What does your LHBS do to keep you coming back?

[subliminalurge]

All I ask is three beers apiece for each of my co-workers...I think a man workin outdoors, feels more like a man if he can have a bottle of suds.

Still at the very top of my list for best movie quotes of all time.

Damn you, just ordered Shawshank on PPV. You owe me 4 bucks.

Wish I knew where and when my DVD got lost....

 

[Bernie Brewer]

The local owner is a friend of mine. And his prices are very good. And he will bend over backward to stock whatever you ask for. And he is president of the local homebrew club. And he is a graduate of brewing school, and has worked in a brewpub, so he is very knowledgeable. The guy just knows his sh!t. And he is also a good sh!t. So he has my business.

 

[febbrewro]

I'll agree with Revvy that Cap N Cork is a very good store in the Metro Detroit area. Been there a couple times, actually purchased my initial equipment and did my first batch in their parking lot a few years ago at a brewing event. The only problem is that they're a bit out of the way for me to go to for supplies.

Adventures in Homebrewing in Taylor, MI is located pretty close to my office, and I've had nothing but a good experience every time I go there. Their staff is knowledgeable, and the store is packed to the rafters with product. They also hold group brew days and other events at the store.

http://www.homebrewing.org/

 

[Revvy]

Adventures in Homebrewing in Taylor, MI is located pretty close to my office, and I've had nothing but a good experience every time I go there. Their staff is knowledgeable, and the store is packed to the rafters with product. They also hold group brew days and other events at the store.

http://www.homebrewing.org/

That's the place I didn't name in my initial post that I felt was really dark, dirty, cluttered and the folks weren't that helpful.....I know a lot of people seem to like it, but it just wasn't my kind of place.

 

[woodenbuick]

I shop at AHS. Its 20 minutes from home and has a hell of a selection. The new store is clean and well organized and easy to get to.
They have a number system so when they are crowded, it doesn't seem like too long.

 

[Polboy]

Good selection, ok location, good hours, and great prices ($50 for bag of 2 row ie)

 

[buffalobrewer]

Our HBT tent

It even has a guy giving us the finger!!

 

[marcopolo]

My favorite homebrew shop in Colorado is Hops & Berries in Ft. Collins. The owner & staff are all brewers with both commercial & homebrewing experience. Very knowlegable & friendly. They stock over 100 different grains, 4 or 5 malt extracts (always fresh), plenty of hops & yeast, etc... AND they also operate an excellent microbrewery next door to the LHBS ! Not to mention that Colin, the owner, also started the Liquid Poet's Society Homebrew Club which is the largest club in Colorado. The entire Colorado Brewing Community is quite vibrant, and Hops & Berries has been GREAT in promoting the appreciation of beer and brewing. Colorado is for beer lovers ! Hops & Berries also has a "rewards" program for their customers.

 

[Revvy]

It even has a guy giving us the finger!!

That's Decojuicer, he's not around much on here anymore. He lurks more than posts.

 

[BonnieJ]

Brewbrothers is one of many in the Portland metro area. Prices are usually the lowest and they started that trend and others have had to compete and lower prices. It's the only shop that knows my name when I walk in the door instead of calling me "hey man". That alone is worthy of my loyalty. I asked about Hop extract and the next time I showed up I got two syringes for free to sample. btw - don't lick your fingers after messing with that stuff, it is intense.

I love that place. I just went this afternoon. Yeah, they're about 20 miles from me, but I plan several brews and get a few months worth at a time. Last time I emailed a big list of things I needed and it was all waiting for me when I got there. Today I just got a few things but I was headed in that direction already.

 

[Piratwolf]

Sadly, mine does little or nothing, and after my last experience--waited 25 mins in a 700 sq ft shop without getting any service or attention--I've vowed never to go back. Overpriced, under-informed, and inattentive = 3 strikes. Sad.

