Type of business: Homebrew shop
Location: 4026 W. Monte Vista Ave., Suite C
Contact information: 209-678-9167; www.renegadebrewingsupplies.com
Hours: Monday – Friday 10 a.m. – 8 p.m., Sundays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Specialty: Home beer and wine making supplies
History of business:
Beer and wine are two of life’s finer indulgences enjoyed by many, whether it’s having a glass at a restaurant in town or cracking open a cold one in the comfort of your own home. But, these adult beverages can also be created by beer and wine enthusiasts themselves — something that Turlock residents Luke and Megan Henslick hope to help locals achieve with the help of their new shop, Renegade Brewing Supplies.
After moving from Turlock to North Carolina and operating a brew shop there for several years, Luke and Megan Henslick recently returned to the Central Valley. They noticed that though people in the area had an enthusiasm for brewing at home, there weren’t any nearby homebrew shops to purchase the needed supplies. So, they decided to open up shop once more. The pair has been brewing their own beer for over a decade, and hopes to both share their knowledge while providing key products to the community for at-home brewing, including ingredients like hops, yeast and malt, and hardware such as fermenters, refractometers and hydrometers.
“Really, what we want to do is take the intimidation factor out of making beer,” said Luke Henslick. “It’s science, but it’s not rocket science.”
Renegade is stocked with a wide inventory of exotic hops and yeast strains that at-home brewers typically would have to purchase online, such as strains from New Zealand and Australia. The benefit of having a brew shop in town, said Luke Henslick, is that customers don’t have to worry about waiting for their orders to arrive in the mail (and possibly going bad) or driving down Highway 99 to Modesto just to purchase one thing. Renegade delivers products to customers’ homes, too, as long as they’re in town.
“There’s really nothing here for the more advanced brewer except online resources,” said Luke Henslick. “We looked around and saw there were a lot of people getting into the hobby, and Turlock has never had a homebrew shop. As far as we know, we’re the first.”
Along with selling top-quality brewing products, the couple also offers brewing classes, free of charge.
“I believe knowledge should be free, so if people want to come in and learn how to brew, we’ll sit down and kind of hold their hand and teach them,” said Luke Henslick.
“You don’t even have to buy anything, you can just come in and talk with us for a couple hours,” added Megan Henslick.
Thanks to their years of brewing experience, Luke and Megan Henslick have also created easy-to-follow extract kits for beginning brewers, featuring some of their own beer recipes that have placed in competitions and received awards.
“If people are just getting into the hobby, they can pick up a kit, go home and feel pretty confident that they can make a good beer,” said Luke Henslick.
The couple’s advice for those interested in starting their own brew at home are simple: do your research, ask questions and be patient.
“it’s a humbling hobby,” said Luke Henslick. “When we first started, there were plenty of batches we had to pour out into the flowerbed.”
Though Renegade focuses more on the beer side of at-home brewing, the shop offers wine brewing supplies and Black Rifle Coffee as well. The shop will be celebrating its Grand Opening at 1 p.m. Saturday, where attendees can learn more about the brewing process from Luke and Megan Henslick.
“It can be intimidating and overwhelming. We want to take that out of the hobby and ease people in,” said Luke Henslick.
