Northern Brewer Homebrew Supply (1306 S. 108th St.), originally founded in Minnesota in 1993, has been a resource for Milwaukee’s D.I.Y. craft beverage aficionados since the company opened a retail location in West Allis in 2009. The store offers a full line of equipment and ingredients for those who want make their own beer, wine, cider, mead, and root beer or even roast their own coffee.
The shelves are well stocked with starter kits that contain virtually everything one needs to begin home brewing, as well as accessories for the experienced home brewer. Brewers can also find a full line of ingredients including 120 different malted grains, yeast and more than 80 kinds of hops. New home brewers may be intimidated by equipment like a “bung,” “hydrometer” or “siphon hose,” but the knowledgeable staff helps newbies and established home brewers with questions and recommendations. They also offer classes and provide how-to videos on their website.
Despite the name Northern Brewer, they also carry winemaking supplies. The RJS Craft Winemaking kits come with juice in popular varietals ranging from chardonnay and pinot noir to the lesser-known viognier and amarone. Northern Brewer even sells cheese-making kits for those who want to pair homemade edibles with home-crafted drinks.
“We’re basically a grocery store for anything pre-fermentation,” said Robb Howard, Northern Brewer of Milwaukee’s assistant manager.
For more information or online orders, visit northernbrewer.com.
