I placed an order online and a couple of the items got a little beat up during shipping. I called and the person on the phone was very nice and helpful. They sent me replacements for the items that were damaged and they arrived the very next day. read more

Did you know you can make cheese at home? That's right, CHEESE. Great Fermentations sells cheese starter and cheesecloth. Just add milk and fresh cheese can be yours in a matter of hours. Staff was very helpful. I cannot wait to master this, mostly because I love to call myself a cheesemonger. read more

I have been here a couple times. Both times here it was for a class. The first time I learned how to make mozzarella and ricotta cheese. This time that I went I learned how to make sourdough bread and took home a sourdough starter. My parents come here all the time for wine making supplies. Every time I have been here it has been very busy. I learned a lot in both classes and both were fun. This time I also picked up a couple of books. I look forward to taking more classes at this facility. read more

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This place is cool. Is "cool" still a cool word? I have yet to make any brews or vinos of my own (on my bucket list), but when I do, I know just where I'm going to take my business. Great Fermentations has such a friendly staff and what appears to be all of the ins and outs of becoming your own Brewmaster. I'm particularly interested in the cleverly boxed cheese kit they sell - - officially added to my to do list. Hot date: wine AND cheesemaking. Bill led my sister and I back to GF's new classroom space in which they have been offering budget-friendly classes ranging from cidermaking to again, cheesemaking;) The best part about the classes is the casual approach in which they take: you decide the amount you want to make - rather than the more common xyz123-style classes. Now, it's time for me to stop brewing (har har) and make a purchase. read more

I am sad to admit, my husband and I don't have beards. I tried to grow one once but I wasn't very successful. We do however, like to brew at home and Great Fermentations welcomes us openly without beards. In fact, their service is one of the many reasons we enjoy visiting their shop. Here are a few more: Classes: We have been brewing off and on for about 3 years (newbies). We started with a Mr. Beer Kit and quickly discovered GF offered beginning courses on home brewing. If you want to take your home brewing to the next level these classes are super helpful. The class size is small, you are given a wealth of information, you sample beer, all while watching as a batch of beer is made. Think....Chemistry class with edible ingredients. Soon after, we felt ready to invest in a 5 gallon brew system and broke up with Mr. Beer. They also offer All-Grain brewing which is the next step, kegging classes, wine making, and cheese making classes. Extract Kits: Each kit has its own unique set of ingredients and includes a set of easy to follow step-by-step instructions. Here you can even find beer clone kits of some of your favorite beers. I personally feel these kits have been the key to making our home brew adventures a success. It's hard to miss up and each one we have made has turned out delicious. I would highly recommend these to any beginner. Inventory: Nice selection of supplies including ingredients for making beer, cheese, and wine. You can even purchase hop rhizomes so you can grow your own hops at home. I am hopeful one of these days I will be able to walk in, with my own recipe, looking all bad ass, and have the staff of GF help fill it for me. Every time I am in and see this happening I die with envy. Beer While You Shop/Next to a Brewery: No explanation here, that's just straight up great marketing. read more

Great Fermentations - Extract clone kits of local options found here. - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

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Let me share my experience with Great Fermentations. Saturday I called them to ask about availability of Co2 tanks. I understood that being Super Bowl weekend supply could possibly be short. I spoke to a guy that said they had a good supply and I asked if I came up Sunday morning to purchase one that would be ok. He seemed fairly confident that would not be a problem and that their hours were from 10-2. I live 40 minutes away from their location and if supply would have been short or if they were to be closed on Sunday I gladly would have made the trip on Saturday evening. Per their employee that told me they would be open Sunday I made the trip up and arrived about 11:45 AM only to find a sign on the door informing that they are closed today. I made an hour and 20 minute round trip for nothing. This is very poor business practices and poor communication within their company. I will be sure to avoid them in the future and you can bet I will share this experience with others. read more

