Northern Brewer

[treacheroustexan]

Glad I found this thread. I was coming to ask if anyone had any issues with NB. I placed my first order with NB on 3/17. Clicked the flat rate with a delivery between 3/23 and 3/25. All good, be here by Friday to brew this weekend. Got an email on 3/18 saying yadda yadda we are working on getting your order ready, and that it "will arrive as promised between 3/23/16 and 3/25/16." They haven't sent a shipping notification so obviously I'm not getting it tomorrow, again, just want it by the weekend. But when I login to my NB account it's not even listed in my orders. It just says no orders. I have an order number and everything. It better be here by Friday or I'll be pissed.

I have this happen every time. If you get a shipping notification sometime today, it should only take a day or two to arrive. The shipping is super quick, but all of the processing and what not up until they actually ship it takes forever. You'll be fine, it's only the 22nd. Not trying to be rude whatsoever, but can you really complain if you didn't get it until the 25th since that's the shipping option you chose?

 

[Trippel-A]

I noticed the other night that my order history has also disappeared. All of it. I suspect a web software change. A little warning posted up on the page would be nice, though, if that's the case.

 

[TravelingLight]

I have this happen every time. If you get a shipping notification sometime today, it should only take a day or two to arrive. The shipping is super quick, but all of the processing and what not up until they actually ship it takes forever. You'll be fine, it's only the 22nd. Not trying to be rude whatsoever, but can you really complain if you didn't get it until the 25th since that's the shipping option you chose?

I got the shipping notification tonight. I wasn't complaining about the fact that I hadn't received it yet. I was more worried that my order history was empty.

 

[chisena]

My history seems to be back now. Must have been a website issue. Their site is usually very good.

 

[glenn514]

I placed an order with Northern yesterday for four extract kits. I received an email early this morning that my order has shipped and will be delivered on Monday! And this was with flat-rate shipping! I certainly can't ask for better service...unless they begin to read my mind and ship ingredients for a brew before I order it!

glenn514

 

[chisena]

Another order last week took four days to receive a shipped notification. Frankly it's not a big deal for me but I'll repeat myself, it's just different than the super fast service I used to receive. I'm really am not trying to make any specific point... Just stating my experience over the years.

 

[NothingRhymesWithCurtiss]

My experience with Northern Brewer:

• Products - The beer kits that I ordered from them were all solid. A few of them I will definitely be reordered (The St Paul Porter was outstanding!) I've ordered kits from a few other places and the kits were kinda meh. The Dark Star 2.0 Burner and 8 Gallon Tall Boy Kettle that I bought are great. Definitely worth the price and just as good, if not better than, similar models in the same price range.
  
• Shipping - Everything that I ordered from them was shipped within 2 day of placing the order and opting for Flat Rate shipping.
  
• Service - Outstanding! I brewed the Surly Bitter Brewer partial-mash kit and it did not turn out good. In fact, it sucked! I dumped all of the bottles. I called them, not to complain, but to see what I did wrong and get some advice, and after walking through my process with them, THEY apologized and offered to ship me a new kit for free. When I told them it wasn't necessary and that clearly I did something wrong, they told me, "Well, it's too late, because I've already pushed through the order and it's shipping out today." I couldn't believe it. In addition, my wife ordered a few kits off of Amazon as gifts for me and didn't use my account to keep it a surprise and they sent a 20% of coupon. Score!

Overall, I've been very happy with NB as a whole, the only company that rivals them for me is Adventures in Homebrewing. (But maybe I'm partial to them because they're in my home state.)

 

[treacheroustexan]

Drinking the grapefruit pulpin now and once I finish this keg, I will keg their bavarian hefe kit that I brewed a few weeks ago. Love this store.

 

[Brownalemikie]

So far I've been very pleased with NB's service and products. Another thing I really like about their website is the "My Brew List" feature. This feature allows you to keep a running list of items you order frequently which saves you time from having to search the website each time you order.

