The guy at the LHBS got pissed-off?

[brucewayne10000]

The owner of JW Dover (& Black Box Brewing) is a really great guy. He even took time out of his brewing schedule one time to help push my car out of it's parking space to give me a jump so I could get back home (Westlake to Sheffield). He's a bearded guy that looks a bit younger than me & smokes cigars. Hummer H3 too with chrome & such. I love how they're willing to help & will discuss problems/theories with you. The head brewer fella did just that with me when the BB trade I did came in & I had questions about cleaning vs cracking. He was very willing to discuss his version of the problem with me. Not much heat on the normal strenght PBW solution & scrub it out & rinse quickly. No soaking as with other plastic fermenters was the answer. I really dug that a pro brewer would enjoy taking the time to discuss brewing related theories with me. Cool. :rockin:

Glad to hear good things about jw, I was thinking of trying to buy local from there or the new Cleveland brew shop but both are a drive from me and didn't want to go for bad service and poor selection

 

[logdrum]

Cleveland Brew Shop has much better prices on yeast. Specialty grains are close at either, all in all I prefer CBS, but JW is a lot closer to me.

 

[jtratcliff]

Finally signed up here just to reply to this...

This is the reason I get my supplies at the LHBS in Woodland Hills. I work 5 mins from the shop in Culver City and drive by their new Eagle Rock shop every Friday. The older guy who works at both (probably the owner) is a jerk plain and simple. He snatched a paper bag out of my hand at the original shop because a "one pound bag is enough for one pound of grain". The larger bags were right above the grain bins, the smaller bags were over by the grain mill. Stupid me right!

A few weeks back I reluctantly stopped into the ER shop because it was late and needed a few things. As I walked in he was on the phone cursing out someone over a delivery. As soon as I saw his face I decided I was not spending another cent at either place.

On the other hand, everyone at HWBC shop has been a pleasure and they have better prices to boot.

I'm 2 for 4 with the guys at Eagle Rock. Never been to the Culver City store. The young guy is pretty helpful, and there's a thin, taller fellow (middle aged) that's been really nice. But the balding guy and heavier guy with a beard and pony tail have both been a-holes on more than one occasion. Prices aren't that great either.

My latest purchases have been from MoreBeer and Farmhouse. About $150 that didn't go to the LHBS that's only 15 minutes from my house.

Too bad every other LHBS is so much farther away from me.

 

[chemdoc]

Finally signed up here just to reply to this...

This is the reason I get my supplies at the LHBS in Woodland Hills. I work 5 mins from the shop in Culver City and drive by their new Eagle Rock shop every Friday. The older guy who works at both (probably the owner) is a jerk plain and simple. He snatched a paper bag out of my hand at the original shop because a "one pound bag is enough for one pound of grain". The larger bags were right above the grain bins, the smaller bags were over by the grain mill. Stupid me right!

A few weeks back I reluctantly stopped into the ER shop because it was late and needed a few things. As I walked in he was on the phone cursing out someone over a delivery. As soon as I saw his face I decided I was not spending another cent at either place.

On the other hand, everyone at HWBC shop has been a pleasure and they have better prices to boot.

Oh man! When I saw the title of this thread I thought of the same guy! My sister-in-law lives right down the street (about 2 minutes away) from the Culver city shop. When I was in town last summer, I dropped in to check out the store. When I walked in, this guy was berating some poor guy for "putting the coriander in the same bag as the bitter orange." Really. That's the battle you want to fight with a new brewer? I inquired briefly about some hops that my LHBS didn't have in stock at the time, and was treated like a complete moron. I shrugged it off and left empty-handed.

About six months later, I dropped into the Eagle Rock store and the same guy was there. Same treatment. I feel fortunate to have a pretty good LHBS near me, and they are the only game in town.

 

[lebucheron]

I see no point in propping up businesses with sub par service and selection just because they pay rent near me. My online providers have been super helpful, friendly and cost effective.

 

[HellBound]

I have a similar issue to my "new" lhbs. I used to drive about 40 minutes across town to get stuff and then a shop opened up much closer to me. Every time I call to see if they have something in stock they seem to be doing me a favor answering my question. I called to see if they were open the friday after july 4 and the guy who answered was super sarcastic. I try to make a point of not shopping there but the distance to another alternative makes it tough.

Where's the new one? I'm going to guess (cause you live in Glendale) that the 40 min drive is to woodland hills?

 

[HellBound]

Finally signed up here just to reply to this...

