I was a novice wine maker taught by someone who had been making wine for quite some time. My friend told me to buy the juice in Chelsea because "the place in Woburn is too expensive". So it was off to Chelsea I went. My wine was OK, but not that good. Ok, so it was my first batch. The second year it will be better. That was wishful thinking. Just when I thought that I had come to the end of my winemaking career, I came across a Groupon on wine making, I jumped on it. I must say the teacher (the owner) spent the appropriate amount of time on each subject and didn't move on until all questions were answered. It was a comfortable class size. He explained the difference between his kits and juice and the juice you'd buy in Chelsea (which was cheaper). I thought it was just a sales pitch, but I did buy a kit to see the difference. There was a BIG improvement over what I had previously made. I guess this is another case of "you get what you pay for". I see comments on the reviews that complain this place is more expensive than other places, and that's what I thought initially too. But I could continue to buy the crap in Chelsea, or I could go here. I choose to spend the few extra bucks and go here. read more

The mozzarella making class was great! The instructor was knowledgeable and patient with my questions. I just finished my first-ever batch of homemade cheese, and yes, it is actually cheese! I will have to refine my technique to get it as smooth and silky as the cheese in the cooking class. read more

I like many other bad reviewers out there, purchased a groupon for this store. Before I bought the groupon, I went to their website and added items to the cart and did the math with shipping, to see if it was a good deal. While it wasn't a great deal, due to much of the inventory costs more than the bigger online stores, with less selection... in the end I would still be saving some money with the groupon. So I purchased the groupon, and entered the code at checkout. Low and behold the shipping prices magically changed (raised) once I entered the code! My measley 4 lbs of hops was going to cost me 17.00 in shipping! Are you kidding me? I ended up paying more than I would have than at other online stores with better selections. This is no less than stealing. True shipping does not cost 17.00 for a tiny 4 lb box. I checked the fine print and it states nothing that shipping will cost more with the groupon. I am not sure why this company even offers groupons if they are just going to scam people in the end. The whole point of a groupon is to generate more business. Well it isn't working! What I should have done is contacted groupon and advised them of this and ask for a refund, I am regretting I did not. On top of this, I had a friend who actually let me know about the groupon, where the exact same thing happened at checkout. However, even worse for him, he contacted them as he noticed after a while it still had not shipped. The person he spoke with stated that the higher quoted shipping actually wasn't correct and that he would need to pay even more because they had to ship it in two boxes! Again, stealing, plain and simple. I hope more people share their experiences, especially regarding groupons. People, if you are buying online, you can get this stuff for so much cheaper and from companies that are not shady that have good customer service. For those that go to the store locally, I hope you get more options in your area soon or recommend you buy online elsewhere. read more

Beer and wine hobby is one of the better home brew shops I have been to (I have only been in 3 and do most of my ordering online). They stock almost everything and have a very extensive online store. I had a problem with my kegerator at one point and needed some help finding the correct fittings, so I just brought most of the tubing with me and went out to the store, while there the guy spent about 20 minutes helping me figure out what parts I needed to get my kegerator up and running. His help was invaluable and in the end I only had to buy about 4 bucks worth of parts to get the thing to work. One huge benefit is being able to order online, then pick up the stuff nicely packaged and boxed up in the store, which will save you quite a bit on shipping. I like the place but don't go often because their prices are exceptionally high even when compared to the other local home brewing place that has to pay rent in Cambridge. read more

