Home Brew Supplies

[exparte]

Can't imagine why you'd want another homebrew shop. AHS is wonderful.

[metaltim]

keg connection just had a huge cyber monday sale, they had used ball lock cornys for $20, and free shipping over $100. Well I missed it, didn't see it until tues. So on a whim I called and say hey I missed the sale on kegs, but I want some, what can you do? He met me half way on price ($26.99) and still gave free shipping over $100. so i got 4 of em for about $115.
great price, kegs are now ~$40 ea. all over the US.

great place in my book.

[JoeW]

Originally Posted by metaltim

keg connection just had a huge cyber monday sale, they had used ball lock cornys for $20, and free shipping over $100. Well I missed it, didn't see it until tues. So on a whim I called and say hey I missed the sale on kegs, but I want some, what can you do? He met me half way on price ($26.99) and still gave free shipping over $100. so i got 4 of em for about $115.
great price, kegs are now ~$40 ea. all over the US.

great place in my book.

damn, sorry I missed that

[jlaufman]

I use Learntobrew.com for equipment. Chris is smart, he put together good packages for great prices (custom orders too)
I use only AHS for my grain bill though. You can't get it any more fresh than from these guys.

[baldnate]

I once got some stuff from St Pat's of Texas, but they weren't really set up for small customers. They do have some nice gear, but they are really targeted at the wine industry at this point.

That said, they didn't turn me away, and they are local.

[sporkd2]

I buy everything from http://brewmasterswarehouse.com their flat shipping is great and so are their prices.

[twelfthman01]

AHS is nice that its local, but most prices are a shade high.

For real savings on hops go hopsdirect and buy by the lb (split hops and shipping with another brewer) OR get in on a bulk grain buy like the one going on now...search for bulk grain in yahoo groups.

[JoeW]

Originally Posted by twelfthman01

AHS is nice that its local, but most prices are a shade high.

For real savings on hops go hopsdirect and buy by the lb (split hops and shipping with another brewer) OR get in on a bulk grain buy like the one going on now...search for bulk grain in yahoo groups.

farmhouse brewing supply is another nice source for hops

[twelfthman01]

+1 on Farmhouse brewing supply

especially when you need an ounce of this 2 or 3 of that, etc.

[mobyhack]

I use AHS for most of my stuff, but I was also recently wondering if there were any other shops in Austin for homebrew ingredients.

AHS is a little pricey when it comes to equipment, unless you manage to get in on a bulk-purchase of something. I got 5 ball-lock kegs this way 2? years ago for $18 each...they weren't "reconditioned," but all that entails is taking them apart to clean them really well, and then replace all of the o-rings.

I bought my 10 lb. CO2 tank from the beverage factory and saved myself about $40-50 on that one item alone, and I believe I got free shipping with it, too.

I priced-out CO2 refills and found AHS to be one of the most expensive places to have that done last year. Alamo Welding Supply had the second-cheapest CO2 in town back in, but they are the most convenient for me to get to on a work day. Airgas had the cheapest 10-pound refill, but I think they might have required you to exchange the tank or something.

I'm not complaining about AHS, mind you...those guys are all great and willing to spend time answering all your questions (although, this does sometimes mean there is a waiting list when you get there). I'm just saying that the equipment is sometimes a bit expensive compared to other online retailers, and in my case, they are also a bit far away for us Southies (especially since they moved to the shop over to Metric Blvd), and I'd like a slightly more centrally-located place to buy ingredients.