Northern Brewer and ship times

[Weezy]

The worst are the online stores that create and send you a FedEx tracking number the day you order... Then don't even begin to fill, let alone ship, your order for another week (or more).

If I have to buy brew supplies online, I typically look to more beer first since there essentially local and I'll get it in two days.

 

[Mainer]

So... did the order arrive within the window or not? Don't keep us in suspense.

 

[Mainer]

I only order from NB if my LHBS doesn't have what I'm looking for. Especially with hops or yeast, I prefer to get it locally if I can (and I usually can). If not, I'll often have the LHBS order it for me, since their turnaround times are about the same as NB's.

 

[Joe61]

So... did the order arrive within the window or not? Don't keep us in suspense.

Sorry - I thought my last post answered that.

The order arrived the evening of 3/27, three calendar days after the last day of the window shown when I placed the order.

I did choose the "I can wait" option and I had no deadline/schedule to meet. Choosing a less expensive shipping option usually means longer ship times. What I did not like was:

-shipping option apparently meant a longer time to prepare the order for shipping. I think 8 days is excessive (one, in-stock extract kit).
- Shipping cost was relatively high. "Quicker" options were, IMO, very high cost. Especially since most of that premium seems to be for placing a higher priority to fulfill your order.
- Communication was poor. I received two order confirmations within 24 hours. Then nothing - except a daily barrage of promotional emails. I'm still trying to unsubscribe from their list.
- When I called after a week, I was told that the order would ship that day, allowing it to just make the far end of the delivery window. That information was wrong - it did not ship until the following evening.

I placed orders with other suppliers for other small equipment items after my NB order. None were shipped using and express method, but all arrived well before the NB order.

That said, I was very happy with the kit I received. It is currently in the fermentor.

On the plus side, the process caused me to find a new LHBS about 1 mile from my home. I also have one of their kits in a fermentor at the moment.

I am a frequent online shopper. For kits like this I will most likely stick with the local shop. Even with sales tax, it ends up being less expensive. Two weeks + is also outside of my personal "window" for remembering and keeping track of what I order online.

 

[skoodog]

Sorry to piggyback but better a same thread than a new one, right?

I've only ever bought equipment from NB (all solid) but with the run on London Ale III I had to use them as the only place I could find it. That said, I'm really concerned on whether my yeast will even survive the trip b/c Texas is hot as balls as is most of the plains states I assume it'll drive through. Should I just cancel my order now? It hasn't shipped yet but it was apparently sent to the warehouse - I bought several packs in case but I'm worried if it's worth it. Anyone with relatively long shiptimes who've ordered yeast from them?

 

[fromoe]

Anyone with relatively long shiptimes who've ordered yeast from them?

i've ordered yeast from them shipping to florida. arrived DOA and the replacement order was DOA as well.

 

[dkwolf]

Edit: some people here have a beef with NB because recently they were bought by InBev. So far nothing has changed as far as I'm concerned. JMO

Do a search back through the archives here. A lot of guys have a beef with NB/Midwest Brewing because of a credit card security breach that happened a couple years ago. They publicly denied it was them for something like a month AFTER they knew it *was* their problem. And then instead of the retail industry standard "pay for credit monitoring for all affected customers for a year", they gave everyone a discount coupon. Basically, handled the situation as poorly as they possibly could have. THAT is why a lot of people have a beef with them... the sellout to InBev was just the icing on the cake.

 

[skoodog]

As suspected, yeast was DOA here too - I even tried to cancel the order before it shipped out but the guy just said "it's already on the truck." Is that why I didn't get the shipping confirmation til the next day? Sounds like someone's getting hit with a chargeback fee.

 

[Hurphy]

Placed an order on July 1st and it is now July 13th and my order hasn’t even been processed.

Anyone have any other sites to order from besides these guys? My last order came 6 days late as well.

 

[Sammy86]

Placed an order on July 1st and it is now July 13th and my order hasn’t even been processed.

Anyone have any other sites to order from besides these guys? My last order came 6 days late as well.

Morebeer, Atlantic Brew Supply, Rite Brew, Delta Brewing Systems

 

[Braufessor]

Placed an order on July 1st and it is now July 13th and my order hasn’t even been processed.

Anyone have any other sites to order from besides these guys? My last order came 6 days late as well.

Did you call/e-mail? I have generally had pretty good service from them over the years. I'd call and check on it, that is way, way too long - I'd see what is up or if a mistake was made.

