whats important to you in a homebrew store?

[kegger_maker]

Haven't read all the posts, but here's my take. The honesty to say, "we can't get you this today, but I can do it in X days". An honest effort is all I ask. I can't expect someone to carry everything at all times, but the knowledge on how to make me leave content is priceless. Don't have everything, just how to get everything.

 

[adamj]

I am looking into opening a LHBS and these have all been great suggestions for me. Thank you everyone for the feedback! Customer service has always been the most important thing to me (I've worked in restaurants for quite a few years), and I have always made sure that the product I have carried and sold has been the best it can with the freshest ingredients possible. Looks like all of that will translate well to a homebrew supply store!

 

[BreezyBrew]

Fresh Yeast! A couple of stores in my area just don't have it. It makes the longer drive totally worth it. That's by far my number one. Good service is also nice when you have more advanced questions.

 

[ICWiener]

Good luck to you! I hope your store takes off.

Two things my LHBS does (that I love): 1) They have a 4 tap kegerator in the store with dixie cups for customers. They always have a commercial keg, 1 or 2 homebrews, and maybe a cider on tap. It's different. It gives the place a bit of a different vibe. Almost pub-like. they don't sell any of it, so I think that keeps the legal issues at bay. It's fun to come in and pull a sample while shopping and talking beer. It's also cool because local homebrewers will bring in batches to put on tap. I love trying other brewers' beers.

2) The owner doesn't pretend to be the end-all-be-all source of beer knowledge but one thing he knows well is substitutions. If they're out of something he can always recommend a good replacement. I dig that.

 

[reverendj1]

I would just like to add one thing that really makes my LHBS shine in my eyes (they hit just about every other note that people have mentioned too). Have hardware on hand. All the little washers, nuts, bolts, hose adapters, valves, etc. you need for a DIY homebrew project, they have on hand, in the sizes you need. The prices are comparable to Lowe's, maybe a little higher, but it makes it so much easier being able to find everything in one place.

 

[catdaddy66]

1) Customer service- somewhat knowledgeable is good. An honest "I don't know" is refreshing, followed up with "I'll check on that to find out" also goes well with me. Acknowledge the customer quickly but don't hang on them like a car salesman.

2) Well stocked inventory- does not need to be cheapest around but a good variety for multiple styles. Monthly specials can be nice with harder to get grains/hops/yeast.

3) convenient hours- so most people can get to come by at their best times and days. This isn't always feasible, but can be helped by a way to leave orders via voicemail or email to be picked up later.

Just my 2 cents...

 

[BinghamtonEd]

Customer service, and being a relative noob, feeling safe asking stupid questions. The closest LHBS to me is about 5 minutes away. This is my first stop, although they're mainly a brewery. The guy has told me that he doesn't make money off his supplies (not surprising, seeing the prices), but that he just does that to get people into it. He makes his money off of selling his beer. Nice helpful guy, but due to this situation, the supply portion of the store is often picked over (he's also told me he basically has me and one other guy that are his only frequent supply customers). He will order stuff for you and get it when he puts in his order, if you're willing to wait.

Taking all of this into consideration, I will usually stop down and get what I need that he has, talk beer, and get a growler or two filled. I will then go to the LHBS the next day after work (5 min from my work), and pick up everything else. The other store isn't bad, and the people aren't unfriendly, and it has a way better selection, it's just that my preferred place kinda has that 'Cheers' thing going (where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came) and is more fun to hang out at.

So in summary :
- Friendly, non-snobbish environment
- Learn your regular's names
- Selection
- Prices

Notice prices was last? Granted, I'm not going to spend $15 on a can of LME even if they are friendly and know my name, if I can get it for $12 down the road.

 

[m3n00b]

Price/freshness is all I care about.

I DGAF about customer service or if they're rude. I'm not a p***y and can handle people with bad attitudes tired of answering my n00b questions. I do it all day myself.

 

[BinghamtonEd]

I DGAF about customer service or if they're rude. I'm not a p***y and can handle people with bad attitudes tired of answering my n00b questions.

Wow. I think most people would agree that not wanting to deal with sh*tty customer service doesn't make you a p***y. But if you're cool with giving your money to people who treat you like sh*t, to each his own.

Typically, places that treat their customers like sh*t don't stick around too long.

 

[woknblues]

Price/freshness is all I care about.

I DGAF about customer service or if they're rude. I'm not a p***y and can handle people with bad attitudes tired of answering my n00b questions. I do it all day myself.

I lol'ed.

I answer noob questions all day long as well, and expect the same courtesy that I give.


