I just don't have room. I finally found a good brewshop around me, with good prices. 1.25/# on 2-row. 2.50/oz on whole leaf hops. Pleanty of good specialty grains for around 2 per pound. So, I think I will be using them more often.

I also like the human side of it. The guy there is great. He can help you with everything you need, he is genuinely interested in my brew, and can help me modify it if I need to. Plus, it's nice to not need to plan so far ahead. And I keep the money I spend in the community, and I'm not shipping yeast across county. So, yeah, I think I'll stick with them.

 

[jvino]

Where do you get stuff?? Usually buy online but wouldn't mind supporting the local economy.

I agree with kcinpdx, I love living in the fruitfull Willamette Valley-hops are abundant! I drive up to Portland from Salem once a month to purchase my ingredients for the month. The local shop here in Salem buys his supplies from one of the same shops that I go to!

 

[caphector]

I buy most of my stuff locally; I've used both BMW and Breworganic.com for grains, but I don't like shipping yeast. I could have it shipped from MoreBeer, but even then it's on a hot truck plus warehoused overnight. If I buy locally I just drive up to my LHBS and get everything I need. I might save a bit on hops, but the extra I pay won't kill me.

Now, I did pay ~$100 extra on my kegerator, which was a lot more than I wanted to. If there's a next time I'm gonna be cheap for that.

 

[celticcolorado]

Alchemy, I am definitely feeling your pain. I usually go the LHBS in Aurora but am going to have to start buying online because the markups are just ridiculous. I love being able to go in and talk to the guys at the shop and they were instrumental in getting me started when I first got into brewing, but i just can't justify the prices.