Some FAQ’s!
Information and policies do change, if you have any questions, please contact us.
Store Policies and Information
- Price matching – Quirky’s works to have competitive pricing and will try to match any price found, inclusive of shipping & handling charges and taxes. We are often already the same or lower priced after accounting for all cost, but occasionally there is an item that we need to look at our pricing carefully. We will do this with you and match the price as best we can. Infrequently, there is a special or a deal that we simply cannot meet or beat but we will try!
- MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) – Some items have MAP which means all retailers are required to advertise the same selling price. We honor this agreement when presented. We work to earn your business and are happy to tell you when an item is a MAP product. Common MAP products are Grainfather items, Spike products, Limited/Seasonal wine kits and Blichmann/Anvil products but there are some others.
- Special orders – Our store is large but there are still items we do not always stock! If you see it online or in another store and want to get it, call us! We will do our best to get the item and there are no additional charges or fees.
- Returns and refunds – Sometimes an item just is not what you need. We are happy to take back unused items with original packaging within 7 days of the initial sale. All returns or refunds are at the discretion of Quirky’s and we cannot take back items that are used or damaged. Some items have a manufacturer warranty and we must follow their policy which may require us to obtain a replacement product from them, especially on items that are tracked with a serial number or identifying code. We are happy to assist you in achieving timely and accurate replacements. Regardless of the time frame or item, we are happy to discuss your options and work with you to have a great brewing experience.
- Credit Cards – Quirky’s accepts Visa, MC, Amex and Discover with a chip enabled and RFC enabled credit card machine. We value privacy and security, our system does not actually store any information, thus we are unable to refund to a card without the card being present or change a charge or charge a card at all. We do not accept online payments at this time.
- Shipping – We are a local brick and mortar store that does not ship. Why? Colorado is a state leading the charge for sales tax collection and has over 700 tax districts alone. We have to register in each district we ship to for in state and the same is starting to occur for out of state shipping. The cost of software to assist in this far outweighs the value for us and would force us to raise prices for all our customers. Now add on the additional cost of packaging, returns and issues (we sell perishable product) and space to store shipping supplies and to pack the boxes and we are overwhelmed and incurring far more cost than there is value. We have witnessed numerous low cost and free shipping competitors fail both in state and out of state. We want to be here for the long term and provide excellent prices, service and selection to our customers that come to our B&M location. Please visit us!
- CO2 Refills/Exchanges – We now refill 5lb CO2 tanks that are within their date stamp. The date stamp is typically on the collar and good for 5 years from the most recent certification. For larger tanks, he hydroponics stores like Way To Grow on I-25/58th Ave refill at a very low price. Major liquor stores do exchanges for smaller tanks.
- Hours and days open – We are open 10am-6pm Monday thru Saturday and 10am-4pm on Sunday! We are closed Thanksgving Day and Christmas Day. Select holidays we are open 10am – 4pm. We only close on massive snow days when we are unable to get to the store (think major blizzard and everything closed).
- Equipment rentals – Due to licensing, cost and maintenance, we do not rent any equipment.
- Inventory Quantity – We currently do not show our inventory on-line. If an item can be ordered on the website, it means we have it in stock. You may want to call as often an item is here but the receiving not yet complete or en route and we will hold it for you. We do our best to remove discontinued items from the system.
- Bulk Buys – We offer bulk pricing on all items, the most common items of grain and hops each have a list you can view. For other items, please ask! Wine category kits (including cider/shandy) are 15% when three are bought at once and beer kits are 10% off when three are bought at once. We do run occasional specials or deals. We do not offer any additional bulk discounts other than wholesale.
- Bulk Quantity Pricing – The bulk price of grain (full bag) and hops (1 lb bag) varies with the market and Quirky’s updates pricing regularly. We try to keep the cost of the product in smaller quantities static so discount levels may vary by product and do not always correspond to the small quantity pricing perfectly.
- Wholesale pricing – Quirky’s is a wholesaler of products-everything in store has a wholesale price for our wholesale customers. To become a wholesale customer you must be in the industry and fully licensed and open. We will need a copy of your sales tax certificate to start and we will go from there! Multiple professionals have found Quirky’s to be their best overall choice for their supplies and ingredients.
- Crushing Grain – Quirky’s has two grain mills for customers to use free of charge for grain they are purchasing that day or for grain they purchased previously in bulk and are bringing back to crush. The mills are adjusted and we try to maintain a good crush for all customers. Please check your crush, Quirky’s is not responsible for less than ideal crushes that affect your final product. The mills do get out of spec and we are happy to adjust them for you or you can double crush if needed.
- Discounts/Promotions/Coupons/Chips – Like all businesses, Quirky’s has occasionally offered some specials. We do reserve the right to change the specials and limit what items are included. With any special, please ask us for details and clarification of conditions.
Common Brewing Questions
- Water – Your choice of water for making any beer, wine, cider or mead will affect the final product. For the absolute best results, store bought distilled or R.O. water that you build with proper mineral additives will result in the best final product. For beginning brewers using malt extract or people who are not interested in water chemistry, store bought drinking water is best. No, your at home filter system, windmill -fill-it-yourself water or neighbors well are seldom the best choice. We invite you to make the same product using different water sources and taste the difference yourself and choose what you like the most. We conduct regular water classes so you can learn how easy it is to build water on a pretty regular basis. Watch the events page for the next class.
- All Grain vs Extract – All grain brewing will give you many more options and control in making your beer. It doesn’t necessarily provide or make a superior product. Many brewers never stop using kits. They taste great and they like their product. That is what matters most-what you like. We are happy to discuss the benefits and pitfalls and cost of moving to an all grain system to see if it is right for you.
- Fresh Grapes vs Kits – Making wine from fresh fruit or grapes is an experience! It also presents a great many challenges and cost that do not occur when using a box kit. While grapes are much less expensive, the time, knowledge and equipment to properly make wine from them far exceeds the desired investment level of many vintners. We do not stock or sell fresh grapes due to space and storage requirements. We do sell kits that have a full 6 gallons of grape must that are shelf stabilized and require no water, as close to using grapes as you can get without the hassle.
- 2-Row vs Base Vs 6-Row – Once upon a time, all grains available to brewers were 6-row except base malt which was typically 2-row. As brewing and cultivating techniques improved and markets shifted, all specialty and base malts moved to 2-row. All grains Quirky’s offers are 2-row unless they specifically state otherwise. Base malts are now typically a blend of a couple products to derive a consistent quality.
- Hop Storage – “If you cannot dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with B.S.”. Four factors affect hop quality and storage-light, oxygen, temperature and age. As each component is removed or improved, the shelf stability improves. Some interesting (and recent) articles (these are links) are Vacuum sealing and Hop Age Pt 1 . Quirky’s maintains the best possible storage practices to maintain quality while also maintaining aggressive pricing. Hops we package are in sealed, double Mylar oxygen barrier bags and the walk in cooler is kept plenty cold! A zip lock style bag of hops in your freezer with air pushed out works fine for home storage for most people.
- Grain Storage – All grains are stored in their original bags or broken into bins. The Colorado climate is very kind to grain and buying a bag and just zip tying it closed as you use it is likely going to be just fine. Buy in bulk and save!