kits are usually more expensive than buying the ingredients separately. especially if you start buying your ingredients in bulk. my 5 gal PM batches cost under $20 in most cases, and under $15 if i'm reusing yeast. my AG batches are even cheaper. if you're brewing extract, the difference may only be a few dollars because of the cost of extracts.
LHBS owner recommends kits to most people, because of the ease and the piece of mind knowing that you have "everything" you need. But he said that the first upgrade he usually recommends to people is not equipment, but rather upgrading the yeast. The stuff that comes with kits will work fine, but in his opinion, using the best yeast for what you're trying to make is half of the battle in going from a good tasting beer to a great one.
I'm a newb, so I can't speak from experience on it. I will say, however, that I'm going to regular ingredients instead of kits for my small batches, because I want to do short runs and experiment. For 5 gallon batches, until I have things dialed in right, or until I find a kit that I want as a launch point for experimenting, I will probably stick to kits.
LHBS owner recommends kits to most people, because of the ease and the piece of mind knowing that you have "everything" you need. But he said that the first upgrade he usually recommends to people is not equipment, but rather upgrading the yeast. The stuff that comes with kits will work fine, but in his opinion, using the best yeast for what you're trying to make is half of the battle in going from a good tasting beer to a great one.
I'm a newb, so I can't speak from experience on it. I will say, however, that I'm going to regular ingredients instead of kits for my small batches, because I want to do short runs and experiment. For 5 gallon batches, until I have things dialed in right, or until I find a kit that I want as a launch point for experimenting, I will probably stick to kits.
These are just some quick examples I worked up now. The majority might cringe if you see some of my more complicated examples in excel.
Case #1: 5% ABV amber ale
30.60 - Well known online retailer complete kit
25.98 - Exact same recipe buying ingredients separately (w/ bulk hops only at $1/oz):
21.79 - hops and dry extract in bulk, all other ingredients bought separately on regular site
Generally the higher IBU and ABV the more money you can save separately buying the ingredients. Another case to consider is the clone recipes. The cost of the kit on these is inflated due to all the work done on the store's part to create the recipe.
Case #2: Winter beer, higher ABV and IBU
39.60 - Online kit
33.37 - only hops in bulk, rest ordered separately
27.99 - hops and malt extract in bulk
Mainly you just have to decide which way fits how you brew. Personally, I have no interest in creating or editing recipes at this time. Also, (when I'm not slacking) I will brew about 15-20 gal/month. Cost is also a very important factor. So for me taking the time to input recipes from homebrewtalk and carefully consider my bulk purchases is worth the $5-$10 savings per recipe.
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