mcaple1

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Dude...its not useful information to tell people "you are doing something wrong or using too many hops". Who are you to decide how much hops he should be using? And I'm pretty sure that most of us that get into homebrewing aren't pondering whether or not they will be putting food on the table, or brewing beer. Obviously this is a hobby that costs money, and I don't think someone would brew to the point that they financially can't sustain their hobby anymore just because they dont wash yeats or buy their grains in bulk. If the OP is really riding the fence that hard, then maybe he shouldn't start the hobby in the first place. But yeah, your right, totally. He clearly needs help.

Airborneguy

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Who are you to tell him he shouldn't be in the hobby?

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mcaple1

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I hope you're kidding right now. Seriously. If you aren't then yes, if he is so financially unstable that he questions his ability to afford a 30 dollar batch of beer...then yeah, I think maybe he should re-evaluate his hobbies.

Airborneguy

Recipes 

So just so I have this straight, the OP is better off not hearing the opinion of people who might have tips which will cut his costs and allow him to brew more beer, because he probably doesn't have enough money to be in the hobby to begin with. Who's the elitist?

Not trying to pick a fight here, but you really tripped yourself up with your logic. Was my initial statement a little blunt? Maybe. But I learned a good portion of everything I know about brewing by reading random comments on this forum. If YOU don't want to know how other people cut costs, that's fine. But there's a chance, based on some of the posts in this thread, that the OP and a few other's might. So I'll keep flapping in my own way just in case they want a little help.

__________________
Fermentor(s):
Lagering:
Kegged: Unintentional Sour Brown, Citra/Amarillo IPA
Bottled:
Tapped:
Up Next: Amber?

Reading: The Road to ---- Retirement

harrydrez

Recipes 

Could you guys please stop arguing? It is not very productive. My best advice is buy in bulk and don't buy fancy-shmancy equipment. You don't have to buy pre-made mashtuns, kettles that could double as nuclear reactors, etc. If you do some searching you can find many ways to save money.

Look for homebrew clubs too!

Revvy

Recipes 

This is the part I'm curious about....I don't think most new homebrewers know this. historically the last 30 years of homebrewing ag has been about really cost effective solutions- Originally it was papazians "Zap a Pap" system, simply two buckets, one with a bunch of holes in the bottom as the filter.





Then came the brilliant idea to convert a cooler with some cheap plumbing parts into a mash tun.

The other evolution was the cheap turkey fryer. Neither of these things break the bank.

Those really are the two most important parts of Ag brewing. Then maybe a wort chiller (and even that isn't necessary if one chooses to use the no-chill method.)

The third allgrain method which is even cheaper is the brew in a bag/no sparge method, all you really need is your kettle and a big bag.

There's not a lot of expense in these methods, and great beer can be made with all the methods.

That's why I'm curious as to what Gustavo did, and why he felt the need to go whatever route he chose.

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Dale_3rd

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The good thing I found was that after the expense of getting all the equipment, the home brewing blues go away and before you know it, you've got plenty of home brew on hand for cheap.

LarryC

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I went AG about a year ago. A friend supplied the 5 gal. cooler for the MLT and I paid about $25 for a valve & braid. I have tacked on a few things since then to make brew day easier but I do it at my pace.

I don't have much room for storage so I buy the grain as I need it - that definitely bumps the price up. If I go the LHBS route I usually get out of there with $30+ less dollars in my pocket. I can get the grain cheaper online but the shipping just about evens it out for single batches (and then there's the "ooh, shiny new stuff" problem).

All things said, going AG wasn't a big hit in the wallet, it made my brewing more interesting for me and I think because I am more pragmatic on brew day, I make better beer. Bottom line, totally worth it... for ME

Dan

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Is this really HBT? The hostility is unusual.

Brew, drink, and be happy!

topend

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+1. So many of these conversations turn into criticism and competition. Chill out, this is supposed to be a fun hobby.