Another victim of groupon 'deal' here.. I was unlucky to oversee when my groupon has expired, but hoped to used the value I spent on the groupon. First, although I paid $30 for the groupon (and therefore had $30 credit), they required me to spend $60. After that, they added $25 shipping on top of that, saying that cheaper $8 usps shipping is not available for my case. They argument was that I get a discount (although I didn't get any, since groupon was expired) and therefore should pay more for shipping. When I tried to explain, that I do not get any discount, they didn't listen. When I offered to pay a bit extra for usps shipping (it should cost $12, according to usps.com), they didn't listen. My solution didn't cost them anything extra, I didn't receive any discount, but apparently they get a cut from 'standard $25' shipping, so they we not interested. On my question if customer satisfaction is important for them, I didn't get a positive answer. Apparently what is important for them is ripping off customers and groupon deal is a way to do it. As for the store experience: slightly higher prices than competitors have with very limited selection. MoreBeer or MidwestSupllies offer way better selection for same or lower prices. Apparently the company gets a cut from each shipment which is already a red flag. Groupon deals are a scam - don't go for it since you'll end up spending more money than groupon 'discount' offers. P.S. In response to owner's reply (Yelp does not allow to post another comment in the thread): Owner: Hi Sergio, you are clearly upset that we honoring the exact deal that you purchased from Groupon! Me: I'm upset that I wasted a lot of time on badly worded deal and dealing with customer service that doesn't care about clients. I'm also upset that I got caught by business that use services like Groupon to hook customers on technicalities, rather earn their respect by providing good service. Unfortunately businesses like yours spoil the value of Groupon and other businesses who use Groupon the right way by offering discount once and providing exceptional service so customers would love to go back and pay full price. Owner: You agree to Groupon's requirements before making the purchase - however on several calls to us you wanted Beer & Wine Hobby to honor more value than what you purchased. Me: First of all, I did not want Beer&Wine to honor more value. I paid $30 for the groupon and I had to spend another $30 out of pocket, because of how the deal is worded (and it took Groupon representative an hour of consultation with management to understand why your require $60 purchase to redeem $30 value). I did not get and did not ask for any discount, all I asked is for shipping cost to be fair. I checked on usps.com website - the cost of shipping for the package was $11, so even considering you do not have a company discount from usps all 'subsidized' value was $3 while you wanted to charge me $23. When I offered to cover $3-4 difference in 'shipping subsidy' you did not listen and still wanted to take advantage of customer on the hook. Owner: Groupon offered $60 worth of merchandise for $30, an unprecedented homebrew deal. The Groupon clearly stated that regular shipping rates would apply - not our promotional rates which we subsidize for many products. We explained that you could go back to Groupon for guidance, however they would not refund you, as we were honoring the Groupon as is required. Me: And you've just explained why I recommended others to stay away from your company: you keep referencing to small details that even Groupon representative don't see when you ask them and do not listen to your customers. In my case there was no deal, it was $30 for $30, but knowing that your customer can't refund money, you were greedy and wanted to take advantage by charging double for shipping. And that's probably the reason you use Groupon while being in business for many years - your don't have enough regular customers who would be your regular clients. read more

Generally have good experiences when in the store but when ordering online beware that the inventory is not updated and receive calls for almost every order for a substitution. Also, they never send tracking information which is bad especially when ordering yeast so you know when items ship or are expected to be delivered even though you get an email saying an email with tracking will be supplied and their website doesn't show it when you log-in to your account. No other online retailer I use fails to provide tracking numbers. read more

I started brewing beer about a year ago and I wish I heard about this store a lot sooner! All of the employees are extremely nice and helpful and are always eager to answer questions whether it's in store, over the phone, or by social media such as Facebook or twitter. Ive bought supplies and kits from a few other online companies before i learned about beer wine and I have to say i get a much better experience buying locally as well as its much easier for me to learn from them than if they were an online retailer. They even have an in store pick up option if you re ordering online so that it will be waiting for you when you get there! :-) I've made many many purchases here since I discovered this store and it's rate that hey don't have something I'm looking for. Whether you're a beginning home brewer or have some experience under your belt I would highly recommend this as a great place to shop and learn! read more

Yesterday we were planning on bottling our latest beer (a midas touch copycat recipe) but we needed to pick up bottles and priming sugar. We didn't realize that the shop closed at 5:00 and got there at 5:30 just when they were closing up and locking the door. Not only did they stay late and get the supplies we needed for us, but they were super nice and helpful (as usual). Honestly, the reason our beers come out as good as they do is because we always run things by the guys that work at the shop. Their expertise helps us make informed decisions about what hops to use, different types of grain/malt, and how to properly run an all grain batch. read more

