Fermentation Solutions

They seem to have pretty much everything you need, at ok prices (for a small neighborhood business)
The young dude that works there, Nick, is very knowledgable and helpful, but the old woman who is occasionally there will try like hell to oversell you on stuff, then charge you for things you didn’t actually buy.
If you get Nick, you’ll probably be ok.
If you get the woman, check your receipt very carefully

Extremely well organized if you know what you’re looking for.
But the staff is somewhat less than helpful.
example: if you’re asking lots of questions as a newbie, they take a while to get beyond the simple two answer of «over there» or «read directions».
Knowledge base on other fermented products like wine, vinegar, cheese or komubucha is low.
They carry simplified starter kit but they have never tried it themselves.

The customer service needs improvement from most of the staff. I’ve only had a good experience with a young staff member. One other guy has an attitude but is knowledgeable. Another is only useful for pointing out the location of items.
The selection seems reasonable. The prices are a bit expensive than others. The ingredients I noted were fresh.
I’ve had nothing but great customer service at MoreBeer. Today I’ll be driving to Beer and Wine Makers to avoid this place. I just don’t leave with a good feeling from this place. They probably would have a lot more business if they improved their customer service despite higher prices.

My roommate gave me a kombucha starter kit for my birthday, so this was my first stop on my journey into home brewing.
I came in on MLK day and was greeted right away by Nick, who was super helpful. I told him what I needed and he showed me where everything was. He knew I was making kombucha, which I thought was pretty impressive since all I was getting were a case of bottles and a one-​gallon jar.
The bummer was that the bottles came in a cardboard box, but the stoppers were separate, and Nick forgot to give them to me, which I did not realize before getting home to Mountain View. So, I had to go right back, but Nick was there and had the stoppers waiting for me. It was a simple mistake, so I don’t blame him! Just a warning though to make sure you have everything you need before leaving.
I’m now on my third batch of kombucha and loving it!

When I ran out of Triple Sec, I decided to look online to see if I could make the orange-​flavored liqueur myself. Although the recipe I found online was easy, I lacked one tablespoon of dried bitter orange peel. Luckily, nearby Fermentation Solutions carries small one ounce packets for $ 1.95. Perfect! After I tried the finished product nearly a month later, I’d have to declare that homemade beats store bought any day of the week.
After the success of the Triple sec, I decided to try a more advanced project of making plum wine. During my research, I found that there were a myriad of ways to make plum wine. Which to choose? After deciding on a method, I brought my shopping list to FS. Upon entering the store, it was clear to me that I needed help. With the assistance of a friendly employee, I was able to gather everything I needed, made some substitutions and additions based on the helper’s advice, and left with $ 75 worth of equipment. In the mean time, I’ll have to wait until January to try my wine.
In retrospect, I wish I would have taken more time to talk about my chosen method of wine making with the people at FS. Throughout the whole process, I was unsure of everything I was doing and it would have been nice to have had more guidance. Now that I have found someone in my community that makes plum wine every year, I will definitely make another attempt and return to FS without hesitation.

If you brew, go here. If you want to brew, go here.
Family-​run, everyone here is highly expert and very helpful. Prices are as good as you will find online and the quality is great. Their ingredient kits are the best reason to come here. Excellent recipes (have never had one I did not love).
I’ve used them for years.

Great store with a very helpful crew! I spoke with Nick for 30 – 45 minutes about concerns I had with my first batch and he was able to answer all my question. Will definitely be back for additional supplies and ingredients.

The worst customer service I have ever received from a small family owned business!!! First of all and foremost the equipment does not work! They will overcharge for the equipment and be completely fake in their apologies for any inconvenience of the cost to the customer… the price of doing business with this company! Do not allow the woman who is supposedly the mother of this business anywhere near your debit card… she cannot be trusted! What a scam of misinterpreted service… Did I say the equipment does not work!!! Oh don’t worry they will charge you for it anyway and an extortion deposit on top of this! Oh yeah the equipment does not work and apparently they only do maintenance when something fails… are you in the rental industry??? I wish there was a negative star for obvious reasons!!!

I love supporting locally owned small businesses! I was really impressed with Fermentation Solutions. This store is in an easy to get to location, it’s clean, super organized and the staff is really helpful. Nick was great and despite how busy they were I felt like a valued customer. They had a great selection of just about anything you would need to make homemade beer.

