A little review. I headed out to Beer & Wine Hobby in Woburn expecting inflated prices and dude bros talking over me in the hopes of buying a few packs of yeast. I was pleasantly surprised and way overspent my budget Prices are cheaper than Amazon on many things and only SLIGHTLY higher on other items. I could have gotten my mini auto siphon for the same price. Bottle wands are the same price. Bungs are a little over $1 each and airlocks are $1.50, so cheaper than Amazon unless buying in bulk. In fact everything is pretty close to Amazon, and in the case of glassware- cheaper. (and safer.) The 1gal jars I use for kombucha are under $7 each. Making a case $28. I paid $20 on Amazon for 2 booch jars. Glass 1gal carboys are also just under $7. You have to buy a growler cap for them separately. Or just get a universal bung. They have cheesemaking supplies, kombucha and kefir cultures plus all the right parts for getting those things fermenting right. I might've found my new favorite place. read more

The great thing about Beer & Wine Hobby is actually the classroom setup. There are a bunch of beer and wine supply places around MA but most aren't really set up for a class environment. My novice beer making setup kind of died (my fault in storage) so when I feel upon a deal that would give me a little reminder class and a whole new setup I jumped at it. YAY! Still, there's a place by me that blows this place out of the water when it comes to supplies, so, you know, there's that. read more

Store is always clean and employees are always available to help. Sometimes they're out of certain grain which is a problem when you have a specific recipe. Their grain prices are almost double what you will pay elsewhere. My usual grain bills are half as much at other home brew places online and I'm usually guaranteed to get what I need. Otherwise it's a good place. You just need to be willing to substitute and pay more. read more

This may be a great location to go to, however I would NEVER EVER think of doing a deal they do through Groupon! I finally completed my groupon order there were 3 dates that had openings for their class between now and April 2013 none of them actually fit into my schedule so I probably will not be participating in that. Then as I ordered my beer kit it first told me the shipping would be 7.99 .. not too shabby. As I completed checkout it bumped that up to $15.73. Needless to say I will never be ordering from here again and will make sure to spread the word to fellow homebrewers to stear clear of their Groupon deals! I can not speak for the store in person as people seem to be satisfied with that however I do know this is my worst experience i've had with a groupon business as well as with any homebrew supply store. read more

Hello, id like to let others know about my experience with this beer and wine making store. I went down there spoke with an older woman who was very very knowledgeable and helpful and i very much appreciate all the personal time she spent with me helping me understand the hobby. I really felt like she truly cared about what i was doing and tried to help me along the way even though i was going an old country route which they highly discourage. The only thing i was a bit disappointed with was the lack of knowledge in the old county ways without adding anything but grapes. they say it should not be done this way due to wild bacteria and mold fungus and what not and they are correct no doubt its way easier to not mess up with all the chemicals. But if i want wine with high ppm sulfates ill go buy it, i want natural wine made from what mother earth provides, something im sure you just cant buy anymore. Anyway thats the only reason it didnt get 5 solid stars. Dont get me wrong they are very helpful and super knowledgeable when it comes to kits and chemicals and wine and beer and even cheese... yes cheese, but not very helpful when it comes to those of us tring a natural old country approach with home grown carefully cared for grapes. Understandable why it would be discouraged but im sure im not the only one with this frame of mind. Did they have chemicals 300 years ago when wine was the primary beverage of europe? i think not. read more

This is a decent homebrewing shop. It has all of the neccesities plus a good selection of grain and gadgets. My only complaint is the lack of selection for whole hops but the plugs they have seem pretty fresh. They are a tad overpriced on the grain but hops are reasonable and they have a frequent buyer program. TIP - keep track of your own purchases... they don't volunteer the discount if you've qualified for one. I haven't asked the staff too many questions so I really can't measure they're knowledge of the process but they are usually very friendly. An added bonus... you can call up ahead of time and have them pick and pack everything you need for a quick getaway! One more thing... their grain mill sucks. It turns your grain into dust. Or at least it did mine the first time I used it. Ugh... hello stuck sparge! read more

