Weavels, mold and clumpy hops...

[Brewbirds]

Having a home brew supply store in driving distance is an advantage that many of you do not have but as the title says we might have a problem.
I have bragged on the folks at our local store on this forum in the past but we are considering finding another place to buy supplies.
Our LHBS supplies a lot of stuff that is packaged/labeled in their name like hops, LME and cleaning/sanitizing products as compared to Five Star or Briess or HopUnion.
Our last brew day called for some M O LME but they were out and we swapped for two 1lb. jars of Munich.
Well I opened it up and poured it in and only then noticed that there was mold on the inside of the lid.
A couple of batches prior to that I opened a bag of milled Vienna measured it out, poured in the grain bag, sealed the rest and put them in the freezer and came back to find the bowl with the grain bag in it crawling with weavels.
Today we are brewing our RCE and, not for the first time, the store branded hops consist of a clumped yellowish mass and a bunch of powdered hops in the bag.
There has also been a lot of out of inventory issues lately.

The response has been that this happens and is nothing to worry about.

So do you guys believe that these issues are un-avoidable and/or have you experienced these types of issues?
Trying to decide if we have a supplier problem or if our expectations are incorrect.

Thanks for any input.

[BlackDuck]

I would be hesitant on buying from them again. Are all the problems with the items that are packaged under their name? If so, then they (or their suppliers of their proprietary product) obviously has issues.

[russki]

A couple of batches prior to that I opened a bag of milled Vienna measured it out, poured in the grain bag, sealed the rest and put them in the freezer and came back to find the bowl with the grain bag in it crawling with weavels.

When brewing with weevils, make sure to do a protein rest. *rimshot*

[Beer-lord]

Even if it's not a problem, why buy stuff you have to worry about? I'd just let them know that while you'd love to do business with them, you're use to quality and want to keep it that way.
Who really knows if this will affect the beer or just how much, if it does?
We only have 1 shop with 45 miles (except for a garden center that has a few things.....don't ask) so I understand the love for buying local.

[Kealia]

If you've spoken to them, and it sounds like you have, then I would be going elsewhere. While I don't mind paying a little extra to support the local guy I'm not willing to sacrifice on quality to do so.

Those are more than just minor issues IMO.

[Brewbirds]

Those are more than just minor issues IMO.

That is precisely what we were wondering. We have only been brewing since last year and I've never seen any posts about this happening to others on the Borg.
Also we get messages from a large local home brew club and I haven't seen any mention of these types of issues so I thought maybe it is just something that happens and everybody shrugs it off.
But it seems to me these are issues about less than fresh ingredients but this is one of the biggest HB supply stores in the country so I was wondering if others have had the same issues.

@Russki

[FedoraDave]

Quality Control has broken down somewhere. If they're repackaging ingredients so they can label them as their own (which is what it sounds like, if I read the OP correctly), I would suspect it's breaking down there.

Moldy products are unacceptable. Stored product pests are unacceptable. I don't know what the hell happened to the hops, but it's unacceptable, also. You're not asking too much to insist on fresh, properly packaged, vermin-free ingredients. If they shrug it off, then they obviously don't care as much about the quality of their products as you care about the quality of your beer.

If it were me, I'd take those things back, put them under the nose of whoever's in charge, and ask them if they'd like to drink beer made from moldy extract and bug-infested grains. Then I'd tell them that I'm shopping elsewhere unless and until they shape up and meet my standards.

[Brewbirds]

I would be hesitant on buying from them again. Are all the problems with the items that are packaged under their name? If so, then they (or their suppliers of their proprietary product) obviously has issues.

Yes it was all store labeled products and that is what we were wondering.

As FD stated we were thinking there is a quality control issue but didn't want to over react without opinions from seasoned brewers.

So I guess the next question is what stores do you all buy from where the ingredients that they sell are from direct producers who will have better quality control standards.

I think I have seen posts that Northern Brewer and Rebel are good.

In one of FDs posts we were talking about finding one close as regards to shipping costs.

So who do you use and why do you like them?

Edit: I should have said what stores you buy from that requires you to have shipping involved.

[FrozenInTime]

I get my ingredients from a local natural food store when I can. When they don't have it or not making an order in the next week or so, I go to:
1. Rebel Brewer
2. Midwest Supplies
3. Northern Brewer
All 3 of the above have gave me great service and great products. I'm happy with these 3.

[BlackDuck]

Well...if all the bad stuff is under their own label, I would do what Dave suggested, take them back and show them. However, if it's easy to shop there, and they have good prices, I would probably continue to by other brand name (HopUnion, Briess, etc) items there. But only if they made it right with you after you brought the bad stuff back. I'm not sure if I would ever buy their repackaged stuff again though.

[mashani]

Waiter, there is a weevil in my beer?

Yuck.

I've gotten bug eaten grains before, but never found the actual bugs.

[FedoraDave]

I've used Northern Brewer and Midwest, and have had no problem with either one. Austin Homebrew Supply is another good one, and they have flat rate shipping. All can be found easily online.

[RickBeer]

You're UNDER reacting. Shop elsewhere after you get a full refund.

[JimH]

Isn't your LHBS Austin Homebrew? I hope not, because I just ordered from them, and hoped to do so again. But, no, I say those are MAJOR issues. Maybe deal with the hops, one time, but the mold is unacceptable for anything that is to be consumed, and the bugs raise a definite red flag.

[Brewbirds]

Well er um...I live in a small town outside of Austin and my LHBS is one of the largest HBS in the country.

It didn't seem feasible that this be happening at one of the largest HBS in the country but it did.

I didn't want to bad mouth the place just, as I stated earlier, looking for verification that should not happen after being told it is no big deal.

We will be looking at the other shops you all mentioned.

Thanks for all the great input.