I discovered three more product categories that can be used for non-alcoholic home concoctions: 1. Flavored syrups and fruit concentrates. Dilute and pour on your shaved/crushed ice or ice cream. Or use instead of the more expensive smaller size flavorings with your Soda Stream carbonated beverage maker, (that thing that injects CO2 in your water to make soda.) 2.Malted (not roasted) barley and wheat, for adding to whole wheat flour for a better rise. White flour (all-purpose flour and bread flour) has malted barley flour added, which has enzymes that break down starch into the glucose/sugar that yeast can use. Whole wheat flour has little to no malted barley/wheat added. Be careful because adding too much malt powder to dough breaks down too much starch. Check recipes before use. GF will crush malt, but not grind it sufficiently for dough use. I use a coffee/spice grinder to turn the malted grains into powder/flour. 3. Dried malt extract, aka malt sugar. This usually consists of three types of sugars: glucose/dextrose, maltose, and maltotriose. Use for making old-fashioned "malted" milkshakes. Good for adding to hot breakfast cereals, too. I use a little in bread-making. (See my previous review about corn sugar/glucose/dextrose.) read more

My neighbor and I attended a beer making class here and I feel like I can brew my own now. The beer instructor was very knowledgable and engaging. Everything for the home brewer or wine maker is sold here and you can sip on a sample of brew while looking around. You should check this place out! read more

If you're planning to get into winemaking, brewing beer or even making cheese, this is the place for you! The staff are knowledgeable, friendly and all around great people. They go the extra mile! I emailed a question, then called the next day. They both answered me on the phone and still followed up by email. Stop in, shop, sip on the latest beer or cider on tap. Take a class, drop in on their networking days and make sure you get on their email list. The specials, updates, event and class schedules will be sent to you! Enjoy and Happy fermenting! read more

Great Fermentations - The spot! - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

I make wine and it all started here! I Love this place and the people! They are very knowledgeable and they have a god selection of products. read more

I wanted this place to be great but each time I go there I feel disappointed. The last time was enough for me. My 15 lbs CO2 tank for my Keezer ran out of gas. I called to see about an exchange to make sure it was in stock and if so to set it aside because I'm an hours drive away. I was told they don't have any 15 lbs but they have a 10 lbs to replace it for now and on the next exchange they hopefully will be able to get me back to a 15 but they're in high demand. So who knows when that'll be. Okay. I need a tank for the event I'm hosting. So I make the drive, get the tank and connect it just in time for the party to start. In my haste I didn't really do a good inspection of the tank. That's on me. After the event I did check the T weight in comparison to the actual overall weight and noticed that I got sold a tank that was probably under 2 lbs when I got it. I've spent hundreds of dollars here getting beer supplies and parts for my Keezer. Each time I walk away thinking I got taken advantage of, this time proves I did. I lost a 15 lbs tank and the 10 lbs I was given was practically empty. So if you're doing a tank exchange be sure bring something in to weigh it in order to guarantee you're getting what you pay for. read more

If you've ever thought about brewing your own beer, a stop in at Great Fermentations is a must. They have beginner kits that include everything you need to get started - plus classes, Friday night meet ups and other resources to help you along. The best resource by far is the staff. Each one is a knowledgeable and seasoned homebrewer in their own right. They can answer any question you have, give you tips on how equipment works and they'll give you honest advice about how to succeed on any budget. Unlike breweries and bars - you can take your (well behaved) kids into the shop with you since they don't sell beer! It makes it much easier for this mom to pop in to grab some extra plastic tubing or a new ingredient kit. read more

This store is AWESOME! They sell everything you could need for making beer and wine. In addition, there's a section selling cheese and yogurt making supplies (ricotta, gouda, mozzarella, and others) and they sell gift-y items such as tshirts, hop and malt flavored hard candies, and a pretty awesome variety of bottles and growlers. Staff is cool and helpful and this new location even has an education room separate from the main showroom. Oh...and did I mention there's FREE beer tasting? That Oktoberfest was mighty fine. PS It's next door to Bier Brewery. MORE FREE BEER, you say?? read more

