Modern Homebrew Emporium

I got everything I needed to make mead – the only issue being the sales person gave me the wrong hydrometer for it, which I figured out when I tried using it. But when I brought it back to exchange for the correct one, they said I couldn’t return it because it had been used…:/

Very friendly, helpful staff, good selection of brewing ingredients, reasonably priced. Can’t imagine what else you would look for in a brewing store! I used to visit the one in Brookline and always felt like I was being quizzed to see how knowledgeable or experienced I was. Here people are happy to answer beginner questions, give advice or suggestions and just encourage you in this awesome hobby! Keep up the great work!

As a first-​time homebrewer, Éamon was incredibly kind and helpful. I never felt like I was being talked to like I was an idiot or being pushed products I didn’t need — in fact, he suggested the lowest cost homebrewing kit for us and cut us a nice deal when we decided to upgrade to the kit with better tools.
It’s disappointing to see the 1 star review as the top review for Modern Homebrew Emporium — our experience was nothing short of excellent. We will be going here over other local options or amazon for all of our brewing needs.

My fiancé and I and walked in here today to pick up a few items we needed for brewing cider and making cheese. I needed an air trap and some yeast for the cider and she needed some Chevre culture for her goat cheese. No problem, I’m sure someone at Homebrew Emporium would be happy to help.
Luckily (or so I thought) someone immediately asks us what we need when we walked in. I was very frigidly reminded that the «air trap» I was looking for is actually called an «air lock». No big deal, semantics I thought to myself. On to the yeast…
«What finish are you looking for?» I didn’t really need a lecture here so I replied «I’d like champagne yeast.» Instead of being kindly pointed towards what I was looking for the person (who I’m now realizing is the manager) just repeats his question as if I’m a grade school student and he’s my annoyed teacher trying to explain the basics of trigonometry, «what *finish* are you looking for??» Okay that’s rude but I’ll play along just to get out of this insulting situation, «dry, I want a dry finish». «In that case you’d probably want a champagne yeast»… no shit, thanks for your help.
And when it came to the Chevre well they didn’t have any so I ordered some but I won’t be coming back here. I’ve had my share of condescension and elitism without having spend any money. Overall the experience I had here was unfriendly and intimidating. I thought a homebrew store would be welcoming to newcomers but what I found is the opposite.
Although some reviews here imply things at this store have gotten better recently I spoke directly to whom I believe is the new manager and only got the impression he wanted my newb ass out as soon as possible. By all means if you need brewing supplies in a pinch go here but don’t expect to be treated like a paying costumer unless you’re Samuel Adams himself.

This place is AWESOME, I know there’s a bunch of negative reviews on here from years ago that speak to terrible customer service and I had co-​workers echo the same from their experiences, but…
The owner/​manager Eamon has turned that all around, I’ve been going regularly (2x a month) for the past few months and I’ve never had anything less than a stellar experience (my co-​workers have since started going back and confirmed the same!).
The staff is friendly, helpful and not pushy in the slightest, the selection is phenomenal, and you’ll always get an educated answer. Sometimes I just pop in the shop with a question. My fiancé purchased a brew kettle for me (at a different store), I couldn’t figure out the last piece of the assembly and Eamon walked me through it!
Yes, sometimes you can get better deals online and yes sometimes there’s limits on the more sought after hops; but… the store is convenient and the staff is awesome — shop local, and shop often!

Found this place yesterday when googling home brew supply shops in the city. This place has everything you need. The guys I spoke with when I went in were helpful and were very straight-​forward about what I needed, and what I didn’t need for my batch.
I will definitely come back.

I really like this place and am baffled to see a number of 1-​star reviews by tender Unilocalers. YMMV, but I’ve always gotten courteous service, help finding and choosing ingredients, and useful brewing tips. I have not been upsold on anything – the employees seem to be sensitive to the ultra-​cheap nature of most homebrewers. Try to go on a weekday as this place gets crowded on weekends.

Great shop with a helpful staff for customers at all levels of homebrewing. Their equipment and patience really helped me get this off the ground.
Even after I’m out the door they’ve always been more than willing to help me per the phone when I need to troubleshoot on brew or bottling day.

A great experience overall. The only issue is that the store itself is very small/​tight and gets crowded with more than a few people there.
I went in knowing what I wanted but it had been a while since I last brewed a batch. The guy who helped me took the time to unpack the kit, walk through the instructions/​answer questions, and pack everything back up. Couldn’t have been happier and I look forward to going back.