This has been my go to homebrew shop for over 5 years now. When I fist started out I was just making hard cider by opening bottles of Whole Foods apple juice, adding champagne yeast, and fitting an airlock. I’ve since gone through brewing beer with their custom kits, to various fruit wines (using proper methods), and even customizing my own beer recipes.
I have gone to several homebrew shops around the south bay, including MoreBeer and Beer and Wine Makers; Fermentation Solutions is by far the best.
For anyone that wonders about the freshness of the ingredients, I wonder about the legitimacy of your review. These guys go through large amounts of ingredients on a regular basis and are constantly ordering new/​fresh stock. Looking inside of Morebeer in Los Altos or Beer and Wine Makers should give any decent brewer a neck twitch. Open containers sitting around oxydizing, dust on everything. You won’t find these issues at Fermentation Solutions. Everything is kept neat and clean and organized.
I have found the staff, all of them, to be very knowledgeable about every aspect of fermentation which I have inquired into. They have been there not only to answer my questions in person, but also through email and over the phone. I’ve been given guidance on optimizing conditions for fermentation with a variety of ingredients, as well as balancing recipes for optimum attributes after bottling.
I’ve found that the kits from Fermentation Solutions always turn out the way that I expect them to. The only other place I have gotten kits from is MoreBeer, and that is the only place I have ever had a problem with a kit not turning out right.
Some people have said that the prices are too high here. I have to disagree. When you go to Fermentation Solutions you are going to get the optimum ingredients for whatever kit you are making, they don’t just throw in DME so they can skimp on LME (which costs the store more in shipping) like MoreBeer does. Again, if you’re interested in cheap, oxidized ingredients, then feel free to go to MoreBeer, just be prepared to explain to your friends why your beer is only mediocre.
I have recently gotten an interest in making proper wine. I know that Fermentation Solutions has a variety of grape juice concentrates to choose from, but also that they have connections to many local grape growers in case I actually want to start with fresh grapes rather than concentrate. I have yet to hear the same about MoreBeer or Beer and Wine Makers.
The long and short of it is this: If you value low price over quality of ingredients, then just buy Coors Lite or Charles Shaw and quit wasting your time fermenting your own. If you actually want to make something quality while learning about the process and advancing your skill at this great hobby, then I’d say go to Fermentation Solutions. I’d wager that if you ask the professionals in the area they’d give you the same advice.

I give this place 1 star because it is literally the worst. I would strongly consider driving to Morebeer in Los Altos if you’re considering picking up some home brewing supplies. Oh what’s that? You don’t have a car? Well, I would consider walking to Morebeer in Los Altos in that case, as it’s only a 15 mile walk and you won’t have to deal with the people that run this place.
I’m being slightly harsh but let me break it down for ya. I used to live in Campbell and this place was basically in my backyard. When I decided one fateful day that I should get into home brewing, I thought «Hey! There’s a store across the street! I should check that place out!» Being a complete n00b I did my research– I read «How to Brew,» by Palmer, I scoured Homebrewtalk, etc. And then i finally decided to go and buy some basic equipment and supplies. I had many interactions with each of the members of their staff (one of which I’ll chronicle here shortly). IMO it boils down to this: This place is fine for beginner brewers or people who are out of or forget something they need on brew day. Like some others have expressed, their staff is about as bad as it gets. The husband & wife that own the place are pretty impatient and I would stay away from them. I remember one particular experience I had when I walked in and the wife asked if I needed any help. I told her I was looking for a bottling wand and wondered if they sold them. She kind of looked at me curiously and squinted and then hesitantly showed me where they kept them. As I picked one up she asked why I wanted a bottling wand to which I replied «Well I was reading that it helps with potential oxygenation when you’re filling the bottles.» She then proceeded to tell me «Honey, I’ve been doing this for [insert long amount of time] and I’ve never used one of these.» It’s like– okay 1. Do you even make decent beer? and 2. Why do you sell these then? Do you not want me to purchase merchandise from your store?
Anyways, moving on to the other members of the staff– the son of the couple is alright but kind of comes off as a bit arrogant at times. The youngest guy who works there is actually the best. I’m not sure how much he works in the store but he seemed to be very approachable and knowledgeable.
What I like about Fermentation Solutions: They sell home brewing supplies (In case it’s brew day and I forgot an oz of hops or a grain bag), it was in a convenient location for me at the time
What I didn’t like about Fermentation Solutions: Staff (besides the two younger guys), high price point, I questioned the freshness of the materials

This place is awesome! My go to store for all my home brewing needs. Every staff member is helpful friendly and will point you the right direction for whatever you are looking for!