I've been home brewing for about 7 years and this placeis great. They carry tons of supplies (mores than my favorite place in Columbus OH), well priced, and the staff is very knowledgeable. However today their level of service blew my mind: My friend broke my tap while pulling on it too hard. After I took the tap apart, I dropped it and lost a washer. Went to great fermentation to replace the broke piece and the washer. They had the part but not the washer. Instead of ordering it and making me come back the owner took apart a fully assembled tap and gave me that washer. They were going to order replacements but she said they would replace that washer when the new ones came and i got all the parts I needed in one trip. read more

Just started home brewing. This business was recommended to me by a clerk at Total Wine, when I inquired about brewing equipment stores. Great Ferm had everything I had on my list and so much more. Staff was very helpful, patient and knowledgeable. This will be my go-to store for future supplies! read more

Having been brewing for several years and frequenting the local brew shops in the cities I've lived, I was very excited about checking out Indianapolis's 'Great Fermentations' after moving to town last year. What struck me first was how much inventory they stock; a great selection of the most popular items for the semi-serious homebrewer. They also have a wonderful selection of in-house brew kits - I've brewed a few different batches from their custom kits (Red Ale & Belgian Blond being most notable). Fantastic. They also have anything you need for that special recipe you have concocted... What impressed me next is how knowledgeable the staff is; everyone is very friendly and offers assistance. If you're new to homebrewing, they can get you set up with everything you need to brew great beers. (If you're on a budget, they can build you a kit to your financial needs, too.) If you're a seasoned brewing expert, they can help with all the high end scientifics. They now exactly how all the equipment works and can show you how to use it properly. GF also offers brewing classes to get you rolling with some hand-on tutorials, as well as a plethora of how-to books and dvds. Great Fermentation is an Indianapolis home-brewer's haven. They brew great beer. They sample their great beer. They want you to brew great beer too. I really enjoy giving this local brew shop my business, cheers! read more

I'm not a homebrewer, but this place seems to have everything you need for making great fermentations! (HA!) The staff are super friendly and helpful. My one complaint is that they don't take AmEx. Boo. read more

This place was fantastic. Anita was as nice and helpful as could be. And she had everything you need, even a fine selection of hops -- which really says a lot these days, given that there's a major hop-shortage going on. Listen, I guess there's a homebrew place in San Diego that has an adjoining tasting room and actually lets you try the different grains. I don't know if that would be permitted here. But even so, in an industry with so little competition, where Anita would do just fine to rest on her laurels, Great Fermentations continues to meet great expectations. Start a new hobby or just drop in to browse. But don't miss this jewel of a local business. It should be noted that Great Fermentations is just as good for the homebrewing of WINE as beer. Enthusiasts of either hobby are luck to have it. read more

I've visited Great Fermentations twice now for specific planned purchases. Both times I've found that they offer a great selection. They had everything my husband wanted to brew his batch of beer with the exception of one malt and they were able to offer an acceptable substitute. We've required assistance both times but really just because we aren't quite used to the layout (we stopped in for bottles and just weren't seeing them). We've now been there on both a Tuesday evening and a Saturday afternoon. Guess which one was less crowded. But there's a trade off -- Bier Brewery, which is just down the row from Great Fermentations wasn't open when we were there on a Tuesday. It comes down to how much help you need and I'd say if you have a lot of questions about something, a weeknight is the way to go. It's not that it was dead either -- a steady stream of people -- but a much better environment if you need pointers and advice choosing equipment. My husband had some questions about kegerators when we were in on Saturday and while the guy who rang us up answered the questions, we both felt like he was a little dismissive. Overall, a great local go-to for brewing supplies. read more

This is a great supply store for your home brewer/vintner/fermenter. Staff is extremely knowledgeable and they even have classes in their dedicated space next door. read more

My hubby brews his own beer. I am PRETTY sure it is a requirement that one must have a full beard to brew beer and when visiting GF this past weekend for MY first time, I still believe this to be true. The gentlemen who work there are all very well versed in their brewing. They host classes and have everything under the sun for the process. You buy the kit, follow the instructions and BAM in five weeks...fresh beer. You can mix it up by adding your own ingredients and as you get more educated in the process, you'll understand what works and doesn't work OR you can just ask them! It's a pretty cool store with lots of fun things to check out, along with great gift ideas for the craft beer lover in your life. I originally got my hubby a Groupon to check it out and now it's the only store he will shop in for his beer brewing needs. I look forward to our java chocolate porter, to be done in about a month! YUMMY! read more

As far as home brew stores in indianapolis go, you can't get more selection than Great Fermentations. They have everything you need to brew your first kit beer, all-grain beer, and even wine making. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and willing to help you through the anxiety of trying to gather ingredients for your first all-grain brew. They have a robust selection of equipment as well as ingredients and are priced competently. Easy to get to location with a micro-brewery next to go to to get inspiration for your next brew. read more

My husband and I just started home brewing and Great Fermentations made it easy. The guy who helped us out showed us around and helped us get everything we needed, without trying to get us to buy extras. They have a great selection of beer style brewing boxes to get you started (we started with a Belgian dubbel). We have also taken 2 classes from them... just make sure you arrive 5-10 mins early as the classes start right on time. This is a great business! (Bonus: There is a brewery next door too!) read more

Great Fermentations - Mid size brewing kit from Great Fermentation! - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

I live in NW Indiana, so for the most part, I order my beer ingredients out of the MPLS area through either Northern Brewer or Midwest Supplies. While on a business trip to Indy, I stopped in to buy a 50-lb sack of 2-Row and some other supplemental grains. The selection here is as good as Northern Brewer (I've been to their store in St. Paul), and the hop selection was amazing. Plenty of yeasts as well. No one pressures you, you can just walk around. The prices are fair, to be sure. I ended up with the 50-lb sack, 3 lbs of various color malts (2 lb Aromatic, 1 lb Medium Crystal) and a pack of Wyeast 1056 for around $70, with tax. I was very pleased. read more

I go to these folks and only these folks for my brewing supplies. I live 150 miles away and they have honestly the best selection and price for their products. I purchase beer kits and raw materials often. They have their own recipes which are substantially less expensive than Brewers Best and others. They are geared towards every level of brewer and they come from every family of beer. All the ones I have tried are wonderful. read more

Beautiful store, helpful employees, but the prices are astronomical. This store is my "emergency" and "in a pinch" store. Simple malt prices are nearly 2x any online store, as well as thier hop prices being 2x-3x what any online store is charging. I can buy ingredients from California if I wish, pay for shipping, and still pay less than shopping at this LHBS. Id love to support a local store, but the pricing seems way out of line with other stores if you do a little research. $2.30 for a pound of 60L? Try $1.30 anywhere else. $3-$4 an OUNCE for hops? I just bought them for $1.05 an ounce WITH shipping... there are better options out there. It is a great store with a great selection of ingredients and equipment, but you will pay dearly. Great if you are local and in a pinch, but otherwise you can buy nearly anywhere else and save a lot of $$. read more

Great staff and free samples. It's like going on vacation for me. I can't wait until the Avon location opens up.

We took a brewing class taught by the owner, at the Avon location, and it was very informative. However, we mostly just took the class for informational purposes, and had no intentions of venturing into home brewing or vinting. As part of the class, we got to try their beers, smell/eat all of their different types of hops (or maybe it was barley. . . I forget), learned about the equipment and the processes, and toured the store to learn about the different kits and supplies available. I'm more of a hard liquor drinker (socially) than a beer or wine drinker, and have way too many hobbies and unfinished projects as it is, and my husband only drinks beer socially, so we did not want to invest the time, money, and space into brewing our own beer. However, it would be well worth the investment for someone who loves beer: Great Fermentations has a basic home brewing equipment kit for around $75, and higher-end kits starting at $120. They also have beer ingredients and brewing ingredients kits. However, you can also customize your own kit by buying the items a la carte, and the owner is very knowledgeable and honest about which things you can cheap out on and which things are worth spending a little more to get a higher-quality version. The owner and the staff make beginners feel welcome, and make you feel like there is no such thing as a stupid question. If we were going to get into home brewing or wine making, we would definitely come back here. Fast-forward a few months, after watching a documentary called "Plastic Oceans," we decided we wanted to minimize our use of plastic where possible. We also decided we want to bottle our own natural spring water. Finding reasonably priced, large (but small enough to fit on shelves in a refrigerator) glass containers to hold the water was problematic. I could not think of anywhere local to buy them, so I headed over to amazon.com and saw some listings for gallon-size glass jugs for sale by some homebrewing store in Ohio. A lightbulb turned on in my head: "Oh, wait, I DO know where I can buy those locally. . ." And so we headed over to the Great Fermentations location on E. 65th St. The guy working that day was extremely helpful and directed us to exactly what we wanted, explained the difference in the two types of lids that were available for that particular bottle, and his coworker brought the bottles out from the stockroom, complete with a box with dividers to keep the bottles from banging into each other. The bottles appear to be good quality glass, the lids work well for our purposes, and the pricing (about $6/bottle, including the cost of the high-end lid. . . which was not much more than we would have spend on a much smaller (two liter) glass jug with a flimsy lid at a big box store) was reasonable. Both the Avon store and E. 65th St. stores are extremely clean (probably because they are actually brewing beer in the store and it needs to be sanitary), well-stocked, and merchandised in a way that makes it pleasant to browse and easy to find what you want. The owner and the employees are friendly and helpful and seem to genuinely love what they do (and want to help others get into it). The E. 65th St. store is on 65th St., just west of Binford, in an up-and-coming industrial/commercial area, near Bier Brewery, Jugs Catering, and some other businesses. There is ample parking in the lots in front of the store. I personally prefer that location to the Avon location (which is off of busy Rockville Rd.). read more

This is a great place to learn and practice the art of brewing. The kits are top notch and they always have a sample on tap!

This is where I buy all my local brewing supplies whether it's an extract kit, grain, hops or yeast. Anita is very knowledgable and will always offer advice and help. They'll be moving soon, so they'll have more space to carry even more supplies. As soon as I get another fridge, I'll be getting my kegging gear from them. read more

This is your one stop shop if you are into making your own brews. Staff is knowledgeable and willing to help you find whatever you need. I love their beer brewing kits. They have a great "copy cat" selection to choose from. read more

This place is so cool. I grew hops for the first time this year and met up with a friend at Great Fermentations to make the exchange. My friend needed a few extra ingredients and so we went in and were helped promptly. The staff was friendly and very knowledgeable. One of the employees took one of my hop flowers out of the bag and checked the quality. My friend loaded up with what he needed and we were on our way! Can't wait to try the beer that was made from ingredients from Great Fermentations and my organically grown hops! read more

Well, its been almost 2 years and I can say I still love this place. Everyone is always very friendly and helpful! Whether you are a pro or just starting out, if you don't check these guys out, you're missing out! read more

