Cornwall HBS

[lawlor]

Hi all,
not sure which section to put this in....
Is there any good HBS in cornwall. I live in St Ives and cant find anywhere worth going to.

Tesco in Pool sell some youngs bits.
Penzance has home hardware, limited selection.
Truro has Mallets home hardware -even less selection -but they do sell King Kegs.
And then we have Geoffs in camborne, not a huge range and quite expensive, limited hours and very very unfriendly.
I know there is the HopShop in Plym which looks good from their website, but its a long way to go from down here.
So my question is...

Is there somewhere i have missed!?
does everyone done here put up with the limited range and prices or just buy online!?

Cheers
ben

[chivelegs]

Couldn't comment on those you have mentioned, but the place in Plymouth is great in my opinion. I drive around the country a lot for my work, picking up bits here and there and it's certainly one of the better shops I've been to. Fairly decent prices and a lot of stock, ad the staff were extremely helpful when I went.

[Shadowknight]

Definately the one in Plymouth. Knowledge there is good and the boss always has time for you.
Worth the trip if you can find something else to do in Plymouth.

Or, pester the guys in Penzance to improve their range. If you know what you want they might be able to get it for you cheaper than you travelling more than 50 miles.

[GrowlingDogBeer]

I don't think it's just being in Cornwall that you have this problem, it's the same here.

I buy just about everything online now, it's cheaper than the LHBS, even with the cost of postage.

It's always worth buying in bulk. I usually order about 40Kg of stock in one go to save on the postage.

[lawlor]

yeah might be worth a trip to plym. I dont mind playing extra in a LHBS but when the staff are not helpful and the selection is bad it does make you turn to online places. Makes me wonder if there is a gap in the market!?
ah well online order or trip to plym by the looks of it....

[weiht]

Its a pretty long way to Plymouth from where you are, and maybe u can make quarterly trip down there a yr lol. I hear there is a new brewery in st ives, many have a talk to them? I'd doubt i will take on homebrewing if im staying in cornwall, love the beers down there and absolutely love st ives...

[lawlor]

As far as im aware (from local CAMRA mag) the st ives brewery is just a name the stuff is brewed in truro at the wooden hand brewery. If you want the best beer around (Penwith area) there is only one choice! The star Inn at Crowlas its a micro brewery(Penzance Brewery) and his beers are amazing. Scilly Stout 7% is great, L8er an 8% pale is also really good. I dont think i have ever had a bad pint in there including the guests that are very well kept.

[jmc]

As far as im aware (from local CAMRA mag) the st ives brewery is just a name the stuff is brewed in truro at the wooden hand brewery. If you want the best beer around (Penwith area) there is only one choice! The star Inn at Crowlas its a micro brewery(Penzance Brewery) and his beers are amazing. Scilly Stout 7% is great, L8er an 8% pale is also really good. I dont think i have ever had a bad pint in there including the guests that are very well kept.

Totally agree

I regularly visit a mate in Goldsithney, near Marazion and we go to The Star (for Potion No 9 when its on) but mostly now to The Falmouth Packet which sells Penzance Brewery beers. Jolly Farmer & Tater-Du are lovely

The Star & Falmouth Packet are both in the CAMRA 2012 Good Beer Guide.

[Cornish-pasty]

Wilckinsons in st-austell is ok and has 25% off at the moment when I went there a couple of days ago. There online is also very good. A few friends swear by them I have just started my first brew of ale from them. I also think there is a wilco near pool aswell

[Belter]

I have a few years experience in buying all grain in Cornwall and there is only one option. Plymouth hop shop.

I always buy online as it's a bit far to go to Plymouth all the time so I buy from The Malt Miller.

A homebrew shop just opened in Penryn but it's pretty terrible. You can buy 25kg sacks of Bairds there though.

I intend on picking up some bags from Tuckers malting next time I go past but until then I'll keep using the malt miller or Plymouth hop shop when I'm there.

There was a gap in the market until Penryn opened.

[micmacmoc]

There was talk by someone on here of buying the old 'phase2' hairdressers site in St Austell (opposite Tesco) and setting up an HBS. Every time I pass I think how perfect the site is. I would even consider helping set it up (I have a shop in Mevagissey, coffee and art). I reckon if he were to get an online business going to run alongside the HBS it would be a winner. Theres plenty of low paid drinkers hereabouts ( 'Mevagissey the drinking village with a fish problem' for example!) to service such a venture. Anyone fancy setting up a collective? If we could get seven investors, one day a week each in the shop....pipe dreams?...but who knows? You show a drinker a demijohn and bubbler and yeast, send him over to Tesco for some Apple Juice....he's taken the first step towards brewing 40 pints all grain that he will show off to his friends with pride.

[Belter]

There was talk by someone on here of buying the old 'phase2' hairdressers site in St Austell (opposite Tesco) and setting up an HBS. Every time I pass I think how perfect the site is. I would even consider helping set it up (I have a shop in Mevagissey, coffee and art). I reckon if he were to get an online business going to run alongside the HBS it would be a winner. Theres plenty of low paid drinkers hereabouts ( 'Mevagissey the drinking village with a fish problem' for example!) to service such a venture. Anyone fancy setting up a collective? If we could get seven investors, one day a week each in the shop....pipe dreams?...but who knows? You show a drinker a demijohn and bubbler and yeast, send him over to Tesco for some Apple Juice....he's taken the first step towards brewing 40 pints all grain that he will show off to his friends with pride.

PM me the plan. I'm in down the road from my house.

[micmacmoc]

Er...that was the plan!

We could though...dunno what the shops up for sale at. I am seven days a week at my shop til about October....but it is fun just to think how it could be done, isn't it...and like I say...who knows!
Don't suppose Malt Miller needs another branch? I really reckon it would take off there, you know how they like a drink in Holmbush!
And the biltong from that butchers there is really good, screams for a decent pint to go with it!

see...getting carried away again.

[masterosouffle]

What may be another idea is to set up a homebrew club, if you find a friendly venue with a bit of storage start doing group buys splitting grain and hops, you could then start selling bits to newcomers etc...

[Belter]

I do already plan on doing this.

I also have a vac packing machine for hops.

The uptake has been a little slow and after the first homebrew night The Heer Cellar in Truro had the uptake dropped off a little. They haven't done one since.