new Brewcraft store, Richmond, Vic.

[undercover1]

Dropped in here yesterday...mixed blessing I think.

Good points first- it's fairly close to to home, on a tram line for those who don't drive, the opening hours & prices are OK, and they stock a decent if basic range of kits, grains, sugars yeast & hops etc, particularly their own "conversion" kits which often come bundled with the can to use a base.
But on the downside- fully half the store is given over to spirit distilling, as well as bread making ( I kid you not, they have 10kg sacks of flour & bread making mixes), the range of accessories is limited to things like caps, taps, plain vanilla 23l fermenters, paddles & cappers (no chillers, racking tubes etc) none of the ingredients is in a fridge, and (worst of all) they don't stock Coopers kits.
To be fair they are in a fairly small shop though, although I think the no Coopers thing goes beyond that for these guys.
Didn't get a chance to talk to the guy behind the counter- he was farting around out in the back most of the time I was there.

Will give it another go next time I need some basics.

[Tyberious Funk]

Dropped in here yesterday...mixed blessing I think.

I visited a few weeks ago... in fact, it might have been within the first couple of days of them opening. The guy behind the counter was friendly, but not very knowledgable... he seemed more interested in wines and spirits than beer. Location is great for me, because it's about 5-10 minute drive from where I work, meaning I can potentially go there in my lunch hour.

But I'm not so sure about the prices. If you compare the prices listed at http://www.liqourcraft.com.au with those listed at http://www.grainandgrape.com.au you'll notice that G&G usually comes out better. Sometimes even a couple of dollars on each item! With the exception of kits which seem fairly even.

It's just a shame that G&G is in such a lousy location (for me, at least).