The guy at the LHBS got pissed-off?

[bscott1011]

My lbs is about an 80 mile round trip and shop hours don't line up well with my work schedule so I only make it up there once every few months. I can get extracts, yeast and hops at the local Friar Tuck but I refuse to pay what they want for grains. I come out ahead price wise at 20 pounds of 2 row from the lhbs plus the gas for my truck to make the run. The shop owner has been great to work with, is patient and helpful with my questions. He will also take phone or email orders and have everything ready when I get there.

 

[Thunder_Chicken]

(and overly chatty - both times it took 5-10 minutes to get out of the store AFTER I had checked out)

Was the attendant hot, and did you get her number? Send it to me if you did. Focus man, focus! Socialization is the key!

 

[dkwolf]

Was the attendant hot, and did you get her number? Send it to me if you did. Focus man, focus! Socialization is the key!

1) Dude
2) Old enough to be my father
3) Just as overweight as I am
4) Balding


Nope. Didn't ask for his number

 

[Patirck]

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

Correct - the "new" one is Eagle Rock and the other one is Home Beer wine and cheese shop in woodland hills. It's kind of a trek to go to all the way there when another shop is 5 minutes away but every time I go to eagle rock, I feel like an a-hole for giving them my business.

 

[HellBound]

Correct - the "new" one is Eagle Rock and the other one is Home Beer wine and cheese shop in woodland hills. It's kind of a trek to go to all the way there when another shop is 5 minutes away but every time I go to eagle rock, I feel like an a-hole for giving them my business.

Ya. I figured. I've been going to HBWC for a quite a few years now. Seans a good guy. Kent is too. Nancy is always sweet. Lately it's been a couple members o the club at the shop helping out. Great group of people.

 

[luke_d]

There are three LHBSs in my city. One of them I love, but it's the furthest. I the next one I am impartial to (the owner is nice but he never seems to know what the prices for things are off the top of his head, so he has to go check all the time.), and the one closest to me is WAY too expensive! I understand you have to pay the bills somehow, and running a homebrew store isn't really the most lucrative business, but $6.50 for a packet of US-04? Come on...his 1 oz hop packets are $3.50 for common stuff like Cascade. And $5 for more rare varieties like Citra.

Anyway, I was in the latter store yesterday, looking around, and the owner is pretty knowledgeable, but kind of stuck up. Guess I'll be driving 40 mins to go to my favorite one.

Homebrewer problems.

 

[unionrdr]

That is a lil pricey. JW Dover charges $3.75 for dry yeast,$6.50 for liquid. I got hops on sale for $2.00 or less. They have a goodly amount of simcoe,citra,& mosaic too. I'm gunna go back for the citra & simcoe,since I didn't make up my mind till I was almost home. All Hop Union too. Whole leafe & pellet,depending on the type. Mosaic,simcoe & citra have been hard to track down lately. Cool that Dover came through.
I'm gunna rebrew my Maori IPA & another,new version of my "house" IPA to give it a moniker.

 

[DrunkleJon]

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)

And that is a bad thing? I enjoy talking homebrew, so I enjoy the whole local hardware store shooting the sh*t mentality of a shop.

My LHBS just doubled in size. It seems there is some animosity against the owner, but I have found that with an extra visit or two I like all of the guys behind the counter. Speaking of which, I think I am in for a trip today so I can brew tomorrow or Sat. Hmmm... Wheat beer or a well balanced DIPA?

 

[unionrdr]

Do what I did & brew the wheat beer AND the DIPA. Why bother choosing one or the other when you can have both?! And when I stopped at the lhbs while errand running,it was like 90F,& my wife reminded me not to stand around chatting about beer while I was in there. It was indeed too hot for that,but still worked in a short conversation.

 

[jeremy0209]

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:

http://morebeer.com/content/shipping_policy

No problem

 

[dkwolf]

And that is a bad thing? I enjoy talking homebrew, so I enjoy the whole local hardware store shooting the sh*t mentality of a shop.

My LHBS just doubled in size. It seems there is some animosity against the owner, but I have found that with an extra visit or two I like all of the guys behind the counter. Speaking of which, I think I am in for a trip today so I can brew tomorrow or Sat. Hmmm... Wheat beer or a well balanced DIPA?