Good bunch of folks here. They know their stuff! Prices a little high but it’s worth it for the quality

I have been in Fermentation Solutions 4 times in this year. First of all, the store is well equipped, clean and organized. Most of the time Erik was helping me out, and he is very nice and very knowledgeable. He answered all of my question and even show me how to use the tool I purchased. Parking is also easy.

Extremely knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. Erik to the time to answer all my questions and didn’t try to sell me any equipment that I didn’t need. In fact, he stopped me from purchasing items that I could hold off on buying for now until I build some experience. Store is very organized and clean.
Started my first batch of home brew yesterday. Their pre-​filled kits are nicely packed and instructions were easy to follow. Will definitely go back. They really made me feel like I was joining the home brewing community.

I feel like there are some stores you could walk into and if you don’t know what you want you’re SOL. That is not the case here. The guys here are extremely helpful, you could have no idea how to brew anything and they would talk to you until you were well educated!
I didn’t feel like they were talking down to me at all and they addressed all my questions with a helpful attitude.
They didn’t try to up sell me on anything at all and were happy to tell me exactly what I should be getting for what I wanted to do. They have a huge selection of hops, grains and yeast. They also have 3 designated parking spots which is a plus in this crowded lot

I can only agree with other posters about the attitude you get in this store. The lady has no reason to be condescending. Her knowledge of brewing comes from the printed label instructions on a hopped kit. The guy (s) I met know their stuff. The younger one better than the older one, but even he can have a condescending air about him. After going in a few times I think its just how he is and that he doesn’t realize it.
You find a free shipping place online stick to it. I only use this place to get yeast or some other small item that I need. Their prices are way to high to be a «go to» shop. The one on San Antonio/​El Camino is much better. Must why there is always a line.

Pros:
1) Prices for many items are equal or better than what I found on Amazon. For example they made me a custom starters kit for wine brewing for $ 60 including everything from yeast to hydrometer: On Amazon similar kits were $ 80-​$ 120. They also had wood chips starting at $ 3; Amazon the cheapest were around $ 10.
2) The employees are very knowledgeable.
3) They rent equipment and offer in shop tests e.g. for acidity.
4) They have all the basics for wine, beer and other home brewing.
5) The shop is clean and well organized.
Cons:
1) On both visits to the store the same two employees both helped me and both were knowledgeable. On both occasions Erik was great, helpful and really took his time to walk me through. Mary, on the other hand, on both visits seemed somewhat irritable and I felt uncomfortable with her. I feel she means well and doesn’t realize how her behavior is perceived, but it would be nice if she would find a way to be a bit more friendly (which is not easy).
2) Although they do have books, it is not a big selection and none of the wine making books appealed to me. But the one recommended to me indeed turns out to be a bestseller on Amazon.

Very helpful family ran business!
Very clean, organized and well stocked!
Being a new to brewing, the staff have been very helpful to my needs! They even helped shop for me when I made big purchase. You Need This. This and This! Ha!
They sell package kits, also know as, extracts. See my Russian Imperial Stout photo. The kit has all you need to brew, and sell several type of beer kits. Such as IPA, Red, Stouts, Pale Ale, Lager, and so on.
They also sell whole grains, and have a cooler filled with Hops and Yeasts!
Now the prices are a bit high! I recommend shopping around and getting some quotes when you decide to pull the trigger!

I’ve been frequenting Fermentation Solutions for going on 3 years now and have yet to come up with a complaint about them. Definitely my favorite brew shop in the south bay. I typically brew a new batch of beer every ten days or so, and they’ve never had any trouble keeping me supplied with virtually anything I can ask for, even for my more exotic attempts. Everyone here has always been very friendly and eager to discuss or brainstorm new ideas and assist with ways to improve my overall process.
As other reviews have noted, the prices here can be slightly higher than those at shops like MoreBeer and the like, but the fact that I can find what I need without tripping over sacks of grain and buckets lying everywhere combined with the more professional and friendly service make it worth the trip, in my book. I can’t recommend this shop enough, regardless of experience level.