Northern Brewer

[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.....

 

[signpost]

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.

Pretty sure that was Midwest. And maybe even before the two companies merged.

 

[signpost]

Double post. Whoops.

 

[brewgar]

I started brewing, extract kits, five years ago and ordered exclusively from Northern Brewer. Their shipping became unsatisfactory and I switched to MoreBeer. I moved on to all grain brewing about a year ago, with all orders, grains, yeast, equipment, etc., switched to Ritebrew. I like Rightbrew's product line, love their fast processing, and very fast delivery time to NC. My orders, submitted to Ritebrew on Sunday, are shipped on Monday, and arrive 2 days later at my house on Wednesday, every time, without fail. This makes me happy.

 

[Pappers_]

Reminder from a Moderator: Don't respond to each other. Post about your direct experience as a customer and let others post about theirs.

 

[Pappers_]

My experience at Northern Brewer has been very positive - they have what I'm looking for, their shipping is easy to understand and I can choose very quick or longer, depending on my needs. Love their constant discounts on the items I most use.

 

[kh54s10]

I have always had good experience using NB. Both with shipping and customer service. But it HAS been a few years since I have used them.

I will wait for a while to figure out what this merger/acquisition/partnership really means.

 

[sabotenfighter]

NB has been dead to me since the original owner sold it off. The last couple years they have been doing little more than rebranding crap off of Alibaba/AliExpress for the most part.
When BrewingTV suddenly went all Chip and then completely gone with no real warning, I knew something was up. Things went downhill shortly after that.

 

[Homercidal]

Reminder from a Moderator: Don't respond to each other. Post about your direct experience as a customer and let others post about theirs.

Just a reminder to only post comments about your personal experiences with the company in review.

If you feel compelled to discuss the InBev buyout, then go to the thread outside of the review forum and discuss there.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=592174

Thank you.

 

[DromJohn]

I sent in my backup order to NB on the "I can wait" shipping option with the expected delivery date of Wednesday 2 November 2016.
Ever since the "I can wait" option appeared, delivery has arrived either the last expected date, or the day before.
Instead, under new management, UPS tracking has the expected delivery day Thursday 27 October 2016, six days ahead.

The "I can wait" option was always squirrelly, seemingly deliberately delayed to incentivize higher shipping rates rather than merely lower priority for the cheaper rates. With one data point, maybe my shipment points to my preferred "merely lower priority."

That said, I'm still debating switching to the 2,638 miles away Seven Bridges Co-op Brewing Supply as my backup to Barley & Vine.

ANY OHBS CLOSER THAT WANTS MY BUSINESS SHOULD CONSIDER STOCKING BRIESS ORGANIC MALTOFERM 10000 LME.

 

[Yeastieboy]

Nobody buys from NB anymore [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

 

[Burquebrewer]

I recently added a review for a product on Northern Brewers website. I will admit that the review was not a positive one. When I logged in and looked in the review section of that same product, I noticed that my one star review was not there... and all of the product reviews for that product were five star reviews!!! WTH! Talk about pulling a blindfold over customers eyes.

AB has sure taken that company downhill! I haven't ordered from them since the change of ownership Anyone else have a similar experience?

 

[imasickboy]

This is nothing new. They've done this long before the AB involvement.

We're all at fault for making sure this isn't more widely known. Sorry you found out the hard way.

 

[brewbama]

I've heard this before as well. I quit using them long ago.

 

[Black Island Brewer]

Yep, this was the case long before AB.

 

[jleiii]

Yep, happened to me several years ago too. I've long since moved on to other suppliers.

 

[schematix]

yep nothing new. move along.

 

[NothingRhymesWithCurtiss]

Back in August my wife bought me 3 kits from NB when they were doing their IPA day promo. Life got in the way and I didn't get around to brewing the final kit until a month ago. I'm not saying which kit it was, because it has a lot of favorable reviews, but I thought it was awful. I followed the directions, pitched fresh yeast, and closely maintained temps. But the beer was just not good.

I emailed NB this past Sunday about it, just to see if they would do anything given their "Beer Kit Guarantee." I didn't expect anything and I didn't ask for anything, I just shared my dissatisfaction. And what did they do? They apologized and offered me a replacement kit of my choice or a store credit. To which I accepted.

While a lot of folks (myself included) have given them flack for "selling out to the man," I am thoroughly impressed that they have remained steadfast in giving outstanding customer service.

Now, I'm not saying I'm going to go back to ordering from them regularly, but I've been known to drink a Goose Island or Elysian from time to time...

 

[Wildcat_Brewing]

It's annoying that they always email you if you were looking at an item on their website "saw something you liked?" or some **** like that. Most of the time it is just to see a grain or hop description, not even looking to buy. I had to send an email to get them to stop. I will still buy if they have a good promo, I still drink plenty of bud light anyway (NB is the sellout). Always like more beer much better, 2 days free shipping instead of 2 week $8 shipping.

 

[Trippel-A]

I think NB has great kits and good gear. But I'm tired of getting an email from them 5 or 6 times each week. No, I am not exaggerating.

 

[B-Hoppy]

I think NB has great kits and good gear. But I'm tired of getting an email from them 5 or 6 times each week. No, I am not exaggerating.

Sell them hop candy and once someone else buys them out, you'll never get an email from them again, haha? Must have been a slimmer margin on the product than what the new folks worked on, my guess. Hoppy Trails~