OK, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m new to home brewing. I would however, reiterate that of the two experiences I’ve had at this business everyone that has helped me has come across as a pushy used car salesman type. Perhaps it’ll improve over time as I become more confident about my fermentation skills, but I’m not currently a fan of their sales tactics. As soon as you walk in they pounce on you like tigers and then try desperately to up-​sell you into things you probably don’t need. Ekkkk.

i chose to award one, spiteful star in order to mitigate their inflated rating. it’s a shame because i have met the owner and he certainly does not deserve it. though, since i was recently browbeaten by a smarmy, insolent, MIT dropout and his sidekick, a John Hodgman-​esque clown, i feel it’s warranted.
the selection of brewing ingredients and equipment is fair. they’ll order things they don’t have, like anybody else would. the crowded milling space and customer service on a soapbox really put the nail in the coffin for me. they’re only saving grace is that they’re basically the only game in town though some new shops are starting to pop up.
check the attitude and maybe i’ll come back.

We always have a fabulous experience when visiting Modern Homebrew Emporium — the store manager, Eamon, provides knowledgeable tips — but matter which staff member is there when we visit, we receive great ideas and helpful feedback… you can tell they love brewing beer, and know a lot about it! Even though we live closer to another brew shop, it is worth the trip to Cambridge for the interactive experience at this place!

We were intimidated to come in and pick out our first Homebrewing equipment, but it turns out they’re really really great at helping out. A really nice guy explained everything to us in a way that was easy to understand, and helped us find and pick out every ingredient we needed to make the recipe we picked out for our first batch. Gave us lots of advice on what extra frills were worthwhile and which ones aren’t. Much appreciated. We’ll be back for the stuff to make our next batch.

The emporium is a solid brew shop with knowledgeable staff. They have a good selection of yeast, flavors, additives and other accessories including books and how-to’s. Their equipment offerings are sophisticated and include yeast culturing glassware. For a shop in Cambridge, their modest pricing is fantastic. Personally, I have tons of money, so it means nothing to me, but if you are some half-​employed student from JP you will really appreciate the garage sale prices they have here.
BTW, just down the street is a placeware shop called «China Fair» that is a great place to buy glasses, carafes and other vessels.

As I am not a homebrewer myself, I find most of the brew shops I visit with my husband overwhelming. This one maybe more so than most. The selection of products was vast, but what threw us both for a loop was this location allows you to measure, pour, and grind your own grains without assistance from the staff. For someone who had never done that before, my husband was a little shocked. But, nonetheless, the staff was extremely helpoful and knowledgeable.

This is one of the single worst businesses I have ever gone to. NEVER GO HERE. Remember «Comic Book Guy» from the Simpsons? Every single employee acts exactly like that. They are condescending and unhelpful, and not even in the shkeevy used car salesman kind of way. They just don’t care, and they always know better than you, and make you feel like an idiot for even trying. I finally went back here for convenience after boycotting for a while and decided to try one of their custom extract kits after they criticized my purchase and told me – as someone who’s been brewing for five years — that I was doing it wrong. So they pushed me back to the starter kit like a juvenile, and then the starter kit didn’t even include the right ingredients as were listed and they wouldn’t take it back.
Fuck.This.Place.So.Hard.

I’ve been a frequenter of MHE for about 6 years now and have gotten to know the guys over time.
I see there are a few 2-​star ratings, mostly related to service. Frankly, I’m mildly baffled. While I’m sure the bad experiences were legitimate, I can’t imagine who among the team would be rude, or make customers feel bad or unwelcome.
All of my experiences have been hugely positive. They’re helpful and generous. They have a knack for acknowledging you and letting you know you’re in queue if the store is hosed with customers. They help you buy the cheaper thing when it will do just as well as the more expensive one, and whenever you bring your wares to the counter, they’ll process in their head what you’re probably making and ask if you forgot X Y or Z (which has saved me a number of times).
They love beer and love talking about it; their enthusiasm is infectious. They’re quirky and have a customer service style that is their own, rather than (say) a Nordstrom model. It makes them hugely relatable, and it makes them people you want to interact with as co-​brewers in arms, rather than strictly as a customer-​serviceman relationship.
Most importantly: you can go in and say, «hey, I kindof want to make something like this,» and get a non-​judgmental walkthrough of how to do it, why to pick this hop over that, this yeast over that, what your options are, etc. I’ve learned as much about brewing through this method as I have by reading.
You will find some places online that can beat their prices – this’ll be the case of any brick-​and-​mortar establishment. Come here for the service, the help, the learning; come if you want to make a better beer (or wine or mead or soda) than you would on your own.

After a renovation this place is much more user friendly when it come to buying grain. The area is much more organized, well labeled and they even have a nice do-​it-​yourself grain mill. A much needed improvement but seriously would it hurt to dust the place once in a while?

Just popped in here to pick up home brewing equipment for my first ever brew. The guys at this place are friendly and very knowledgeable and take the time to answer you’re dumb questions without the slightest hint of condescension. They also don’t push you to buy stuff you don’t need, which is always a plus.
I read Palmer’s «How To Brew» (which you can pick up here among other great books) and browsed HomeBrewTalk forums for the last few weeks but still had a bunch of questions about equipment and these guys were awesome to talk to. They welcome beginners and experts alike (I witnessed them talking to a clear expert about some keg parts or something). Much respect for this place.

