9 replies to this topic

[porter]

There seem to be quite members from Denver. It's time for me to quit goofing off and antagonizing people in the public house and brew some beer. It's been a few years, unfortunately.I live in Springs. I've been to the one place I could find here, but found it to be outrageously expensive. I'll be in Denver on Wednesday and was thinking of making a supplies run. What do you recommend in Denver for 1. Selection, 2. Price. Frankly, I'm a fan of mail-order, but that's just not practical when I need a 50 lb. bag of base malt.

[strangebrewer]

Guest nailed it for shops in Denver but if you want to save some $$ then group buys is the way to go and I know there is a healthy homebrew community in the Springs. I know there are a couple of them on here so they will probably chime in. I buy all of my base malt in bulk and even some specialty malts and split them with friends. Hops I order from hops direct.Stomp Them Grapes is a great shop and the thing I really like about them is they carry the full lineup of Weyermann malts. There is a 10lb price break for specialty malts and they will sell full sacks of grain at a discount compared to the usual per pound. The down side is their price per pound I think is a little high. The upside is they have damn near everything.I haven't been to The Brew Hut in a while but I know they have expanded their floor space. They were definitely cramped in the last place. If you ever need random keg parts then the Brew Hut is the place. Last I was there they had a cabinet full of every possible piece that makes up the various model corny kegs, ball locks and pin locks. Not sure what their grain selection or pricing is as of late but I'd imagine it's competitive.

[porter]

Thanks for the tips, guys. I don't brew enough for saving every penny to be a big deal; I just refuse on principle to pay 50% above market price.I'll check these out tomorrow!

[tag]

There is also a Beer At Home on Broadway just south of Hampden and one in the north on 120th just West of I-25.Of course the Brew Hut in Aurora is connected with the prize-winning Dry Dock Brewery. Can't beat that.

[DaBearSox]

Well, I have said it on here before...I won't get into my rant like my post about it but I had 4 batches of grain from stomp them grapes turn up short in my normal efficiency. Between those batches I got a batch from Brewmaster's warehouse and my efficiency went back to normal. I told the owner about it and said he might want to calibrate the scales...he returned with it must be my problem my scales and mill are perfect. I believe they have fixed the problem, but I still rather drive to Beer at Home or The Brew Hut my favorite (cause I can get a Dry Dock growler)...

[ANUSTART]

Well, I have said it on here before...I won't get into my rant like my post about it but I had 4 batches of grain from stomp them grapes turn up short in my normal efficiency. Between those batches I got a batch from Brewmaster's warehouse and my efficiency went back to normal. I told the owner about it and said he might want to calibrate the scales...he returned with it must be my problem my scales and mill are perfect. I believe they have fixed the problem, but I still rather drive to Beer at Home or The Brew Hut my favorite (cause I can get a Dry Dock growler)...

I've always gotten low efficiency when my grain was crushed at the store. Store mills are always set with a big gap so the mill doesnt clog up and it chews through the grain with ease. It's also an added bonus for them if your efficiency is low cause eventually you'll just start buying more grain.Since I've gotten my own mill, my efficiency has been very consistent.I've never been too thrilled with Beer at Home. The prices aren't good and they had a terrible hop selection a couple years ago during the shortage. Stomp them grapes was well stocked through the whole shortage. The owner at Beer at Home also seemed like a jerk. I overheard him berating a customer because they wanted to use Iodophor instead of StarSan.

[porter]

I've always gotten low efficiency when my grain was crushed at the store. Store mills are always set with a big gap so the mill doesnt clog up and it chews through the grain with ease. It's also an added bonus for them if your efficiency is low cause eventually you'll just start buying more grain.Since I've gotten my own mill, my efficiency has been very consistent.I've never been too thrilled with Beer at Home. The prices aren't good and they had a terrible hop selection a couple years ago during the shortage. Stomp them grapes was well stocked through the whole shortage. The owner at Beer at Home also seemed like a jerk. I overheard him berating a customer because they wanted to use Iodophor instead of StarSan.

I've also had that experience. With my previous local store (not in CO), the store grind got me efficiency in the 50% range. Purchasing my own mill and controlling the grind brought me up to the 75% range consistently.

[MtnBrewer]

Which store did you go to in the Springs?

[porter]

Which store did you go to in the Springs?

Can't remember the name, but it was right next to downtown. It seemed ridiculously expensive and not much selection.Someone told me there was one out east, but googling around it seemed like it was closed?

[MtnBrewer]

Can't remember the name, but it was right next to downtown. It seemed ridiculously expensive and not much selection.Someone told me there was one out east, but googling around it seemed like it was closed?

It's near Platte & Powers on Paonia St. The name is Rocky Mountain Brewery/My Homebrew Shop. I haven't been there to buy homebrew stuff in a while so I don't know what their current inventory or prices are like but generally speaking they're better than Old West.