need info please

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stouts
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need info please

Post by stouts »

hey guys, i am looking into opening a homebrew shop and was wondering if anyone has looked into this and if anyone would know where to find the laws and regulations and what not.Also what would make you order from a new store as opossed to your regular shop? And any other advice would be appreciated.
thanks jay
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lathe
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Try this

Post by lathe »

Hi,
We had a lengthy discussion on that topic not to long ago. Try this link.

http://www.beertools.com/html/bb.php?po ... &tf=7&va=n
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lathe
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Brew supply NOT Brewery...sorry

Post by lathe »

I'm not sure the information in that link will help you since it pertains to starting a brewery. I think I need glasses.
Freon12
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Reading

Post by Freon12 »

And english lessons LOL>
A rare poke at the man.

Freon.
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Yeast + two cents

Post by Freon12 »

My biggest problem is yeast. A supplier that could deliver live yeast even at 90f to my door.
Equipment that us cheapo homebrewers would need, like mills and tuns that are good quality. I tell you this now---Have the best, someone will always buy it regardless of price. Take st.pats for example, they are pompus and overpriced, but they have quality stuff and make money.
The grapeandgrainery have the best service and they too do well.
Pick any two:
Fast,cheap or quality.


Good luck,
Steve
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lathe
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No Question!

Post by lathe »

All of the above!
andytv
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Gadgets

Post by andytv »

I am almost sure that we all went over this a few months ago, but I couldn't find the posts. I for one, would do all my homebrew shopping from the local guy, but my local guy is 45 miles away from my home, so often times I just use internet suppliers. I think you would have to develop a good strong internet presence to do well. Also... make gadgets. Most standard homebrew apparati is hashed together from junk. Develop and sell your own versions of immersion chillers, CF chillers, mash tuns, etc. Some of the better suppliers out there are "value added" suppliers. They take a standard brew pot, weld a spigot in, a sight glass, thermomoter, etc.

Our local guy primarily supports himself by selling to "students" at his free homebrew seminars. You may want to consider that.

Have you determined if there is a market for a homebrew suppliers other than you and your buddies? The risk of beginning a shop is less than that of a brewery, but none the less; you are dealing with perishables that will go bad if they don't sell.

SHIPPING SHIPPING SHIPPING!!! I hate finding good deals, only to have them negated by high shipping costs. You have to find a way to keep your shipping costs low. I don't know the answer, but poeple know when they are being shafted with shipping and they don't like it.

Don't forget good prices and quality.

Prosit!

Andy
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Fresh ingredients

Post by Azorean Brewer »

Jay, this is a very worhty undertaking and getting the answers up front will help in determining the right way of doing this. I too also thought about the same thing, here in Greenville SC the nearest shop is 35 miles away and he charges an arm and a leg for his ingredients because he can. He keeps his hops in Mason jars and doles them out into small bags when you go into his shop, not the fresh way ... If I find myself without work then maybe I'll be his competion :-)

OK enough on that, one thing that I can not tolerate is paying premium prices only to find that your yeast is a month from expiring or hops are shipped in a small zip lock bag.

Steve and Andy had very good advice, along with everything they said, my $.02 are make sure your ingredients are fresh, find a hop wholesaler that will help you to ship your hops in a mylar nitrogen purge bag, I like to know I can leave my hops in the fridge for a month and not worry about the AA quality deminishing. Also carry good yeast, I am moving exclusively towards White Labs, in my opinion the $5.75 I am charged for it is worth it. The new guys I deal with 100 miles away never send me old yeast, I always have 2-3 months life on the label date ... Good luck and keep us posted OK?

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Fast Web Page

Post by Azorean Brewer »

Jay I did not want to add this to my other post, this is too important to mix in with ingrdeients. If you do not have the where with all to be your own web master, go to your local Tech college and hire one cheap. These guys will work for good beer :-)

I don't have ligthening fast internet service 28.8K BPS and it urks me to sit there and wait and wait for a brew site web page to come up, only to click on what you want and wait some more. Go to http://www.grapeandgranary.com they have a fast web page upload system, fashion it in their way. I don't mind searching deeper and deeper for something as long as I can get there fast. Check out some sites and see how so or fast they are OK ? This will help you out (I think).

Paul.
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Offer more than Beer

Post by Azorean Brewer »

Jay you may want to think about the "Other" customers you might affect by opening a shop in your area. Do you have competition ? if not how about Wine making products. I am asking "Santa' for wine making equipment and ingredients for Christmas, I want to be totally independant from package stores for both potables I enjoy ... I'll shut up now LOL ...

Paul.
stouts
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thanks

Post by stouts »

thanks alot guys
i will consider all of these.
jay
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You dont need new equip....the man to call about opening a s

Post by dartedplus »

I started making wine last year with my brewing stuff. You just need some fresh fruit or grapes, and a couple of extra chemical things like camden tablets, tannin, yeast nutrient, and pectic enzyme. My sister and her hsband bought a house last year that has an apple tree a pear tree, and a peach tree. I just bottled some blueberry wine last thursday, and I have peach and pear fermenting right no. Although I coupld see needing some more equip if you dont have enough carboys to make wine and beer. The BB wine came out excellent, I addeed some sweetness back in to half the batch so I have half dry and half sweet. It was not quite 5 gallons and I got 24 bottles out of it.

As far as the original question goes, I would go to you if you were closer, but more than that, if I enjoyed to go to your shop and shoot the !@#$ with you and hang out. I'd bring you some of mine and expect you to break out some of yours once in a while, to drink while we are shootin the !@#$. O f course price and freshness are necessary compnents to doing it right. If you would like to talk to someone who knows what he is doing, call Roger Savoy, he was my old purveyor of brewing goods when I lived in Albany NY. I just got some yeast from him through the mail because I couldnt find it locally.(Hershey, PA) Roger was just elected President of the Home Wine and Beer Trade Assoc (Pg 8, BYO, Oct 2002)
Right now he owns 3 shops and I am sure he would give yous ome advice because that is probably his job as the pres , to promote the industry. His # is 1-800-462-7397, and his website is http://www21.inetba.com/westboylstonhom ... m/main.htm

I hope this helps, he should be able to hook you up with good suppliers and anything else you need.
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