What makes a good local brewer's / vintner's supply store?
Lots of equipment?
Lots if different types of yeast?
Lots of grains / honey / sugar / fruits?
Lots of friendly and helpful staff?
Lots of classes or education?
So, what makes it "happen" for you?
Quality selection of grains and yeasts, open on weekends or evenings.
If you have a list, why don’t you post to them?
Looks like a good topic
How do I get on this list?
Hop on this thread.
And helpful and friendly staff.
My local store is Quirky Homebrew Supply (http://www.quirkyhomebrew.com/) here in northern Denver area.
Great bunch, lots of kits for the beginner and a grain room that is very well stocked if a bit intimidating to the beginner. But what really makes it for me is the relaxed helpful attitude from the staff. They don’t make you feel like an idiot if you ask questions. I also like the idea of the meet ups they have but have not yet been able to get to one.
Good resource for supply in California: http://www.brewsupply.com/
Seems like you forgot to ping the list you have.
All the above and quality Distilling hardware. And a taste room for local inventions.
Knowledgable staff.
Good selection.
Fair prices.
A keg of good cold stuff on tap to sample.
L
Packaging supplies: Corks, wire hoods, crown caps, screw caps, bottles in the common sizes, crown cap and threaded finish on bottles.
Corkers and cappers.
The various chemicals used for additions, fining, and cleaning.
Hose fittings commonly used as well as clear tubing for racking.
Hydrometers to measure specific gravity, thermometers, ebulliometer and other testing equipment. Glass and plastic 3 to 10 gallon carboys for storage and the larger 15 to 30 gallon variety so a 60 gallon barrel can be racked.
Brushes for cleaning various containers. Food grade tools such as shovels, rakes, and punch-down implements. Sulfur sticks to burn now that sulfur dioxide gas use is under gov’t regulation. Malt and hops. Barley for the malt-it-yourself crowd.
And someone behind the counter who knows how to use all this stuff.
Hello,
Please add me to your list. I have also waited @ 20years myself. Looking forward to a discussion on growing hops! I have a larger fenced garden. Sure would be cool to give it a try. Plus they smell Good!
I’d like to be on your ping list!
ohhhhh. just saw this in Latest Posts.. would you add me to the ping list?
thanks
Well, after I Cruz on over to my local supplier, I check out their Christie malt. Not bad for 6-row malt, I figure. I think it was the type used to brew Carly Black Label. I liked that beer if I only wanted 1 or 2 bottles, but I would head for the Sierra Nevada whenever I got a Kasich.
But then, I Rand into the proprietor, and he sez that more important than the ingredients is keeping the brewing equipment clean. He recommends an iodine-based sterilizer for keeping my brew space clean. “Darn,” I exclaimed, “I wish I had that before my last two batches that I ruined with infection.” I’ve Ben Carsin’ to the heavens ever since.
“But what about lambics,” I ask? “They add fruit and open the fermentation process to the outside air. Isn’t that a bit un-Sanitoriumy?”
“Lambics? Well, why didn’t you say so?” He took me to their stock of lambic ingredients, including cherries, raspberries and Huckabees. He also told me that some crazies brew spicy beer by adding red-Rubios from a pepper Bush. No thanks, dat.
By the time I was done shopping, the clerk rang up the charges. I was sure he had Trumped us the bill. It came to more than I make in a week. Something seemed dreadfully wrong.
When I woke up in a sweat, I realized it was just a bad dream.
Having a good supply of fresh yeast on hand is a big one for me. Otherwise, the online sellers are pretty good for most of the rest.
Thing to remember on yeast though is that you can start your own from the remaining yeast in commercial beer. So long as its bottle conditioned.
Please add me to the ping list. Thanks
What makes a good store?
All of what you list, but for me the big one is lots of **FRESH** ingredients. Preferably as much in bulk as possible. Hopefully a good grain milling system (don’t yet have my own mill at home).
My “go to” store locally is Maryland Homebrew up in Columbia. Friendly staff, decent assortment of equipment, good selection of ingredients (hops, yeasts, grains, adjuncts). I know there’s a homebrew store in Annapolis, but haven’t ever visited there yet. I’ve been to the “My Local Homebrew” in Falls Church a couple of times (near one of my work sites)...wasn’t all that impressed with the place.
Please add me to your list too.
Thanks
Used to brew with my dad, he passed 18 years ago. Thinking of doing it again. This will be a fun thread. :)