So last night I pitched my to favorite online suppliers against each other to see who is the best. I ordered 2 kits one from each supplier. Norther Brewers shipping ended up being a dollar cheaper and my order will be here tomorrow that means it processed and shipped in less than 24 hours! As for Midwest 24 hours later and my order is still processing with any luck FedEx will have it here next week? So while the Kits at NB are a bit higher in price there shipping deal with UPS means you will get your stuff with the snap of a finger! And while Midwest kit prices are lower you will pay more for slower shipping. As for kit quality I am sure both will make excellent beer!
I generally get UPS stuff shipped slower than USPS, but maybe there's something about the way things get here in Indiana. I always go with the cheapest and slowest price available. So did you get comprable beers to compare the two sites, or did you get four different styles of beer?
I really like brewmasterswarehouse.com Their shipping is always fast and I can normally get my orders for a little bit less than either Midwest or Northern Brewer.
Seems to me that up here in n. WI, I never noticed a difference between MW and Northern Brewer shipping times, and the rates and low prices used to favor Midwest. I probably comparison shopped for 20 mail orders in the last 5 years and MW always came out on top. I'm surprised you experience a difference in Iowa. However, maybe things have changed over the last year or so, as the last several batches I've done used ingredients that I picked up at both stores while traveling in the Twin Cities area for other reasons. I know MW prices have gone up some. Maybe shipping rates have gone up too and the better mail order deals are thru NB.
Recently a rep from NB showed up at our home brew clubs meeting and was talking about a new agreement with UPS. This agreement allowed them to expand there next day shipping zone and keep the shipping price low. It's nice to see this paying off for them and it's nice to get your stuff ASAP. Also I have thought about brewing to similar kits side by side form each place I may try that next!
Did the same thing with some grain my local homebrew shop doesn't carry this last weekend. MidWest was about a buck cheaper for this order. It's usually 50/50 as far as pricing. Both respond to email questions pretty quick. Also haven't noticed too much difference in shipping times (I'm in California). Unrelated: what I have noticed is when I get the Northern Brewer email blast, I know the MidWest one is coming up in a few minutes.
BMW used to be great but it seems like over the past year or so they have really shit the bed on fulfilling orders. My last order with them -- and last order ever with them -- took over a month before I finally cancelled the last item I was waiting on. Seems like they outgrew themselves and don't know how to fix the resulting problems.
Sorry to say I agree. I used to think they were great. Now, not so much. Recent order sat for nine days before I finally emailed to ask if there was something wrong. They said they were just backed up. So, I'm done with them. There are plenty of alternatives....
So far I really like NB. Great service ordering online and at the Milwaukee retail. Kits are great and very fresh.
MoreBeer.com - Free Shipping on orders over $59!!! If you are not in a rush it's a great deal, even as an east coaster.
I actually had apache's experience with brewmasterswarehouse also--trying to cram one last brew in before this past holiday season and all of its inherent traveling, I had a schedule down and ID'd one weekend in Dec that I could get the brewing done that would line up with other times for racking and bottling when I would be in town. Ordered in plenty of time for the brew day, but BMW dropped the ball. When no shipping notice showed up 2 weeks later I called and got the same response ("just backed up"). I cancelled and will not be doing any business there in future.
Midwest used to be a good amount cheaper for raw materials, but Northern was cheaper on kits. They are pretty comparable now, and both good companies if you ask me. But, I don't need either to ship to me...so my point may be a bit less valid.
I like shopping at Midwest for it's warehouse feel; it makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop. The NB Grand Avenue store is all right too. It's got some charm to it but is small. The NB store on Lyndale felt sort of sterile the one time I was there. Not sure why. People seem friendly at all locations.
I shop at Midwest, and it is my regular store. I don't plan to change this any time soon, I really like Midwest. I felt out of place at the NB Grand store (3 years into brewing), the guy helping me acted as if I had no clue when the fact was he just couldn't f-ing listen...so my view of that store is jaded. I love the Lyndale NB store, and they have certain grains that I cannot get at Midwest. I shop there 2-3 times a year for this reason.
NB has a better selection of dry yeast, which is the most common online order I place. I buy all my grain & hops in bulk so neither really make sense for that.
Yep, I used to use BMW exclusively for a couple years, but after multiple bad experiences with them in the last year or so, I am officially done with them. Been trying different homebrew websites since then and Midwest Supplies finally won me over with their Rewards Program. Already saved $10 on my last order, which in addition to the AHA discount, pretty much covers my shipping. That said Northern Brewer has always done well by me and it has always been a crapshoot between the two. I do tend to get my Midwest orders faster than Northern Brewer.
I used to buy 99% of my online supplies through Northern Brewer, because of the Flat Rate Shipping and Brewing TV...
I've used both, I've received incomplete or incorrect orders from both, and both have done a good job of fixing it quickly. I can say that I'll be doing my shopping at Northern Brewer. My experience with their selection and overall service quality is better.
At one time...you could depend on 'fast shipping' and great customer service from BWM but not no'mo which is exactly why I no longer buy a-n-y-FOOKIN-t-h-i-n-g from wait-a-week-before-we-tell-you-only-b/c you-asked-it's-out-of-stock BMW. If you do decide to buy from BMW...use code BNARMY to get 10% off your entire order.
