"Well, I can just lager at 70."

[chefchris]

That's what I heard today at the LHBS. A guy was buying a Heineken clone kit and said he had a fridge he could keep it in ... but it was full. He said the lowest he could get in his house was 70 degrees. I didn't know at the time what he had just purchased and almost said something about that possibly being to hot with fermentation being exothermal and all. I refrained because if I were his age I wouldn't take advice from some punk ass kid and I'm always afraid as coming off as a snob. I wish I would have said something. The customer asked him would 70F be alright, and the clerk said, "Yeah, the yeast will probably do fine at that temperature". Now why he would say this is beyond me. This guy knows what he's talking about. Kind of hit me funny.

As soon as he walked out the door the guy behind the counter started laughing. This is when I found out he bought a lager kit.

Still, I can't help but wonder why the guy didn't stop him.

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

Wow.... I would tell that guys manager/owner. That is some wicked bad advice, bad beer doesn't make repeat customers.

 

[devaspawn]

Guy sounds like a real ****** to me. Definitely tell the manager. Bad advice can turn people away from the obsession!

 

[Righlander]

Agreed, that's so lame. Has he been working there long?? How long has this man been bumming out new brewers? He must be stopped. That's just bad beer karma man. BEER CRIMES!!!!!!!!!

 

[mr_goodwrench]

What a Class A ******!! I would start lurking around the store and as soon as he give some bad advice, pipe up and correct him loudly. Make sure that everyone know the Douchiness of this *********s ways!

 

[BeerPressure]

Heineken clone? oof

 

[fivehoursfree]

MAybe the clerk knew that guys buying heiniken clones woudn't turn into good customers anyways. Seriously... a heiniken clone?

 

[fivehoursfree]

Or maybe he was trying to make a light steam beer?

 

[thevalkrye]

maybe the kit has a clean ale yeast with it?? although that is still a little on the warm side.

what do you mean the guy started laughing? like an evil maniacal laugh..muahahaha i just screwed you beer...muhahahah

never be afraid to speak up..especially when you know you are right or have a valid point, there are lots of ways to voice your opinion without coming across as a dick..if the situation was reversed wouldn't you have appreciated the dude saying something to you?

 

[McKBrew]

Maybe the guy behind the counter has dealt with this customer before, and the customer is one of those people who doesn't take advice well.

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

No, the customer asked him if it would be good, and the guy gave him bad information (LIED). That ****** needs to be fired.

 

[ZooBrew]

Look at the bad advise in a retail establishment like this: it might be an indication of the character and attitude of the owner. For a store that purveys a consumable commodity, one would have to ponder rather they would scrape spilled extract up off the floor and..... Or sell yeast that got lost in the backroom. Or package a grain that wasn't what was on the label........

I have not returned to such outfits and have made it a point to call and tell the manager or receptionist (not the counter clerk) why. Years and years ago when I first started out on my own I worked in a couple of retail stores. Such calls are very effective as they create employee meetings and keep management on their toes. I am an advocate of and apply personal boycots.

 

[fat x nub]

For a homebrewer to give another aspiring homebrewer bad advice on purpose and to laugh about it needs to be shot in the face. And from a business stand point that was a dumb ass idea. I don't understand how a person could be such an ******** to another person who wants to get into the same hobby the other person likes.

 

[Kilgore_Trout]

Maybe the guy behind the counter has dealt with this customer before, and the customer is one of those people who doesn't take advice well.

Agreed.

Think what you want about the guy, but to rat to his manager without really knowing the whole story is pretty lame.

 

[batches_brew]

Poor ethics that lead to poor sales. Their loss. I wouldn't talk to the manager but I would have said something at the time, like, "Hold up? Is that lager yeast? at 70 degrees?"

I'd stop shopping there as well. F**k them.

 

[Gonefishing]

Let me start by saying that one of the things I've learned in my 59 years is that the age of the advice giver isn't what matters, it's the manner in which the advice is given and the apparent soundness of that advice. That said, I feel you should always offer what you know as correct advice. It doesn't seem to me that you're the punk-ass type unless you act a whole lot differently than your personna here anyway.
Are you a frequent customer of this LHBS and this particular clerk? Maybe you could spend time listening to the advice he gives and if he does this bad advice thing frequently ask him why he does it. Or, take the above advice and mention it to the owner/manager. Clerks who give counter-productive advice are a negative to any business.
As to the heiniken clone buyer, maybe he's attempting to brew it for his wife... picture that she's this huge fan of that grass flavored stuff...his kit comes out with billions of off flavors from fermenting way too warm...she hates it...end of his SWMBO permission. Bad thing!

