Thought I'd report back on my recent experiences of dealing again with both Biermarket.de and web-bier.
The bottom line is I'm happy to deal with either but there is a very significant difference between them in the time between placing an order and receiving the beer.
Both companies have a range of beers to choose from but in terms of beer that I like there is wider choice from Biermarket.de. Both companies pack the beer (and glasses) very well, I've now received a total of four orders (two from each company) with everything intact on delivery.
The difference between the two becomes apparent on placing an order.
With web-bier I placed an order online and checked out at 08:30 on last Friday morning (7th Aug) . At 09:11 the same day I received an email stating the order was in process, followed by an e-mail from UPS just 6 minutes later with a tracking number and stating the delivery date as today, 11th Aug and as promised the beer arrived today at 13:17, so just over two working days after placing the order. This speed of delivery is consistent with my previous experience wit them when I also ordered on Friday and received the following Tuesday. I'd mentioned I was putting on a mini German beer festival for friends this weekend and they included a generous selection of beer mats.
With Biermarket.de I e-mailed an order on Monday 20th July around midday. It's not possible to order directly from UK, you have to email your requirements then wait for their email confirming costs....I had no response until Wed 22nd July explaining they were short staffed due to holidays (fair enough) and then got confirmation of the price the following day. (I notice that on June 12th on this thread they said they would soon eliminate the need to email to place an order but no sign of that yet )
An hour or so after I paid I was informed that one of the beers I'd ordered (4 bottles) was out of stock and was invited to choose any four replacements (although not explicit I believe I could have chosen any four but I played fair and chose comparably priced beer) so this seemed a reasonable way to deal with the stock shortage.
On Monday 27th July they provided as tracking number and I finally received the beer at 17.15 on Monday 3rd August, just over 10 working days after placing the order. The package also contained some postcards with fun beer-related slogans.
So i hope that's a fair and balanced review, as I said right at the start, I will happily deal with both companies again but if I need something in a hurry the choice is clear!