Brew Connoisseurs

3894 W State Street, Boise, ID, 83703, United States
(208) 344-5141
Latitude: 43.64148, Longitude: -116.23741

website

Wifi Available
Cask Beer
Indoor Smoking
Available Parking
Beer Pricing: $$
Public Transit
Proper Glassware
Outdoor Seating
Family Friendly
Selection: 3.33 | Atmosphere: 2.83 | Service: 2.00
54.4
out of 100
Overall Beer Mapping Score
Based on 3 reviews.
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diatonic (3)
Wednesday 23rd of June 2010 10:14:28 AM
link
I'm not sure why people are so down on Brew Con. It is a pretty small shop, and it is eccentric, but they have the best selection of ingredients in the area. Prices on grain are generally less than at other LHBSs, and they have a better selection. It is the only shop in Boise which sells White Labs yeasts. Need rye malt? KC will have it. Need Carafa III? KC will have it. Can't say that about other shops in the area.

Give Brew Con a shot.
Selection: 4 | Atmosphere: 3 | Service: 4 | Food: N/A
73.3
Overall

BeerDude (10)
Friday 2nd of April 2010 07:59:08 PM
link
Fortunately, this is not the only homebrew shop in the Boise area. I have been in the shop several times and have been very disappointed quality and variety of ingredients. The couple times I've been there basic ingredients have not been available. Additionally, the store does not appears to be clean or organized.

Customer service does not seem high on the list of priorities there. The staff has not been helpful or even knowledgeable about home brewing.

If you want to go to a homebrew store where the owners are helpful and the stores are clean and organized, visit either of the other two brew shops in the area.
Selection: 3 | Atmosphere: 2 | Service: 1 | Food: N/A
40.0
Overall

Hoopy Frood (40)
Sunday 31st of May 2009 01:28:49 PM
link
I was shocked to find my previous edit of this review never got posted! I tried to downgrade it from a 90 to much less many months ago, but forgot to see if the edit posted...

BrewCon sucks. I've have been going there for years and finally, last summer, I had been jerked around long enough that I stopped going all together and settled with the hassle of online brew supply ordering (then Brewer's Haven opened last fall, but that's a different story).

Ingredients:
IF they have what you want, it may or may not be fresh. Pay attention. Fast rotating stock is probably okay, but specialty stuff can be very old. They have sold me worthless hops and worthless specialty malts. They have demonstrated an amazing knack at not stocking the ale yeasts I need (you're okay if you only use American/Califonia Ale yeast). They also do not have good hop pellet selection.

Equipment:
Again what rotates is okay. Some stuff is ancient, though. Again, pay attention. Often equipment is way too overpriced. Be wary of used gear.

Service:
Garbage... They will rip off anyone if they thinks they can get away with doing so. They do not have good knowledge of specialty malts and have tried selling me the wrong kinds several times (confusing smoked malts, confusing Carafa with other dark roasted malts, etc). Additionally, more often than not I have felt like my presence as a customer was actually an inconvenience to them.

Their prices are rediculously expensive. It's not uncommon for prices to be 2-4 times as expensive as it is to buy the same things online. Lastly, the store is a disaster. At first I thought it was just eccentric, but time has demonstrated the store's condition is very indicative of the way the business is run.

Thankfully an alternative store has opened up and it is very much worth your while to check it out.
Selection: 3 | Atmosphere: 3.5 | Service: 1 | Food: N/A
50.0
Overall

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