 

[pdxkale]

I have a half a dozen LHBS's in the area and often times finding myself driving to the furthest one. I can order everything online, and they have it ready for pick up with a day's notice. They mill my grain for me at no charge, have drilled holes in kettles at no charge, and always have beer on tap to sample. They are also always friendly, greet me by name when I come in, and are always friendly and have good advice.

I can also tell you what not to do. I literally have a LHBS within 2 blocks of my house, and have been there a couple of times. The proprietor is always cranky, condescending, and a down right bitch. I use them in an absolute pinch, but would much rather drive a half an hour to my preferred store. If you treat your customers with genuine respect and friendliness, it goes a LONG WAY. I've had to wait an hour for an order before in my preferred store, but they took care of me no matter what. They offer hop substitutions, recommendations on grains, and a wealth of information.

Those are just my 2 cents.

 

[ChaosStout]

Nothing. I use Midwest instead. When I first started making wine I went to my Local. His shelves are almost bare and its not because he has a flood of buissness. The guy is horrible at keeping inventory, his prices suck(even with shipping midwest is cheaper) and his liquid yeast fridge had only 3 smack packs in it lol. Such an epic fail LHBS. Its a wonder he has been in buisness for like 20 years

 

[tpitman]

Mine is small, crowded, dusty, and great-smelling. Customer service can't be described as gregarious, but he carries just about everything in stock shy of stuff like conical fermentors, and his prices are comparable to the best online pricing, and in some cases cheaper. Cracks your grain for free, including bulk. Generally, you're "encouraged" to order online, so I always do, and my stuff is always ready when I go to pick up. There's only one guy on duty, and it isn't a store where you can meander around and "shop". I'm surprised the owner knows where everything is. If you had people coming in with lists and planning on waiting, it'd take forever. But if you know what you want, it's hard to beat, plus it's 10 minutes from my house.

 

[tangofoxtrot308]

He has an unbeatable beer selection! Other than that he's a cool guy and some of his items (bottles + sugar) are cheaper than online. As far as grain and yeast he doesn't have the quanity and selection i'd like but he tries.

 

[wcrooker]

My LHBS is about 45 minutes away but its attached to Bell's cafe..... They are usually well stocked and have a good selection of equipment, oh yeah and a walk in cooler of all the Bell's brews. The only thing I wish they did have was Wyeast. And the bottles are only $5 a case.

 

[drkaeppel]

My LHBS is great. The people there are knowledgeable and friendly and the store is very well stocked. Most of their ingredient prices are comparable to what I find online. I just wish they were closer because I have to drive 30+ mins to get there.

 

[Desrever]

My LHBS is about 45 minutes away but its attached to Bell's cafe..... They are usually well stocked and have a good selection of equipment, oh yeah and a walk in cooler of all the Bell's brews. The only thing I wish they did have was Wyeast. And the bottles are only $5 a case.

I took a drive up toBell's General Store Last Saturday, And I will have to agree with wcrooker very well stocked, I picked up some of those 5 buck bottles and they come in a Bell's case and then in two hearted ale 6ers! sweet ! the attendants were top notch it made for a superb 1st experience there I will go back.

 

[ScootersAle]

I, like a few others in this thread, greatly dislike my LHBS. I basically only go there for things that are heavy or other equipment I need asap. On the surface it seems like a good shop but then we you start talking to the owners, you realize that they have no business in sales. An interesting interaction my trip there was someone trying to buy unmilled grain. They said they always mill the grain. The customer said he wasn't using the grain for a little bit and had his own grain that is setup for the exact setting he wanted. The customer ended up just leaving without buying anything. The store has had really poor reviews all over the internet.

I did just found a LHBS that is a bit smaller, but seems to be more friendly. I've only gone there once, but I plan on going there more. Either way both are 45 min + drive, so Northern Brewer, Midwest, and AHS get most of my business.

 

[wcrooker]

I took a drive up toBell's General Store Last Saturday, And I will have to agree with wcrooker very well stocked, I picked up some of those 5 buck bottles and they come in a Bell's case and then in two hearted ale 6ers! sweet ! the attendants were top notch it made for a superb 1st experience there I will go back.

