Southeast U.S. Homebrew Shop Advice

[BlakeL]

Hi, Blake. Yeah... I've tried Hearts.... and I've been trying really hard not to comment about them here. But since you asked...

I'm just not into them, you know? They are the LHBS, so I know I should support them and I really want to.

But, to put it mildly, Hearts' "heart" just doesn't seem to be into homebrewing anymore. This is from conversations I've had with them, from their prices, from their 90's style outdated web site, and from the fact that they never have everything I need so I can just place *one* order from *one* shop (understanding this may happen with any shop).

And the same way you mentioned "service isn't the greatest", so say other people. So it's not just you and me thinking this way.

Finally, I'm actually quite far from them, so there is no such thing as a quick drive to their shop for me. By the time I drive up and back, I've spent the same amount in gasoline as I would've in shipping from anywhere else, plus I've had to deal with the hassle of I4. Yeah... I don't think so.

To be fair, they have been around for a long, long time and appear to have a very large, loyal customer base that are very happy with them. So, as the saying goes, "your mileage may vary."

If the drive sucks for you I can see why you shop online. The hassle of I4 would be enough to keep me away as well. Their selection is defiantly limited though. I find myself looking at substitutions so I don't have to shop online. When I stopped by last week to get ingredients for a SMaSH IPA, I talked to one of the employees and he said they would have a new website up in a month or two so that's a step in the right direction.

I might be switching to a new job in the Lake Mary/Sanford area and since I live in Longwood, I'll probably just order online in bulk like you to save on shipping.

 

[ASantiago]

he said they would have a new website up in a month or two so that's a step in the right direction

Indeed. It sure would be.

 

[cclloyd]

Southern Brewing in Tampa is my main lhbs and they are second to none as far as I'm concerned. Huge selection of equipment and supplies and the staff is all experienced, friendly and knowledgable.
Booth's is a good alternative - I was just there last Saturday. Small and cramped but with a good selection and very helpful friendly staff.
There is also The Beer and Winemakers Pantry in Pinellas Park. More geared toward wine but they have a good selection of beer making equipment and supplies as well.
I guess I'm just lucky to have a selection of places to shop in the immediate area. Still order hops online though - none of the lhbs can touch the prices.

 

[Disintegr8or]

I got my stores mixed up.

Southern Brewing is the awesome store in Tampa, not Booths (Booths may be great, but I never made it there)

Sorry for the confusion.

 

[IffyG]

Who charges actual cost of shipping on small orders? I need a single pack of dry yeast and maybe an oz or two of hops... it seems insane to spend $7 to ship something that can fit in a USPS mailer

Rebel Brewer does 2.99 "super saver shipping" for small orders (must be small and under a pound). I use it all the time because it saves me from burning up 2 gallons of gas and an hour of time to get to them.

 

[motleybrews]

Rebel brewer out of nashville

 

[wailingguitar]

thanks

 

[Rob_B]

For those still interested it looks like Southern Brewing out of Tampa is very close to launcing their web site. They gave a sneak peak on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/#!/SouthernBrewingWinemaking and it looks like they will be offering a $7.80 flat rate shipping on most items. This is a top notch shop with great prices and selection. I will still go to the shop in person, but I may do a little more window shopping before I head on down there!

 

[BlakeL]

For anyone near Winter Springs, you might want to try out Brewer Cellars/Wine Making Superstore. They sell a lot of wine making equipment that will cross over for beer and some home brewing supplies like yeast and extract for people that need it in pinch. I was able to get the owner to order me some 7oz bottles and he said they can order pretty much anything you might want for making beer since their supplier carries both, even hops/grains if they're available.