Anyways, all I really care about is customer service. I am happy to adjust a recipe within reason if they are out of X yeast or whatever. Fresh, yeah sure. Grain and hops and yeast. Pretty simple. My LHBS is great on ingredients and so-so on pricing for equipment. It's give and take and like I said, the customer service is what keeps me as a customer.

 

[adamj]

Thanks again for all of the feedback. Some great ideas that I can hopefully incorporate to become the best I possibly can.

BinghamtonEd -> How is Water St Brewing? I am from Binghamton originally and I have heard good things from friends. Nice to see the area with a brewery again!

 

[Whsoj]

You guys make me feel like a spoiled brat. I'm lucky as hell. I work 5 min from my lhbs its like a supermarket. Well, it is a wholesale distributor for the surrounding area and they have a web site. I email grain bill pick it up on lunch:rockin:

 

[BinghamtonEd]

I've only been there twice so far (having a 9 month old limits my time downtown, I'm actually over in Endicott), but I have been impressed with the beers I've had there. They had a really great weisenbock on tap when I was there during the winter that I've been craving, but it isn't available now. They also have good food, the falafel bites and jalapeno cheddar hushpuppies are awesome. From what I hear, it's usually pretty busy there. There's actually a couple breweries that've popped up. If your friends haven't checked out the North Brewery in Endicott, they should, that's my go to place. Should let them know, however, that there's no pints or food, just a 5-beer tasting and growler fill-ups, and usually not busy, however I go in the middle of the afternoon.

P.S. If your friends here brew, they might like the one in Endicott. I'm pretty sure the guy there would be more than willing to sample their beers and discuss. I don't know how bringing your own beer would go over at Water St.

 

[BinghamtonEd]

I email grain bill pick it up on lunch:rockin:

That would be sweet! I'm just going to text my order over to mine a few days ahead of time (because I have to get it milled, but I only do PM). Still scouring for a dirt cheap used corona.

 

[bovineblitz]

I've only been there twice so far (having a 9 month old limits my time downtown, I'm actually over in Endicott), but I have been impressed with the beers I've had there. They had a really great weisenbock on tap when I was there during the winter that I've been craving, but it isn't available now. They also have good food, the falafel bites and jalapeno cheddar hushpuppies are awesome. From what I hear, it's usually pretty busy there. There's actually a couple breweries that've popped up. If your friends haven't checked out the North Brewery in Endicott, they should, that's my go to place. Should let them know, however, that there's no pints or food, just a 5-beer tasting and growler fill-ups, and usually not busy, however I go in the middle of the afternoon.

P.S. If your friends here brew, they might like the one in Endicott. I'm pretty sure the guy there would be more than willing to sample their beers and discuss. I don't know how bringing your own beer would go over at Water St.

Their yeast... is weird. I've tried, I can't do it, it gets this really estery and almost meaty flavor. I used a pitch he gave me in a brown porter and submitted it to a competition, I got dinged hard for phenolic, estery, and even solventy flavors despite fermenting in the mid 60s, and I get all those flavors at the brewpub too. The lagers are better, but I haven't been back there in months.

North got pretty good once they got their temp control installed, lots of tasty hops and some unusual experiments from time to time. I generally pop in there once a week or so. They're pretty much always happy to sample there as well which is always fun.

 

[bovineblitz]

Wow. I think most people would agree that not wanting to deal with sh*tty customer service doesn't make you a p***y. But if you're cool with giving your money to people who treat you like sh*t, to each his own.

Typically, places that treat their customers like sh*t don't stick around too long.

Personally I'd rather have a good selection and reasonable prices than friendly service, but if I were newer to brewing/less internet savvy I might be singing a different tune I suppose. I know what I want and don't really expect a homebrew store employee to be knowledgeable enough to actually help. Maybe the owner would be helpful, but most people who have been brewing for long enough to really know what's up aren't working a minimum wage job in my experience.

$2.00/lb for just base grain is laughable (and I've seen higher, ahem). Another thing I really like is being able to weigh out your own grain, I really dislike buying everything by the pound.

 

[adamj]

I'll tell my friend to check out the brewery in Endicott (he works at SUNY so not too far away)...He is not homebrewing (yet) but he loves good craft beer.

I'm headed up for a mini vacation in a few weeks to see family and hopefully I can sneak away and try them both out!

 

[Jaybird]

Good stuff guys... All us LHBS owners can learn a few things from this thread! After all, we started our businesses to serve you (the brewer) first and formost!

Glad I can be a part of the community here at HBT and locally.