I just looked, I guess they raised their prices. $8 a case now. Still a hell of a deal IMO.

 

[Desrever]

I just looked, I guess they raised their prices. $8 a case now. Still a hell of a deal IMO.

Thats what there online prices are, I shopped online first and saw they had decent prices but when I got there everything was much cheaper I picked up 3 cases 12oz, 1 case 22oz, a 6.5 gal glass carboy, 4ft blow-off, BB weizen kit, wpl300 tube, 1lb extra light DME, 4 packs coopers drops, carboy cap and only dropped $125

2 hour drive is worth the Bells pub trial beer alone, That awesome store makes it that much better!

wcrooker, your just in Niles ? I'm in South Bend, IN about a mile from Notre Dame. Do you ever go to Quality Wine & Ale in Elkhart, IN ?

 

[wcrooker]

Thats what there online prices are, I shopped online first and saw they had decent prices but when I got there everything was much cheaper I picked up 3 cases 12oz, 1 case 22oz, a 6.5 gal glass carboy, 4ft blow-off, BB weizen kit, wpl300 tube, 1lb extra light DME, 4 packs coopers drops, carboy cap and only dropped $125

2 hour drive is worth the Bells pub trial beer alone, That awesome store makes it that much better!

wcrooker, your just in Niles ? I'm in South Bend, IN about a mile from Notre Dame. Do you ever go to Quality Wine & Ale in Elkhart, IN ?

Yeah I've been there, Bell's has better selection I think and the prices are better. But its not bad, it seems more wine focused. Your right about the pub too, they have better pub only beers then production beers to me. The food is decent as well.

 

[beerman0001]

Nothing yet. Last time I went needed to get beer line for my 2 new taps and they were charging $1.00 a foot. The only good thing is that they are there if I don't plan ahead.

 

[philjohnwilliams]

My LHBS is a 10 min drive from my work so i can stop by on my lunch hour. LME is less then $2.00/pound and is always fresh. other prices are good too, at least relative to other stores in my area.

 

[RobWalker]

I've just outgrown mine, finding that their malt and hops are limited in variety so I need to order bits online now. I'll still go there for the basics though just to say hello and buy bits of equipment as needed, conveniently I work opposite mine!

 

[motleybrews]

I can buy bulk grain, and it doesn't matter what grain I need, it just gets subtracted from 50 total pounds. Don't have to store it, don't need my own mill, etc.

Also, it's just fun to go in and hang out and learn stuff.

But what is really nice is all those great products online... I can touch them, look at them, and see the quality of the product instead of just a picture and description.

It's worth the extra $ to me for all those reasons

 

[mattldm]

they make sure to NOT have what I need in stock.

 

[DeanRIowa]

My LHBS is 45 minutes away for me:

Last trip there:

• Owner bad mouthed local club
• Kits old
• Yeast Old

Seems like a nice guy just in the wrong market area. I have started to shop online.

Dean

 

[wolfstar]

We have a few within an hour....

I usually go to the one (Brewers Connection) at Universityy and McClintoc in Tempe, they have another store in Tucson....

The owner is cool, informative, not to pushy...he seems to like helping in a background sort of way (he lets you learn from your own mistakes).

Some of the staff inject their own tastes and preferances without really realising it...I like to explore with beer, not so easy when someone is trying to get you to brew any recipe their way....

Overall, good stock, informative, prices are very competitive on ingredients...not so competitive on equipment.

 

[jonmohno]

Mine keeps pissing me off from getting screwed. Like i leave then find out the expiration date of my yeast is this month,or they ring it up dont let me know the price keep chit-chatting i leave and am like what? I paid almost 5 bucks for dry nottingham???wtf.
Not to metion how old their stuff has been sitting there. Also i noticed holes in some of the 1# bags of grain like mice got into them, i pulled one out and grains were coming out of it,wtf#2??3,4,5. No wonder why i mail order most of the time,i have no idea how old that stuff is.