 

[Brownalemikie]

Just got an email from NB offering a 10% site wide sale with free shipping on orders over $49. Needless to say....I just ordered a bunch of brewing stuff. Btw, this sale lasts 48 hours.

http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=a9ef49771840ebbeef7dde779&id=2b5b420064&e=366f7eab32

 

[Trippel-A]

I have to say, I've been pretty impressed by their recipes. I would have called their Synchronicity Wheaten Saison a white IPA with saison yeast. But whatever. It was delicious either way, despite my doubts.

 

[gtibrews2]

great company...very knowledgeable

 

[Brownalemikie]

FWIW, NB is currently having a "site wide 20% off sale" for the next 20 hours. I just saved about $20.

 

[Yeastieboy]

Just picked up a 50 lb. sack of 2-row! 15% off until midnight!

 

[tzaccario]

I love NB for their customer service, and wide selection.. but their shipping can be a bit slow compared to what I am used to for my area. My last order took just under 2 weeks from order to delivery.

9/6 ordered my extract kit
9/13 received confirmation it has shipped
9/19 received at my door

 

[arnobg]

I love NB for their customer service, and wide selection.. but their shipping can be a bit slow compared to what I am used to for my area. My last order took just under 2 weeks from order to delivery.

9/6 ordered my extract kit
9/13 received confirmation it has shipped
9/19 received at my door

I agree, threw me off at first too. But if you look a what their flat rate shipping is named " I can wait" Flat rate shipping and says "The extra time we take to process “I Can Wait” Flat Rate allows us to provide a low cost option for those who do not have a specific brew day scheduled."

So it should be expected to take a while, otherwise you'd pay for a faster shipping option.

 

[the_bird]

Well, what I'm a little annoyed by is paying extra to have it delivered by Friday (brew day on Saturday), but the order didn't get out until yesterday and isn't scheduled for delivery until Monday. Hoping that the order gets here early.

 

[hezagenius]

Their shipping seems to have gotten slower over time. I live 1 state away and would normally get my order the next day even if I picked the cheaper shipping option. I put in an order on Monday for 4 small items figuring worst case scenario, I get it Thursday or Friday. It hasn't even shipped yet. So much for brewing this weekend. The "I can wait" option is definitely that. I remember when it used to be called Flat Shipping. So they basically changed the name, extended the time it takes to get your stuff and didn't drop the price.

 

[the_bird]

Being slow isn't the problem; it's saying "need this by Friday? Pay this amount!" and then not being able to follow through.

 

[chuckcomm]

Being slow isn't the problem; it's saying "need this by Friday? Pay this amount!" and then not being able to follow through.

I would give them a call. I once forgot to add yeast to an order called them up and they shipped it out that day at half the flat rate. I though that was decent of them and Im sure they will take care of you. Sucks you missed your brew day though.

 

[the_bird]

Oh, trust me, if I don't get lucky and have the UPS box show up early, I'll be bitching plenty. I'll be fine to brew because, despite all appearances, PaulTheNurse is a nice guy and is making a trip to his local shop for me. But it's annoying as balls.

 

[the_bird]

... uh, I'm a little confused as to why UPS says my package is 7.7 pounds, when I ordered thirteen pounds of grain (and a pound of hops, among other things)....

 

[treacheroustexan]

... uh, I'm a little confused as to why UPS says my package is 7.7 pounds, when I ordered thirteen pounds of grain (and a pound of hops, among other things)....

Oh gosh. Maybe multiple boxes? Not sure.

 

[the_bird]

The phrase "ten pounds of sh!t in a five-pound sack" comes to mind.

 

[Yeastieboy]

... uh, I'm a little confused as to why UPS says my package is 7.7 pounds, when I ordered thirteen pounds of grain (and a pound of hops, among other things)....

My orders always say they weigh less than they actually do. They are running a racket on UPS.

 

[NothingRhymesWithCurtiss]

The last 2 times I ordered from NB and used the "I can wait" option, my orders came after the estimated delivery date. And both times I received a $10 credit. A very solid "make good" from them if you ask me.

Here's to hoping that it doesn't happen a third time, because I've got a camping/brewing trip with my HBC next Saturday, and the delivery date is 2 days before.

