DIY Brewing Supply

Went here for a Brewing class, and unfortunately it was more of a lecture, than a Hands on type class.
Worse, the place is pretty run down, the chairs are uncomfortable, and it was pretty cold even with our coats on. I wanted to get out of there after about the first 45 minutes, and then kept hoping it would end for the next hour or so.
The guy went in to boring details about arguments he was having on forums with other brewers and beer snobs about irrelevant industry politics, I remember looking around and people were starting to look at their phones.
I can’t recommend this place at all, and my advice to the owner would be to overhaul the whole lecture /​presentation. People are interested in learning, but not being sitting passively while you talk for 40 minutes, then put the responsibility on us to fill time by asking questions.

This is the worst home brew store I’ve ever seen. Period. It was the filthiest store I’ve ever been in. It also lacked 80% of the grain I went there for and I couldn’t even get English two row or Maris Otter. No whole leaf hops in the store and there was about 2 varieties of pellet hops. Liquid Yeast was non existent and after I came to terms with settling for dry yeast, I realized that there wasn’t an American Safale or English that I wanted to use. There was about 5 kinds and I think 3 of them were wine or champagne yeast. The owner working the store just kept saying — ‘Oh, we’ll have a delivery with that a week from Monday’. I’m not sure what you could find here for a recipe but make sure you call before you go in. I took a picture of the mess because it was just shocking, but not sure if I’ll be able to post it. Good luck if you go.

I brew a lot. I’ve used all kinds of stores. This one is average at best. People who post otherwise are either casual brewers or buy most stuff on line and don’t go to a lot of stores.
My main complaint is they often don’t have basic grains, yeasts, or supplies. Pale malt, a neutral ale yeast, and sanitizers are pretty basic. There have been times when they swapped ingredients without telling me (saying pale malt and biscuit malt combined is the same as Maris Otter might be true, but should let me know ahead of time).
The interior is usually pretty unorganized, and sometimes downright messy. They also say bad things about competitors (mainly the one in Northampton, MA) which is really unprofessional.
The guys in the store will answer questions and give advice on technique, so that’s a good thing. And they’re really good about hanging out and talking.
However, always call before going because the hours on the web and on the voicemail don’t always match. There have been many times I’ve arrived to a locked door and a note saying «back at 1:00» or something. The guy is allowed to get lunch, for sure, but be quick about it and say on the website when it’s closed.
On one occasion he offered a recommendation for a hops that was ½ the cost of what I wanted, and since it was a bittering hop it was ok and it saved me a dollar or two. But the store is just too sloppy, messy, and unorganized. It’s an OK store to go in a pinch, mainly because I support the local home brew supply store. However, even though it’s convenient and inexpensive, it’s unlikely to be my primary go-​to location.

DIY Brewing Supply is not the biggest or best stocked store I have ever been in, but that is not really what matters most about a store like this — the guy behind the counter is the soul of a place like this, and DIY is jam packed with that. He asked some questions and helped us get what we were looking for. Super friendly guy, nice store, reasonable prices. We were here during the winter and there was a lot of snow around and parking was a bit iffy at best, but manageable. If you want to brew at home and this is near you, it is worth checking out! great yeast selection too!

DIY is the place to go in the area for home brew supplies. All the know-​how and advice without the pretentiousness. Don’t get me wrong, anyone who home brews is a bit of a beer snob, but these guys are a class act and genuinely want to help you get the best out of your home brewing experience. Additionally, their prices are about 10% lower than the Internet vendors I’ve used and significantly lower than other home brew supply stores in the area.