This is the way it is done - warehouse style. Makes a lot of sense to me. Measure your own grains. Search the shelves for kits. Great selection of hops. Lots of beer brewing guides. Buy kits, tubes, wort chillers, bottles, yeast...you name it and they've got it. Staff is friendly and helpful. I wish that there was a place like this on the south shore. I willingly went to Beer and Wine Hobby from Plymouth, Ma when I needed supplies. There were a lot of places closer and on the way, but this is the place to go. Now that I am in the Boston area, I still make the trek or order online. Interesting side note: Beer & Wine's site claims that they have been serving their customers since 1972, which is interesting when you consider that the homebrewing ban was only lifted by Jimmy Carter in 1979... read more

I went to the cheese making class with my sister on a Groupon date and had a really good time. I believe the gentleman leading the class was the owner and you could tell he was very passionate about his wine, beer, and cheese. It was a fun class, I learned a lot, and I'm excited to try making my own cheese in the future. I'm also very excited to try their wine and beer making classes, too. Overall, fun experience and friendly staff. read more

Really, this is the only place anywhere around where you can pick up brew-your-own supplies. It is tucked away among office buildings in a nondescript office park. It doesn't look like a store - but inside it's like a mini-warehouse full of all the stuff you need to brew your own wine/beer. They sell kids, hardware, bottles, caps, etc. Everything. I found it most useful. read more

Home brew heaven! I've been shopping at Modern Homebrew in Cambridge, mostly out of convenience because I live in Boston. I stopped at this place on my way to NH, and I'm glad I did. They're extremely helpful, with great prices. There are websites with better prices, but if you can get to the retail location you more than make up for it by not paying shipping. It's mostly an internet/mail business, but the warehouse store is customer-friendly and easy to browse. All the brewing supplies you could possibly need, with plenty of advice, too. They have a HUGE selection of beer ingredient kits, including all the major brands. They also have a great selection of brown box kits with even better prices (and I think better recipes). Tip: the brown box kits come with ONLY the ingredients: no bottle caps, no muslin bags. This is actually done as a favor to the customer: with nothing but ingredients, the entire kit counts as a food product and is tax free. But don't forget the bottle caps and muslin bag. And don't forget the yeast, either. One great thing about this place is they have a good selection of liquid yeast in the refrigerator. It's worth the extra couple bucks, and they'll tell you what you need. read more

I hate to just reiterate what everyone else has been saying, but this place is perfect. It's a great place to buy everything you need to get started brewing, and it will carry you through until you're a beer pro. The woman who is always working there knows everything. She's like the yoda of beer. If you run into any problems, she will troubleshoot them, and she will do it in the sweetest way possible. read more

My husband was given a beer-brewing kit for christmas this past year from his uncle who has been home brewing for years. We we're psyched and headed to the store to check out what it's all about. The woman working that day (really wish I remembered her name) was AMAZING. She was so friendly, knowledgeable and most of all genuine. She seemed like she loved to work there and loved to help people, which made us both feel extremely at ease and welcome. She talked to my husband and found out what he knew about brewing and had a great conversation that went a lot further than "can I help you? yah um second isle on the right". She helped us get everything we needed and was sure to answer all our questions. She informed us that they offer beginner classes for beer and wine which I thought was cool, along with various other more specific brewing classes. They have tons of grains, hops, syrups, everything you could need to brew a beer or wine from your home. Most are packaged and ready to bring home complete with instructions. Can't really ask for more. We left with everything we needed, along with some tips and knowledge passed on from the lovely associate. Great service and great variety! read more

