I’ve got that itch to start home brewing again. I’ve actually gone as far as starting to monitor the temperature in different locations in my house to find the best place to ferment my beer. I’ve been looking at my equipment and reviewing my process to identify things needing replacement and other areas I can improve on. (I had graduated many years ago to all-grain brewing and kegging with CO2)
One thing, however, I have trouble getting quality ingredients. Many home brew supply shops have opened and closed in my area. There still is one, a bit out of my way, that has been there for a long time and I will probably pay them a visit very soon. But, I’ve been thinking, why do I even need to leave my home in the new global economy?
I took a quick Google look at homebrew supplies and there are so many resources out there… but which to choose from? I’d love to know from our readers any good experiences, bad experiences, and recommendations.
When I do finally get brewing again, I promise to bring all the details to Hop Talk. Perhaps even a Brew Cam.
I recommend either Midwest Supplies or Northern Brewer. Both have big internet businesses, so the product is fresh. The selection is better than most, and so are the prices.
Having lived down the street from Northern Brewer for a while, I’d certainly second Brendan on that one. I wish there was a store like them near me now.
I’d prefer not to ship clear across the country for anything, but neither of my local stores (i.e. those within 25 miles, which is hard for me to call local anyway) carries anything organic. So I’ll likely support Seven Bridges (www.breworganic.com/) for my next batch of homebrew (or tap Nortern Brewers organic stock).
I have had good luck with morebeer.com , they seem to have good prices on hops with the hop shortage we are experiencing and they ship fairly fast. So far I have ordered from them twice and I would definitely order from them again.
i’ll second morebeer.com. i’ve ordered from them multiple times and they’ve always been quick and had decent prices.
The Open Directory Project has rather a long list of candidates.
Ive had good experiences with both Morebeer.com and Northern Brewer. Beerwine.com is also one that is said to be great. Jim Koch recomends it for people entering the Sam Adams homebrew competion.
I strongly second (or third) the support for Northern Brewer and Midwest Supplies. Both are run by good people who are willing to help. I’ve been to both stores in person and have alway been helped. Their internet side is also very supportive.
The ship quickly and they stand behind their product.
I should point out, I don’t work for either of them. I’m just a very satisfied customer.
I’m a big fan of austinhomebrew.com – fast shipping, good selection; I’ve never been disappointed.
Northern Brewer all the way.
Wow! Thanks everyone; you guys are the best. Now that itch is turning to a burn.
Another one for Northern Brewer. Annapolis Homebrew is good too, they have some ingredients you won’t find locally often (like dehusked Carafa) and they ship QUICK. Also, North Country Malt is good for cheap grain.
I keep a list of homebrew supply stores on my web browser and use them when I go shopping. But for one-stop-shopping, Northern Brewer is very good.
Cheers!