I was back here again yesterday, to get more ingredients and supplies, and also to ask about a half a billion more questions... Staff was friendly and informative as ever. I've been places where people will treat hobby newbies like trash, and basically make you feel bad for not knowing everything there is to know right off the bat. Not here... The staff is polite, helpful, attentive, informative, and encouraging. Not easy to find that in this day & age... Will definitely keep going back, especially if my brews turn out good! read more

Just started making wine again after a break of a few decades. Went to Beer & Wine for a starter kit and "stuff". The owner came over and introduced himself, was very helpful, knowledgeable and pleasant. Gave me a lot of confidence that they will be able to assist me with any problems or questions. read more

I ordered a case of wine bottles on Black Friday when they advertised free shipping. Evidently, glassware is in the exclusion list which I did not see. However, when the order processed, it did not show shipping, just the total for the bottles. I get an e-mail today saying they can't reach me at the phone # on my order (which was my correct number) so I call them back and she says that they need to charge me for shipping - $ 18.++ for a $21.00 order. I told her to cancel the order and I will never do business with them as they do not honor their invoices. That is like a contract - not a good business practice read more

There are only so many homebrew supply shops in the area, so this one inevitably is in the rotation. It's a well-organized, clean and professional looking shop but I cannot praise the business much past that; Limited selection of grain, no whole hops selection, very little hardware and terrible customer service. Seldom do the employees come out to help you, inquire about your project, and suggest alternatives or just act friendly. Cliché as it may seem, home brewing promotes a tight-knit, friendly community and this place is built strictly as a business...and it show. For example, as one of their hooks to go to the store, they promote the fact that they allow you to mill your purchased grains on-site (like most other shops)...but here's the catch. One automated mill is calibrated for extract grain milling; limited to specialty grains and, in the process, pulverizing your grain. They do, on the other hand, have a hand operated mill for you to use on your bulk grains. They point out that you can buy that model at the store and even tell you that you can use a hand drill on the crank to expedite the process....but they don't/won't provide one! Oh no, that wouldn't get you to buy your own mill! These guys are missing the point! read more

I see a number of other reviews in regards to the Groupon 'deal', but I feel obligated to write my own. I'll be the first to admit that my wife cautioned me to look at the shipping costs before purchasing the Groupon, but that I was so excited about saving $30 on beer equipment that I didn't listen. Sorry Hunny. Long story short; The selection is considerably more limitted, and prices are about 10% higher, than other retailers. Additionally, using the groupon forces shipping costs to double. Over all, I think I saved $10; but that remains to be seen, given that a valve (valued at $15), which would have been included in my equipment purchase if I had purchased through another retailer, was not listed in the B&W Hobby product desription... If, when the order arrives, it is not present, I'll have to buy it and pay additional shipping costs, effectively spending more money to 'save' with the Groupon than I would have by simply paying full price at a different retailer. I won't be purchasing from Beer & Wine Hobby again. read more

I was apparently another sucker of the Groupon variety. Prices are consistently higher than every other site and selection is very limited. On top of that, shipping was over $15, so really I only got a $15 coupon. That still amounted to a 20% savings (oh wait, inflated prices so actually lower savings than that), but then my order didn't show up for a week. In fact, I hadn't even received an email that it was shipped yet, just silence on their end. This is where the second star comes in at least; when I asked after the order, I received a fairly quick response and the owner (as gathered from the signature line) was very courteous. But then he explained why it was late: they were waiting for a variation on a part that I hadn't even ordered! So I pay higher shipping costs for longer times, and it's all because they didn't read my order closely enough. And when I asked for a refund on shipping since I needed one of the parts in the order within 2 weeks of placing the order (I'd thought that was safe), he never even gave me that; just excuses about them already offering low prices on their stuff and giving such a great Groupon deal. Instead, I had to go buy the part at my local shop, which I should have done from the start, and now I have an extra part I don't even need. Don't get suckered! Half off isn't always what it seems! read more