NB - still working?

[MaxStout]

I'll start buying from NB again if they allow me to pick stuff up from their warehouse. It won't be as good as having their actual B&M stores open but it'll suffice.

Until then I'm a Ritebrew fan as well. Occasionally I do have to choose recipe plan B because something is out, but it's rare. I'm lucky enough that using Speedee has things to my doorstep in 24 hours for like $10. My last shipment arrived with the ice pack for the yeast still cold.

I don't hesitate to use BrewHardware, Williams, and occasionally Norcal. Others have been fine too, such as some of the hops sellers.

So, I suppose the one place I intentionally avoid is actually NB. No actual hate against them, but closing their stores and making me order online is more than a little annoying. If they thought closing the stores in town would keep me as a happy customer, and I'd just order online instead, they were wrong. Avoiding them is barely a drop in the bucket and it might be petty, but combined with them being so dang slow to ship and then slow to have it arrive after it's shipped (when I live just a couple miles form the warehouse) sort of ends our relationship.

Nothing new, just felt like a little ranting I guess.

I live less than 10 miles from NB's warehouse and would order from them if I could pick up there. Unless they start doing that (they've been teasing warehouse pickups for some time now) I'll avoid the hassle of dealing with NB/MW.

OTOH, I have had excellent service from Ritebrew, Brew Hardware, and William's, and will stick with them.

 

[SkyPilot]

I ordered from MoreBeer on Saturday. They didn't pick/ship my order until yesterday. It shipped from the new Warehouse in Kansas that is replacing both the PA and CA warehouses. So much for orders to Ohio arriving the next day . . .

I live in PA and could order before 1pm from Morebeer and get next day arrival. I noticed the other day they were quoting 8 to 10 day arrival. FedEx shows two day ground from the new Kansas site. Contacted customer service to ask why the change? Were they experiencing longer prep times? They said nothing should have changed.
I also order from Brewhardware in NJ and get 1 to 2 day delivery from them depending on their backlog. I even checked out one of the Canadian sites and could get 5 day delivery so I don’t know what is up with morebeer.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

I suppose the one place I intentionally avoid is actually NB. No actual hate against them,

The physical stores were great up to about 2020 - great selection and instore prices were competitive with both RiteBrew and Brew & Grow MN. In retrospect, ZX Ventures was a good owner - the Lyndale store remodel was done under their ownership.

The physical stores, in 2023 (let's skip over the "lost years" (2020 - 2022)) saw "in store" prices rise to be pretty much the same as the online prices. It was still fun, on an occasional Saturdy/Sunday afternoon, to visit, chew a few kernels, buy a couple of malts. Different owner, different objectives. Blackstreet Capital Management describes their business model at their site. The wikipedia entry has a concise summary, so I'll include that as well.

• "Blackstreet invests in distressed companies, aiming to prevent [... and to] benefit investors." (link to wikipedia entry)
• "Blackstreet Capital Holdings, LLC is a privately held diversified operating company that owns and manages lower middle market businesses. Blackstreet Capital Holdings, LLC is not a private equity fund. Instead it is a permanent holding company that seeks ...' (link to their web site)

Does a local pick up option at their [NB] new warehouse fit into their business plans? Time will tell.

I don’t know what is up with morebeer.

Well, they [MoreBeer] did move to a new warehouse.

In the past, I haven't ordered much from MoreBeer (shipping from CA generally was seven calendar days). I'll likely give them a fresh look in 3 to 6 months. My guess is that shipping will be a little faster (but not the "order on Monday, get the goods on Wednesday" service that other regional stores provide). They [MoreBeer] offer a number of "value add" products (OxBlox, Flash Brewing kits, etc) that ship well regardless of the weather - so they'll likely remain on my "list of approved" suppliers for some products.

 

[Jmspears]

MoreBeer and Great Fermentations are my go to. I hit up Adventures in Homebrewing sometimes but I feel like their prices aren’t as competitive.

 

[tracer bullet]

The physical stores were great up to about 2020

Eh, maybe. I actually never noticed much change over time. I went to the store on Grand and to Midwest both, somewhat alternating at random and one of them every 3 weeks or so. Maybe Midwest a little more just because it was easier to speed down 100 (highway) than do the lights on Grand (very much a neighborhood). Good grain rooms, stock of things to occasionally replace like pumps, and nice employees that were also brewers and who would chat up the customers a bit. Maybe I'm oblivious but I think those things were all pretty solid for quite a long time.

And then... lights off. Well, closed to the public in Midwest's case, I have heard & read it's still a warehouse but not sure how long that will be the case or if it still is. I haven't actually driven past the old NB store on Grand since it closed, no idea what's in there now, if anything.

 

[johnsonpvb17]

I'm a new brewing customer living in the middle of no where, so pretty much rely on online purchases. NB got me started but their communications, service, and selection, with flashes of life at times, has almost approached zero. I use their recipes and enjoy a good sale, but will drive an hour+ to a local like Shoeless Joe, or use Hobby Homebrew, RiteBrew or a Supporting Member when I actually need something in 30 days.

PE shouldn't buy high service specialty providers. They'll ruin them every time.

 

[szap]

Saflager 34/70
Morebeer - $7.99
NB - $7.99
Ritebrew - $4.69

Mosaic pellet hops
NB - $3.69/ounce
Morebeer - $3.49
Ritebrew - $2.09

Along with a decent selection, quick shipping and good folks who respond to emails quickly, their prices are the best.

