TOPIC:

We have stayed away from recent developments in the hops and grain arena, perhaps to the detriment of our extract and all grain brewer customers (although we are still the market leaders in spraymalt solutions) . . . . we just wanted to let the dust settle.

We are not quite there yet . . . we are trying to find better suppliers for hops and grains . . . but we feel we have to support our existing customer base in the meantime.

As an interim solution, we are toying with the idea of selling hops and grains at near cost, just to provide a temporary solution for our customers until we can get a more permanent solution.

I'd really like to hear your comments on our proposed range below. How is the pricing ? quality ? range ? and any other comments or issues (like how they should be stored etc) would be very much appreciated . . .

Morris Hanbury 114g gold coloured opaque vacuum packed packages:
Fuggles 114g €4.75
Goldings 114g €4.75
Bramling Cross 114g €4.75
Hallertau 114g €4.75
Northern Brewer 114g €4.75
Styrian Goldings 114g €4.75

UK crushed malt varieties: Pale, Lager, Crystal, Chocolate, Roasted Barley
500g: €1.39
3 kg: €6.75

Muntons Spraymalt varieties: light, extra light, wheat, dark, medium
500g: € 3.45
1 kg: € 6.45
3 kg: € 18.00
25 kg: €124.95

We don't have a liquid yeast solution yet . . . although we can import them from the US if the above works out. In the meantime, we carry the full range of Fermentis dry yeasts, and many prefer these to liquid yeasts ... they can be more reliable since liquid yeasts rapidly become inactive.

The above we can do, but we need you to tell us where it is lacking so that we can fix our shortcomings.

I'd be looking for more New World hops: Cascade, Centennial, Amarillo, Chinook, Pacific Gem, etc. I'm not wedded to any particular varieties, but I'd like to see these general types represented.

It does go some way in coming closer to the competition, but I dont think far enough to get my custom back.

For small orders the range seems very small and priced the same as the guy that dosnt charge for shipping.

For a larger order with much more selection and a better price, there is also another option.

I think if you want to capture some of the market back you'll need to offer something more!

Thanks guys, it looks like the limited variety is a problem.

No quick fix then, eh?

Not sure if this is strictly what you were looking for, but why do we use 3kg bags of grain when 20l of a nice drinkable strength is going to require 4-5kg or more (just estimating, since I don't want to do the sums).

If you're simply rebagging grain that you buy in bulk, wouldn't it be more convenient to sell a more usable quantity?

I agree with TBN. I'd love to see some difficult-to-find varieties of hops brought into the country and made available in O2 barrier and light barrier packaging.

-There are still plenty of varieties that are not being carried regularly by anyone; this should make them attractive to anyone who would stock them as there's no, on-isle comparison to be made when it comes to price.

Maybe I'm in the minority,[b:1hdbt83q] but I'm looking for QUALITY and SELECTION, price is only my third criterion when it comes to hops. [/b:1hdbt83q] I will literally buy and try a new hop simply because it's new and available; it's one of the more exciting parts of home brewing, I think. (But I'm a hop head, so I would think that.)

The grain selection still leaves some to be desired.

Again, I might be in a minority, but I like to by my base malt in bulk on the cheap, and then don't mind paying more for [b:1hdbt83q]specialty malt, where SELECTION and ACCURATE MALT DATA are the two most important purchasing decisions of mine. [/b:1hdbt83q] (I've bought malts in the past that were marked, by hand, with color ratings that were obviously significantly off; I don't mind if someone is going to break up a bulk-purchased bag of malt into smaller bags as long as the data makes it from the original bag and onto my package (knowing the original maltster is nice too).)



Adam