Homebrew Online Shops: Europe

beardybrewer

I'd be curious to hear opinions on the best online homebrew shops you use. Obviously good selection, price, and shipping options are key. I've been slobbering over some US sites recently, http://www.northernbrewer.com/ and http://morebeer.com. I've had a good experience with http://www.homebrewheaven.com/ which showed international shipping charges before I placed my order.

In the UK I've had good luck with http://www.art-of-brewing.co.uk , their shipping is reasonable and speedy. I've recently discovered Brouland which looks very promising and more like the US shops: http://www.brouwland.com/.

In Ireland pretty much the only choice I've found is http://www.thehomebrewcentre.com which has great shipping but not much selection. Other than grogsmugglers which looks abandoned and is full of bugs.... do we have any other choices within Ireland? What about other european sites with good shipping and selection?

RiderOnTheStorm

Not sure if the HomebrewCentre stock is limited as I dont know what a normal stock size is like. But I have found them very good for delivery & their materials are reliable, and prices are reasonable. Just got 2 more wine kits and looking forward to making old fav and trying a new one this summer. Just in time for barbie's!

noby

Check the homebrew sticky at the top of the page; there should be more Irish links there.

shaneos

there is also this crowd in Dublin

http://www.grapengraindublin.com/

bigears

The best sites in the UK are www.hopshopuk.com and www.hopandgrape.co.uk - they both have a wide selection and great service. postage for heavier items adds up though so best to limit to lighter items or order a s**tload of supplies at once. When you go above a certain weight the courier charge doesn't get any more expensive.

www.wexbrew.com has a good range but i haven't used it yet.

Edit: That Brouwland site does look pretty good newkie.

beardybrewer

Yeah I recently found the website to Grapes & Grain in Dublin. I've been up there a lot on business recently and had been meaning to track down some shops. Are there any other shops in Dublin worth visiting? On an unrelated note, anyone know of an asian supply shop in Dublin which stocks sushi supplies such as edamame?

WexBrew looks pretty promising, especially if you're in to all grain. Good hop/yeast selection too. Nice one! Not sure how EDME extract compares to John Bull for €11 at Limerick Homebrew Centre. Good price tho on 1kg of spraymalt tho isn't it?

I think I've found most of the UK stores at this point:
http://www.arkwrightshomebrew.com/
http://www.art-of-brewing.co.uk/ -used a good few times and very happy
http://www.easybrew.co.uk/
http://www.homebrewshop.co.uk
http://www.hopandgrape.co.uk/home.htm
http://www.hopshopuk.com/ -- looks promising alright
http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/index.htm --used once but shipping cost a packet

Keep em coming. Experiences with shipping, ect welcome.

bigears

Hop and Grape are the only stockists of White Labs Yeast on this side of the pond. Personally I find it easier to use than Wyeast but maybe I'm a dummy.

Had a look at the postage on brouwland and it's extortionate.

newkie, i sent you a pm about a related item...

kenmc

i used art-of-brewing and homebrewshop.co.uk before and was very satisfied on both accounts.

over here in Oz though, you can buy a range of things for homebrew in the local supermarket - kits, fermenters, bottle tops, yeasts, sugars etc. even PET bottles and caps. Just by going to woolworths or safeway - basically tesco - you can get stuff for brewing. AND they have specialized HB shops as well. SOOOOO unfair. am seriously jealous.

beardybrewer

kenmc, you're location says Dublin. Are you there on a walkabout/holidays? Yeah I've seen some of the aussie forums and they seem well in to it.

kenmc

newkie wrote:

kenmc, you're location says Dublin. Are you there on a walkabout/holidays? Yeah I've seen some of the aussie forums and they seem well in to it.

yeah I'm on a world beer tour - been through thailand, vietnam, laos, cambodia, hong kong and now australia, with fiji and new zealand up next....

MBSnr

"over here in Oz though, you can buy a range of things for homebrew in the local supermarket"

If you can get to a Wilkinson's in the UK (http://www.wilko.co.uk/stores) they have all the equipment needed to brew your own beer. The only thing they don't have is the PET 500ml bottles which I can't get anywhere.
No stores in Northern Ireland though.

But no good for me mind... I can't get the brew barrel on the plane - esp these days! - and I'm not going over in the car this year...

oisinb

bigears wrote:

postage for heavier items adds up though so best to limit to lighter items or order a s**tload of supplies at once. When you go above a certain weight the courier charge doesn't get any more expensive.

Do you know what UK homebrew mail order suppliers offer this courier service where the postage cost doesn't increase after a certain weight?

It would make sense for me to buy in bulk if the postage cost works out cheap, for example a 25kg bag of grain which would last me ages.