No, not saying it's necessarily a bad thing, but when you're running short of time and have to drive a half hour across town to get back in time for supper, you don't always want to get caught discussing a brew he did 5 years ago. If I've got time, I have no problem standing around shooting the bull - it's how we learn.

 

[shivalotus]

These stories just make me appreciate my LHBS all the more.

I do make it a point to go when I know the owner is there but that is because if I have questions he is the only one who can answer them.

They have been great about taking old gear I don't need on consignment and giving me store credit for it. Another bonus is that they will custom build pieces. Living in a small condo makes this a lifesaver.

 

[Broham1]

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.

Bader's is the only brew shop in Vancouver. The absolute best in the area is Brew Brothers in Hillsboro. Bit of a drive from Vancouver, but prices/stock can't be beat, even by Internet stores. I try to go there as much as possible.

Everyone at Bader's is very nice and helpful and Steve is wonderful to the brewing community. But he's charging way too much. What he charges for an oz of hops gets you 2 oz at Brew Bros. Brew Bros charges $.25/ft for beer line, $.99/ft at Bader's.

 

[luke_d]

Oh and to add to my other post, I asked what he had in regards to a fermentation chamber because the summer makes my closet way too warm, to which he said "oh I wouldn't even bother with one of those. Too much work. Just brew a Belgian or saison." He then directed me to the (overpriced) Belgian/saison kits. Lame.

 

[Eugenio]

Sad that for such a small market many destroy their clientele. I jut went to my lbhs to buy presentation bottles. I ordered a case of 26 oz ez caps, paid for them and he hands me a case of generic flip tops that aren't ez caps, they didn't have ez caps. When I ask for a refund as I wanted the ez cap style the guy freaks out and yells "Oh come on, just because they aren't the same style?!?".

Back to northern brewer, better prices and far better service.

 

[WaltStarr]

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.

Best danged brew shop I've ever been in. I bought four hops plants there this year and will be giving them nearly all my business.

 

[nicklepickles]

Sad that for such a small market many destroy their clientele. I jut went to my lbhs to buy presentation bottles. I ordered a case of 26 oz ez caps, paid for them and he hands me a case of generic flip tops that aren't ez caps, they didn't have ez caps. When I ask for a refund as I wanted the ez cap style the guy freaks out and yells "Oh come on, just because they aren't the same style?!?".

Back to northern brewer, better prices and far better service.

Random question, why did you only want ez caps? Whats wrong with generic flip tops?

 

[Eugenio]

Random question, why did you only want ez caps? Whats wrong with generic flip tops?

Comes with my career, I care about presentation. I like the style of ez caps better, as well as my bottles are already that style and I want them to match.

 

[nicklepickles]

Comes with my career, I care about presentation. I like the style of ez caps better, as well as my bottles are already that style and I want them to match.

Ah, well fair enough, to each their own

 

[kh54s10]

To the original post. Autoclave-able vials are not something most LHBS's are going to have in stock! His response was strange though.

I work in a big box home improvement retail store (you can guess which) and it amazes me that some people get so upset when you tell them the store does not carry the product or brand they are looking for. Especially when they are looking for something totally unrelated to home improvement. Like car parts???

 

[glenn514]

My first visit to my LHBS...Brew and Grow in Crystal Lake, IL...was about two years ago. I needed some bottle caps, and didn't want to pay shipping on an order of caps from Northern or Midwest. They were out of stock...but the fellow working there went to the back room, and came out with a bag of 60 caps from a brewing kit. An employee at the store made the kit beer and kegged it, so the caps were not needed. He gave them to me for nothing! Obviously, I have and will continue to spend some brewing dollars there!

glenn514

 

[MaxStout]

I have never experienced outright rudeness from staff at any LHBS near me, though I occasionally encounter the "hipster" type that tries to act too cool. Maybe it's their first job and they are trying too hard to make an impression. But even then, they will usually be helpful when I approach and ask a question.

Brew shop people cater to a niche market and most realize that helping customers helps their own bottom line.

 

[Diaperload]

I work in the retail market (50's style burger joint) and I have to admit I have my good days and bad days. Earlier in the day I know I'm much nicer and friendlier. Later in the day I catch myself being short with customers. I can usually catch myself and change my attitude quick enough.

I was trying to put myself in the LHBS employees shoes but some of the stories described are indefensible.