 

[BongoYodeler]

Finally received my supplies, nine days after ordering. East Kent Golding hops came with AA% listed, Challenger hops did not.

I feel your pain. I reluctantly placed an order with NB because they were the only place I could find First Gold hops without having to order a pound of them. I placed my order 10 days ago, and still nothing. I want to re-brew an Ordinary Bitter for an upcoming local contest, but sadly, the likelihood of brewing it and submitting it in time is getting less and less with each passing day.

 

[SkyPilot]

I feel your pain. I reluctantly placed an order with NB because they were the only place I could find First Gold hops without having to order a pound of them. I placed my order 10 days ago, and still nothing. I want to re-brew an Ordinary Bitter for an upcoming local contest, but sadly, the likelihood of brewing it and submitting it in time is getting less and less with each passing day.

Wow. Beginning to sound like NB is using Aliexpress cor deliveries

 

[matt_m]

My last Aliexpress order came faster than that.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

PE shouldn't buy high service specialty providers. They'll ruin them every time.

Consider looking beyond NB to find regional-based online stores (or other national online stores) that provide the products and services you're looking for.

It is likely that every region of the US has a RiteBrew (WI region) or a Brew Hardware (PA region & tagging @Bobby_M).

And each region in the US likely has a number of additional HomeBrewTalk sponsors (e.g. Farmhouse Brew Supply, Home Brew Ohio?; sorry, not aware of other HBT sponsors in the PA region).

It looks like you are in FL.

If there isn't a "RiteBrew" or a "Brew Hardware" in your region, raise the question in a fresh topic. It's likely that there are regional (to you) online stores that currently are not getting enough online attention at HomeBrewTalk. And those regional stores are likely to deliver the service you are looking for at a price that is beneficial to you and to them.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

via an /r/homebrewing topic; screenshots from the SC governor's web site - link.

 

[day_trippr]

Bizarre.

 

[matt_m]

https://gardenmediagroup.com/client...erations-with-acquisition-of-northern-brewer/

 

[matt_m]

Atlantic Brew Supply might be a good option for Florida.

https://www.atlanticbrewsupply.com/


Moving to a new warehouse though lol.

 

[Yesfan]

Another Northern Brewer acquisition? Man, how many does this make now?

 

[matt_m]

From Wikipedia:

Today, Jackson & Perkins is a division of Jackson & Perkins Park Acquisitions, which is a subsidiary of publicly traded Western Capital Resources.

https://westerncapitalresources.com/

 

[MaxStout]

A friend just passed this along to me. If a Reddit thread is to be believed...

 

[jschein]

A friend just passed this along to me. If a Reddit thread is to be believed...

Yeah they had a job recruiting last month in SC per their jobs board

 

[BongoYodeler]

Looks like I won't be seeing my order anytime soon.

 

[johnsonpvb17]

Yeah they had a job recruiting last month in SC per their jobs board
View attachment 857405

 

[johnsonpvb17]

After 50+ years in that business, warehouse moves are generally a disaster, but they eventually get ironed out.

Purchase from bean counter Private Equity to a private business operator is a definite +++.

Good news for me, now that NB has moved to Hodges, SC, this makes them very very local for my purchases.

 

[BongoYodeler]

Looks like I won't be seeing my order anytime soon.

Well 15 days after placing my order I finally received word that it shipped. Seems the order was being held up due to one of the eight items I ordered being out of stock. After an email exchange they will ship the back-ordered item separately once it's back in stock. Oh, and everything is shipping from their new warehouse in South Carolina.

 

[BongoYodeler]

Well 15 days after placing my order I finally received word that it shipped. Seems the order was being held up due to one of the eight items I ordered being out of stock. After an email exchange they will ship the back-ordered item separately once it's back in stock. Oh, and everything is shipping from their new warehouse in South Carolina.

And it just keeps getting better....

 

[MaxStout]

I love the "You're seeing what customer service agents would share with you."

In other words:

 

[Yesfan]

And it just keeps getting better....

View attachment 857881

Man, that sucks. Sometimes, I just want to say screw it and cancel when orders keep going that way. I ordered an ARB air compressor for my Jeep a few years ago when all the supply chain issues were going on. It seemed it took forever for me to get it. I almost cancelled that order and would have if was just that retailer and not everyone else that was having issues.

 

[JohnDBrewer]

Vote with your money. Cancel the order, tell the credit card company to reverse the charge, and order from someone else. Lost revenue a smart business understands. Otherwise your just a statistic in their long list of key indicators telling them they need to do better.

 

[BongoYodeler]

Vote with your money. Cancel the order, tell the credit card company to reverse the charge, and order from someone else. Lost revenue a smart business understands. Otherwise your just a statistic in their long list of key indicators telling them they need to do better.

I would have, except NB is one of the only places in the US I can find that sells First Gold hops, and the only place I've found that sells them by the ounce. I plan on brewing a small test batch of Bitter and need less than an ounce.

 

[Yesfan]

I would have, except NB is one of the only places in the US I can find that sells First Gold hops, and the only place I've found that sells them by the ounce. I plan on brewing a small test batch of Bitter and need less than an ounce.

I'm with John D. I would cancel my order and then go with a First Gold substitute myself.

 

[BongoYodeler]

No, the First Gold hops are the main reason I'm re-brewing this recipe to begin with. I really don't want to cancel the order, even though I admit it's frustrating. But this may very well be the last time I order from them, so I'll still be voting with my (future) wallet.