What Ale's Ya

Homebrew

4925 W Bell Rd
Suite D3
Glendale, Arizona, 85308-3602
United States

(623) 486-8016 | map
whatalesya.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.3
Reviews:
11
Ratings:
16
pDev:
21.16%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by sunrats:
Photo of sunrats
Rated by sunrats from Arizona

4.2/5  rDev -2.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4

May 26, 2016
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.8 by rbcraig from Arizona

Aug 20, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by teraflx from Arizona

Jul 11, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by MeadLady from Arizona

Jun 26, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Jmitchell3 from Arizona

Jun 18, 2014
Photo of FlatRabbitRed
Reviewed by FlatRabbitRed from Arizona

1/5  rDev -76.7%
vibe: 1 | quality: 1 | service: 1 | selection: 1
I wish I had recieved the treatment the rest of the posters have.

The first two times I went in, I was ignored to the point where I gave up and walked out, Finaly I drove by and bought a kit and the starter package. My nieghbor who has been brewing for years told me never to go in there, that they were rude and sold him stuff that he didn't need and a bucket lid that did not work. I followed the directions of the staff and my bucket lid would not seal after slitting the slotted areas. I took it back and they replaced it for free, with a verbal beat down about how my neighbor and I were wrong. Again I took the lid home and slit only two of the slotted ares on the lid next to each other. They instructed me very firmly to slit all the slots ...and as I suspected this lid would not seal in the area that was slit untill I put clamps on it. I went and bought a third lid that I did not slit at all and it worked great.

I made a mistake of leaving some liquid yeast in my refrigerator for about 9 months it solidafied into a hard rubber mass in clear liquid that would not break back up. It was an ale yeast replacement for the lager yeast in the kit they sold me that was my first batch. Chuck told me to pitch them both the rubberized ale yeast and the dry lager yeast. After two weeks in the bucket, the bubbling had stopped but the beer looked and smelled unpleaseant. I called and talked to Tim, he said "what were you thinking mixing yeast, and leaving your beer on trub for two weeks! you screwed it up!" Then he told me it was deffinately bad and I needed to dump it! As soon as he even gave me chance to talk I said why did Chuck tell me too pitch two kinds of yeast and why did Norm tell me not worry about straining anything in wort, that it would be fine in there for up to two weeks? He quickly responded with " hey man, just come on in and see me and I will get you another kit, but make sure you see me Tim". I didn't dump my beer and went in to tell Chuck about it, the deal was naturaly off and Chuck said just leave the beer in the bottles to condition for about five weeks and bring a bottle in for him and Tim to taste and they would call me and tell me how it was. Of course they said it taste great... I have been a beer lover since the early 1970's, I have probably tried 90% of every beer made since then. That beer was the worst god awefull crap I ever tasted, and about a dozen other people that tried it thought the same as well.

I went in to see about beer clarifiers, Norm told me he didn't like to use clarifiers, but if I really wanted too, I could try Irish Moss. He said go ahead and dump the intire 2 tablespoon bag in at the beginning of the boil! ... I followed his advise only to find out later that you use 1 tsp in the last 10 minutes of the boil.

I have made it into the store several times since then to get odds and ends for projets, and I have brewed 15 batches now. Every time I have gone in there it has been one thing or another, bad advice, bad additudes ... no people skills at all! Don't ask someone "what kind of beer do you like?" and when your told Sam Adams, cop a total additude and come back and say "no offence, but that that dosen't tell me a dam thing". Next time just plainly say "I meant what style of beer do you prefer" ..and then mabye give some examples ESB, Porter ...ect.
I can go on and on, ... every time I ask a question, or make a statement about what I think I might know about brewing ...there is a total additude. Even after I quote things from Papazian, ....The message to me is, don't come in here and ask questions or tell us what you have heard. Dont ever ask them "what do you mean?" ....theyr'e response will be "just what I said!"

And don't buy the product they make called WAY.... it leaves residue!

At What Ale's Ya: The customer is allways wrong, and it's Chuck and Tim's way or the highway! Don't do business here, the highway is much much better!
Jan 10, 2013
Photo of z3niMAGiNE
Reviewed by z3niMAGiNE from Arizona

4.3/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
I received a gift certificate to this place for a full beginner's setup and brew kit as a Christmas gift. When I got there it was fairly busy. Three people were waiting before me and it was probably 20 minutes before I got to cash in my gift certificate. In that 20 minutes some of the other customers waiting talked to me and got really excited when I told them about my gift and started giving me tips and talking about newb pitfalls and how to avoid them. When my time came, I felt like I was the only person in the store, despite the few others that came in while I was waiting. He (can't remember his name) went into great detail how to use the equipment and made sure I fully understood every step of the process. Afterwards, he gave me literature to help the first time brewer obviously a self written work of love.

I fully intend to return whenever I need anything brew related.
Feb 26, 2011
Photo of JollyToper
Reviewed by JollyToper from Arizona

4/5  rDev -7%
I live 30 minutes from What Ales Ya and make the drive when I don't leave time to order from the Internet where I can get better selection and prices. The employees are friendly and knowledgeable. They do CO2 refills which is convenient. Not all the LHBSs do. They have a good selection for a brick and mortar shop. My only complaint is that a couple of times they made substitutions without telling me. They usually ask though--and I should consistently check so being surprised when I get home is partly my fault.
Dec 29, 2010
Photo of chickenandrice
Reviewed by chickenandrice from Oregon

4.65/5  rDev +8.1%
As everyone else states that the service is the core competency of What Ale's Ya - and here is another reinforcement of that fact.

