Northern Brewer

[badhabit]

I don't like that they ignore your order for four days before shipping it, but free shipping is worth it cuz they already have good prices.

I waited almost a month for them to start re-stocking their brown malt which they said they had but had just not bagged up every time that I called. Then over a week to get the order without the brown malt....but the price is right and as long as the free shipping over $59 stays in place I'll bet that they will get my business.

 

[AmandaK]

Wow... Definitely some string opinions here. Rightfully so when discussing money I suppose but as one member reported, we're only talking a few dollars. Worth it to me to support a company like NB that offers so much more than product. I support them for other things like their educational videos, customer service, extensive product selection and guys like Dawson and Keeler from Brewing TV that do so much more for the home brewing community.

EXACTLY.

And since we're arguing over a couple of dollars, was I the only one to actually SAVE MONEY with their new pricing structure??

I'll allow it. :rockin:

 

[NervousDad]

I go to my LHBS. They've always got 5 beers on tap, a wine tasting bar, and sell sacks of grain at their cost. The owners are builder-types, and there's always a cool brew rig or a customized brew pot for sale. Nothing against NB or the other great online outfits tho.....I just like supporting the homeboys.

Weakknee?i love that place.

 

[JDoubleDuBB]

Before you do a bit of flamin'... check out the lower prices across the entire store. Briess 2-row is $1.25 a lb. Munich malt is $1.50 a lb, etc, etc.

I had an order with ~20 lb of grain and some other little bits and pieces, shipping was $12.83. Which is $4.84 higher than the $7.99 flat rate. I saved $5.89 on my grain alone with their new, lower pricing. So really, I'm $1.05 cheaper than before they took away their flat rate shipping.

I'll allow it.

I have had the same experience!

 

[Jeepinctbrewer]

I placed a order with them the day before they removed the flat rate shipping, only problem with flat rate it takes two weeks to get your order

 

[AmandaK]

Why is everyone so mad?? Here's my latest order to prove my point:

10 lb Munich - $1.50 (was $1.85)
3 lb Dark Munich - $1.50 (was $1.85)
2 lb C40 - $1.75 (was $1.79)
1 lb C120 - $1.75 (was $1.79)
1 lb Honey Malt - $1.75 (was $1.99)
1 lb Pale Chocolate - $1.99 (same price)
Shipping - $8.91

New, w/ actual shipping costs: $37.40
Old method, w/ Brew"Saver": $41.39

Thanks for saving me $3.99!! Do the math guys, you'll probably save money with this new system. I'm looking forward to getting my stuff on Thursday, now that I've ordered today. The Brew"Saver" was kind of a carp shoot as to when they would ship it or when it would arrive. A real downer for those of us who travel a lot.

 

[AmandaK]

I've had countless wonderful experiences with the helpful staff at NB. Here's a few:

1) My packing list had a stainless steel racking cane marked as in the box. There was no racking cane in the box. Called 'em up, had another one out to me within 2 days.
2) Ordered lager yeast over the summer without an ice pack - stupid on my part. After it didn't start for 4 days, I called them up and asked what to do. They OFFERED to send me out 2 brand new smack packs overnight. Had the yeast the next day.
3) I forget things all the time, they allow me to change any order so long as it's not shipped out yet. Hell, I've even added items onto the aforementioned racking cane with no shipping charge.

I know there are more instances, but this is just to name a few.

 

[wSelwyn]

I placed a order with them the day before they removed the flat rate shipping, only problem with flat rate it takes two weeks to get your order

I have never had an order with NB take over 3-4 days to ship (that long sometimes, if I order before the weekend. My order then arrives 2-3 days after that, but I also live in Michigan, so it's not far to ship.

 

[Markd27]

Why is everyone so mad?? Here's my latest order to prove my point:

10 lb Munich - $1.50 (was $1.85)
3 lb Dark Munich - $1.50 (was $1.85)
2 lb C40 - $1.75 (was $1.79)
1 lb C120 - $1.75 (was $1.79)
1 lb Honey Malt - $1.75 (was $1.99)
1 lb Pale Chocolate - $1.99 (same price)
Shipping - $8.91

New, w/ actual shipping costs: $37.40
Old method, w/ Brew"Saver": $41.39

Thanks for saving me $3.99!! Do the math guys, you'll probably save money with this new system. I'm looking forward to getting my stuff on Thursday, now that I've ordered today. The Brew"Saver" was kind of a carp shoot as to when they would ship it or when it would arrive. A real downer for those of us who travel a lot.

I was about to order another Top Tier burner, can you do the math for me?

 

[tonyc318]

I have done the math with the new shipping and to ship to Oregon it costs me more than it did with the flat rate. However, after comparing to other places, its still very competitive. Considering all they do and have done for home brewing, i will still order from them on occasion.

 

[AmandaK]

Keep in mind that there are two shipping calculators at that website. The one before you add a credit card is different than the one after you add a credit card.

For me, the second one is cheaper every time. Try it out. My $8.91 was actually $12.85 before I went through the process. I've been complaining about that discrepancy for months.

 

[tj218]

Grains prices ARE lower now on NB.

LME, DME, Kits, and hops have all gone up in price though. That and shipping has gone up as well. Because of this I placed my first order with Brewmasters Warehouse, it arrived quickly (2 days shipping) and allowed me to build my own recipe. The fact they will sell grain and extract by the ounce saves money. I can't attest to the quality of the brew yet, but it's fermenting away...

 

[BradleyBrew]

never ordered from them... never will. Never saw any appeal at all.

 

[MalFet]

never ordered from them... never will. Never saw any appeal at all.

I don't see the appeal of obtaining brewing supplies either. I brew in my imagination. It's way cheaper, and I haven't had a bad batch yet!