 

[Oldskewl]

I still prefer Morebeer. Their shipping has slowed since Covid, but it is still much faster than Northern Brewer. I live in PA and they have warehouses in PA and CA. I used to get shipments the next day using their free shipping. I seems to take about 3 days now and shippments from CA take about 4-5 days. Plus I feel better about ordering yeast from them.

 

[redrocker652002]

I have used both Morebeer and Austin Home Brewing and have been happy with both. For me, Morebeer has a place about 30 mins from me. My next order I am going to have is sent to the store, then ask them at the store if they can give my grains a bit of a finer grind. I emailed the warehouse and they said they could not do it. But as far as shipping is concerned, MoreBeer has been really good

 

[jpitz31]

Yes I have a current order, that is late, I emailed NB and they said they were running behind, I normally order elsewhere, but they had a discount coupon.

 

[Hurphy]

Did you call/e-mail? I have generally had pretty good service from them over the years. I'd call and check on it, that is way, way too long - I'd see what is up or if a mistake was made.

They don’t take calls anymore but I did get an email where they explained that their grain house orders take a while because…reasons… My 5 pounds total must be some extreme math for them. Also, they said it would still be another 2-3 days before my order is processed and shipped.

Northern Brewer is garbage.

 

[Hurphy]

Morebeer, Atlantic Brew Supply, Rite Brew, Delta Brewing Systems

Thanks! I went with more beer and they will already have my stuff to me before NB. That’s just insane.

 

[Sammy86]

Thanks! I went with more beer and they will already have my stuff to me before NB. That’s just insane.

Awesome! Glad I could help!

 

[CharlaineC]

NB sent out the missing parts to my kit much faster than I anticipated. I can not get a brew started this weekend

 

[grzrk]

Did you call/e-mail? I have generally had pretty good service from them over the years. I'd call and check on it, that is way, way too long - I'd see what is up or if a mistake was made.

I recently placed an order on June 29th, got an "Sorry we're behind" email and coupon on July 6, and I finally just sent an email asking about the status of my order on July 13.
Three hours later on the 13th I got a shipping confirmation, supposed to arrive today. Brew day Sunday back on track!

** BTW - I ordered 2 kits, unmilled. Maybe not crushing grains expedited things. Who knows.

 

[Steveruch]

Morebeer, Atlantic Brew Supply, Rite Brew, Delta Brewing Systems

to Morebeer, Atlantic, and Ritebrew, I haven't used Delta. I recently placed an order with Hopcraft to get some Chevalier heritage malt, also .

 

[Sammy86]

to Morebeer, Atlantic, and Ritebrew, I haven't used Delta. I recently placed an order with Hopcraft to get some Chevalier heritage malt, also .

I used Delta for the first time during the sale...they didn't have everything I need but getting a 55 lb sack of Pilsner malt for free shipping was well worth it!

Just brewed with it today...happy with the brew day results!

 

[Teufelhunde]

I placed what will likely be my LAST order with NB last Sunday. Last night, I emailed customer service, asking what was up, as I am used to seeing orders shipped in two business days.

The response was: "We apologize for the delay! The warehouse has been very busy of late, and we are running a ways behind where we want to be on the grain-room orders. Those are the most labor-intensive, and they need to be made to order, of course. We're all working hard to get caught back up, and get everyone's orders out the door! We'll have this shipped for you soon, but it will be a bit longer before it ships. We hope this will not cause any major inconvenience."

At about 9:30 this morning, I responded to that email telling them, you know what, let's just go ahead and cancel the order, as I need to brew mid to late next week. By the end of the day today, I have heard nothing from them. That is totally not acceptable to me. I am NOT going to conduct business via email and have to wait a day to get a response. They have no phone number listed to call and talk to a human being.

This is the way customer service is trending in today's mega-corporate business climate, the bean counters gotta squeeze every single penney out of the business.....at the expense of quality of product/service.

BTW. Ordered from morebeer tonight, and with the free(slow) shipping, it is supposed to be here next Wednesday, in time for me to keep my date with my Brewzilla.

YMMV

Lon

 

[camonick]

I placed what will likely be my LAST order with NB last Sunday. Last night, I emailed customer service, asking what was up, as I am used to seeing orders shipped in two business days.

The response was: "We apologize for the delay! The warehouse has been very busy of late, and we are running a ways behind where we want to be on the grain-room orders. Those are the most labor-intensive, and they need to be made to order, of course. We're all working hard to get caught back up, and get everyone's orders out the door! We'll have this shipped for you soon, but it will be a bit longer before it ships. We hope this will not cause any major inconvenience."

