Northern Brewer Homebrew Supply
While in Minnesota for the Christmas holidays, I had the opportunity to visit several of the Twin Cities’ beer establishments. My mother-in-law was particularly excited to show me a homebrew store in St. Paul, a stop I somewhat reluctantly visited. I’ve been to a fair number of homebrew stores, and in general, they’re fairly interchangeable, carrying the same basic lineup of ingredients and equipment. You’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. Boy, was I wrong.
Where many of the homebrew shops I frequent enjoy near-historical landmark status, they also fall victim to their self-established status quo. The Steinbart’s of today, I suspect, is not much different from the Steinbart’s of 1918, when the store was founded. Bits of history practically drip from the ceilings, with dusty beer steins and empty quart bottles from long-forgotten beer brands covering every bit of available horizontal. Now, I am no enemy of tradition, and indeed appreciate a certain measure of “packrat” in my own surroundings. Sometimes, though, newer really is better.
Northern Brewer’s fresh approach to homebrew store begins just inside the door, in the well-lit, temperature and humidity-controlled grain storage room. More than 80 varieties are stocked, carefully organized in easily-accessible buckets.
In my past life, I worked in several grocery stores, and it was clear to me when I visited Northern Brewer that someone with a keen eye for retail display laid the store out. The store is marked by spacious aisles of supplies and equipment, each item clearly labelled and priced, with the most interesting items placed at eye-level. And around every corner, it seemed, was a young-ish employee eager to help with answers, or just to chat. I’m not going to name names, but I suspect most customers of Portland’s homebrew stores know that sometimes the staff can be a touch aloof, and tend to lurk behind counters or in back rooms when you’re in need of assistance.
I was also intrigued by Northern Brewer’s innovative ingredient packaging. Store recipes of about 50 partial-mash and extract-only kits were prepared to take home, in conveniently-packaged boxes that contained extract, measured grain and hops. I like to formulate my own recipes, but the convenience of this package would be hard to resist on an abbreviated schedule, as I often find myself visiting Portland stores over the lunch hour, or just before they close for the night (Of course, that wouldn’t be a problem at Northern Brewer – they stay open until seven during the work week). I was curious how frequently the kits turn over, though, as I suspect the hops and grains could go stale being stored at near-room temperature in this way. A call to the store revealed they turn over almost weekly, which seems like an acceptable rate – I have some ingredients in my cellar I’ve been sitting on for almost 2 months!
I was also impressed by the equipment they have on offer – I turned a corner into the “brew kettle” aisle and my jaw nearly dropped. So many sizes! Multiple brands! So many options! So affordable! I literally couldn’t fit all the kettles in the frame, and the 50-foot wort chiller shown at top right was $59.95 – cheaper than the one I assembled myself from Home Depot parts. I have never even seen a grain mill in Portland, let alone three of them!
If I had one bone to pick with the store, it was a somewhat disappointing selection of yeasts. They seem to carry the full White Labs cadre of vials, but had only a smattering of Wyeast’s products. A store as innovative and selection-driven should carry a broader spectrum, especially if that means a more innovative product. There is just something really, cool about the confidence a bloated bag of yeast gives me, and I think it belongs in their product lineup.
Other than that small nit, Northern Brewer is doing it right. They have taken modern retailing trends to heart, offering consumers a great selection of products, displayed attractively, and supported by friendly employees. Kudos.
