Homebrew Exchange

Hannah and Miranda were so pleasant and helpful! Very knowledgable about all of their products and when they didn’t have an answer they looked it up for us! This was a great experience for Danny and I, will definitely come here again for bottling and brewing supplies :) thanks Homebrew Exchange

Ive been brewing for about 3 years. I always buy my grain at FH Steinhart. For the last year I have been really struggling with efficiency. I just moved close to Homebrew Exchange, and popped in to grab a few things. The guy working told me his efficiency went up 10% when he started using their mill, not Steinbarts. Just finished my first brew with their grain, and low and behold my efficiency went up 10%. Absolutely thrilled. Will be shopping here from now on.

These guys are great! If you need something they don’t carry, just ask and they will have t in stock the next time you go in.

pretty nice spot for homebrewing equipment and ingredients. everything you will need for basic homebrewing can be had here. prices are on par with other local shops. service was friendly. they made a mistake in the custom kit they made for me and my friend (forgot the yeast… o boy…) they have few other «home» making products like make your own cheese, kombucha etc kits

What more could you ask for in a Homebrew store? This place is amazing! Friendly staff, great selection, and amazing prices. So glad to have this store in NoPo.
The only problem I have with this place? I want everything!

Simply awesome. My work was preparing to dump about a gallon of unused organic pure-​pressed apple juice that was going to expire, so I jumped online and quickly found out that cider is really easy to make. I had been wanting to homebrew for a while so I decided to simultaneously brew a batch of cider and kombucha (I also work for a tea company).
I stopped by HBX one morning before work and I realized they weren’t open for another half an hour. The woman working there graciously let me in. I felt bad because I really was a little unsure of exactly what I was looking for or where to find it, so I was trying not to look too dumb and bug her. She picked up my confused vibes and proceeded to lead me on a mini how-​to tour of everything I’d need. She patiently explained some crucial steps and got me set up for just over $ 20.
Maybe I’m still struggling with adjusting to Portland from the East Coast, but I was completely blown away by her kindness, patience, and just hands-​down totally spot on customer service.
My brews are fermenting away and I think they are going to taste awesome! I also cannot wait to take a class at HBX! It’s so affordable!
In short, this place rules!

I just got into home brewing toward the end of 2012, and was happy to find homebrew exchange was a short distance away. The staff is super friendly, knowledgeable, and always willing to answer questions whether it be in person, email, or over the phone. Also, keep an eye for their exchange parties where homebrewers bring their beer, wine, and perhaps liquor to share; the 3÷1÷2013 get together was a lot of fun.
I strongly suggest taking their homebrew 101 class before your first batch. Thanks to the class and help from homebrew exchange, my first two beers turned out pretty damn good.

Several years ago I bought a homebrew kit here, and upon bottling my first batch, the capper that it came with broke after the 3^rd bottle. It was after 7, but in a panic I called and luckily Beth was still there. She agreed to stay late so that I could speed over to get a new capper. She REALLY went above and beyond that night, and I still remember her kindness. If it weren’t for her I would have ruined my first 5 gallons of homemade IPA and might not have tried again.
Since then I have been back on a few occasions and she continues to have stellar customer service. She is always gives me tips on how to simplify the process as well as substitutions I can make to keep my costs down.

Excellent, friendly ladies with a pretty solid knowledge of cheese. I am not a beer drinker, so that was not why I popped into the shop. She really took the time to dig through books to help confirm what she thought I actually needed for the cheese I was hoping to prepare. Now, I got home, did some research online, and found out that all the recipes for Peruvian Cheese only call for Milk and Vinegar (some for lime juice) — so I didn’t need the citric acid or rennet that I purchased. But I suppose I am now motivated to try some other goodies — mozzarella anyone?

This place is just up the hill for me from work. This makes it a great stop to get last minute supplies for brewing or grab yeast. The staff is very friendly and while I haven’t had to pick their brain on anything, seems like they have a good knowledge of brewing about brewing. They normally get shipments on Wednesdays or Thursdays so you can get fresh high viability yeast and get a starter going in time to brew over the weekend.
For all of the things I do like about them, they are a little on the small side so they are limited in what they can have in the place. That said, it is still one of my two go-​to places when I need to grab something to brew.

Super friendly staff — very slow service.
I’ve been here a few times and do find it convenient when I need to run errands on a weekend, up to Lowe’s or whatever. There is usually a guy and gal working the place. They’re very friendly and happy to help, but in my experience, extremely talkative and slow to check anyone out. This weekend 3 customers were standing around waiting to be rung up, but conversations about a social gathering the night before and custom brewing setups seem to have been much more interesting to the staff.
The grain selection is limited if you’re an OG brewer but they do have the basics. Hop & yeast availability is good. It’s cool that they also have a few products for cheese and wine makers, and their prices are in line with other stores in the area.
As a new brewer near the north side of PDX, this would be a much more friendly first stop than Steinbarts. If you’re in the south, I’d strongly recommend Portland U-​Brew & Pub. On the whole — it’s a business worth supporting, but they could use some «cashier 101» training for those of us that know we’re after and just want to get it and go.

Extremely helpful and friendly staff. They went out of their way to answer all my questions, provide suggestions, and just shoot the sh1t a little.
Great prices and selection too.
I brewed their Fresh Prince Porter and it’s awesome. I called for a few tips and they were so helpful. They also have some cool neighborhood events like exchange parties and classes.

Perhaps Portland’s most friendly and positive homebrew shop, HBX has been gradually growing to expand their selection, hours of operation, and involvement in the local brewing community. I always start at HBX because they are almost never out of the core grains, their prices on ingredients are excellent, and I think I prefer their grind to the others that probably see vastly more traffic.
Homebrew Exchange is the kind of brew shop you’ll want to spend some time in just chatting. The staff don’t try to drive you to the right answer but rather help you explore brewing yourself. And they’re always genuinely interested to hear how your latest recipe worked out.
They’re also well-​known for hosting classes and introductions to brewing and various peripheral hobbies such as cheese making, wine, mead, and kombucha. And like any good dealer, they’ve got what you need to get started.

They have so much stuff! Even though it’s a small space, they have supplies and knowledge for making beer, wine, cheese, kombucha and mead. I was there for a mead and cheese tasting, and it was fairly interesting. The part I enjoy most is that the manager is female, and there are a number of female employees– which makes it feel welcoming and not machismo. Usually when I go into a homebrew place, it’s Very masculine, and staff makes you feel stupid for asking questions. NOT HERE! :D I wish I lived closer– I’d love to participate in some of their exchanges.

FINALLY, an alternative to that *other* homebrew shop in town! After going to Steinbart’s for some time, I was pleased to discover that there was a much closer (and friendlier) option.
They may not have the same selection that Steinbart’s has, but they do manage to pack a huge variety of supplies in that tiny little storefront. Don’t have an item you’re looking for? They’re usually more than happy to special order it for you! Also, if you’re one of those hardcore all grain brewers, their bulk grain prices are really great.
The promotions they usually run are pretty awesome as well. They have a lot of classes (I haven’t been to any as of yet), tons of coupons, and you can also earn free hops/​discounts/​gift certificates depending on how much money you spend there.
…and of course, the best part about this place is the stellar service. Joe/​Maren/​Beth/​Jocelyn/​Andrew are all more than happy to answer any questions you may have, whether you’re a new brewer or a seasoned veteran.
I originally went to HBX due to their proximity to my house and their hours, stayed for their selection and great prices, and I keep going back for the amazing service!

I was pleasantly surprised to discover HBX here in my own neighborhood (NoPo) via an internet search looking for bottling equipment for my home brewed Kombucha. While there I discovered a new container for my tea… the one gallon mason jar. I always thought the tea had to be in bowl with a lot of surface area — but I gave it a try and now have over a dozen going at any given time. They also carry sanitizers, strainers, and pH testing strips.
I also like that HBX offers «how to» classes in brewing beer, mead and making wine and cheese. I hit it off with the owners and have given an intro class in brewing Kombucha — and another one is scheduled for next month.
I love community business and this is one that makes NoPo such a great place to live.

No pressure, well-​versed how-​to homebrew beer and wine making retailer.

I really like their hours, and the people who work here are really friendly and cool. That being said, they do not stock many things I need, making them more of a «last resort» place than I would want. If you don’t homebrew much, or all you do are American-​style beers, this is a great shop for you. But, those of us who are serious homebrewers have no choice but to shop online or abide by the absurd, «no one with a 9 – 5 job is allowed to shop here» hours at Steinbart’s.
The truth is, this place is ample for 90% of what 90% of homebrewers need, and the hours are great. But it is annoying to go to a homebrew shop and find out they don’t have either the grains or the yeast I need to make a Belgian Blonde Ale.
If they stay in business long, I am sure they will eventually start stocking more stuff.

This is a nice spot that opened up in the Kenton neighborhood. It is friendlier than Steinbart’s (which isn’t really unfriendly, just… serious…) and it has wayyyy better hours for us 9−5ers who don’t have their recipes ready in time for the Saturday morning rush at FHS.
They had pretty much everything that you’d need to brew a non-​exotic batch of beer. They’ve got the gear, the grain, the extract, the bitters and the bugs. A decent selection of each, and they do take other living hobbies into account.
If your recipe requires obscure sugars and rare malts, you might call ahead or make sure you can make it to FHS if they don’t have what you need.
Also, prices seemed slightly higher than FHS on average, but I can eat that in convenience for ingredients.

Homebrew Exchange is still a very new company. It sounds like it started up about two months ago. So, the inventory is not surprisingly a little sparse, but they seem to have the essentials for any home brewers.
Two things strike me about this place that I really liked. They seem to be interested in all things that intersect microbiology and agriculture. They have supplies for making cheese and yogurt as well as beer, wine and candy making supplies. The second thing that I found nice was the atmosphere. While sparse of supplies, Homebrew Exchange is a very friendly and clean place. They have toys for children who are visiting while parents peruse stoppers, siphons and carboys. The staff seems genuinely friendly and quite helpful.
Finally, I think they’ve done the Portland Home Brewer’s community a favor and invested a bit of time and energy in their web presence. This is something that was definitely lacking in PDX. I’m really happy that they’ve taken the time. I hope they do well.