Thanks.

oblivious

Hop and grape (http://www.hopandgrape.co.uk/) have a courier rate of over 2kg and up to 30kg for 17 stg to Ireland

Adeptus Titanicus

I actually felt a bit stung by them in that regard. I ordered a bottle rinser and drainer, plus a couple of bungs and finings and the delivery came to about £5 on the site. But when it was delivered (yesterday) it had been raised to £17 (€26) on the invoice. Maybe a more realistic price, but it would have been nice to be told before they shipped. I would have ordered more to get the most out of it!

I've ordered from www.HopshopUK.com and the cost increases with weight/size linearly it seems, but Hywel did mail to let me know the cost before shipping. They have a really nice site (clean and well laid out compared to some) and some great gear and prices. My only gripe is that they can be a bit slow in responding to mails/orders, as in, it might be a couple of days before you get a response. I'm guessing they check the mail in the evening only, but they are very helpful indeed

Just as an FYI, Brouwland in Belgium charge €50 for orders up to 30kg, but depending on what you are buying it can still work out cheaper than the UK (at least it did for me with one large order, e.g. 25kg pale malt for €25 compared to €39 from UK), so it's good to tot up the options and include what you are buying with delivery before ordering not just looking at the delivery alone. (no affiliation other than I liked dealing with them! ).

Good to have that list of UK sites above though!

bigears

I actually felt a bit stung by them in that regard. I ordered a bottle rinser and drainer, plus a couple of bungs and finings and the delivery came to about £5 on the site. But when it was delivered (yesterday) it had been raised to £17 (€26) on the invoice. Maybe a more realistic price, but it would have been nice to be told before they shipped. I would have ordered more to get the most out of it!

Hopefully it was an oversight on their part but I can understand why you'er not happy about it. For my part I've found them good to deal with in general and they have always informed me of postage costs. Might be no harm to mention it to them though.

rubadub

Essences for liquers, turbo yeast, and distillation equipment for those with a licence of course!

http://www.partyman.se/

Adeptus Titanicus

bigears wrote:

Hopefully it was an oversight on their part...

I'd say so. They included a note apologising that the delivery was late due to being rushed off their feet following the Christmas holidays. They've responded to email queries very quickly and have always seemed helpful.

homebrew

newkie wrote:

I'd be curious to hear opinions on the best online homebrew shops you use. Obviously good selection, price, and shipping options are key. I've been slobbering over some US sites recently, http://www.northernbrewer.com/ and http://morebeer.com. I've had a good experience with http://www.homebrewheaven.com/ which showed international shipping charges before I placed my order.

In the UK I've had good luck with http://www.art-of-brewing.co.uk , their shipping is reasonable and speedy. I've recently discovered Brouland which looks very promising and more like the US shops: http://www.brouwland.com/.

In Ireland pretty much the only choice I've found is http://www.thehomebrewcentre.com which has great shipping but not much selection. Other than grogsmugglers which looks abandoned and is full of bugs.... do we have any other choices within Ireland? What about other european sites with good shipping and selection?[/QUOTE]

homebrew

newkie wrote:

I'd be curious to hear opinions on the best online homebrew shops you use. Obviously good selection, price, and shipping options are key. I've been slobbering over some US sites recently, http://www.northernbrewer.com/ and http://morebeer.com. I've had a good experience with http://www.homebrewheaven.com/ which showed international shipping charges before I placed my order.

In the UK I've had good luck with http://www.art-of-brewing.co.uk , their shipping is reasonable and speedy. I've recently discovered Brouland which looks very promising and more like the US shops: http://www.brouwland.com/.

In Ireland pretty much the only choice I've found is http://www.thehomebrewcentre.com which has great shipping but not much selection. Other than grogsmugglers which looks abandoned and is full of bugs.... do we have any other choices within Ireland? What about other european sites with good shipping and selection?[/QUOTE]

Fat Joe

Theres a new Irish site with a good selection of beer making kits, equipment and
ingredients, check out
www.thehomebrewcompany.ie

oblivious

Fat Joe wrote: »

Theres a new Irish site with a good selection of beer making kits, equipment and
ingredients, check out
www.thehomebrewcompany.ie

I have used them, there good:)

BeerNut

For the love of Jeebus: pretending to be a satisfied customer doesn't work. If you're going to shill, Greg, do it better than this :rolleyes:

Saruman

Blatant Shilling from Mr Greg Hughes. It is no wonder delivery is so quick since you own the place.
You could at least have come on and said you own a homebrew site and to contact you for shipping to Ireland.

While I am here, how about people check out this list of providers that we brewers already use. I personaly can recommend Hop and Grape as well as homebrewcompany.

_blank_

:rolleyes: