RogerMcAllen

Recipes 

Assuming a good craft beer costs $2, the numbers look pretty good as long as you keep going. I started homebrewing September 08, and after my last order total costs are up to ~$1,500.

$1,500/10 months/ 30 days = $5 a day (or 1 beer at the bar/~2 craft brews at home)

15 x 5 gallon batches = 75 gallons
75 gallons = 800x 12 oz servings

$1,500/800 = $1.88/serving, which is right on par with the lower end of good commercial brew. Had I not built a 4 tap keggerator that number would be down closer to $1/serving.

Now I just have to formalize this in a presentation to SWIMBO so that she can fully appreciate how buying new stuff saves money.

Here is a visual aid I made:

McKBrew

Recipes 

There are about a bazillion threads about the economics of homebrewing. The simple answer is yes, if you figure ingredient costs only or brew often, you will save money. For those who brew rarely like myself, but buy tons of equipment, it will take me several batches to break even. It's a hobby, pure and simple. If you really need to please the SWMBO explain that homebrewing is a hobby that will keep you at home, and also dig up some info on other hobbies that cost more than brewing.

If you want to see some of the other threads take a look at the related threads at the bottom of the page.

paulthenurse

Recipes 

Tell her you want to take up technical scuba diving, diving to 300-400 feet under the ocean on gas mixes you can't breath on the surface. Or that you want to take up ice climbing, finding frozen waterfalls and climbing up them with ropes and ice axes. Both take way more gear than brewing, are spectacularly expensive ways to kill yourself and you'll still end up buying beer at the end of the day to celebrate the fact you didn't die doing your 'hobby.'

She'll come around.

PTN

eschatz

Recipes 

Tell her there are worse ways to spend your time than making the greatest things on earth.


SWIMBO = someone who is mining butt ore

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play the bass, brew the beer

What's tappening? :D

paulthenurse

Recipes 

I think you mean, She Went'n Made Bubba Ordinary.

LooyvilleLarry

Recipes 

You missed one - Private Pilot !

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Primary
Orange Cascade Pale Ale -

Secondary

Kegged
BeeCave Haus Ale - 6%
Bells Two Hearted, round 2- 6.1%
SNPA Clone (Chilled )
Hard Lemonade

Shiraz - 6 gal

conpewter

Recipes 

Craigtube saves a lot of cash homebrewing

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"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people." - V

Primary: Nothin
Secondary: Shady Lord RIS, Water to Barleywine, Pumpkin wine, burnt mead
Kegged: Crappy infected mild
Bottles: Apfelwein, 999 Barleywine, Oatmeal Stout, Robust Porter, Robust smoked porter, Simcoe Smash

dontman

Recipes 

Jaguar E-Type restoration. The gear shift knob cost more than my beginner brewing setup. I spent more on replacing a faulty thermostat in that SOB than I have spent on my entire brewing hobby combined, including ingredients.

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On Tap: 1. Kelly R. IPA, 2. Roter Hund Hefeweizen, 3. Bud Killer Blonde, 4. Red Dog Pale, 5. Roter Hund Oktoberfest, 6. Pumpkin Ale, 7. McRed's Stout (with new nitro system and stout tap,) Cream Soda, 8. ESB # 3, & 9. Ordinary Bitter.

MMW

Recipes 

Or Bass fishing. Know how much fish you have to catch to pay off a bass boat?

Homebrewing is at best a cost saving hobby and at worst a marginally worse than break even hobby (if you drink expensive beer). I have less invested in this hobby than a golf membership would cost for a year (a month at some places) and a brewing a batch costs about what a round of golf costs. I'd still be paying for beer during the round of golf, too

I'd much rather brew beer.

Bobby_M

Vendor Ads 

Recipes 

So that $1500 is for your equipment and ingredients totals to date? What about propane/nat gas?

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