 

[NervousDad]

I used the can wait option on my order last week and it took 13 days to get to me. First off $7.99 is NOT that cheap of a deal for shipping. Most sites offer free shipping for orders of X dollars. If I order from Morebeer or AIH I get my items in one day.

I'm done with Norther brewer. Overpriced, over hyped junk... I only used them because I had a gift certificate that I won.

 

[treacheroustexan]

I used the can wait option on my order last week and it took 13 days to get to me. Firs off $7.99 is NOT that cheap of a deal for shipping. Most sites offer free shipping for orders of X dollars. If I order from Morebeer or AIH I get my items in one day.

I'm done with Norther brewer. Overpriced, over hyped junk... I only used them because I had a gift certificate that I won.

Love Morebeer. I recently ordered from them, got my item next day. Had some defects with the product I ordered, and they made things right instantly. Hard to shop at northern brewer when people offer service and shipping like morebeer! Also got my grainfather from them.. free shipping and it was at my door step within 24 hrs.

 

[mongoose33]

I used the can wait option on my order last week and it took 13 days to get to me. Firs off $7.99 is NOT that cheap of a deal for shipping. Most sites offer free shipping for orders of X dollars. If I order from Morebeer or AIH I get my items in one day.

I'm done with Norther brewer. Overpriced, over hyped junk... I only used them because I had a gift certificate that I won.

Not sure that's fair, though if that's what you believe, that's what you believe.

Flat rate means same cost for as much as you want shipped (with a few exceptions). If you're buying one small item it's not a deal, but then, that's known up front.

Places that include shipping in the prices ultimately are making it up somewhere. No such thing as "free."

My experience with NB has been excellent. I visited their store in Milwaukee this summer and was struck by both how helpful their staff was, but there was no sales pressure of any kind. Perfect.

If the price/performance level doesn't work, it doesn't work. I don't buy everything from NB, but they have been unfailingly helpful in chats and in person. And if you're careful watching their specials, you can save a lot of money. They just had a bigmouthbubbler w/ spigot on special; buy $150 and get one free. That BMB is a $40 item. (I have three). Almost bought another, but couldn't justify another $150 of other stuff.

I took a chance w/ the CHI company late last week, hoping I'd get an MFL bulkhead adapter in time for the weekend. Well, they didn't get it out same-day, even though I ordered early enough for that to happen. It supposed to arrive today (tracking number), but what I should have done is asked them about shipping delays. They didn't promise anything in particular, and I didn't check. My bad. That said, I'm still getting it 4 days after ordering.

 

[Paps]

This is only "heresay" but there was a post on HBT here last night claiming that AB/IN BEV had aquired Northern Brewer.
The poster was hoping that it wasn't true.
I allready boycott NB but IF it IS actually true then....
One more reason NOT to buy from them.

 

[Brownalemikie]

This is only "heresay" but there was a post on HBT here last night claiming that AB/IN BEV had aquired Northern Brewer.
The poster was hoping that it wasn't true.
I allready boycott NB but IF it IS actually true then....
One more reason NOT to buy from them.

The above post is worthless without proof. About 2 months ago I ordered about $100 worth of stuff online. Then a few hours later I noticed I forgot to order yeast so I called to see if I could still add yeast to my order. The nice young lady said sure. When my order arrived, sure enough the yeast was in the box, but I was never charged $8.99 for yeast. Myself, I'll keep buying from NB. Their service department is excellent. JMO

 

[Paps]

The above post is worthless without proof. JMO

You must have missed the part where i said that it was "Heresay"
That means that it is not verified and i acknowledge this.
I don't particularly believe it myself and just consider it a "rumor"
however some rumors are indeed true.
I'm not saying that this one is or isn't.

However it doesn't matter to me as i boycott Northern Brewer anyways.
You choose who you buy from and i choose who i buy from.
That's that.

 

[Brownalemikie]

You choose who you buy from and i choose who i buy from.
That's that.

