About ~5 years ago, when I first attempted homebrewing I began with a Mr. Beer kit, which led to me wanting to try a second batch as well. I found my way to the nearest homebrew store, the Homebrew Emporium by Davis Square, Cambridge, MA. I was in for a surprise, as the employee I encountered was about as rude as possible. When soon as he picked up on the fact that I was a homebrew noob, that was it. I came in looking for some guidance, figuring out what I wanted to brew and how; but left with the unpleasant aftertaste of a condescending, unhelpful employee.
When I got back into brewing again 6 months ago, I certainly didn't forget the previous experience and checked yelp to see if anything had changed. However, after reading a few reviews... it sounded like I had actually been treated quite well compared to some of the other customers; so I definitely wanted to avoid going back there if possible. Luckily, I was able to find another brew store out in Woburn, MA, Beer & Wine Hobby.
It was a little bit farther out, but the difference was unbelievable. The woman who was working there was exceptionally friendly and started to help out with everything once she realized I was new. It was definitely an awesome experience, and I left a happy customer. Even the space was such a contrast in terms of clutter and visual aesthetics. Given, Woburn is much more spacious that Davis square, but the atmosphere just felt so different, so Beer & Wine Hobby quickly became my goto homebrew store. I even realized that it was one of the better and 'cheaper' online stores as well. They have a great site that's a fun to pick out recipes with. And even better, virtually everything I order from them online arrives at my doorstep within a day or two because it's just down the Mass Pike. The Beer & Wine Hobby and Homebrew Emporium sites are incomparable; although I don't think Homebrew Emporium is large enough to do a huge amount of business online. However, it still would be a wise marketing choice to rebuilt their page. Interestingly, I've heard tons of radio ads for them on WBUR( Boston's NPR station) recently.
Now, despite my reluctance I have returned to the Homebrew Emporium after having gained a bit more knowledge about brewing. The employees I've run into there recently are a lot younger and more friendly than the previous guy. Some are a little bit aggressive/overwhelming still but they definitely have the intention of wanting to help you out; so I've actually managed to learn a bit from them. In the end, if I need an ingredient or equipment quickly, I'll just drive over to Homebrew Emporium. If an item is not time sensitive, I'll order it from Beer & Wine.
Interestingly, I actually saw the employee of my previous experience featured in the following Boston Magazine article. He looks/sounds way more friendly in the article; but who knows... maybe he was just having a bad day the one time I walked in?
I've only discussed to stores up to this point, but the third is intertwined as the other two are. It's an out of state, rather large online brew store: Midwest Supplies. I'd never ordered from them previously, but their Living Social deal was too good to turn down. My friend had ordered a kegging system from them a few weeks earlier and mentioned that they had forgot some components and had to reship them. However, I figured it was probably a fluke.
Fast forward a few weeks after I purchase the deal... I'm in Boston and the massive snowstorm Nemo is getting ready to hit. Work is cancelled Friday, and I know it's going to be a long weekend indoors; so I'm about the run over to the Homebrew Emporium and pick up a recipe before I stash my car away in a garage.
However, I'm in luck... as I head downstairs, my Living Social Deal is waiting there so I now have an Irish Red Kit of theirs to brew! Later that day I'm unpacking all of the contents of the package and I look at the ingredients in the recipe. I see everything, except I can't find the yeast!!! It's pretty much the one thing you actually need to brew >_<. Not so lucky anymore...
I know that Midwest has an account on reddit.com/r/homebrewing, so I write a quick post asking whether I've just missed the yeast somewhere (although I checked pretty damn thoroughly) with the secondary goal of grabbing Midwest's attention. Within 15 minutes I have a response and phone # from a Midwest employee named Todd! I give him a call and explain the storm situation to which he happily says he's going to 1-day ship the yeast due + additional packets out to me and beat the storm.
In the end, the storm beat the yeast as the roads were completely shut down for pretty much 2 days. However, I do now have backup yeast for any similar mishaps in the future... and a Midwest Supplies hat to keep me warm for the rest of the winter.
Dealing with Midwest was a pleasant experience and I'm impressed by the fact that they are smart enough to be on reddit.com/r/homebrewing listening to the community. However, I guess they do need to pay more attention to details because an 0 for 2 count between my friend and I isn't the best. In the long run I think I will continue to use primarily Beer & Wine Hobby for my online orders as the shipping time is so quick and I want to keep them in business.
TL;DR - Don't go to Homebrew Emporium unless you already have somewhat of an idea about what your doing. Beer & Wine Hobby is great and the people are friendly; good to go to & order from online. Midwest Supplies is really friendly and community aware but need to be more careful with orders.
PS: Sorry, I didn't have any exciting brewing images this time... so have a picture of some shiitake mushrooms I grew instead.
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