At about 9:30 this morning, I responded to that email telling them, you know what, let's just go ahead and cancel the order, as I need to brew mid to late next week. By the end of the day today, I have heard nothing from them. That is totally not acceptable to me. I am NOT going to conduct business via email and have to wait a day to get a response. They have no phone number listed to call and talk to a human being.

This is the way customer service is trending in today's mega-corporate business climate, the bean counters gotta squeeze every single penney out of the business.....at the expense of quality of product/service.

BTW. Ordered from morebeer tonight, and with the free(slow) shipping, it is supposed to be here next Wednesday, in time for me to keep my date with my Brewzilla.

YMMV

Lon

I’ve always had good luck with MoreBeer. They had some issues at the height of Covid but were still good considering. I order a lot from Atlantic Brew Supply too and my orders are usually processed the same day or the next depending on when I place the order. I most recently ordered some ingredients from SoCo Homebrew in Austin (recommended by @ThirstyPawsHB) and they had my order to my door in Colorado in 3 days. I’ve only ever dealt with NB twice and don’t remember it taking too long, but that was quite a while ago.

 

[ThirstyPawsHB]

@Teufelhunde

I've never gotten anything in less than 8days from NB to Austin. Blessing having great guys, SoCo Homebrew, only 10miles away.

 

[Teufelhunde]

@Teufelhunde

I've never gotten anything in less than 8days from NB to Austin. Blessing having great guys, SoCo Homebrew, only 10miles away.

My closest LHBS is 70 miles........

 

[Draft Master Flash]

Have not had a good experience with NB. Always an excuse for everything! Slow shipping times, high prices and just no longer worth the trouble. I use Ritebrew when able but the shipping can be a little high at times. MoreBeer is my main source, a great no nonsense company that always comes through. I would also highly recommend SoCo Homebrew, a good little outfit that has some really good all grain recipe kits and very reasonable prices.. AIH was once very good but appears to have become Northern Brewerized and has been deleted off my online shopping list.

DMF

 

[yaakov]

Have not had a good experience with NB. Always an excuse for everything! Slow shipping times, high prices and just no longer worth the trouble. I use Ritebrew when able but the shipping can be a little high at times. MoreBeer is my main source, a great no nonsense company that always comes through. I would also highly recommend SoCo Homebrew, a good little outfit that has some really good all grain recipe kits and very reasonable prices.. AIH was once very good but appears to have become Northern Brewerized and has been deleted off my online shopping list.

DMF

MoreBeer is awesome…they always come through and have really nice variety of kits. Deltabrewingsupply is on my premier large bulk order list. NB is too spendy now snd AIH has become undesirable, where at one time it was really good. Did AIH sell out to somebody else?

 

[camonick]

Did AIH sell out to somebody else?

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/thread...homebrew-and-or-adventures-in-brewing.697139/

 

[Teufelhunde]

I placed what will likely be my LAST order with NB last Sunday. Last night, I emailed customer service, asking what was up, as I am used to seeing orders shipped in two business days.

The response was: "We apologize for the delay! The warehouse has been very busy of late, and we are running a ways behind where we want to be on the grain-room orders. Those are the most labor-intensive, and they need to be made to order, of course. We're all working hard to get caught back up, and get everyone's orders out the door! We'll have this shipped for you soon, but it will be a bit longer before it ships. We hope this will not cause any major inconvenience."

At about 9:30 this morning, I responded to that email telling them, you know what, let's just go ahead and cancel the order, as I need to brew mid to late next week. By the end of the day today, I have heard nothing from them. That is totally not acceptable to me. I am NOT going to conduct business via email and have to wait a day to get a response. They have no phone number listed to call and talk to a human being.

This is the way customer service is trending in today's mega-corporate business climate, the bean counters gotta squeeze every single penney out of the business.....at the expense of quality of product/service.

BTW. Ordered from morebeer tonight, and with the free(slow) shipping, it is supposed to be here next Wednesday, in time for me to keep my date with my Brewzilla.

YMMV

Lon

I thought I would come back and update this post. To their credit, they did cancel the order and issue refund to my PayPal. Downside it that it took two days to get it done (on a Sunday, no less).

Edit: Just made the exact same order(including malt houses, so a total oranges to oranges comparison) from Morebeer, and it will be here Thursday (would have been Wednesday, but one of the grains was not in stock in the CA warehouse, so is coming from NJ). Oh yeah....9 dollars less on a roughly $100 order.....

Lon

 

[BongoYodeler]

I would add Williams to the list. As long as its in stock I generally receive my order within 2-3 days. *Note, I'm only 4-5 hours away though.