The first day I started to get an idea to brew my own, I went over to see this place. What I found was a biker lookin guy that knows everything I could imagine about the brewing process. He asked me some questions to understand what I need, then directed me to the setup he had in store.

I really enjoyed my experience at What Ale's Ya,and will continually give my business to Chuck until I leave AZ. Hopefully soon, no offense Chuck!
Jul 20, 2010
Photo of westernseraph
Reviewed by westernseraph from Michigan

4.85/5  rDev +12.8%
Chuck is the guy to see if you are looking to go into homebrew. He is super knowledgeable about everything that is homebrew--whether you are looking to start small or get the whole shabang to bein with he will get you going in the right direction.

There store is a little small but thye have plenty of different complete kits to make whatever style you are looking for, but also a fridge if you are a little more advanced and looking for the perfect hops and yeast.

There prices are super reasonable and they are available anytime they are open to help with any questions or quirks you may encounter.

They not only do beer kits and recipes but also wine. It is one stop shopping at its finest!
Jan 11, 2009
Photo of trabus
Reviewed by trabus from Arizona

4.5/5  rDev +4.7%
From the first time I went into Chuck's, I knew that I'd be coming back. Chuck almost always has the hops I need (even in this time of shortage), and he's always got decent prices.

I've brewed 2 kits and 4 recipe batches with all the ingredients, advice, and additional info coming from Chuck's. Chuck and Norm are always happy to help you figure out any questions or issues you may have with the brewing process.

He's only been out of the ingredients I've needed once, and he suggested a suitable alternative so I didn't have to go to another shop or wait for it to get in. Also, if you get grain there, he'll crush it for you for free!

Great shop, great prices, and great customer service. If you are looking to get into homebrewing, go to Chuck's!
May 18, 2008
Photo of OtisinAZ
Reviewed by OtisinAZ from Arizona

4.5/5  rDev +4.7%
This is the only homebrew shop around that I frequent. Chuck, the owner is simply "the best". He always has time to talk, answer questions, make suggestions or just shoot the s***. The shop is well stocked with plenty of "beer kits" but he has all you could want for all-grain and partial-mash recipes. Plenty of hops to pick from, even with the sortage going on. Also, there is no shortage of all the brewing equipment you may or maynot need.
The service is what really sets this shop above the rest.

Chuck also has everthing needed to make wine. Seems like a sure thing too.
Nov 24, 2007
Photo of Trueant1
Reviewed by Trueant1 from Minnesota

4.85/5  rDev +12.8%
I love this place! I went to Chuck. I imformed him that I only had brewed years ago with a kit from a big box store. I did not like the results.

Then, Chucks eyes lit up. He went over 45 minutes with me going over how to properly brew good home brew. He "sold" me on a basic kit. Along with that, he "sold" me on other essentials I would need. The store is decent size. It is stocked with every thing related to home brewing. I liked the back wall refrigerator that holds all the fresh hops. I also picked up a bunch of oak wood chips for my brews.
This is a top notch place. With Chuck's teaching, he is also selling basic beer kits to newbies. I was glad to spend the money there. The result is good home brew!
Oct 17, 2007
Photo of beeritron
Reviewed by beeritron from California

4.55/5  rDev +5.8%
I finally got a chance to visit! The whole ride over I was tingling with excitement. My buddy and I pulled up around 11am on a quest to find canned apricots (unfortunatly not in season) for the homebrew we just put into secondary fermentation. When we walked in everything was very organized and labeled clearly. We chatted with the gentleman at the counter and he helped us find what we were looking for. He was very helpful and had some funny one-liners. The selection of equipment was impressive. They even carried ready made stainless steel brew kettles. We were able to pick up some extra supplies and great ideas for our next batch. This is a great store and definitely worth the drive from Central Phoenix.
Sep 10, 2007
Photo of jeffaz02t
Reviewed by jeffaz02t from Arizona

4.85/5  rDev +12.8%
I have never actually been here. I am from West Phoenix, and I am currently in the US Army in Germany. I needed some supplies and was tired of web sites telling me what i need. I called this store and the owner helped me out and shipped everything to me overseas. He went abovve and beyond. I cannot wait to actually visit the store when I get out of the army in 5 months! The owner was very nice and friendly and took his time. He was in no rush to get rid of me and talked about brewing for a while. I was really happy with the information he gave me and with the book he told me to buy.
Dec 18, 2006
Photo of altarego
Reviewed by altarego from Maryland

4.5/5  rDev +4.7%
I had the chance to check out What Ale's Ya on a trip home to Glendale for my sister's graduation. I had brewed a pale ale that I flew home for the festivities but obviously couldn't take a pressurized keg on with me. What Ale's Ya came to the rescue, renting me a 20lb CO2 tank so I could force carb the beer in time for my sister's party. They were very helpful and seemed excited that I'd managed to get a keg of homebrew from Maryland to Arizona.

While I wasn't in to buy supplies the store was SUPER clean and well-maintained and seemed to be very well stocked. West Valley or no, it's a great shop and the ownership is nothing but helpful.
Aug 20, 2004
What Ale's Ya in Glendale, AZ
Place rating: 4.3 out of 5 with 16 ratings