Northern Brewer closed?

[Sauls]

Anyone hear anything about why these guys being MIA? Place an order last week and no updates. All phones numbers I found either are wrong, only play a message, or just auto hang up. Bit irritating as they’ve been my online go to for years. Even the retail locations aren’t answering the phone.

Instagram account peeps responded that everything is up and running, just a bit backed up. Time will tell

 

[pvtpublic]

Try morebeer.com, Northern brewer and Midwest supplies are owned by InBev

 

[BongoYodeler]

Try morebeer.com, Northern brewer and Midwest supplies are owned by InBev

Not any more.

 

[GuldTuborg]

They've been having some staffing issues. My last order was delayed in getting shipped, but they sent me a code for $10 off my next order. Not bad.

My only beef was the lack of communication. If you have staffing issues, I get it, but give people a reasonable estimate of when stuff will arrive, or at least a heads up that it may be later than usual.

 

[Sauls]

They've been having some staffing issues. My last order was delayed in getting shipped, but they sent me a code for $10 off my next order. Not bad.

My only beef was the lack of communication. If you have staffing issues, I get it, but give people a reasonable estimate of when stuff will arrive, or at least a heads up that it may be later than usual.

Agreed, a heads up would have very beneficial. Appreciate your response.

 

[Yesfan]

They've been having some staffing issues. My last order was delayed in getting shipped, but they sent me a code for $10 off my next order. Not bad.

My only beef was the lack of communication. If you have staffing issues, I get it, but give people a reasonable estimate of when stuff will arrive, or at least a heads up that it may be later than usual.

Same for me. I placed an order on 6/28, hoping to have some ingredients to brew around the 4th. I hadn't heard anything, so I emailed them on 7/5 to which they replied back the next day saying they were just getting around to shipping orders that were placed on 6/20 due to staffing issues.

No big deal. I get it, but that could have been communicated earlier imo.

 

[pvtpublic]

Not any more.

I stand corrected.
I looked up, and to my surprise, my ceiling and roof are made of stone.

 

[Steveruch]

If "staffing shortages" keep up they'll lose a lot of business which will solve their problem.

 

[matt_m]

Maybe they shouldn't have fired the staff at AIH and AHS.

 

[wepeeler]

They've been having some staffing issues. My last order was delayed in getting shipped, but they sent me a code for $10 off my next order. Not bad.

My only beef was the lack of communication. If you have staffing issues, I get it, but give people a reasonable estimate of when stuff will arrive, or at least a heads up that it may be later than usual.

Same for me. I placed an order on 6/28, hoping to have some ingredients to brew around the 4th. I hadn't heard anything, so I emailed them on 7/5 to which they replied back the next day saying they were just getting around to shipping orders that were placed on 6/20 due to staffing issues.

No big deal. I get it, but that could have been communicated earlier imo.

Same for my last 2 orders. I send them texts just requesting an update and both times I got "staffing issues and warehouse issues". Apparently the warehouse was backed up almost 2 weeks, so they are playing catch up. I Tweeted them as well. All I asked was for a head's up for the delay. Hard to plan a brew day...

 

[RCope]

I, too, had an order from June 19, that was "unfulfilled" for three weeks. I e-mailed them and got the same response that you guys did. I eventually cancelled the order...life's too short. Maybe I'll try them again when they get their **** together. Cheers!

 

[kartracer2]

Maybe they shouldn't have fired the staff at AIH and AHS.

They probably wouldn't have moved to Mpls. even if they didn't.

My only beef was the lack of communication. If you have staffing issues, I get it

Yeah this. I'm used to a 3 day order to open the box from NB/MS. After the AIH acquisition things went south. My last order was 10 working days and that was after I made a couple of emails just wondering (and maybe a little prodding LOL) what was up. For me they will lose a big advantage they have if they don't get back to that 3 day deal to my door.
I hope they get back on track, I'm a bit spoiled I guess. From now on I'm going to check the back log first, there are other places to order from if I'm in a big hurry.
I've said in another like thread that I think something went wrong that they didn't foresee in the buyout. Hard to say what it might be, I can see moving all the inventory, product additions and blending the computer systems is bound to cause a glitch or two. Regardless I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt for the time being. They will get it fixed, they can't afford not to.
Just my 0.02 worth.
Cheers,
Joel B.

