Website: https://www.northernbrewer.com/
Selection | 5 Stars |
Pricing and Affordability | 4.5 Stars |
Shipping and Delivery | 5 Stars |
Quality and Freshness | 4.8 Stars |
Customer Support | 4.5 Stars |
Customer Reviews and Ratings | 4.7 Stars |
Educational Resources | 4.5 Stars |
User-Friendly Website | 5 Stars |
OVERALL RATING | 4.75 Stars |
Northern Brewer is the big dog in the realm of online homebrew supply stores.
It was started by Christopher Farley in 1993 in Minneapolis, MN. Their website has a page dedicated to telling the history. https://www.northernbrewer.com/pages/history-of-northern-brewer
2016 Was a Busy Year For Northern Brewer
What their history doesn’t disclose is a couple of acquisitions. 2016 was a busy year for them. First, they acquired a major competitor in Cleveland, Ohio-based Midwestern Supplies as announced here.
Then, a few months later it was announced that Anheuser-Busch InBev’s innovation and growth division, ZX Ventures bought Northern Brewer in 2016. Chris Farley announced the sale as reported here.
The history page also doesn’t disclose the sale of Northern Brewer in 2019 to Blackstreet Capital Holdings. The announcement was reported in many news outlets including BrewBound.com.
We also suspect that Detroit-based Adventures in Homebrewing has also become part of the same conglomerate.
I think it is a great success story and a tribute to Chris Farley who was able to capture his entrepreneurial spirit with something he loved doing, built the largest online homebrew supply store, and then be able to be rewarded with the sale.
The Struggle of Buying From a Major Corporation
As a homebrewer, it is a bit of a struggle to support a unique, individualistic hobby by spending my money at a store owned by a mega-corp. I’m also pragmatic and want to find the best deals. Let me just say that I have bought from Northern Brewer many times and probably will again. There’s a reason they are ranked #2 in our top 10 online beer supply stores.
In our opinion, Northern Brewer offers a great selection, good prices, and courteous customer service. They also have a wealth of information.
It is also our opinion that if you shop at Northern Brewer, open a new tab to Midwest Supplies. Even though you are buying from the same company, they offer different promotions, discounts, and free shipping offers throughout the year.
Compare the two cart totals, including ship costs and promotional discounts, and buy from whomever is the lowest.