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Allen Biermakens
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by grateful_brewer from Tennessee
1/5 rDev -71.8%
1/5 rDev -71.8%
I'm new in Knoxville and this was the first place I stopped to pick up supplies for a batch. The guy who owns the place was nice enough, but seems content to only carry extract, DME, and small bags of grains for people to do a partial mash. I should have read the reviews on here before going: he caters to extract brewing and doesn't carry the necessities for an all-grain batch.
Maybe I've been spoiled by living in bigger cities, but I'm used to walking into a brew shop with bins of grains where you can measure out what you need, and grind them on site. Not the case here. The 10 lb bags that others have mentioned here were not available when I stopped in, so he suggested I buy a bunch of the smaller specialty grain bags and the generic grinder he sells. That would have made a pretty expensive batch of beer.
With all that said, the guy was nice, shop had a good atmosphere, and is close to downtown. But other than that, I was pretty disappointed. I think the lack of access to basic brewing necessities makes this shop a place to avoid. I hate to be hard on the owner, but it seemed as though he was clueless when it came to doing a full mash. If you need to grab some yeast or hops on short notice, stop in. Otherwise, find another source.
Nov 23, 2014Maybe I've been spoiled by living in bigger cities, but I'm used to walking into a brew shop with bins of grains where you can measure out what you need, and grind them on site. Not the case here. The 10 lb bags that others have mentioned here were not available when I stopped in, so he suggested I buy a bunch of the smaller specialty grain bags and the generic grinder he sells. That would have made a pretty expensive batch of beer.
With all that said, the guy was nice, shop had a good atmosphere, and is close to downtown. But other than that, I was pretty disappointed. I think the lack of access to basic brewing necessities makes this shop a place to avoid. I hate to be hard on the owner, but it seemed as though he was clueless when it came to doing a full mash. If you need to grab some yeast or hops on short notice, stop in. Otherwise, find another source.
Reviewed by jxhowell from Mississippi
4.28/5 rDev +20.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4
4.28/5 rDev +20.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4
I stopped by here on a recent return trip from Pigeon Forge. This is a small shop, however, the selection was really good and the owner was friendly and helpful. The selection of malts isn't as big as other places on the net however they did have 5 and 10 lb. bags of American 2-row, Pilsner and Maris Otter. I didn't really check out their specialty malts. The prices were pretty similar to most online suppliers like Midwest. They also have a pretty wide hop selection. If you're in the area I recommend stopping by and checking them out.
Mar 20, 2011Reviewed by Briarscratch from Tennessee
4/5 rDev +13%
4/5 rDev +13%
Thought I'd give this place a review since nobody else has in a year or so. Right down the road and around the corner from my house this year in South Knox. THE only place to get any type of quality homebrewing equipment/ingredients in Knoxville. They've got all types of stuff for the beginner and the elite. A bit pricey but a small price to pay to make good beer. Got a yeast packet the other day that was out of date but took it back to swap and the problem was kindly taken care of. Good service over all.
Aug 26, 2010Reviewed by dirtbag43 from California
4.85/5 rDev +37%
4.85/5 rDev +37%
What a great place tucked into the beautiful SoKno neighborhood of Vestal. Harry (the owner I believe) is a very knowledgeable and friendly man. He will tell you the truth and won't try to sell you anything unnecessary. He's got a good selection of beer and wine brewkits and a great collection of how-to literature. He hooked me up with several magazines after I purchased a copy of "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing" (which is indispensable for brewing knowledge). Stop in and support this local business which has been in South Knox for years.
p.s. Stop in and eat at King Tut's just across the street for another rare South Knoxville treat.
Dec 05, 2009p.s. Stop in and eat at King Tut's just across the street for another rare South Knoxville treat.
Reviewed by Likeburning from Tennessee
3.8/5 rDev +7.3%
3.8/5 rDev +7.3%
Ah, the little homebrew shop around the corner from my house. (Almost Literally) It's 5 minutes away. The guy that runs/owns the place is very knowledgeable and more than happy to help out the fledgling new home brewer. He has anything you could need for a home or garage based operation, and if he doesn't he'll order it for you.
The location is a little less than desirable in South Knoxville, and could be hard to find if one wasn't familiar with the area, but definitely worth stopping in. I haven't found a better place in the area.
Oct 18, 2008The location is a little less than desirable in South Knoxville, and could be hard to find if one wasn't familiar with the area, but definitely worth stopping in. I haven't found a better place in the area.
Reviewed by mikesgroove from South Carolina
4/5 rDev +13%
4/5 rDev +13%
This was a very nice little stop on my trip. This place was pretty small, as I find most homebrew shops are, but had a really great selection. Pretty much everything you could want and the staff was very friendly. The prices were pretty decent, but I did not have really anything in the area to compare it to other then Fermentations, and they seemed to be about equal. Overall if I was on this side of town, this would be my default stop for all of my supplies, defiantly a cool little store, with a cool vibe, and a very friendly staff. A must stop for the home brewer in Knoxville.
Nov 13, 2007Reviewed by veech from Tennessee
4.15/5 rDev +17.2%
4.15/5 rDev +17.2%
This small but very useful homebrew shop is housed in an old house in South Knoxville. It consists mainly of two rooms, the first contains a fridge that holds their fresh hops and other ingredients that need temp. control and the other is full of kits, extracts, car boys and even barrels for aging, as well as books on the subject. The owner is an older gentleman who is very helpful and willing to do what he can to get you what you need when you need it. It is geared more toward extract brewers, but they order a fair amount of fresh grains and hops. This is probably the main outpost for area homebrewers who don't make use of the internet supply sites.
Oct 13, 2006
Allen Biermakens in Knoxville, TN
Place rating:
3.54 out of
5 with
9 ratings
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