Colchester Homebrew Supplies Ltd

15/05/2026

I'm having a Stock Clearance until 23rd May, instore or online :
25% off selected hops
30% of selected grains

17/04/2026

Update on the Shop Closure + Introduction of Click and Collect options.

Following on from our announcement in February that we are going to be closing the shop, we were made very aware of the desire of many customers to continue to collect their orders, rather than have to rely on courier deliveries. To accommodate this wish, we have decided to take a small office at the Safestore building on the Ipswich Road to allow collections on a Saturday morning from 09.00-12.30, but we may extend this to 14.30 depending on demand.

Following the move, our new address will be:

Office No 2,
The Safestore Building
572 Ipswich Road
Colchester
CO4 9HB
01206 854457

The building is located between the car dealerships and the KFC, directly behind the speed camera.

As this office will not have storage facilities on site, any orders will need to be placed by 3.00pm on Friday to allow us to collect the items from our storage centre.

Following the move, you will be able to order and pay

1) Online via the website, choosing a delivery option or "I will collect from store" and using your preferred payment option,
2) Online via the website, choosing a delivery option or "I will collect from store" and then pay over the phone using a UK debit or credit card,
3) Online via the website, choosing the "I will collect from store" option and then pay on collection using a UK debit or credit card or cash
4) Online via the CLICK and COLLECT page on our website to send us a list of items you require . We will pick your order and you can pay on collection using a UK debit or credit card or cash
5) Order by sending and email to [email protected] with a list of the items you require and your preferred delivery method. We will pick your order and ring you to take payment or you can pay on collection using a UK debit or credit card or cash
6) Order by telephone on 01206 854457 with a list of the items you require and your preferred delivery method. We will pick your order and ring you to take payment or you can pay on collection using a UK debit or credit card or cash

Our office will not be big enough to hold any stock, so you will not be able to "turn up and browse" at any time, but the options above SHOULD provide you with at least one method of continuing to order.

09/04/2026

Spring Holiday.

We will be closed from 20th April to 2nd May as we will be joining the nice people from Marella Cruises as they bring one of their ships back to the Med after its winter season in the Caribbean. We are quite looking forward to spending eight days at sea with not much to do other than abuse the All Inclusive drinks package.

25/03/2026

We will be open at the following times over the Easter Weekend:

Good Friday 09.00-12.30
Easter Saturday 09.00-12.30
Easter Monday CLOSED

Have a great break everyone.

17/02/2026

Bargain King Kegs and Electrim Boilers for Sale.

Since 2015, a friend of mine has organised his own private annual beer festival for friends, relatives and work colleagues. Over a very busy 10-14 day period at the end of May he would make 15-20 All Grain Beers and store them ready for the festival towards the end of July.

Following his recent retirement, Peter has decided to bring the festivals to an end and is looking to rehome some of his equipment. He currently has 15 King Keg Bottom tap barrels, fitted with S30 valves and two Electrim 2.4kW boilers/mash tuns/HLTs which he is hoping to dispose of. With prices starting at £25 for the barrels and £30 for the boilers, this could be an ideal time to pick up a couple of bargain barrels, take your first step into All Grain Brewing or acquire a spare HLT.

Full descriptions of each are available on my website:

https://www.colchesterhomebrew.co.uk/colchesterhomebrewshop/cat_1846790-Peters-Brewing-Equipment.html

13/02/2026

Major Changes at Colchester Homebrew Supplies - Long Post...

It is with great sadness that I must announce that we have decided, after almost 18 years of trade, to close the shop and convert to an online only operation. From 1st June 2026 we will be moving out of the shop and running the business from container units on a nearby secure storage site. We are deeply saddened by this decision and have been "putting it off" for the last 18 months, but can no longer justify the fixed costs incurred in running the business from its current location.

Since lockdown, our turnover has declined to the point where the profits from our retail store barely cover the monthly rent, and our footfall has reduced to the point where we average fewer than 5 visitors per day across our 6 days a week trading pattern. By converting to online only sales, we can reduce our cost base, continue offering our below RRP prices across the board, and remain operating up to and beyond the time we reach state pension age in 2031. This move does have a few implications, but we hope that we will be able to navigate these together:

1. No “Walk Up” Sales.

Our chosen new operating site will be on a secure storage site that does not encourage retail sales or “walk up” trade. All transactions will need to take place on our website www.colchesterhomebrew.co.uk and be paid for via Paypal, Google Pay, Apple Pay or our secure Worldpay portal that accepts all major debit and credit cards. We realise that some people do not like to “buy online”, even when the site has secure checkout facilities, so we will also be accepting email orders and phone orders, with card payments processed over the phone.