 

[Sauls]

They probably wouldn't have moved to Mpls. even if they didn't.

Yeah this. I'm used to a 3 day order to open the box from NB/MS. After the AIH acquisition things went south. My last order was 10 working days and that was after I made a couple of emails just wondering (and maybe a little prodding LOL) what was up. For me they will lose a big advantage they have if they don't get back to that 3 day deal to my door.
I hope they get back on track, I'm a bit spoiled I guess. From now on I'm going to check the back log first, there are other places to order from if I'm in a big hurry.
I've said in another like thread that I think something went wrong that they didn't foresee in the buyout. Hard to say what it might be, I can see moving all the inventory, product additions and blending the computer systems is bound to cause a glitch or two. Regardless I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt for the time being. They will get it fixed, they can't afford not to.
Just my 0.02 worth.
Cheers,
Joel B.

Still nothing today on the 12th. Ordered the 30th, but I’ll give a few days for the 4th of July weekend. Opened a case with PayPal for a refund. Hate doing that to companies I’ve supported for years but life happens, and being a grumpy old man I want my supplies. Not like I’m ordering rocket parts. A simple email with relax would have done justice. But no comment just plain sucks.

 

[kartracer2]

and being a grumpy old man I want my supplies.

This made me LOL!. Some folks might say relax, ya got nothing else to do right? Right. that's why I would like my beer making stuff, I got nothing else to do!!

Cheers,
Joel B.

 

[Bobby_M]

Still nothing today on the 12th. Ordered the 30th, but I’ll give a few days for the 4th of July weekend. Opened a case with PayPal for a refund. Hate doing that to companies I’ve supported for years but life happens, and being a grumpy old man I want my supplies. Not like I’m ordering rocket parts. A simple email with relax would have done justice. But no comment just plain sucks.

I've been in a similar situation with my business over the past 11 years probably 3 times. Some product just blows up and people talk it up and before you know it you're dragging your wife and inlaws in to help pick up the slack. The problem is that new people are barely any help and sometimes slows you down in the near term. The other problem is that it takes twice as long to tell everyone that you're running behind and you rationalize that every second is best spent being productive. I determined the best course of action is to shut ordering down for a day or two at a time to catch up. It's the honest thing to do.

 

[MajorJC]

You may want to try the "text us" feature. I've had good luck with that when contacting Midwest Supplies. Here is a screen cap of the last text I sent to Midwest. My order in question is supposed to be delivered today (Wednesday) according to UPS.
If I'm not mistaken all Northern Brewer and Midwest Supplies orders are shipping from the same warehouse, along with all the Austin Homebrew and Adventures in Homebrewing orders now. That's got to be one busy place.

 

[CharlaineC]

I just got one of their brewers in a box from them via amazon. it was missing quite a few things as most of them were small but enough to backlog my first brew since the fires. Messaged them via amazon (total hassle but not their fault) and they say they would be shipping the missing items out asap.

 

[Sauls]

You may want to try the "text us" feature. I've had good luck with that when contacting Midwest Supplies. Here is a screen cap of the last text I sent to Midwest. My order in question is supposed to be delivered today (Wednesday) according to UPS.
If I'm not mistaken all Northern Brewer and Midwest Supplies orders are shipping from the same warehouse, along with all the Austin Homebrew and Adventures in Homebrewing orders now. That's got to be one busy place.

View attachment 774754

View attachment 774755

I initially did send a text, and received nothing back. Then I tried calling that number and it goes to a completely different company. Still waiting....

 

[madscientist451]

Perhaps skip NB and try one of the suppliers that is a HBT sponsor....

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forums/homebrewtalk-sponsor-directory.291/
Edit: Just checked my Email and NB is offering %15 off almost everything, so I guess the 2 week-3 week backorders will get longer?

 

[Steveruch]

Perhaps skip NB and try one of the suppliers that is a HBT sponsor....

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forums/homebrewtalk-sponsor-directory.291/
Edit: Just checked my Email and NB is offering %15 off almost everything, so I guess the 2 week-3 week backorders will get longer?

