Northern Brewer/Midwest Supplies merger

Interesting, if true....

 

This is the only site I've heard of that. Can't find anything on the NB forums - even a rumor.

Can't find anything on HBT either.

 

Some more chatter on another forum
http://www.beerforum.com/f6/midwest-supplies-northern-brewer-merging-1705/

 

Interesting. I go to both but don't frequent them a lot (stay local in Iowa) but my other office in Minneapolis is within minutes of both MW and NB (the Lyndale location). I wonder what they will do with MW location in SLP? The thing I notice is the NB brick and mortar stores seem to be really nice! MW not so much. As far as online I couldn't tell you the difference.

 

I needed to order some more hops for the "Averagely Perfect IPA" recipe. I tried to order 3 time on MW. Every time I was about to complete my order, my cart would mysteriously empty. I got fed up and ordered from NB.

 

I like the MW brick and mortar store and liked the fact that when I visited the cities, I could comparison shop for homebrew stuff. Not to mention comparing on-line too. While I hope a merger means something good, I have a bad feeling about it.

 

Hmm - well then, if true I hope it's a good thing. I ordered from NB quite a bit and shopped their Milwaukee retail store from time to time. Decent place, always packed with people.

I guess all we can do is wait and see.

 

A friend of mine that recently left MW said they were told the online business for both would be combined, sounded to me like a fullfillment center joint venture of sorts, which I think would be great for both businesses. But, it sounded also as if they would remain seperate businesses otherwise.

Again, with nothing official I don't like posting unknown info on the internet...but this is what I have heard.

 

This was all discussed a couple days ago on the Google groups from my HB club. Apparently, their was a rumor about it going around St. Paul homebrew club who is generally pretty well tied in with NB. But, then my friend came in with what he was hearing from the MW point of view...so who knows.

 

This would be a good deal for us the consumer. I am a kit brewer and frequent both places Midwest has a lot of Kits but crappy shipping while NB has a less kits although higher quality and great shipping. A merger would bring Midwest up in a few notches in both shipping and quality ingrediants.

 

I like NB because of all the all-grain kits that they offer, which I'm a huge fan of and the quality is awesome. Not to mention, they ship pretty quick. Plus they send plenty of catalogs to keep me entertained between orders.

 

Just so long as they do 2 separate catalogs. I can't be cutting my bathroom reading in 1/2 if they go down to 1.

 

NB doesn't fulfill APO orders. I'm worried about this one, as MW was always willing to ship and work with us at APO addresses.

 

I live in the metro area and am close to both, I go to Midwest for Hops, They are far superior at getting latest and greatest and unheard of hop way before NB, and there stock is much bigger, I almost never come up empty handed at getting the amount or kind of hops form MW, Grains on the other hand and using there mill, NB Mpls, hands freaking down the best!

 

I hear they are number one and number two in the world... So something is telling my prices at both place are about to go up...

 

Haven't since March, when this thread was started.

 

Think this is a wild rumor. Hasn't happen as far as I see in Sept.

 

They are under the same ownership, but running the businesses separately. I am not sure if they have merged the warehouses for shipping online orders yet or not.

At Big Brew Day, a "Northern Brewer" employee and a "Midwest" employee were out handing out swag together. I asked them about the details, which they could not comment on the time...but I believe NB purchased MS.

 

The investment firm that ought Midwest bought Northern Brewer.
http://www.bizjournals.com/twinciti...ewery-suppliers-land-investment.html?page=all

 

When I lived in Minnefabulous, I did 90% of my shopping at Midwest . . .

 

This story makes me wonder, why didn't I anticipate the fast growth in the homebrew hobby when I was 18? Wait a minute: because when I was 18, it would have been illegal for me to make beer!

 

At Beer School a brewer told the story of when in college, he could legally buy everything to brew beer.

So in College, rather than scam for beer, he just made his own. Apparently, it made him very popular.

 

Yes, but I'm pretty sure that law that President Carter signed to legalize homebrewing stipulated that homebrewers had to be of legal drinking age. I don't resent Farley's/NB's success in the least bit, and it probably was legal for him to sell all the materials to make beer; I was just struck by the irony.