2. Delivery Charges

We already offer very competitive Express and Standard delivery options from £4.99 for up to 20kgs and Free Delivery for orders over £75.00 (restrictions apply to certain destinations/weights). These deliveries are undertaken mostly via APC, with some of the “Standard” freight travelling via Yodel. We DO NOT allow either carrier to leave freight without a signature, unless you pre-authorise it and provide a “safe location” for them to use. We are more than happy to route deliveries to work addresses if preferred. Full details are available on the “Delivery Charges” page of our website.

3. Click and Collect

As a secure storage facility, our new site is not keen for us to encourage the general public to visit throughout the week, but we are aiming to offer “by appointment” click and collect facilities between 09.00-12.00 on Saturday mornings for customers who are unable to accept deliveries at home or work. Further details of this will be available nearer the time.

4. Cylinder Returns

We will continue to offer “swap out” facilities for S30 cylinders, but replacements will need to be purchased via the website and empties returned via Royal Mail or your preferred carrier to the return address stated in the product description on our website.

5. Telephone contact and help/advice.

We are intending to keep our existing landline 01206 854457, but calls may be diverted to our answering machine if we are busy. If you place an order or leave a message, we will get back to you as soon as possible. If you need advice or help on any brewing issue, you may get a faster response from the extensive “FAQ” section on our website, via the “Contact Us” page, or via our page, which is https://www.facebook.com/ColchesterHomebrew

When we first opened CHS in 2008 as a sideline to our Transport business we had no idea that it would take over our lives, last this long or allow us to make so many new friends along the way. At that point, we were one of 8 dedicated Homebrew shops in Essex and one of 15 in the wider East Anglia area. 18 years on, we are the last one still trading, so this has not been an easy decision to make. Thank you for being part of our journey and we look forward to you joining us on our next adventure.

Colchester Homebrew Supplies Ltd is a family run business supplying the finest quality brewing and winemaking kits and equipment.

09/02/2026

I would like to congratulate my friend and local brewer Gareth from Gruff Brewery UK on his recent success, as one of his beers, a Golden Ale called "Orion's Belt", was awarded "Beer of the Festival" at the recent CAMRA Colchester Winter Ale festival.

Gareth was an early customer of mine in 2010, when he bought his first homebrew starter kit, and progressed to grain brewing around 2012/13. Since 2022 he has upscaled his equipment and now operates a 200L set up, distributing his beers through a group of local free houses on the Essex/Suffolk border and at numerous beer festivals. This is his second successive award of "Beer of the Festival" following the success of his "Wheat Trip" last year.

I feel largely resposnible for much of his success, as I originally taught him to brew with an Electrim Boiler and a converted picnic box mash tun, later supplied him with his first grainfather and glycol chiller, frequently advise on his water treatment and regularly act as test pilot for his experimental brews. I would highly reccommend that you keep an eye out for any of "OUR" beers in your local pubs or try out his "P2 Porter" at the upcoming Chappel Winter Beer Festival.

Update: I am reliably informed that the P2 Porter was voted Beer of the Festival at a 2024 event in Clacton, so this was actually Gruff’s third award.

14/01/2026

Happy New Year everyone. I am now back at work, more or less over the night flight home and open as normal. I've even had deliveries so I have stock back on the shelves.

If you are observing Dry January, now is the time to start brewing again so that you have something ready in early February.

Don't delay, start today 😀

24/12/2025

I'm here until 12.00 today for last minute supplies but then closed until 12th January 2026.
Merry Christmas All.

12/12/2025

Last Shiping Days for Christmas

Our last shipping days for pre-Christmas delivery in England and Wales are as follows:

Express Courier - Monday 22/12
Royal Mail Tracked - Friday 19/12
Standard Courier - Thursday 18/12

Cut-off for deliveries to Scotland will be 3 days earlier.

Items ordered after these cut off dates will be shipped up to 23/12 but will not arrive until 30/12 at the earliest.

29/11/2025

Last Brewing Days for Christmas

If you are planning on brewing in time for Christmas and New Year, then you are rapidly approaching the "cut off dates".

For Vineco and Beaverdale wines, this weekend, 30/11-1/12 is really the last date you can start a kit and hope for it to be ready for Chirstmas Day (Though it will be fine for New year)

For Beer Kits, this weekend would be best, but you should just about get away with next weekend if you need it in time for Christmas.

For the Cellar 7 and SG Wine kits, even though they are quick fermenters and are ready in around 10 days which means you SHOULD be ok until the weekend of 13/12-14/12, I would probably suggest also making it this weekend and giving it a few weeks to mature.

Basically, you should come down and empty my shelves today to ensure that you have plenty to keep you going over Christmas and New Year :)