OMG. Beer makers paradise. They have everything you might need to make your own beer/wine/insert other "adult" beverage here. They offer classes, brewing kits, equipment and hops, hops, hops! Everything is measured and ready for you to bring home and brew. The people there are so unbelievably knowledgeable and friendly, that it makes the entire experience that much more easier and pleasant. We've actually brought them a beer that we thought tasted bitter, which they said that they would taste and give us recommendations/tips for how to make it better next time (we're still waiting on the results). It's an awesome one-stop shopping for anything related to making beer & wine in the Boston area. My only qualm is that they're so far away from my house! Move closer to Dorchester! read more

AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS. I spent over 300$ on a kegging setup and I've had to replace almost everything they sold me because it is horrible quality. The keg itself still had coca cola in it and was disgusting on the outside. I just waited a week to get new o rings delivered (the guy working should've sold them to me while I was there). Now, setting up the co2 tank and the nut that attaches to the regulator broke when tightening it by hand with a wrench. Time to wait another week for parts. This place has cost me a lot of valuable time and money. read more

Lets start with the simple fact that they are more expensive than online shops. That is what happens when you have a small retail presence and don't move millions of dollars of product. Now that we have that out of the way we can move on. They have the best selection of product in the area and the prices are much better than the other retails stores of this type. The folks that work her are very knowledge and can help you pick out or create recipes on the fly. I have also found that their pre-made kits come out much better than those of the online resellers. Most extract kits range between $35-$45 and include everything you need, you also get an option for dry or liquid yeast, and you can use their grain mill to crush all your grain on the spot. Much better than trying to do it at home with the wrong equipment, and cheaper than dropping $150+ on a decent home mill. read more

This is a great homebrew supply store for someone that wants to get into homebrewing or even if you've brewed for years. I bought my homebrew set about 10 years ago and they were just as helpful back then as they are now. The best part of this place is their customer service. I didn't (and still don't) really know what I was doing and they took the time to walk me through all my questions. They aren't beer snobs like some other places. For the new beer brewer this is the spot. They have everything you need including some beer ingredient kits. The beer ingredient kits have a easy to follow recipe and all the ingredients pre measured out for you so you will have success every time. If you have a recipe of your own, they can help you find all the malt, hops, etc that you need. If they don't have exactly the item you need (which is common) they can recommend another hop/malt/yeast that's a close match. They also have wine making supplies, kegging supplies and other products for the do-it-yourself person. You can pick up kits to grow your own mushrooms, make vinegar, soft drinks or even make your own cheese. Last time I was in they helped me out with a keg issue I was having with a used keg that I picked up at the Cambridge homebrew store. The Cambridge store sold me a used keg with a pressure relief valve that they don't sell the parts for. The Cambridge store is closer, but I don't need to deal with the beer snob attitude of their employees and from now on I'll drive a little further to Beer & Wine hobby in Woburn! read more

I can't compare to online stores or any other local retail outlet, but I've always had a good experience at Beer & Wine in Woburn. The staff is very knowledgeable about brewing and are really helpful to the novice brewer.The kits they put together are great-- the beers are really tasty and always turn out well. The Summer Honey Wheat was a hit last summer, and I plan to pick up the same kit again soon. I've gotten all my equipment there and plan to do so for the foreseeable future-- no complaints here! I only wish I had more money to spend there. read more

I have been a frequent customer of Beer & Wine Hobby for the past couple years using them for a number of purchases for beer equipment and supplies. I have always been a satisfied customer and will continue to use them for most of my supplies (although the one suggestion would be to cater more to the all-grain brewer, offer a mill, weigh station, etc). I decided to write this review after a fantastic class offered for cheese making. My wife and I attended the class and found it to be very informative, and found the instructor/owner to be interesting and very approachable. He took a great amount of pride in the subject and took us through the process of making fresh mozzarella. We were able to sample the cheese with both a very good olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I see that some of the reviewers were expecting more a hands-on experience, which this wasn't. However, it was entertaining, informative, and worth the time/money for us. We left with a lot of excitement into making our first artisan cheeses. read more

