The Beverage People

Posting this for my wife Celia who has become the brew maker extraordinaire and emailed this to The Beverage People.

My first batch of Saison was with your recipe, and I couldn't believe how good it was. I only have 1 bottle left that I am saving for a special occasion. It was ready for xmas so I used it for gifts which made me the most popular holiday friend. :-}

Last Sunday, I shared my first Pilsner on my bday, which was also one of your recipes. We drank it with my riding pals after a mountain bike ride. And I can't believe how good it is!

I also made a celebration dark ale which my wife named "Celiabration" (he he he ). That recipe was from another beer store and it is also so good! However, I prefer to follow your recipes because they have great explanations and the step by step directions are more clear. This is important for beginners like me who don't know what they are doing. My wife designed the labels. I am having a ball. It is more expensive and more work to make my own beer than to buy it, but my beer is yummier and my friends love it! I hope my very first hazy that is still in the second fermenter stage will be good. I made the mistake of adding all the hops during the brewing stage and didn't save any for the transfer to the second fermenter, so maybe I lost some aroma, we shall see.

I purchased from you a second demijohn and second 7 gallon wort so I can now brew 10 gallons at a time.

I was asked to make beer for the wedding of my winemaker friend who gave me all his beer equipment because he wasn't using it. He was also the one who told me about The Beverage People. You guys rock! Oh, and the book you recommended is really good. I have learned a lot. But I get overwhelmed by the steps to make beer without the partial mash ingredients. I am happy following those recipes. Thank you!

I ordered two of their wine pump carts and paid $67 for shipping to my location. When they arrived, they were not what I had ordered. Their site clearly shows a stainless color with black hardware. What they sent was awful. It was painted white with cheap wheels and an ugly green handle.

I had contacted Jane on several occasions trying to get them to send a return label and take them back. Her response was that I could pay to send them back and they would refund my original purchase price. So I would need to pay $67 to ship back, out of my pocket, in order to get my money back when they shipped me something I did not order.

This is a classic bait and switch. Be aware when you order that you may not get what you ordered from them.

Wanna make some homebrew? Then go to these guys. The knowledge and friendly info they provide in addition to top-quality equipment and ingredients is second to none in Sonoma County.

I have a friend with a bunch of Gravenstein trees that let my pick about 1000lbs of apples. I rented the press from these guys and yielded about 50 gallons of apple juice. I turned 20 gallons (limited to only 4 carboys) into delicious hard cider. The workers at The Beverage People helped me with info on sanitizing the cider and which yeast to use and even how to clarify it before bottling. Everyone that tries it is impressed by the quality. Without help from The Beverage People I feel that my efforts might have been in vain.

The bottom line is, if you are a newbie or an experienced brewer, give these guys your business. They are knowledgeable, friendly, and local. Don't waste your money online when we have these great guys in our own city.

Good folks,

however their availability is limited at best, there is no way to contact them via phone and they never responded to my emails....

The 20 min apt thing is lame! There has to be a better way to serve your customers....

If I want to order online I will probably go to Morebeer or a bigger establishment........

Too bad this place used to be way better pre Covid!

I like this place - good people, but they don't carry co-extruded corks. All of my friend's use Neocork but they buy direct because this place is owned or ruled by M.A. Silva natural cork company. I don't want TCA in my wines - and cheap natural corks have TCA - a bacteria in them that ruins my wine.

I would buy direct but I don't need a thousand, I need a hundred. What's the deal?

They have an extremely limited selection of hops, yeast and grain. J&M has closed. This is NOT a substitute

Very nice people, and good customer service. Everything you could want for brewing, wine and cheese making. I don't do either but I use the large rubber stoppers for one of my other endeavors. Huge warehouse that is bright and clean!

This family owned and operated shop is a gem in Santa Rosa; great inventory (or they can order something for you if they don't have it), and extremely knowledgeable staff.

If you are considering taking one of their classes, save your money and watch a couple of You Tube videos instead. I paid $75 for a cheese making class today that I just walked out of an hour into it because two instructors were not on the same page. One tells you to do one thing and the other comes along a minute later and tells you you're doing it wrong. Then to top it off the old man at the table, a student, is telling everyone how to do it. All this with six people trying to fiddle with a boiling pot of water on a hot plate on a little table made for two.

I paid for the class to learn something, not waste my vacation time and my money listening to people who can't agree on how to do something.

After an hour of sitting and watching this fiasco I walked out disgusted and angry.

I had put together a shopping list of items worth about $ 1,380 to purchase for my operations once the class was over but that money will now be going to Amazon or other businesses based on my experience here today.

It's sad because being a small business owner I try to support other small businesses but not this one any longer. Enjoy the $75 guys cause it's the last you see from us.

This is a review for the cheese making class we attended tonight.
The class was not horrible but it could have been so much better!
I felt like the instructor was not very experienced with cheese making. There were so many opportunities to tell us about cheese making in the region...etc...while the water was boiling but nothing came out of his mouth. He did not succeed at making mozzarella but I guess that can happen. This class has potential but a bit disappointed.