This is the reason I get my supplies at the LHBS in Woodland Hills. I work 5 mins from the shop in Culver City and drive by their new Eagle Rock shop every Friday. The older guy who works at both (probably the owner) is a jerk plain and simple. He snatched a paper bag out of my hand at the original shop because a "one pound bag is enough for one pound of grain". The larger bags were right above the grain bins, the smaller bags were over by the grain mill. Stupid me right!

A few weeks back I reluctantly stopped into the ER shop because it was late and needed a few things. As I walked in he was on the phone cursing out someone over a delivery. As soon as I saw his face I decided I was not spending another cent at either place.

On the other hand, everyone at HWBC shop has been a pleasure and they have better prices to boot.

Love HWBC. Everyone there is not only helpful, but experienced brewers or vintners. Good place. Good people. Leave it to the Maltose Falcons to have a good shop as a home.

 

[Tutsbrew]

Same store, same person

1) asked for Ferm-Cap or something to help avoid boil overs. Was told to "turn the burner down"

2) asked for Calcium Chloride for mineral adjustments to the water. Was asked "what do you do that for?"

Needless to say, I don't shop there any more.

Did you shop in Omaha, NE?

 

[KurtB]

I love my LHBS.(brew and grow) They have 8 locations. There prices are good and they get new stock every week, the only thing i cant get from my location is white labs yeast and that's only because they don't have room in the fridge. Never once have i gotten any attitude from any of them but i also dont ask them brewing questions. I have hbt for that

Glynn - if you ever want/need White Labs yeast, The Home Brew Shop in St. Charles stocks it (they don't stock Wyeast). Most of the employees are pretty helpful in answering any questions or trouble shooting problems. Their prices can be a bit higher than B&G on some items, but not by much. If you have not been there, it is worth checking out just in case you are looking for something that B&G may not have.

 

[Toy4Rick]

My LHBS is pretty good. They serve beer they brew so it's nice to try a brew and buy the ingredients if you like it. Overall they are friendly and knowledgable so I go back when I need something. I have another LHBS that is closer but more expensive and not very helpful. If you have a good one close by, frequent them and enjoy the local service

Toy4rick

 

[Arristillius]

I feel fortunate to have the lhbs here in Vancouver Wa.
Bader beer and wine supplies. I havent had to substitute anything or need to special order anything yet.

is Bader the best in Vancouver? I have been googling and according to yelp every shop around here or in portland sucks or has bad hours, Bader supposedly has poor selection and old stock, and a know it all shopkeeper, I so far have not spent a single dime on hombrewing but live 5 minutes tops from Bader, and was considering purchasing stuff to do a 5 gallon batch of something or other once I figure out what the something or other is.

 

[Brewmex41]

is Bader the best in Vancouver? I have been googling and according to yelp every shop around here or in portland sucks or has bad hours, Bader supposedly has poor selection and old stock, and a know it all shopkeeper, I so far have not spent a single dime on hombrewing but live 5 minutes tops from Bader, and was considering purchasing stuff to do a 5 gallon batch of something or other once I figure out what the something or other is.

I love it there. They're all nice and helpful and Steve has responded to every email I've sent him within 24 or so hours.
The only thing I suggest is don't try the soda they have in their kegerator lol.

 

[brokebucket]

I have only ever been to one LHBS...Original Gravity in Richmond. It gets all my brewing business because the owner is totally cool. He will give his opinion when asked, but lets people do their thing if they know what they are doing.

I take him beers to try and he gives me his honest feedback. That alone is worth paying an extra couple bucks on supplies.

EDIT: If my local shop wasnt so cool, I would totally buy online.

 

[one-L]

Unfortunately, the guy who runs our local shop is one of those that looks at you like an idiot if you ask pretty much any question and barks out short answers if you get any answer at all.

Also, he got into a whizzing contest a couple of years ago with the large local brew club that's been around since the 80's when they started giving out cash prizes at events instead of gift certificates to his store, so he took his toys and went and started his own brewclub. And then sent out an email to the entire mailing list announcing the new club, only to then send an "oops, my bad, didn't mean to send this to this list." Yeah, sure you didn't buddy.

His prices are high, the shop is dirty, and to top it off, when I was in there last week getting what I hope will be my last grain orders from him, all the hops are now sitting in the back on shelves NOT in temperature control. I will say that I am sure it is not fun as a small business owner trying to compete with the internet, and I would happily give him the bulk of my business if he just didn't have such a nasty attitude about the whole thing. However, he does, so I'm buying a mill, have already been buying hops in bulk, and am fixing to try to arrange for a couple of group grain buys around here through a local brewery. If you can't compete in price and inventory, you better be able to compete in customer service and attitude, or you don't deserve my money.