 

[jnr1005]

I have 3 LHBS within 20 miles, but have only been to 2. One is only 4 miles away and another 20. I find myself going to the 20 mile one for grains and using the closer one for other items.

My biggest pet peve about the closest one is the lack of info on the grains. There are no prices listed and when I asked the woman just said "oh, they range from $1.50 ish to over $2/lb." The guy that runs the store is friendly, but I want to know how much I am spending before I buy. The shop 20 miles away offers a much larger selection of grains and grinds for free.

The only "issue" I had at the one 20 miles away was when he looked at me like "how dare you" when I asked about Agar for yeast slants. He told me very firmly that they do not carry items for that kind of thing.. I felt like saying "$7.50 for a vial of yeast is a high cost per beer...so hell yes I want to slant it!" Instead I just shrugged and said I would go to a asian market and get some....

 

[Onkel_Udo]

When I was starting out the LHBS was a high-end cooking gadget and coffee/spice/tea/cigar store...but the owner was a FANATICAL homebrewer. At first the supplies took up a 10' x 18" shelving area and two shelves in the walk-in freezer. Charlie was the ONLY one that helped the homebrewers so if he was not there, you were SOL, but he was amazing.

10 years later before I left Tulsa, not only had the homebrew section taken up about half the store and I am pretty sure he the owner was a partner in very successful brick-and-mortar and online store based in the same city. The funny thing was Charlie would always have gear for sale that was not in the store because he was always upgrading and tweaking his personal brewery.

Here in NWI my LHBS is only about 2 minutes from me and they are a combo Hydroponics and brew shop. Competitive bulk grain, yeast and equipment pricing but they use the pre-package JW Carlson stuff for specialty grains and canned extracts...not competitive at all.

The two guys that work there are helpful even if the one has probably spent a bit much time sampling product from the non-brewing portion of the business. More than 2/3 of the store is dedicated to non-brewing business but I have yet to see anyone actually buying from that stock.

Like a good local hardware store, I give them as much business as I can justify. Bought a sack of 2-row, some yeasts and a specialty grain or two but with the Chicago group buy, it is just hard to justify more than that.

 

[Bamsdealer]

I'm fortunate enough to have two great lhbs within a half hour of me and I do visit both. Thats where i buy most of my ingredients. Do shop online as well, but mainly for keezer parts kettels and such. Gives me the ability to look at user reviews and really take my time putting my order together.

 

[Malric]

When I was starting out the LHBS was a high-end cooking gadget and coffee/spice/tea/cigar store...but the owner was a FANATICAL homebrewer. At first the supplies took up a 10' x 18" shelving area and two shelves in the walk-in freezer. Charlie was the ONLY one that helped the homebrewers so if he was not there, you were SOL, but he was amazing. 10 years later before I left Tulsa, not only had the homebrew section taken up about half the store and I am pretty sure he the owner was a partner in very successful brick-and-mortar and online store based in the same city. The funny thing was Charlie would always have gear for sale that was not in the store because he was always upgrading and tweaking his personal brewery. Here in NWI my LHBS is only about 2 minutes from me and they are a combo Hydroponics and brew shop. Competitive bulk grain, yeast and equipment pricing but they use the pre-package JW Carlson stuff for specialty grains and canned extracts...not competitive at all. The two guys that work there are helpful even if the one has probably spent a bit much time sampling product from the non-brewing portion of the business. More than 2/3 of the store is dedicated to non-brewing business but I have yet to see anyone actually buying from that stock. Like a good local hardware store, I give them as much business as I can justify. Bought a sack of 2-row, some yeasts and a specialty grain or two but with the Chicago group buy, it is just hard to justify more than that.

I use them for speciality grains and yeast. The selection can be frustrating some time, but it has been slowly improving. I do know that the owner will order just about anything. The main plus (and reason why I use them) is that the owner keeps the yeast stock well supplied and fresh. I still bulk buy the base malt and hops, but I value having the LHBS for other supplies.

 

[raider1v1]

It's just like smoke shops and gun stores. Some are good, bad, knowledgeable, friendly, etc. I am lucky enough to have a couple good ones around me.

 

[MaddBaggins]

Random question, why did you only want ez caps? Whats wrong with generic flip tops?

I've found that the beer in the generics goes flat.