New to this forum and home brewing as well. I have a local brew supplier which i have met and like quite a bit. I feel compelled to buy from them because they are realitively new and i like the idea of supporting local business.
Im starting whole grain and ive got one batch under m belt so i brought them recipe i found and had them supply everything from the yeast to the hops and ground up grains for a double ipa. I understand this is a considerable ( 14LBS) of grain but the total came to 41 dollars. I went to rite brew and the same ingredient list came to under 25 bucks plus shipping. I value service and all and i want to support them ut over the long haul thatwould cost me considerably. Thoughts? Thanks, Jim
Yeah that’s tough. You’d be able to brew 5 brews for what you would be able to brew three with locally. It makes it really difficult fir me to buy locally. I have a couple larger homebrew stores an hour each direction from me. I usually wait until they run sales like 25% off and buy a couple hundred pounds of grain and several pounds of hops. I buy yeast fresh as I go unless I have some harvested. So I spend a good but upfront but then I lay low for a long while. I’m brewing an IPA Friday. There’s 13 lb of grain in it for about $10. I’m using a pound of hops. Id estimate them at about a buck an ounce for these hops. I’m using a third generation of White Labs 001. Since it’s the third use of it, that cuts $7 down to $2.33. So I gave a hefty IPA with a pond of hops for under $30 by buying in bulk.
I don’t worry about getting advice at the homebrew stores, because you can all the advice you need right here on this forum.
It’s not unusual for a brick and mortar store to be a bit more expensive than their on-line equivalent, but I find I judge on more than just price. My LHBS has everything you’d expect it to have - a good selection of grains, yeasts, hops and equipment - at prices a touch higher than Rebel or Midwest etc on line. They do provide lots of good information and guidance, mostly to newbies just getting started. For me, a big reason why I continue to support them as much as I can is that they have provided a great deal of support to my local homebrew club. This support includes a 10% discount for all current club members (bringing prices closer to their on-line competitors); they host a couple of Big Brew days each year in their parking lot and provide power, water, tents, etc.; they host a couple of our monthly club meetings on-site each year; they have recurring educational sessions on brewing subjects; they are generous with give-away swag at our semi-annual club parties. Plus, they’re nice folks. It’s worth it to me to support them.
+1. My LHBS is much the same - Classes on brewing wine, beer and cider. Very knowledgeable, good people, great selection, hosting Big Brew days, etc. In my case the difference in $$ is not dramatic, and I get it that day with no shipping. Places like this are important to the homebrew community IMO.
You’re not comparing the true cost. Sure the ingredients are less, but as you noted - plus shipping. I went to Rite Brew and priced 14lbs of grain shipped. The grain prices are very reasonable, but shipping was $16.23! That’s more than the difference between them and your LHBS.
$41? That’s incredibly expensive. At those kind of prices the shop better offer a lot more than just a local place to buy grain. Otherwise they are going to find a lot of customers buy one or two batches there and then go online.
I like the idea of supporting my local shops and tend to mix buying online and one of our local shops, but I drive past two LHBS to buy at a third one because they offer superior service and with shipping included they are about equal in price to online shops. One of the shops I usually avoid carries a couple things I can’t find elsewhere so I either go there or buy online. I don’t like going there because I don’t like his business model or the service I get there.
For a double IPA? Doesn’t seem that unreasonable, but you really can’t say that unless you know exactly what was purchased.
+1. If hopped like a IIPA, half the price would’ve been hops (if not more). And no shipping.
That’s what I was thinking. And like stated before, the “plus shipping” can bring the price to at or above what the LHBS charges. So the prices thing is almost negligible.
Bottom line is, do you like your LHBS enough to keep him in business? I certainly do. Hell, I keep a tab going at mine and we settle up every once in a while. He also delivers to me since I see him so much anyway. I buy everything except for bulk hops from the guy (bulk grain, little orders from Foxx Equipment, speciality grains, random hops, Wyeast, etc, etc), just because I want to see him succeed.
Speaking of… I need some Special B and D2… better call Jeremy! 
I think in addition to just supporting your LHBS, think about the convenience that comes with having a LHBS in your area. If I’m ever in a bind on brewday, I know I have somewhere to get something ASAP. There would be nothing worse than to have my LHBS put out of business because I (or others) didn’t support it. It is worth the extra $10-15, which often is negligible when shipping is included.
Now, think about your life without a LHBS. Support them, as you would a local brewery that you “frequent.” No difference! It’s similar to justifying buying a 30 pack of Keystone Light because it’s cheaper than it would be to support your local craft brewer. Not quite, but hey, had to throw something comparable in there.
The grain bill is as reads
9Lbs 2row
2LBS caramel/crystal 20L
2Lb white wheat
1LB victory
5oz cascade hops
1 pack white labs WLP001
I do want to support them and will continue to do so however for the 2 row I will probably start buying bulk to save some cash.
With tax, $41 seems about right. Assume $1.50 per lb average for the grains ($21). $2 per ounce for the hops ($10). Maybe $7 for the yeast. Add tax and there you are.
Those prices seem in-line with what I see these days, and not far off what you’d pay on-line. Hops in bulk will be cheaper.
Doesn’t look enough grain for an IIPA. That’s less than I use for an IPA. Also, 2 lb. of crystal is really a lot.
I was thinking 41 for an DIPA without buying in bulk is a decent price
Doesn’t look even remotely like enough hops either. 5 oz of Cascade is enough for the first dry hop addition at best.
+1. Not even close.
Just to pile on… I’m about to brew a regular American IPA and I’m using 12 oz. of hops.
I also agree with the above that say the cost you mentioned is not too far out of line.
As others have mentioned - the determining factor in brewing “cheaply” is bulk. If you are buying your grain by the pound, your hops by the ounce and your yeast as single use… it is always going to cost you a lot - whether you shop online or local.
If you want reasonable prices - you better buy grain in 50Lb sacks, hops by the pound and learn how to get 3+ brews out of your yeast by repitching and making starters. My LHBS will get me sacks of grain for upper $30’s for 2 row, mid $50’s for european malts. I got about 20lbs of hops from him earlier this year, and I can give him a list of yeasts I want and he will order them.
Shipping will kill you and having a LHBS is great - I went 15 years without one. Have had one for the past 2 years or so and I buy everything I can from him. As long as the service is good, and the prices are in the ball park, I would go out of my way to support the local business.
Yep. Shipping is always the deal breaker for me even with the lower prices at the online places. Online ordering is always at least $5.00 or more over the price of my local place no matter what I buy.
Buy local!
I buy base malts in bulk through my club. Usually my LHBS for specialty grain, yeast and hops. However I have been frustrated on a number of occasions when they did not have what I needed. Sometimes I have to go to multiple shops or compromise on ingredients.
Btw, shipping is not free with the LBHS. It costs me 1 or 2 gallons of gas depending on which shop(s) I go to. And then there is sales tax.
I used to buy more online thru midwest, but their shipping became unreliable a couple years ago.