Cheers
Jay

 

[BinghamtonEd]

Hey Bovine, nice to see someone else in the area. I'm in there once a week or so too, usually Friday afternoon. I've only got a few batches under my belt so I like to take in whatever helpful information I can. Where do you shop? I wasn't aware of anywhere around here I can measure/mill my own grain in-store. I haven't had a problem with yeast, however I've only used rehydrated US-05 to this point.

 

[outside92129]

I like the option of weighing my own grain. One nearby LHBS has "full service" which is a pain because they screw up more often than not and I have spend more effort keeping an eye on their work than it would take for me.

Most of the LHBS around me are somehow associated with breweries and have access to serious wholesale/volume pricing. However two or three LHBS's aren't associated and have grain pricing significantly higher than the rest.

p.s. yes we're spoiled out here. At least 6 LBHS within 20 min of my location, maybe a couple more that i haven't tried out yet too!

 

[MaxStout]

In no particular order of importance:
Good selection
Decent prices
Fresh ingredients
Knowledgeable staff

I am fortunate to live within a short drive of 3 good places: NB, MW, and a nice, smaller shop in the north 'burbs (Brew & Grow). Never had a bad experience while visiting any of those stores.

 

[bovineblitz]

Hey Bovine, nice to see someone else in the area. I'm in there once a week or so too, usually Friday afternoon. I've only got a few batches under my belt so I like to take in whatever helpful information I can. Where do you shop? I wasn't aware of anywhere around here I can measure/mill my own grain in-store. I haven't had a problem with yeast, however I've only used rehydrated US-05 to this point.

Hey, definitely. I'll probably stop in there on Friday around 3:30-5, I'm usually the guy with a backpack and a homebrew or two, haha. I get most of my supplies online, though I get S05 and the occasional bit of extract or specialty grain from North. I just got a mill so I'm starting to buy 55lb sacks. I've had him order things for me as well, he can generally just throw stuff in with his shipments and prices are reasonable. I head up to Albany every so often, the store up there is pretty nice so I'll get yeast blends and a few things if I'm driving through. You definitely can't measure/mill around here, I think Doc's is all pre-bagged and there's a Corona mill there... I asked about having him order me a sour blend once and it was gonna be something like $11 and 2 weeks... meanwhile I could go online and get it shipped to me for something like $8. That's kind of an extreme example I suppose but I don't have the best impression.

Have you been to the Endicott homebrew club, BIER? It's usually a pretty good time.

 

[BinghamtonEd]

I'll probably be swinging in there tomorrow around 330-4 for a growlette, maybe I'll run into you. I'm usually the guy with a million questions who sits there for a half hour. I did not know that there was an Endicott club, looks like (according to the interweb) you guys meet 2nd Wednesday at Sports Page?

I did the red ale kit, it came out tasting like Shipyard Export with a banana finish (weird, huh?)...drinkable, but not planning on sharing that one as I wasn't satisfied with it. Second batch is a Cascade/Willamette IPA I came up with, it's dry-hopping now but I snuck 2 ounces out yesterday to see where it's at and it kinda tastes like their Citra Me Crazy, just not as in-your-face with the grapefruit. Bottling Saturday or Sunday. I plan on bringing a couple bottles down to North in a month or so to share, I'll let you know when. Have a Sam Adams Summer Ale clone in right now as well, for when the yard work starts to get a bit toasty. All extract at this point, although it turns out I accidentally PM'd some 2-row on the summer ale.

 

[eric19312]

Love my LHBS because of their support for the homebrew community. They host monthly club meetings, competitions and other events. The owner brews mainly extract kits and offers lots of demonstrations focused on how easy that is to do. He is all about KISS and that seems to work well and gets lots of people into the hobby.

If I was opening a store I'd follow his example and really try to cater to new brewers. Have a good selection of kits and extract brew gear. Build a relationship with them as they get on their feet and they will likely remain loyal customers even once they need less support.

 

[adamj]

Love my LHBS because of their support for the homebrew community. They host monthly club meetings, competitions and other events. The owner brews mainly extract kits and offers lots of demonstrations focused on how easy that is to do. He is all about KISS and that seems to work well and gets lots of people into the hobby.

If I was opening a store I'd follow his example and really try to cater to new brewers. Have a good selection of kits and extract brew gear. Build a relationship with them as they get on their feet and they will likely remain loyal customers even once they need less support.

My thoughts exactly!

 

[Alienz8mypopcorn]

Love my LHBS because of their support for the homebrew community. They host monthly club meetings, competitions and other events. The owner brews mainly extract kits and offers lots of demonstrations focused on how easy that is to do. He is all about KISS and that seems to work well and gets lots of people into the hobby.

