Placed an order with Northern Brewer and my credit card was charged on 9/16/22. In the past they normally have shipped within 2-3 days of placing an order. No shipping notice after after several days so I checked with them asking the status of my order on 9/24/22. Their reply was they were short staffed and backed up - they would ship my order ASAP. No shipping status as of 9/30/22. Buyer beware.
Northern Brewer Shipping Delay
- Thread starter fellj
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D.B.Moody
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Welcome to HBT. I'm sorry about your experience with Northern Brewer. I've never ordered from them because their prices are high on the things I order. I quit ordering from Midwest when Northern Brewer bought them. They were sold to AB-InBev and then sold to a private investment group. Recently they bought Austin Homebrew and Adventures in Homebrewing. Apparently they are having trouble digesting all this and servicing it all from one place. There are several threads threads on recent troubles with these places. My advice is to find a new place to order stuff from.
Here are some possibles: Atlantic Brew Supply, Home Brew Ohio, Label Peelers, More Beer, Rite Brew, Williams Brewing. There are others and, depending upon where you live, a local shop my be good. Check the pricing and availability of what you want from some places other than Northern Brewer.
Here are some possibles: Atlantic Brew Supply, Home Brew Ohio, Label Peelers, More Beer, Rite Brew, Williams Brewing. There are others and, depending upon where you live, a local shop my be good. Check the pricing and availability of what you want from some places other than Northern Brewer.
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BrewnWKopperKat
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Not trying to resurrect an old thread, but my last order actually shipped almost as fast as they used to. They may be finally getting their act back together.
TheDannyMann
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Skeeter,
I'm actually seeing the same occurrence... A few weeks later...
Maybe it depends on the product, or size and type of order? I'm ordering some new gear and some goods.
I'm actually seeing the same occurrence... A few weeks later...
Maybe it depends on the product, or size and type of order? I'm ordering some new gear and some goods.
I've only placed the one order recently, so I can't vouch for consistently prompt shipping. Maybe shipping is related to how urgently you need something. There was no urgency for my last order, so maybe that's why it shipped promptly. 
BrewnWKopperKat
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I'm done with NB. Ordered Christmas brew kit on 11-08, it's now 11-22 and still waiting. Maybe I'll get my order before next x-mas. LOL
charoldson
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I placed an order with NB on 11/13 and it remains unfulfilled on 11/23.
Response from NB after an inquiry from me on the status of the order on 11/18:
"Thank you for the recent order. We have had some challenges with the current labor market and supply chains, which has lead to some delays. Your order was originally slotted to fulfill/ship on 11/17, but is currently back logged, by about 1-3 business days. We have brought on additional labor to help alleviate the back log."
5 days later it is still unfulfilled. I do believe I'll be cancelling this order and finding somewhere else to do business.
Response from NB after an inquiry from me on the status of the order on 11/18:
"Thank you for the recent order. We have had some challenges with the current labor market and supply chains, which has lead to some delays. Your order was originally slotted to fulfill/ship on 11/17, but is currently back logged, by about 1-3 business days. We have brought on additional labor to help alleviate the back log."
5 days later it is still unfulfilled. I do believe I'll be cancelling this order and finding somewhere else to do business.
Craiginthecorn
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I ordered a Pliny the Younger clone kit on November 23rd. Crickets since. I don't have a need to get the kit immediately, but they should communicate with me to let me know that my shipment will be delayed so that I can either stop wondering if they really have my order or cancel it and buy the ingredients elsewhere. I emailed customer service yesterday asking for a status and haven't received a reply. I like Northern Brewer. They stand behind their products and have a good selection, but their order fulfillment has been slow since the start of the pandemic. I imagine that the Black Friday sales have them swamped more than usual.
charoldson
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My order ended up shipping on 11/26, so 13 days from order date to fulfillment date. Definitely not what I'm used to with NB, but it is what it is.
I also ordered a kit (same one, I believe) on the 23rd. Just got shipping confirmation today. No communication since the order confirmation... no anticipated ship date or apologies about delays or anything until it finally shipped. Their website will states they generally ship within 3 days.
Whisky River
Well-Known Member
Lots of other people sharing their experiences with Northern Brewer in this thread…
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/northern-brewer-buyer-beware.703672/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/northern-brewer-buyer-beware.703672/
Craiginthecorn
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I finally received mine yesterday, 16 days after ordering. I had emailed customer service asking for a status/ETA and a few days later I received a shipping notification with the tracking number at 8:30 AM. At 8:31 AM, I received an email reply to my inquiry stating that it "appears" that my order had shipped. Wow. That was quite a coincidence!
Komodo
Well-Known Member
Same. Nothing for a week, I inquired and got a tracking number and an email saying “it appears this order has shipped”. Just got it and it was wrong. Flaked oats instead of Mecca Grade Opal 44. Temps are dropping fast (brewing outside), my harvested yeast is dropping in viability, upcoming surgery and holidays means this brew may not happen now.
I’ve made two orders with them recently with no issues. For the one that’s arriving this week, I got the shipment notification that evening after making the order.
I ordered a kit. It shipped after two weeks. However, when I received it, the kit seemed light, so I weighed the grains and they were about 6 pounds short of what the kit was supposed to include.
I emailed them and they sent out a new bag of grains promptly. So they addressed the issue and quickly corrected it. I now have a bag of grains that I can use for something else (although I'm not positive what the original grains actually are).
I give them credit for promptly correcting this, but if I had been planning to brew soon or if I hadn't bothered to weigh the grains, it would've been a bigger problem for me. They've lost my confidence.
I emailed them and they sent out a new bag of grains promptly. So they addressed the issue and quickly corrected it. I now have a bag of grains that I can use for something else (although I'm not positive what the original grains actually are).
I give them credit for promptly correcting this, but if I had been planning to brew soon or if I hadn't bothered to weigh the grains, it would've been a bigger problem for me. They've lost my confidence.
I forgot to post this until the Morebeer thread reminded me.
One of my previously mentioned orders was supposed to include 10lbs of crushed Vienna malt. I hadn’t looked at it until brew day (Sunday). The grain was clearly not crushed. Thankfully I had grabbed a used grain mill last week.
I sent pics to Northern Brewer’s customer service on Sunday. Monday morning they responded and immediately offered to re-ship me 10lbs of crushed Vienna. It’s supposed to arrive tomorrow.
I told the rep that I was going to mill it myself. He said they would still ship me what I originally ordered because of the mistake. I was impressed. I will definitely order from them again after this experience.
One of my previously mentioned orders was supposed to include 10lbs of crushed Vienna malt. I hadn’t looked at it until brew day (Sunday). The grain was clearly not crushed. Thankfully I had grabbed a used grain mill last week.
I sent pics to Northern Brewer’s customer service on Sunday. Monday morning they responded and immediately offered to re-ship me 10lbs of crushed Vienna. It’s supposed to arrive tomorrow.
I told the rep that I was going to mill it myself. He said they would still ship me what I originally ordered because of the mistake. I was impressed. I will definitely order from them again after this experience.
Yeah, I can't fault how they addressed my issue. They made it right, and I plan to make an IPA with the first grain shipment.
I'll still order from them... for one thing, I've never been disappointed by one of their kits. But I'm now aware that I shouldn't expect prompt shipment and that I need to scrutinize what I receive.