 

[progmac]

I've never understood why LHBS should have trouble competing with the internet...

grain is HEAVY and expensive to ship. carboys are BULKY and expensive to ship. good customer service that answers questions about a fairly technical hobby is VERY important. it should NOT be hard to carve out a niche local business in this sphere.

For me, the only attitude i've gotten from any brewstore owner was from the internet site morebeer when I asked if they double-crushed ("no, it introduces tannins and makes worse beer, instead you should buy more grain" they said)

 

[dkwolf]

Did you shop in Omaha, NE?

Fermenter's Supply?

I live just over 2 hours from Omaha, and to date, Fermenter's Supply and Cornhusker Beverage have been my closest options for a "L"HBS. Read enough horror stories about Fermenter's Supply that I've never set foot inside. Been to Cornhusker several times, and found them extremely helpful (and overly chatty - both times it took 5-10 minutes to get out of the store AFTER I had checked out)

 

[one-L]

For me, the only attitude i've gotten from any brewstore owner was from the internet site morebeer when I asked if they double-crushed ("no, it introduces tannins and makes worse beer, instead you should buy more grain" they said)

Hah, another reason I am buying a mill is I have been getting about 55% efficiency batch sparging with the crush I get on the guy's mill. I asked him what he was using last time I was in there and he told me "an old Schmidling, but I need to get a new one because its in terrible shape." Yes, yes it is, but I don't think that hurts your feelings if I have to buy more from you to make my beer.

 

[geckholm]

Love my local homebrew shop. Helpful, friendly, ton's of supplies on hand, competitive pricing (unless you're buying in bulk). Even has various craft beers on tap for tasting. Think he is planning to start providing his own beer on tap for tasting too. Chicago Brew Werks in Plainfield.

 

[vt-navigator]

I think the fundamental problem with hostile LHBS owners/employees (we have one here in Virginia Beach) is that they get into the business because they love beer, not because they desire to run a courteous, professional retail store that happens to sell beer.

It would be better to have someone friendly, yet not as knowledgeable working the store than a prick who's an expert in the field.

It's a common problem I've experienced at many types of specialty shops. There's a cigar shop I go to locally where the owner gets exasperated if you try to engage him in a conversation about cigars. The other day I was asking him about the differences between a montecristo no.2 and an eagle other than size and shape. He told me that unless I wanted to buy both and try them, I should just go buy some swisher sweets at 7-11.

 

[nukebrewer]

He told me that unless I wanted to buy both and try them, I should just go buy some swisher sweets at 7-11.

Are you for real? I understand the objective is to make money when running a business, but I can think of a million ways to be more friendly and probably still have you walking out the door with both cigars. Fvckin' people, man. Just because you're an expert doesn't mean everyone who walks in your store is, too.

 

[MaxStout]

Fermenter's Supply?

I live just over 2 hours from Omaha, and to date, Fermenter's Supply and Cornhusker Beverage have been my closest options for a "L"HBS. Read enough horror stories about Fermenter's Supply that I've never set foot inside. Been to Cornhusker several times, and found them extremely helpful (and overly chatty - both times it took 5-10 minutes to get out of the store AFTER I had checked out)

*checks Google Maps to see where Sac City, IA is*

Looks like you are almost as close to Des Moines...perhaps there's a decent LHBS there? I also heard that a new one opened up in Sioux Falls, that might be within a few hours drive for you.

 

[jeremy0209]

Have you tried Weak knee in Pottstown? I know it's a bit of a drive, but they have always been good to me. The one on Gregg St. is almost useless except for some caps, or a pack of dry yeast once in a while.

I TOTALLY agree with you about the one on Gregg St. He has yeast and extract that's at least a year past it's expiration date. Nothing fresh there. I have always purchased my bulk grain from Weak Knee and they were nice enough, but they're not very good at communicating. I'm on their mailing list and Facebook page yet, when they went to 'summer hours' I didn't get the memo and drove all the way there to a closed store. Maybe I missed it. I don't know. Anyway, all is well again because Morebeer has a facility on the east coast with one day free shipping to me...and their prices are better than Weak Knee.

 

[Frige]

My lhbs is a place called brewityourself. Ray the long haired guy who runs it at first seems to be a real a$$ but after a while he opens up to you and is a real good guy. I feel he probably gets tired of the same old questions over and over. His prices are real good, they are right there with the internet guys maybe ever a little cheaper. My last order for a big blonde ended up at less than $40. for a 10 gal all grain recipe.