Big fan of beer & wine hobby. Store is well organized and the system for picking out and milling grains is easy. Lots of ingredients available and reasonable prices. The online site is also good. I make orders about every two months for home brew beer supplies from them and have not had any issues even when ordering liquid yeast delivered in summer. All fresh ingredients. read more

The cheese making class was the biggest farce i've ever encountered...If not for the 3 other people I went with, I think I would've walked out in the middle. They were my sanity, as they were rolling their eyes along with mine. This class was A JOKE!!! It is not a 'cheese making' class, it is a demonstration! I noticed after we went, they have now changed the wording in their description to read 'you will watch'. The class was taught to us like we were all children, and we felt embarrassed for the demonstrator/owner. The entire facade was a sales pitch of their products/accessories etc. I have heard they have a good assortment of beer making needs, but I think they are trying to 'ride the wave' with the cheese making. It was a horrible waste of time! Buyer beware!!! read more

Overpriced, limited selection, no customer service, unfriendly staff, limit to the amount of hops one can purchase. Very disappointing.

Sam Adams endorses this place, pretty sure they buy kits from her for all their employees. Place has good prices for equipment and I think beats lots of online offers. Beer making supplies as others have mentioned could be better but you will get everything you need for a batch no problem, but I would like to see an electric mill, hand cranking 10# of grain then trying to pour it back into the bags was a PIA. Extract brewers will be in heaven, plenty of extracts and grains for PMs. Staff is also very friendly. I go here out of convenience and for speed, its rarely packed and the staff are not acting pretentious. read more

A bit overprices compared to other online retailers and local shops. They have a decent selection, but appear to cater a bit more to wine making than beer brewing. It is also obvious that their business revolves around mail order. All in all, if you're in a pinch and need to pick up some grains, yeast, hops, or extract you can probably find what you need here. They also have a rewards program, so get on their mailing list and sign up! read more

This store is where I started in the hobby and I've had good experiences and continue to purchase here. I have only shopped in person, I brew beer predominantly (all-grain and extract) and have only dabbled in wine and mead. Read this review from that perspective. The prices are reasonable. Sure you can find cheaper prices online but I just don't find the difference worth the loss of convenience and expediency. I also like to stand by a local hobby shop, especially when the price difference is minuscule. The range of products is extensive. There is what I would consider a complete range of grain, hops and equipment. They offer a reasonable selection of fresh items including grapes, vines and hops rhizomes. The only thing I would say is that for the newer "cutting edge" ingredient they are a little behind the curve. As examples, they only recently began offering Citra hops, lab flasks (for yeast starters) and have yet to sell cacao nibs. The staff support/knowledge is average to above average. Don't expect any brewing "mad scientist" types but do expect that anyone you ask for general advice will give you a good response. For a beginner to intermediate brewer they will give excellent advice and troubleshooting. An advanced brewer asking a question off the beaten path of regular brewing technique or equipment should follow up with his own research. For example, I have heard some mediocre advice given to someone regarding refurbishing a press in a food safe manner. The advice they gave wasn't incorrect but they insisted that it was the only way, when I knew of at least one other valid option which the guy was asking about. Listen to what they say and do your own research, something you should do anyway. I have bought a lot of gear and ingredients here and have had few problems. I have had two no-go fermentations from their White labs vials. In one case this was a yeast starter that acted as though most of the yeast was unviable. The second instance was a side by side test fermentation at a relatively warm temperature. One took off like a rocket, the other didn't budge. The yeast in question was a standard belgian yeast and was pitched into a well oxygenated, typical gravity wort that was measured to be at optimal temperature. These were only two failures out of many brew sessions but it is enough that I no longer buy liquid yeast here (and have since had no problems with Wyeast pouches purchased elsewhere). I caution that my experiences represent a small sample size and who knows - maybe it was just a bad batch that had been left out too long in the sun during transport? The hops, grain, grapes and extract I've had zero problems with in terms of quality and freshness. I get the impression that this is typical for most customers, based on the quantities of stuff I see people buying every time I go in there. When I picked up my fresh grapes last year there was a guy piling them into his SUV, literally from the floor to the ceiling. He does this every year and probably spends well over $1000 on grapes. That speaks volumes for Beer-wine and the quality of their stuff. The location is convenient to anyone in the Boston area, being at the crossroads of two major highways. I live within a mile and a half of Modern Homebrew in Cambridge but for some reason I find Beer-wine to be more convenient and less intimidating (not to knock Modern, they can just be so chaotic on a busy day that it isn't worth fighting the traffic to get there). It helps that they are frequently on my commute. All in all, a great local home brew shop. As much as you can you should buy from a local place like this and keep the hobby viable. read more