If I was opening a store I'd follow his example and really try to cater to new brewers. Have a good selection of kits and extract brew gear. Build a relationship with them as they get on their feet and they will likely remain loyal customers even once they need less support.

I was about to say the exact same thing about the LHBS right around the corner to me! I went right up to the guy at ours with the Amber wheat recipe I got off of here and I said "I've only ever made Mr. Beer kits before, and I'm looking to get a little more involved with the process. Can you help me?"

Oh man, he gave the hubby and I a tour of the store, and even explained what the "L" meant when I was like "I guess I need Crystal 20L??" Haha we're trying but their so much to learn! They offer a free kegging class twice a month, and five dollar "First Time Brewer's sessions" that we'll be attending in June.

Beer on tap for sampling, knowledgeable staff (we hope), friendly, AND only five minutes from the house. Home of one of the city's Home Brew Clubs as well.

Also, when I went, he suggested that I get an account on here to ask questions if I had any after the stores hours. I was like "That's where I got this recipe!"

 

[bovineblitz]

I'll probably be swinging in there tomorrow around 330-4 for a growlette, maybe I'll run into you. I'm usually the guy with a million questions who sits there for a half hour. I did not know that there was an Endicott club, looks like (according to the interweb) you guys meet 2nd Wednesday at Sports Page?

I did the red ale kit, it came out tasting like Shipyard Export with a banana finish (weird, huh?)...drinkable, but not planning on sharing that one as I wasn't satisfied with it. Second batch is a Cascade/Willamette IPA I came up with, it's dry-hopping now but I snuck 2 ounces out yesterday to see where it's at and it kinda tastes like their Citra Me Crazy, just not as in-your-face with the grapefruit. Bottling Saturday or Sunday. I plan on bringing a couple bottles down to North in a month or so to share, I'll let you know when. Have a Sam Adams Summer Ale clone in right now as well, for when the yard work starts to get a bit toasty. All extract at this point, although it turns out I accidentally PM'd some 2-row on the summer ale.

Hm sounds like the red ale fermented a bit warm and you got some banana esters. Temp control is the #1 thing if you ask me, way more important than all-grain or pretty much anything else.

Anyways, the Endicott club actually meets at Blind Tiger at 7:30 on the second Wed. They haven't updated the website in forever, I joined by just showing up one day... would have sucked to just show up and have nothing going on, haha.

 

[GrogNerd]

I worked at MARS (Music And Recording Superstore), started by a former president of Office Depot, who applied the Office/Home Depot idea to a music store.

MARS was done in by over-expansion & crappy distribution, preventing them from keeping up with consumer demand for the latest gear

but apply that model to LHBS = Homebrew Depot. just need to avoid the mistakes that lead to MARS demise.

would be great; a homebrewers dream. imagine a store the size of Home Depot filled with homebrew supplies

capitalization would be impossible

 

[ICWiener]

MARS was done in by over-expansion & crappy distribution, preventing them from keeping up with consumer demand for the latest gear

Hey, I remember MARS. Been a while since I heard that name. I used to work at Valley Media. We filled special orders for MARS, Wherehouse, FYE, Sam Goody, etc. If you ever worked in ordering, you probably talked to us.

 

[GrogNerd]

Hey, I remember MARS. Been a while since I heard that name. I used to work at Valley Media. We filled special orders for MARS, Wherehouse, FYE, Sam Goody, etc. If you ever worked in ordering, you probably talked to us.

I was just a lowly salesman, worked at the Springfield, VA store from right before they opened until right before they went to commission

did plenty of ordering, but only as far as forwarding the request to the front office, whom I'm sure effed it up way before you were involved

 

[ICWiener]

did plenty of ordering, but only as far as forwarding the request to the front office, whom I'm sure effed it up way before you were involved

haha! I hear ya. Well to be honest, all of us who made a living in physical media weren't long for our jobs. The CD and DVD are a dying breed. Valley Media was a billion dollar publicly traded company...flamed out spectacularly.

I guess the moral of the story is that you're right...business is tough. Expansion is great, but you gotta be careful.

 

[GrogNerd]

so, I'm gonna win the lottery and blow my entire winnings on building Homebrew Depot

 

[ICWiener]

so, I'm gonna win the lottery and blow my entire winnings on building Homebrew Depot

That's my goal: Win the lotto so that I can have enough money to open a homebrew/record emporium. That way, it doesn't matter if I lose money, I'm still rich!