Funny thing is I run a small a/c business myself and we do real well because I bend over backwards for my customers. Everyone has my cell number and I take care of any problems right away. Its not rocket science treat people like kings and they will flock to your door. Treat them like sh!t and they will stay away in droves.

 

[SupervisingChildren]

I love my lhbs. Plenty of times they've answered my ridiculous questions with a straight face and pointed me in the right direction. One of only a few local shops, and the shelves are usually well stocked and it's fresh. They're usually pretty busy, amd occasionally some homebrews are consumed while having some conversation... and they don't mind the kiddos coming in with me! Only disappointment was when they only had ale pales instead of true brew buckets... Grain milling is like 5 cents per pound, so not a big deal to me as it's usually just specialty grains fwiw.

 

[Muck]

I live in Omaha and can only attest for Cornhusker. They are very helpfull albeit a bit chatty at times if you talk with the owner. I have never been to the other LHBS here in town, but i hear the guy is a jerk from multiple sources.

 

[whitehause]

I TOTALLY agree with you about the one on Gregg St. He has yeast and extract that's at least a year past it's expiration date. Nothing fresh there. I have always purchased my bulk grain from Weak Knee and they were nice enough, but they're not very good at communicating. I'm on their mailing list and Facebook page yet, when they went to 'summer hours' I didn't get the memo and drove all the way there to a closed store. Maybe I missed it. I don't know. Anyway, all is well again because Morebeer has a facility on the east coast with one day free shipping to me...and their prices are better than Weak Knee.

Humm...might have to check out Morebeer. I've never really liked on line ordering for grain, yeast, and such but with 1 day free shipping that might change my mind. Thanks for the heads up:rockin:

 

[dkwolf]

*checks Google Maps to see where Sac City, IA is*

Looks like you are almost as close to Des Moines...perhaps there's a decent LHBS there? I also heard that a new one opened up in Sioux Falls, that might be within a few hours drive for you.

Omaha, Des Moines, and Sioux Falls are all around a two hour drive -- the difference is, my sister lives in Omaha, so I get down that way about once a month or so. Sioux Falls is a 2-3 times a year pass-through, and Des Moines, I might get to once a year.

 

[WesleyS]

My lhbs is a place called brewityourself. Ray the long haired guy who runs it at first seems to be a real a$$ but after a while he opens up to you and is a real good guy. I feel he probably gets tired of the same old questions over and over. His prices are real good, they are right there with the internet guys maybe ever a little cheaper. My last order for a big blonde ended up at less than $40. for a 10 gal all grain recipe.

That's where I've been going for years. Ray is a good guy and he keeps a good stock of ingredients. And his prices are the best out of the HBS in the Houston area that I've been to.
I've never had a problem with him. So I give him my business except on the rare occasion I order something online because of a sale/special offer.

 

[Thunder_Chicken]

My LHBS is run by 2 younger guys (30s) and an older (40-50s) guy. If I stop by and either of the younger guys are in, I get enthusiastic help and actually just enjoy hanging out and chatting. They know their stuff and they give me the straight scoop on whether something is better than something else. They are all about brewing being fun. I stop by even when I don't need anything, just to check stuff out, but I invariably buy something while I am hanging around.

The older guy can't be bothered. Not snobby, but grim. I could see him as a funeral director. The LHBS seems quieter and dustier when he is there. I get my stuff, keep my mouth shut, and leave ASAP. I suspect he is a wine guy.

Prices are pretty much competitive with online stores considering shipping. I like having a LHBS to check stuff out, and I like to throw them my business. I've ordered stuff from NB and others and have no complaints about them, but there is just something about a nice little old LHBS shop.

 

[Cathedral]

I like my LHBS. I went in this past weekend and pestered a guy about the in's and out's of kegging and he answered all my questions, even though I told him right off the bat I wasn't buying today, just curious.

Professional courtesy--and courtesy in general--is becoming even more of an important trait now than ever. As most have said, the current trend is for people to be snotty and self-important. A lot of people would just say, "Well, that's the way it is in the world today," like that's an excuse to act like an arse. The people who make an effort to be nice even when they don't have to (because who expects it anymore?) are the people who keep business.

Yeah, I'll go out of my way to buy from a friendly store. They deserve it, they put in the effort, if all I can do is try to help them keep a job, then I'll do it.