Home Brew Mart

MilwaukeeCrusher

Wisconsin

3.16/5  rDev -23.7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4.75 | service: 1 | selection: 3.5 | $$

As a few others have mentioned here, there seems to be some sort of... I don't know if the word is arrogance here but my experience was not as good here as visiting the Ballast Point brewery. I thought it would be nice to see where the San Diego craft beer scene started... maybe they expected me to spend a bunch on homebrew equipment. I did buy a few pints, picked up a bottle, and headed off. Don't get me wrong, not all the people here were unpleasant but let's just say I won't be going back here again and leave it at that.

03-15-2013 21:31:36 | More by MilwaukeeCrusher

cbutova

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -3.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

Stopped in for the tasting room but also browsed the homebrew section while there.

The selection of things and prices of homebrew equipment were on-par with the best stores I have been to in MA. Everything was organized well and the store was not messy like many homebrew stores turn out to be.

The tasting and growler station was nice. $1 for a good size sample and a nice selection of Ballast Point regulars and one-offs. I tried some things I have never heard of, a few barrel-aged offerings as well. The employees were nice to me and informative about the brewery.

Definitely worth a stop if you want to try the Ballast Point beers or fill a growler. The homebrew section looked very nice as well.

12-02-2011 18:40:14 | More by cbutova

womencantsail

California

4.14/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Stopped in here mostly for the Ballast Point tasting room, but the home brew store is actually quite impressive (which I suppose shouldn't be surprising).

Pretty much all the equipment and ingredients you need for homebrewing along with Ballast Point bottles, growlers, and tasters. They also have a nice selection of merch, glassware, and other Ballast Point wares (like their Bloody Mary mix, for instance).

Pretty cool little place, though the tasting area can be a bit cramped as the bar is not very large. The prices are decent and the service is pretty good.

08-29-2011 15:20:40 | More by womencantsail

djaeon

California

3.18/5  rDev -23.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 1 | selection: 4 | $$

Home Brew Mart seems to have everything you would need to start home-brewing, at fair prices. I haven't actually started home-brewing yet, but I'm interested to try in the future, and I'll definitely come here for supplies. That is, unless I find somewhere with better service and friendlier employees.

Every time I've gone in, it's been for Ballast Point growler fills or bottles. Every time I've gone in, I've gotten a holier than thou, can't be bothered to help you attitude from all employees I interacted with.

So, in summary, I will never go here again for Ballast Point products. I'll trek up to the Old Grove location instead. However, despite the bad service, when I do get into home-brewing, I'll give them another chance.

02-23-2011 23:47:51 | More by djaeon

Eriktheipaman

Virginia

4.8/5  rDev +15.9%
quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$$

This was my first time at Home Brew Mart and I wanted to check out and buy a first time brewers kit. Ive brewed cider for awhile so I have just a little background in brewing and the guy who helped us was more than happy to explain everything I was buying and any questions I had.

It was cool they had all the Ballast merch and a good amount of theirs beers for tasting. The kit I bought included a 6 gal carboy but they were out so they gave me a free bucket and a coupon to come back once they get their delivery of carboys in.

11-13-2010 20:57:20 | More by Eriktheipaman

GJ40

North Carolina

4.2/5  rDev +1.4%
quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

I know my beer stores and beer bars but while I do brew quite a bit myself, I can't say that I've visited too many homebrew shops. My regular is American Brewmaster in Raleigh and it sets a pretty high standard.

I went to Homebrew Mart mainly to pick up some Ballast Point Sculpin. They have a nice little tasting area in the back and a couple of coolers of Ballast Point products. The Ballast Point stuff is great but they have a solid homebrew shop there as well. It's well laid out, neat and orderly. They also offer quite a few "homemade" mash tuns that are similar to the one I made from online instructions.

Homebrew Mart is a great stop for both Ballast Point and homebrew equipment.

08-17-2010 04:18:04 | More by GJ40

ryannaman

California

4.85/5  rDev +17.1%
quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | $$

The reason I give them a 4.5 out of 5 is ... service always needs improvement anywhere. Went into HBM quite a few times over the years with my Brew Buddies.... can't say that we ever had or saw a bad experience take place. Staff knows their stuff!!!! Beer on Site!!!! Great Selection and the price is not expensive or outrageous by any means. Definitely thankful to have such a sick place near home!!!

Shout out to Steve... if you are ever there m-f and have any questions... dude knows his stuff!!!!

05-28-2010 05:02:39 | More by ryannaman

adkirkish

Florida

4.7/5  rDev +13.5%
quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | $$

Home Brew Mart is actually where I learned the basics of brewing. During San Diego Beer Week, the Ballast Point Guys hosted a learn to brew class in their brewery surrounded by fermenters. A pretty amazing time. I like coming here because you can get a couple tasters of Ballast Point Freshies and walk around the store and browse for ingredients.

The service is awesome, the guys will chat brew with you, and teach you everything you need to know to make an outstanding batch of beer. Homebrewing is relatively inexpensive, and I dont find the prices here to be anything outrageous.

Best place to get ingredients in San Diego :)

05-26-2010 00:58:04 | More by adkirkish

ferb99

California

3.7/5  rDev -10.6%
quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | $$

I've been going to Home Brew Mart for years and was just there a few days ago. They've recently completed a significant renovation and the place is much nicer now. Before the renovation, it was cramped and difficult to find some items. Now they seem to have at least double the space and have organized it well.

The grains are now contained within bulk-food-style gravity fed bins. Just put your container underneath and open the door on the bottom. The only downside is that the process of weighing you grain is still a little klunky. With these new containers, if you overshoot your grain and need to return some to the bin, it's going to be a bit problematic.

The equipment is now displayed on spacious shelves and the new organization makes things relatively easy to find. The counter for checking out and paying is also much, much larger which is convenient.

One demerit come from the fact that they couldn't mill the 16 lbs. of grain that I was buying because the brew house was in use. I had to use the hand-operated mill which only takes about a pound at a time. I heard a rumor that they're going to be dedicating a mill for the store so hopefully that happens soon.

The hops and yeast are contained within large refrigerator cases. There was some reorganization there too and it seems like things are easier to find.

The service at HBM has never been exceptional. The staff will point you to what you're looking for but rarely go above and beyond.

The tasting bar (Ballast Point) is in the same place but has been rebuilt and now has more room and looks a lot better.

01-15-2010 19:20:43 | More by ferb99

radshoesbro

California

3.7/5  rDev -10.6%
quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | $$$

This is the only place I've gone to buy homebrew supplies, and therefore can't compare it to anything, but I can give you my impressions of the establishment.

Their service seems hit or miss. There have been times that they've lead me down the right path, but other times they've flat out given incorrect information. For instance, once when I was looking for ingridients for a Brown Ale. I told them that I was extract brewing, so they told me to use Victory Malts. I am somewhat new to homebrewing and took their advice. Turns out you have to mash Victory!

Now, I can't hold that against them, because when perusing for things for a Saison they gave me some really great information, and that beer came out pretty great!

They're in the process of renovating still, even though by now they're almost done (or so it seems). A lot of what used to be very cramped is really opening up.

Are they perfect? No, but they're still pretty damn good!

12-06-2009 19:28:08 | More by radshoesbro