Seems like a bad move at this time.

 

[MajorJC]

I initially did send a text, and received nothing back.

Did you get the "auto-reply" text back? Is it possible you texted the wrong phone number? I tested the "text us" number myself today and I instantly got back an auto-reply text and then they answered my question about six hours later. See photo.

 

[Sauls]

Case closed. Emailed again asking for an update with the option of please update, or give me a refund. Refund landed in my account with an email stating nationwide delays. Would have rather had my order, or an “your order is delayed” weeks ago, but I guess it is what it is.

 

[Yooper]

I've been ordering from Ritebrew.com for a long time since my favorites had shuttered their doors. He ships by the next day (sometimes same day) and it's very reasonable shipping and the best prices around. It's not far from me (it's in Wisconsin) so I get the fedex box really quick as well.

I like that he's small (maybe a 1 man show?) and I've never been missing a single thing..

 

[mjdonnelly68]

Moved from Northern Brewer to MoreBeer after the BrewingTV debacle (yeah, I'm old and still bitter). Thought I'd give them a try again as they had a specific grain I was looking for that MoreBeer did not carry. Placed orders with both NB and MB on July 7th. Had my MB order in hand on July 11th. Still waiting for my NB order - as of today it hasn't even been picked yet let alone shipped. Reached out to them and received a similar message about staffing issues and a backlog. Told me on July 18th that there were currently working on orders placed June 24th. Ouch. Doesn't help to go online and see a "Christmas in July" sale while they can't even fufill orders from June yet. I agree with Bobby, they should communicate the correct expectation to customers when they are ordering and slow sales down a bit until they can catch up. Very poor customer service.

 

[odie]

my question is how big are these home brew suppliers? I bet many are small operations or family run businesses. I doubt any are Amazonian scale.

a small business losing a single person can cause staffing issues until replaced. a large business losing a few people would not even be noticed most of the time.

 

[Steveruch]

I've been ordering from Ritebrew.com for a long time since my favorites had shuttered their doors. He ships by the next day (sometimes same day) and it's very reasonable shipping and the best prices around. It's not far from me (it's in Wisconsin) so I get the fedex box really quick as well.

I like that he's small (maybe a 1 man show?) and I've never been missing a single thing..

Ritebrew is one of my go-to shops. If you're an extract brewer their price is enough lower than anywhere else for the savings to cover the cost of shipping: $10.19 for three pounds of dme the last time I looked.

 

[Sauls]

Thanks guys! I’m going to try and support my local shop again, which has also been fairly wiped out lately - but If not, Ritebrew seems like my next go to as they actually list quantities on hand. Fascinating concept!

 

[JoeSpartaNJ]

I just looked into Ritebrew, the shipping was more than my grain bill.

I will stick with MoreBeer.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

For those who are geographically 'close' to Ritebrew, there is an option to use a regional deliver service (as well as FedEx). With this regional delivery service, Ritebrew has good products, competitive prices, and a good 'on time' delivery record.

 

[deadwolfbones]

I've been ordering from Ritebrew.com for a long time since my favorites had shuttered their doors. He ships by the next day (sometimes same day) and it's very reasonable shipping and the best prices around. It's not far from me (it's in Wisconsin) so I get the fedex box really quick as well.

I like that he's small (maybe a 1 man show?) and I've never been missing a single thing..

Unfortunately their shipping gets exponentially more expensive the further you get from HQ.

 

[tracer bullet]

I'm a Ritebrew fan as well, but I'm in MN. Spee-Dee is literally overnight almost always, even for the "normal" cost, it's great.

Dry yeast is very cheap there too.

 

[balrog]

I'll get 3 batches worth at a time from Ritebrew to alleviate shipping cost (I'm in MA) per batch and it is still *WAY* cheaper than driving an hour to the closest local, way overpriced, homebrew store. I cannot say enough great things about Ritebrew.

 

[SaisonMan]

I ordered from Northern Brewer nine days ago, and aside from a "Thank You for Your Order'' email that day, I haven't heard a word from them. They've even stopped sending me offers on their products, which is something they did every other day or so. I understand that they have a manpower shortage. But no update? Come on. I will reach out to them, but I shouldn't have to.

