Major supermarket starts selling brewing kits.

[GerritT]

So, the Albert Heijn, (one of) the largest supermarket chains in the Netherlands starts selling brewing kits from next week. (Albert Heijn =± Sainsburys) They look like the Brooklyn Brew Shop set, one I started with.

I've got a bit of mixed emotions about this. On one hand: it's very accessible now to everyone and his mum, on the other hand... doubts here, not sure why. Thoughts?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

On one hand: it's very accessible now to everyone and his mum, on the other hand... doubts here, not sure why. Thoughts?

If it gets more people involved in the hobby surely its a good thing.

 

[GerritT]

If it gets more people involved in the hobby surely its a good thing.

That's a true thing. Remember the iMac? Way back in the '90s? Pretty expensive still, and the people that bought them were the people that thought twice about spending money on frivolities.

Until the Albert Heijn started to sell them at lower prices, in a savings program. I worked at the time in Sidcup at the Apple desk (Armada Building baby yeah!) and served well-informed technologically capable people, and as soon as EVERYONE and their mum bought an iMac the phonecalls... changed. What's a keyboard? Where do I put the ram? Internet Exploder doesn't work, make it work!

So.

 

[MrRook]

My local Wal-Mart started selling homebrew ingredient kits recently: One gallon kits for $15. If I ordered the same amount of ingredients from one of my favorite homebrew shops the cost would be under $10.

 

[GerritT]

My local Wal-Mart started selling homebrew ingredient kits recently: One gallon kits for $15. If I ordered the same amount of ingredients from one of my favorite homebrew shops the cost would be under $10.

And I could brew 16 liter for $15. But I'd have to buy in bulk, measure stuff myself and gather a fitting recipe. And drive around a bit and wait for the mail.

 

[MickDundee]

Tesco used to sell Homebrew kits as recently as when I first started brewing in 2015. Apart from the fact these are grain kits I don’t think it’s particularly novel or exciting.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

My local Wal-Mart started selling homebrew ingredient kits recently: One gallon kits for $15. If I ordered the same amount of ingredients from one of my favorite homebrew shops the cost would be under $10.

One day those buying these kits will have your experience then they will do the same we all have to start somewhere.

 

[An Ankoù]

If it gets more people involved in the hobby surely its a good thing.

Yep, and yep to Chippy's later comment. What is there to lose? Most of my secondary fermenters and pressure barrels come from Boots! Wilkinsons sell some very basic stuff, but the Wherry's all-sortish-right! You start where you start and move on. With (hopefully) fond memories of where you started.

 

[An Ankoù]

Tesco used to sell Homebrew kits as recently as when I first started brewing in 2015. Apart from the fact these are grain kits I don’t think it’s particularly novel or exciting.

Really? I never came across those muthers in Tesco. Do they still do homebrew?

 

[unforgiven]

Tesco used to sell Homebrew kits as recently as when I first started brewing in 2015. Apart from the fact these are grain kits I don’t think it’s particularly novel or exciting.

they did also sainsburys sold kilner kits too

 

[MickDundee]

Really? I never came across those muthers in Tesco. Do they still do homebrew?

Nah, they stopped in around 2016 IIRC

 

[Leon103]

Nah, they stopped in around 2006 IIRC

2016 when they got rid of Tesco Direct

 

[MickDundee]

2016 when they got rid of Tesco Direct

That’s what I meant, 2006 was a typo

 

[Leon103]

That’s what I meant, 2006 was a typo

Thought so

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Nah, they stopped in around 2016 IIRC

I don't think it took off as they used to have a sale every 4 months, as soon as Tesco announced the sale forum members used to post a heads up in the limited offer forum and members used to fill their boots, i lost count of how many WineBuddy Sav blank kits we bought and it was free delivery to our local Tesco so another bonus, i was gutted when they stopped selling home brew.

 

[Gunge]

i was gutted when they stopped selling home brew.

Not as gutted as a lot of us were when Asda and almost everyone else stopped selling cheap white grape juice. Are they still peddling the crapola that it was crop failure that caused the original grape famine, and that it has occured every year since, presumably cos of climate change crapola fallacies? These people need to get their act together.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

When WGJ went AWOL i emailed Tesco and ASDA (there is a thread here about it) and the reason they gave for no longer stocking it was lack of demand, i assume when it was hard to get hold of they looked at how popular it was and decided it wasn't worth selling it, if it had been just one store i would have been a bit suspicious but as most stores stopped stock it around the same time there must have been something in it.

 

[Gunge]

Funny, I distinctly remember the blame being directed at crop failure, on here and elsewhere. And not for a nanosecond do I believe that such noxious fluids as beetroot juice and other health-freak fodder ( of which any big supermarket stock several brands of ) are bigger sellers than WGJ used to be. I'm going to masquerade as some hotshot nutritionist type, extolling the health-giving and life-extending properties of WGJ. The supermarkets would be onto it in an instant, stocking up on WGJ awaiting the hoards of gullible and desperate readers of any of the myriad lifestyle magazines that peddle fads by the bucketload on a monthly basis. Gaaah.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Funny, I distinctly remember the blame being directed at crop failure, on here and elsewhere.

Yes it was reported in the news that a failed crop caused the shortage thats why i posted "i assume when it was hard to get hold of they looked at how popular it was and decided it wasn't worth selling " if it was a good seller surely it wouldn't make good business sense to stop selling it so i guess they were telling the truth.