Great Fermentations is the only homebrew supply store I visit in Indianapolis. I've heard good things about others, but I've never had a need to go anywhere else. Great Fermentations has had everything I've ever needed to brew great beer, and they are helpful if I ever have any questions. Located in a small strip off of 65th Street near Binford Boulevard, Great Fermentations is a one-stop shop for all your brewing needs. I brew once every two weeks, and thoroughly enjoy my biweekly trip to the store. In fact, I give full credit to the staff and storefront at Great Fermentations for reigniting my love of crafting fine beers. It was actually before a trip to Japan when I first went in the store, hoping to find some hops and yeast I could take to my cousin in Tokyo, who is also a home brewer. Their selection of hops, grains, yeast, adjuncts, equipment, books, and knowledgeable staff floored me. They were able to get me the hops and yeast I needed, and were also able to vacuum pack the hops for the trip overseas. (Let's face it, if I'm smuggling biological products into Japan and not claiming them at customs, I want them well-packaged...even though a vacuum-sealed package of hops probably looks a lot like a package of high-grade ganja...long story short, no problems entering the country, and my cousin got his supplies~). I was back after my trip to Japan, and have been a loyal customer ever since. The staff have helped me get into all-grain brewing, construct a mash tun from a cooler, get new lines and fittings for a CO2 and kegging system, and given me instructions on how to update and clean my kegerator, as well as always giving me constructive criticism and help on my beers, including advice on which categories to enter my beers into the yearly Brewer's Cup and how to balance my water profile to achieve a better beer. The selection of products they carry is amazing as well, as they have pretty much every grain, every hop, and every yeast strain you could want. They are very friendly, and will talk beer with you all day, as well as let you taste the grains and get a noseful of hoppy goodness. While they do wine supplies as well, that's not really my are of expertise; from the looks of it though, they have anything you would need to make excellent wine. If you are anywhere on the north side and are thinking about getting into brewing or winemaking, stop by. As their web site states, if you can make macaroni and cheese, you can brew...and they would be more than happy to explain how to get started~ read more

My wife and I stopped by late one evening and we were blown away by the staff at Great Fermentations. We spoke at length with Bill about what it means to get started with home brewing. He walked us through equipment, ingredients, and the brewing process. I could tell we were in the hands of an expert. Amazing store but most importantly amazing staff. read more

This is a place we go to frequently. Has a very nice selection of homebrew, soda, and cheese making supplies. The staff is attentive and are eager to answer questions. They are very nice and always want to make sure your happy. They even help you carry out your treasures. read more

Was in the other day and they are always helpful. I always spend too much but that what hobbies will do to you. Thanks for all the expert and patient advice. read more

Clean, well stocked store. Good pricing, and employees that will listen to your ideas and help you out. Very consistant with stock, they usually have the stuff I need when I need it. The best shop in town by far. I used to go to that other place in Fountain Square but Great Fermentions is way better. read more

I have been a craft beer fan for a while now (@drinkingcraft) but I've just recently started homebrewing and am a complete beginner so keep that in mind. With that said, I thought Great Fermentations was perfect for all home brewing needs. The inventory looked good and they seemed to have everything along with tons of clone and brewing kits. I am only aware of one other brew shop in Indy which is in Fountain Square so if you're on the north side this is the place. The guys inside were very quick to help with questions and were active around the store. I'm not sure how comparable the prices are as this is my first shop. Two big perks about this place that I personally enjoy are 1. there is a kegerator of local beer and free pours while you're in the shop. 2. Bier Brewery is literally 50 feet away in the same strip and that place is awesome. Definitely worth a growler fill after you hit up the homebrew store. I'm pretty sure the beer in the kegerator was from Bier also. We brewed a gumballhead clone about a month ago and dry hopped with some cascades I grew in the back yard this summer which turned out swell! So Great Fermentations gets an A on the first brew kit. Our second kit purchase was just bottled so we'll see how it turns out. It looked like they offer/have brewing classes which I haven't personally experienced but I'm sure would be great to learn the basics and pick up some tips. Overall, this place has everything needed to get the job done and then some. Don't think a better place exists in greater Indianapolis. read more

I have had great service from everyone here!! I have only one thing I do not agree with. They charge for classes on how to brew beer! I have found a lot of other people willing to teach for nothing at all! You know the old saying, teach a man to make beer and he buys grain, yeast, pots, Hoses, books!! I like this place but I do not understand charging to teach while so many other shops and clubs will do this for free!! read more