Just read on Twitter that Hoptimism is the latest to go under, really sad news. Used Hoptimism a lot when in the UK and prior to Brexit difficulties kicking in
sadly soā¦ shame, one of my most regular smallpack customers and one of my most regular suppliers
Oh that is sad indeed, this is the first one Iām seeing close down that was somewhere Iām quite fond of. Used to be a regular online shop for me too.
Must admit itās been quite some time since I last ordered there though. Their pricing used to be spot on but I found it increased a fair bit over the past couple of years, and even when using the 10% discount code they were still more expensive than the likes of Trembling Mad, RADBeer, Fuss Club, Left Field Beer, among others that now see regular use from myself and most my beer friends.
Really couldnāt fault their service though, Rob was brilliant with āsaves boxesā and basically pioneered that aspect of buying beer online before a certain other shop made it their entire business model, and now itās offered at quite a few online shops. And I know from EU folks that it was a superb place for them buy from the UK pre-Brexit.
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Oh shit. They were absolute class. We are losing so many good internet-based stores.
interesting on the price comparisons - Iāve always found Fuss Club to be pretty expensive for instance. RAD are a wholesaler as well as retailer and apparently sometimes use that to undercut their customers. But yeah, I like the whole āsaves boxā thing, have had one permanently on the go with Rob and another with Beer Central (which has no other online sales option!) - I really like that model as it means when thereās two or three beers I really want I can snap them up without having to either pay shipping for a couple of beers or buy a load more Iām not so bothered about - call me a picky bastard but I often look at online shops and only want a handful so end up not ordering at all
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I wholeheartedly agree with the comments here. On the occasions I used them which was quite a bit in the UK and even for a while when I moved here, I never had any issues, if I needed to contact them Rob was quick to reply and was super helpful. I think that some of the other retailers mentioned may have come onto the scene a little later, but I donāt doubt that a more crowded market place has only added to the challenging financial situation that Hoptimism faced.
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Yes I did debate including Fuss Club in there due to their pricing being very hit and miss (sometimes drastically cheaper and sometimes drastically dearer depending on brewery, no real rhyme or reason to it) but I kept them as theyāre also a big proponent of saves boxes which is very handy. And yes, did hear that about RAD before but they seem to be doing well and even have a bar now so clearly not cutting into their profits too much.
I too often only want to buy a handful of beers and honestly the amount of times Iāve ended up buying stuff I donāt actually really want just to hit the free postage limit or something from a shop is absurd and a testament to my lack of control and willpower. Thatās why I massively appreciate any shop allowing me to save beers.
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I still buy stuff in the UK to send to family and friends there so will have to check some of the others mentioned. I often buy directly from a brewery but occasionally have used and been impressed with the likes of House of Trembling Madness, though if I remember correctly their website could be better laid out.
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I went on their website a day or two ago and wondered why no stock was showing.
I wonder how much they suffered from the proliferation of on-line bottle shops. I always took a look at their stock but last ordered from them prior to lockdown.
On a less well know note, Twisted Crow in Basingstoke are closing after 18 months of trading.
Yes, Tremblingās website can be a bit finicky. Going by category or brewery often doesnāt work as expected for some reason.
Best thing Iāve found is to bookmark the search page sorted by newly added. This way, it shows ALL their products and you can narrow it down from there if need be, often I donāt need to as Iām just looking to buy new releases.
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Thanks for the tip 
Was just reading their announcement on facebook. Sad news. Donāt buy much online but theyāve been a go to seller when I have. They seemed an ethical online beer retailer, pitching the pricing so it was fair to both brewers and buyers. Not everyoneās model.
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