 

[mjdonnelly68]

I'm a huge NB fan and have been since I started brewing. Quality products and service.

My feeling: regardless of the vendor and it's marketing, you always pay the actual cost of shipping one way or another.

So I'm chill.

 

[BradleyBrew]

I don't see the appeal of obtaining brewing supplies either. I brew in my imagination. It's way cheaper, and I haven't had a bad batch yet!

hardyharhar... I'm just saying NB has never been my supplier because when pricing items out they have never been the best deal. I get hops from farmhousebrewingsupply. Everything else I purchase at the LHBS because they beat basically all online deals pertaining to perishable supplies. Liquid yeast is the same price as online retail shops and I get to 2-row for under a buck a lbs.

 

[MalFet]

hardyharhar... I'm just saying NB has never been my supplier because when pricing items out they have never been the best deal. I get hops from farmhousebrewingsupply. Everything else I purchase at the LHBS because they beat basically all online deals pertaining to perishable supplies. Liquid yeast is the same price as online retail shops and I get to 2-row for under a buck a lbs.

So, you posted just to brag that you have a really great LHBS then?

 

[BradleyBrew]

Yes! thats it . Didn't mean to stir up the hornets nest. Just never ordered from them. I'm sure its a fine business with many satisfied customers.

 

[Brewskii]

My post was a bit like that too. If my LHBS had more equipment I'd be one happy mo-fo.

But they don't.... Damn that UPS man ; where is my NB ORDER!?!?

 

[grathan]

I will continue to support Nothern Brewer. They have the most kits availible. They have user ratings on their kits. They constantly tweak the recipies which shows they are brewers who enjoy brewing and not just some shop that sells equipment. They also offer the ingredient lists for their recipes. I find that this is the most impressive thing of all because it extends the wonderful atmosphere of sharing that exists in the world of homebrewing.

 

[JimTheHick]

I always compare NB to Farmhouse, last three orders farmhouse won twice. Check them out farmhousebrewingsupply.com Great 4 oz hop packs.

 

[Jukas]

I always compare NB to Farmhouse, last three orders farmhouse won twice. Check them out farmhousebrewingsupply.com Great 4 oz hop packs.

FHB is awesome for hops. Every time I've needed a hard to find hop (NS, Sorachi Ace, Citra, Simcoe) he's not only come through for me, but had some of the best prices around. As I look at my inventory spreadsheet for hops the source column is dominated by Farmhouse Brewing.

Not to mention the one issue I had with an order I placed from FHB, he went over and above to resolve it.

 

[the_bird]

I've never had an incorrect order from NB, and even with the old shipping policies stuff always seemed to get here a day or two sooner than I expected. So, no complaints from me at all. Quality of the ingredients always seems top-notch as well.

As always, though, if price is a consideration then spend the five minutes to do a comparison between the shops mentioned. One of the places that has "cheap" shipping, I've always found their basic prices to be pretty high. I've only ordered from there a couple of times, because it's usually been the most expensive.

I also appreciate that Northern Brewer has been a longtime supporter of the Jamil Show, which has taught me a metric ****ton about beer and brewing. So, all things being equal (more or less), I'll send orders that way. I try to do as much of this shopping locally as I can, though.

 

[jtd_419]

I took a recipe and looked at all needed ingredients from four online suppliers. After adding to the cart and adding shipping they were all within $2 of each other..... unless your putting in a massive order flat rate doesn't mean anything

 

[Tiber_Brew]

I would check out Midwest. I drive there and they are always cheaper on bulk grain. Now I would assume since they never did the free "shipping" that they are more than likely cheaper.

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/

I don't know the online situation for Midwest, but I live just a couple miles away and absolutely love the place. It's the only place I shop for homebrew supplies, so I encourage folks to try them out!

Another vote for Midwest Supplies here. I've been their loyal customer ever since 2005. They have great customer service, and knowledgeable staff. Their prices have always been cheaper than NB, but their shipping was always actual cost. Still, it was cheaper to buy from them than NB about 90% of the time, even with extra shipping.

 

[coolharry]

I went back and plugged my last two orders in from before the change, and the new shipping/pricing method would have saved me $2-4 on each order. not sure what all the fuss is about...

 

[bigbeergeek]

I went back and plugged my last two orders in from before the change, and the new shipping/pricing method would have saved me $2-4 on each order. not sure what all the fuss is about...

Try shipping to CA.

 

[coolharry]

Try shipping to CA.

But then who would ship it back to me in WI?

 

[MalFet]

Try shipping to CA.

Californians complaining about difficulties in obtaining beer-stuff? Not on my watch.

 

[Yooper]

I stopped at Northern Brewer today, in the Minneapolis location. It was the first time I've ever been there, and I was pleasantly surprised at how neat and clean it was.

The yeast I wanted was easy to find, in the cooler by number. Although I couldn't remember the number of London ESB yeast for the life of me, I found everything else quickly and easily. The hops were easy to find as well. The sacks of grain weren't marked as to price- I had to ask but the prices were good ($35 for 50# of Rahr two-row). The grain room had plenty of scales as it was a busy Saturday and other brewers were mixing up their grainbills while I was getting my specialty malts.

The wine kits were on sale, unexpectedly. When I asked about them, one of the employees mentioned that he was bringing out lots more, and he hauled some more out.

I only met two employees- named Joe and Cody. They were extraordinarily helpful and I would say that both of them have great attitudes, answered all of my questions, offered assistance with the grain, and seemed to be very knowledgeable.

The prices were good, and the wine kit "specials" were an excellent value. The two wine kits I bought were 25% off of an already decent price- so that was a great surprise.

I spent a bit more than I planned (nearly $400) but overall I think I got great value and great fresh products. I would highly recommend this store, and definitely will use them again when I'm in the Twin Cities.