 

[tracer bullet]

I ordered some extra BMB lids and it was about 1.5 weeks or so for them to get shipped. Funny thing is the warehouse is perhaps 5 miles from me, and my neighbor works there, but gotta wait for it to come by UPS.

 

[Deadalus]

I've been in a similar situation with my business over the past 11 years probably 3 times. Some product just blows up and people talk it up and before you know it you're dragging your wife and inlaws in to help pick up the slack. The problem is that new people are barely any help and sometimes slows you down in the near term. The other problem is that it takes twice as long to tell everyone that you're running behind and you rationalize that every second is best spent being productive. I determined the best course of action is to shut ordering down for a day or two at a time to catch up. It's the honest thing to do.

Just wanted to say I happened to have ordered from you the very next day after you posted this. I got the notification that it was shipped 10 minutes after confirmation. I was like, there's no f***ing way he picked that order already but I figured it was a placeholder and you actually say something like that at your site-you've notified the carrier to expect it I think. I had over a dozen items on the order but it did physically ship a couple hours later and it was at my house two days later (lowest $ shipping). I happened to have ordered at the same time from a competitor (sorry, clearance), the order was just enough to cover shipping, but it took five days (including Sunday but it was Fedex).

Shoutout to brewhardware.com, the shipping was quick and the prices on the order were excellent. Screw Northern Brewer, AIH, and AHS, their prices aren't usually very good either.

 

[Bobby_M]

Just wanted to say I happened to have ordered from you the very next day after you posted this. I got the notification that it was shipped 10 minutes after confirmation. I was like, there's no f***ing way he picked that order already but I figured it was a placeholder and you actually say something like that at your site-you've notified the carrier to expect it I think. I had over a dozen items on the order but it did physically ship a couple hours later and it was at my house two days later (lowest $ shipping). I happened to have ordered at the same time from a competitor (sorry, clearance), the order was just enough to cover shipping, but it took five days (including Sunday but it was Fedex).

Shoutout to brewhardware.com, the shipping was quick and the prices on the order were excellent. Screw Northern Brewer, AIH, and AHS, their prices aren't usually very good either.

Thanks. There are a few days a week where I have max staff and someone is pretty much stationed at a computer checking for new orders like every 15 minutes. On minimum staff days, it may take a few hours or another day.

 

[mjdonnelly68]

Moved from Northern Brewer to MoreBeer after the BrewingTV debacle (yeah, I'm old and still bitter). Thought I'd give them a try again as they had a specific grain I was looking for that MoreBeer did not carry. Placed orders with both NB and MB on July 7th. Had my MB order in hand on July 11th. Still waiting for my NB order - as of today it hasn't even been picked yet let alone shipped. Reached out to them and received a similar message about staffing issues and a backlog. Told me on July 18th that there were currently working on orders placed June 24th. Ouch. Doesn't help to go online and see a "Christmas in July" sale while they can't even fufill orders from June yet. I agree with Bobby, they should communicate the correct expectation to customers when they are ordering and slow sales down a bit until they can catch up. Very poor customer service.

Just wanted to update that I did finally receive my order on July 26th. Wouldn't order from NB to brew next weekend. Might be ok to order from NB to brew next month.

 

[tracer bullet]

I'd say something about always going to the LHBS for that, but the silly thing is that NB / Midwest are my LHBS's.

 

[simbabrew]

I have ordered from William's Brewing for the last 20 years, never had a delayed shipment.

 

[RogerGrahl]

I've been ordering from Ritebrew.com for a long time since my favorites had shuttered their doors. He ships by the next day (sometimes same day) and it's very reasonable shipping and the best prices around. It's not far from me (it's in Wisconsin) so I get the fedex box really quick as well.

I like that he's small (maybe a 1 man show?) and I've never been missing a single thing..

Northern Brewer was my go to for years until their shipping got very bad. Weeks to receive an order just isn’t acceptable. I tried Ritebrew for the first time and my supplies arrived the next day. Plus I can order grain by the ounce. I hope Northern gets their act together, but I doubt I’ll ever go back.