The bf and I had been circling the beer wagons and talking about homebrewing for awhile, so since I am the best partner ever, I decided to surprise him with a kit for his birthday.
I started off by emailing Randy, the store owner. I have brewed before, but I hadn’t bought a kit and wanted to make sure I spent money on the right one. Randy was prompt and helpful in his responses to my questions. Specifically, I asked whether they run out of inventory in store, in which case should I order online? I definitely didn’t want to risk not having the present ready on d-​day! However, Randy assured me that the store is well-​stocked, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I actually entered this hallowed shop.
The store seems well organized and the prices reasonable for what you get. The staff members walked me through the process, answered my questions, and gave me solicited opinions. There was a lot of selection in the herb, ingredient kit, and hops sections in particular.
Check-​out was quick and easy, and though I had priced out the gift before going in, it came in under budget. Woohoo! And after all that, they told me about a homebrew tasting going on the next week (which was awesome).
These guys are helpful, affable, and affordable. Can’t wait to spend more time here!

My boyfriend and I have tried, and failed, at liking this place.
First off, it’s way too overpriced. My boyfriend discovered it’s cheaper to have supplies shipped from our old hombrew supply store back in Austin than it is to drive up the street to this place. Seriously, MHE? Tone it down a bit, guys.
Plus, they don’t even have good products. We’ve only picked up Wyeast there a couple times, but each time the pack was a fairly old — not sure how much of the culture is still active — so then we just end up getting 2 packs. We picked up a 2000ml Erlenmeyer flask to make a yeast starter. Neither of us checked the glass because we didn’t think we’d have to, but when we got it home we realized the bottom was CURVED. Seriously? You know what people are using this for, and you don’t get flat-​bottomed glass? Of course the stir bar doesn’t stay centered at the bottom. We ended up getting a flat-​bottomed flask from somewhere else.
Then there’s the service. WTF is going on here? Sometimes there are guys working who are friendly enough, but we keep running into two condescending jerks who have ruined the store for us. Last night was the last straw. They started off talking down to us. Then one started giving us questionable, unasked-​for advice. When we challenged it and indicated that we had been brewing for a while, the response was a very mature «well… I guess I’ll just stop talking now.»
Afterwards, when we wanted to check out, pouty pants LEFT and asked the other guy to help us. The other guy silently glared at us, walked around from behind the check-​out counter, and also left. We stood there waiting until Pouty came back. He then proceeded to check out SOMEONE ELSE who had just walked up — he told us to «hold on a sec» — and THEN he rang us up. All we had was one fucking bucket. Really?
Dick.
So:
Overpriced.
Questionable quality products.
Rude service.
Shitty Advice.
How is this place still open? Oh, right. Desperation. It’s close by, and has everything you need. And seriously, ALWAYS check the product you’re getting — I’ve been burned enough times here to not trust them to have quality or appropriately-​labelled items. And you can listen to their advice, but it’s probably a good idea to go home and check their suggestions with an online homebrew forum before you act on it. I know every brewer has something different that works for them, but I have heard some genuinely questionable stuff coming from the employees’ mouths here.

For the last four or five years of my life, I have taken a more serious approach to beer, relentlessly going out of my way to try new ones, and purchases rarer ones and touring various breweries learning about the concept and approach they take when brewing. The next logical approach? To brew my own.
Last year for Christmas, I was gifted a beer kit and needed to buy a few supplies in order to get brewin’ and came to this establishment, which is conveniently located on the outskirts of Davis Square, right on Mass ave. From the moment I walked in, I was very well taken care of.
I didn’t just have a conversation with the staff there, but instead a real dialogue. I was able to bring up various concerns I had, especially when it came to sanitization and they were able to field the questions and offers both answers and solutions. The entire process was made very easy and within instants I was able to walk out of the store with everything else that I was missing.
The services they offer to the local, home-​brewing community are near limitless. They have everything… and I mean EVERYTHING you might need. From empty bottles and cappers, to tubbing and yeasts, to various kinds of malts, brew kettles, siphons and even recipes. While the prices are a bit high, it is well worth it go to there and get everything you need there. They know their stuff and I will return for more stuff in the future.
And if you’re not into beer, they have everything you need to brew your own root beer or make your own wine. But what I really want to stress is how helpful and knowledgeable they are. That was definitely their strength and that is why this store is awesome.
I’ll be back. Hopefully for more bottles, malts and yeasts as my quest to brew continues…

I’ve been twice now and feel confident in saying they are a big thumbs-​up. Good (not perfect) selection of yeasts… Hop pellets and the real deal. Good grains for sure. Excellent prices– and just about any of the hardware you would need to brew your own beer, wine, or sodas.
The guy was nice enough to give me a brief tutorial on how to properly weight out and select my grains/​hops– and didn’t laugh when I asked stupid questions (+1 star for that).
Tip: try to go mid weekday — I could not believe how much busier it was on the weekend.