Nice people, decent selection of grain, extracts, hops, yeast and equipment. It's really expensive though, their only other competition is in Cambridge, so they can afford to up prices a bit. read more

Not the best homebrew store, but not the worst either. I've come here off and on for the past few years and have never been blown away, but have never really been given a reason to walk away and never come back. My biggest complaint is that all the grains except base malts are pre-packaged. Not everyone needs their specialty grains in one-pound, three-pound, or five-pound increments. Same for hops. A lot of times I like to smell the hops before deciding on a variety, and in the pre-sealed packages this just isn't possible. Their selection and inventory is definitely a plus. A ton of recipe kits, lots of yeast varieties to choose from, and lots of equipment options. They're a very clean store as well. read more

I went down to the store after hearing from others about how great it it. I have only just started homebrewing so I am very much a novice. I went there looking to see prices and ask questions about everything, including the transition to all grain brewing. They were extremely helpful and answered all of my questions thoroughly. I am very glad that I was referred to them, and as it turns out, most of their kits actually are cheaper than others locally as well. I will definitely be returning to them for all of my homebrewing! read more

I signed my husband and I up for a mozzarella making class with a groupon. Although the instruction was great and we were able to go home and make our own cheese - we were both under the impression that it would be a hands on class. That was a little disappointing, but the instruction was great and the staff was friendly and helpful read more

I had heard great things about Beer & Wine Hobby and it still passed my expectations. I wasn't sure how to weigh and mill my own grains and Gennaro took the time to show me the process. The store is in a nice location and they have over 90 different types of grain. Absolutely worth the drive from Boston. read more

I've continued to come here for my homebrewing needs. The owner has been responsive to my concerns. If you can get these guys in person, they are extremely helpful and knowledgeable. And their kits are pretty good. It's convenient and the store is easy to navigate. Prices are also pretty reasonable. read more

Took the mozzarella cheese making class last week. I really enjoyed it. This was purely a demonstration class, but lot's of fun. The owner of the store taught the class and he really knew a lot about cheese making. He did a great job explaining the process including what each ingredient was. Whatever question was asked, he could answer it. We got to taste the cheese he made, along with several olive oils and balsamic vinegars that they sell. He also gave us a sample of our of their homemade wines. Awesome!!!? If you want a fun couple of hours and enjoy cheese, I would suggest you sign up for a class. I was amazed how good this 30 minute cheese was. read more

From first time brewers looking for an easy, affordable start up kit to experienced brew masters looking for the perfect malt or yeast, this little store buried in a warehouse in Woburn will certainly fulfill your needs. The kind folks at the counter are knowledgeable in all areas of winemaking and beer brewing. We watched today as a first time winemaker looked in a panic for some advice on what the next step was after crushing all too many merlot grapes yesterday. We also looked on as Karen, one of the shopkeepers schooled a gentleman on what solutions will remove some of the bitterness from his latest batch of brew. After sauntering around the aisles of ingredients and equipment, we settled on all the ingredients we would need to tweak our own version of a smoked porter with German smoked malt and also a chocolate malt. We also picked up a nice fresh British ale yeast from their plethora of yeast varieties available. An excellent resource for all enthusiasts of home brewing and winemaking. read more