Yep, you got that part right.....and yes, I'll continue buying from NB. Btw, why would you mention "heresay" other than the fact that you are boycotting them? If you can't prove it....then it isn't true. JMO

 

[Yeastieboy]

I am surprised at the NB hatred. I use them for some things and not others. Just got a bunch of 2-row for $0.74/lb. They are often running 15-20% deals that end up amounting to free shipping, if that's how you choose to think about it. At that point it's often cheaper than my LHBS. Just depends what and when I'm buying. I also use my LHBS, Morebeer, and Homebrew Supply for certain things depending on specials.

 

[Singletrack]

I like both NB and MoreBeer. (In case someone is trying to keep score.) Beer companies are the best!

 

[Paps]

If you can't prove it....then it isn't true.

I can't prove that the Earth revolves around the sun.....guess that isn't true then. (if i knew the emoji for "eyeroll", it would go here)

 

[Paps]

I am surprised at the NB hatred.

I don't "hate" them, supposedly customer service is their strongpoint .
HOWEVER, they have had what i feel to be unethical business practices so i choose not to give them my business. What practices you may ask?

1 - a few 3 or 4 years back they got their computers hacked and a large amount of their customers credit information was compromised. They didn't inform the public or their customers about it. They got called out on it on forums and months later after enough people were complaining about it, they then fessed up to it.

2 - the original Big Mouth Bubbler. Its glass version was paper thin and was putting homebrewers in the hospital with serious injuries.(look at the glass carboy horror story thread) People were posting here and calling/mailing NB saying things like "Hey, your product is dangerous. Stop selling it." To which they basically ignored it. I warned an owner of a homebrew shop in Arkansas about them and a few trips to his shop later he tells me that they called his store trying to unload them on him.
Thankfully sinse he was warned he did not put them on his shelves endangering brewers.

3 - the NEW and improved Big Mouth Bubbler....
NOW WITH 15% THICKER GLASS!!!!!
Imho 15% more of paper thin is still too thin.
Too little, too late. i won't buy one and you couldn't give me one for free even. At least they came to terms with the fact that the original was dangerously thin.

Any one of these reasons is enough for me to stop giving business to a company. Which is exactly what i did.

I'm not saying that they are evil and hopefully it's not even the same people anymore but i've other reasons not to buy from them but that has much more to do with me "supporting local business" than anything NB has or hasn't done.

I hope that clarifies my view for you....not hate.
Just my perogotive.

 

[Brownalemikie]

I don't "hate" them, supposedly customer service is their strongpoint .
HOWEVER, they have had what i feel to be unethical business practices so i choose not to give them my business. What practices you may ask?

1 - a few 3 or 4 years back they got their computers hacked and a large amount of their customers credit information was compromised. They didn't inform the public or their customers about it. They got called out on it on forums and months later after enough people were complaining about it, they then fessed up to it.

2 - the original Big Mouth Bubbler. Its glass version was paper thin and was putting homebrewers in the hospital with serious injuries.(look at the glass carboy horror story thread) People were posting here and calling/mailing NB saying things like "Hey, your product is dangerous. Stop selling it." To which they basically ignored it. I warned an owner of a homebrew shop in Arkansas about them and a few trips to his shop later he tells me that they called his store trying to unload them on him.
Thankfully sinse he was warned he did not put them on his shelves endangering brewers.

3 - the NEW and improved Big Mouth Bubbler....
NOW WITH 15% THICKER GLASS!!!!!
Imho 15% more of paper thin is still too thin.
Too little, too late. i won't buy one and you couldn't give me one for free even. At least they came to terms with the fact that the original was dangerously thin.

Any one of these reasons is enough for me to stop giving business to a company. Which is exactly what i did.

I'm not saying that they are evil and hopefully it's not even the same people anymore but i've other reasons not to buy from them but that has much more to do with me "supporting local business" than anything NB has or hasn't done.

I hope that clarifies my view for you....not hate.
Just my perogotive.

No worries......I'm sure Northern Brewers will do just fine without your business. As far as getting hacked, Home Depot and Target Stores have also been hacked. I still shop at both places.

 

[Paps]

That's nice....keep up the good work buddy!!!
TWO thumbs up!!

 

[Brownalemikie]

That's nice....keep up the good work buddy!!!
TWO thumbs up!!

You betcha.....