 

[jspence1]

In the sales guys defense its possible he suggested something else before you were involved in the conversation. Saflager S-23 claims on the package it will produce good results up to 24C/75F even thought they recommend 9-15C. If someone wants to do something sometimes you can't talk them out of it especially if the package says it will be good.

 

[Righlander]

Yeah but the menacing laugh?!

 

[eddie]

I have a feeling the customer already knows the guy is full of ****. He said that he had a fridge but it was full. To me, this indicates that he already knows it should be fermented cool. Maybe it was a tongue-in-cheek joke between them.

 

[fat x nub]

I have a feeling the customer already knows the guy is full of ****. He said that he had a fridge but it was full. To me, this indicates that he already knows it should be fermented cool. Maybe it was a tongue-in-cheek joke between them.

This could be true also. When the customer asked if 70 degress would be alright he might have just been kidding. But if he was seriouse and the guy gave him that advice he needs to be fired

 

[Christian]

my .02

regardless of what interaction took place before you chimed in on the conversation, regardless of what was missed. You should still report this to a manager. In my years in management i always welcomed and encouraged feedback like this from customers and other employees. Whether your assumptions are right or wrong leave it to the persons manager to get to the bottom of the matter. If you are wrong you are wrong, if you are right the store will be thankful and the craft will be happy to be rid of that person.

Also do not be fearful of approaching someone in a situation like this. One of the MANY things i love about this hobby is the unspoken camaraderie amongst fellow obssesors of the craft. There is always someone willing to help even if they dont know you personally. Which is why people like that store clerk must be dealt with.

 

[Chupacabras]

If you didn't have the balls to say something at the time, don't rat the guy out. As others have said you might not know the full story and you'll come off either as a ******* if you're wrong, or you'll come off as a goody two shoes ******* who sticks his nose where it doesn't belong. In my opinion the latter is worse. If you do feel compelled to do something, talk to the guy himself. Call him out on it. It will probably work much better than going over his head to his boss. If he continues in the manner in which he was dealing with the other customer then do tell the boss. I work at a homebrew shop and I would be furious if I gave bad advice, intentionally or not, and someone told my boss rather than speak with me directly. Especially since you're a third party observer with no real stake in the matter, other than you shop at said store. Also it may be an inside joke as the others have stated. I have a few customers with whom I get on well and we joke about stuff similar to that sometimes.

 

[Yunus]

Also do not be fearful of approaching someone in a situation like this. One of the MANY things i love about this hobby is the unspoken camaraderie amongst fellow obssesors of the craft. There is always someone willing to help even if they dont know you personally. Which is why people like that store clerk must be dealt with.

I agree, I have helped and been helped by random people in my LHBS.

I have seen uninformed people working in my LHBS but I have never seen someone intentionally misguide another which is what the laugh insinuates. That needs to be addressed to management.

 

[john from dc]

brewer's best "lager" kits come with nottingham.

 

[RCCOLA]

Sound's like my LHBS.$7oz.improperly stored yellowed hop pellets,$6.50lb DME $57 bag 2-row.The owner acts like you just wasted his time coming in to get a few lbs. of uncrushed grain or several packs of yeast.I would really like to support this shop b/c it's the only one around but DAMN it's hard to go back to places like this.And they wonder why their business sucks.

 

[Gonefishing]

The only way I'd think it would be an inside joke is if the clerk had laughed and said,"that is one funny guy.... lagering at 70! He jokes like that all the time!" Otherwise, the laugh makes me think he knew his advice was wrong, which makes it unforgivable. Unintentional wrong advice due to lack of knowledge is one thing, and I would still think an owner would like to know about that.

 

[chefchris]

The laugh wasn't because he gave bad advice. It was because the guy knew he needed to lager cold and was going to at 70F anyway. Now, like others have suggested, he might have changed out the yeast to an ale yeast. I'm not sure because I zoned out mid conversation.

 

[Nightbiker]

Agreed.

Think what you want about the guy, but to rat to his manager without really knowing the whole story is pretty lame.

sorry, but I cannot agree with this. I don't care WHAT kind of customer it is (and yes, I have worked in business with customers -I hated it. ) you don't give out bad advice like that -who knows? Perhaps the customer actually likes the kit he bought (its not MY choice, but then others may well not like the kinds of beer I prefer to brew -I brew for me, not anyone else. Its MY hobby -grin) but what the clerk did was purposely encourage this guy to potentially ruin his beer -before he even started. There is absolutely NO excuse for that. I would have (and have in other circumstances) had a word with the manager. If the manager doesn't care, then that is his choice. If thats his choice, I'd considder doing business elsewhere -this clerk has bad ethics -and such things rarely ever apply to just one customer.