I went to the beer making homebrewing class taught by Gennaro Cataldo who was great! He is so passionate about beer making and making sure the class has a good time watching the process while sharing as much knowledge as possible..it was supposed to be 90 min but we got to stay for about 2 and a half hours to watch the process completely and Gennaro is the nicest most laid back teacher. Can't wait to try their cheese and wine classes next! Went into the class knowing only that I liked drinking beer but intimidated by the process and came outta the class ready to make all different flavored beers! read more

I've only gone to the store, never worked with them online, so I can't comment on that, but the store is fantastic. Pretty much anything you want for beer, wine, cheesemaking. Prices are very reasonable. They have a ton of prepackaged kits, which are generally good; I like to create my own recipes, and they have everything you need to do that. And now the swap out CO2 tanks which is another big convenience. read more

These guys are absolutely awesome! Helped me huge with all my questions and was able to help me get my kegerator up and running. Very knowledgable, and willing to work with someone new to the hobby with all my silly questions. Gennaro was a HUGE help...thank you! read more

Great fun and most educational! Took the cheese making seminar and learned how to make mozzarella. The instructor answered every question, explained the process in regular terms and the end product was delicious. The store also has supplies for cheese making at home, a basic kit is available at the end of the class, included if you use a Groupon! I am going to give it a shot at home and see if I can duplicate the results! read more

Maybe once we get in here it will live up to the previous ratings, but for now, all I've gotten is a total lack of responsiveness. They offered a Groupon for a cheese-making class, but then didn't open up a reasonable selection of days/times -- seems like they're trying to force people into Tuesday daytime classes, which of course won't work for most. When I called, the woman was rather rude and offered zero help, and several e-mails have gone unanswered. Not even a "sorry, just keep checking back" -- much less guidance on when more weekend/evening classes will be offered. Businesses: Don't do a Groupon unless you can deal with the demand. You just piss off potential customers. I'll probably end up giving the class away to someone who CAN go on a Tuesday, and will likely never shop here. read more

So far so good. We went a couple of weeks ago with a vague idea that we wanted to buy the stuff needed to homebrew beer. The people were super-helpful and very knowledgeable. We wound up buying the ultimate beer kit, and it looks like we're good to go. You can tell that they're all very passionate and intelligent. We mentioned briefly that we'd be back for wine supplies, and the owner told us how to work with what we were buying and some supplementary materials to make wine. They have a really cool selection of stuff, from ingredients to books to accessories. And I'm excited to take a class there. Totally comfortable place. Don't hesitate, even if you have no idea where to start. read more

I attended the cheese making class using Groupon and really enjoyed it. Gennaro, the instructor, is very friendly and extremely knowledgeable about cheese, wine and beer!!! Class was both fun and informative. Looking forward to making cheese at home and possibly going back for more classes. His store also has just about everything you can possibly need! Definitely recommend. read more

Where do I even start? Been brewing for about a year and have always gone to Jasper's Homebrew in Nashua, NH. I was in the area and wanted to brew a couple of beers so I figured I'd stop by and check these guys out. Needless to say, I will not be buying there again. The staff was unfriendly and looked at me like I had 3 heads when I handed them my recipe to have them get my grain. Unlike Jasper's, everything here is completely self serve so you have to weigh out your grains and mill everything on your own. That wasn't a problem, but kind of a pain and leaves you covered in grain dust when you're done. I also think their scales are off or their mill is too coarse because both batches I brewed ended up coming up about 12 points short of my expected gravity. I've never had this issue before, so I know it's not my system or process that's causing me to come up short. To top everything off, I spent about $20 bucks more per recipe in ingredients than I typically do at Jasper's. Only positive from my trip was that I was able to get Gigayeast's Vermont IPA yeast strain, which I promptly harvested some off my starter. Definitely won't be coming back and can only recommend if you're looking for something that they carry that other places don't or don't have any other options in your area. read more