RedOctober

Recipes 

I have always thought of brewing my own beer. Can anyone tell my how much a case of homemade beer would cost, vs. store bought? Assuming that the equipment is already paid for?

Pyrenus

Recipes 

An extract recipe "kit" would cost anywhere from $25 - $35 plus shipping. 2 cases of bottles (if you had to buy them) would cost around $24 + shipping, and $3 for a bag of caps. $12 for a capper.

Rough numbers that I remember.

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On Deck: Cream Ale, Hobgoblin, Pumpkin Ale, Apfelwein
Primary #1: NONE
Primary #2: Apfelwein
Bottled (10/18/08): Irish Red, Hefeweizen

BigKahuna

Recipes 

my last batch of Apfelwein costs $0.34 for 12 oz bottle.

equipment paid for....I figure I make beer for 1/2 price. A 6 pack of anything comparable is right at $10.00 and a batch usually ends up right at $20 to $30 since I went AG...and then there are all the tricks like yeast harvesting and bulk grain and hop purchases that can drop the price to around $13 - $15 a batch.

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flyangler18

Recipes 

The store bought (depending on what you like) will almost always be cheaper- but that's not exactly why we brew.

That said, I've gotten a couple recipes down to about $13/batch because I reuse my yeast and buy bulk grain/hops.

knowltonm

Recipes 

I've seen kits for more than that, usually 35 or 40 but I'm sure it varies by where you are, since I've gone all grain the cost is down to about 25-30. Now that I'm re-using yeast from previous batches, less than $20 depending on hops. When you get processes down and your beer starts improving, you'd probably have to spend $50-$60 for the same quality store-bought.

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Primary: 20 min IPA (14oz cascade/5gal), partigyle pale
Secondary: Mead
Bottled: Orange Cream Ale, Big Red Ale, RIS, American Stout, Nut Brown Ale, American Amber Ale, Brown Porter

Philip1993

Recipes 

If your only goal is cost savings, perhaps brewing ain't for you. True, I can beat the cost with AG batches and yeast reuse, but there's a whole lot of blood, sweat, and tears that goes into making a great keg of homebrew. There's no way I'd go through all that just to save a few $$$.

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BigKahuna

Recipes 

Per case or per batch?
I get usually right at 48 bottles per batch...2 cases.
and at $10 per 6 pack for anything good around here...that's like...$80 worth of beer. BMC is definitely cheaper...Old Milwaukee is cheaper yet...and the grocery store still has "White Can Black Letter BEER" for about a dollar a 6 pack.

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RedOctober

Recipes 

This sounds like a really cool hobby. I was wonder what you guys thought about kegging instead of bottling?

Is it best to start out with the bottles?

Can I start with 200 dollars or less?

How much space will it take up?

How long does it take for a batch?

How many batches will I have to throw away due to stupid mistakes?

I have more lol, but I dont want you guys to get too mad at me.

BigKahuna

Recipes 

Bottling is like brewers penance. I think everyone should start there. Kegging can be started for around $150 but you'll need a spare refrigerator, so space is a concern.
$200 will get you about 2 extract kits and equipment to brew them.
To start...you'll need a corner in the closet...in time....have you seen Ed's brew hut?
You'll need to devote about 3 hours to your first batch...it gets faster...then about 14 days in fermentor, then another 3 to 6 weeks or longer in bottles.
If you slow down, keep your head out of your ass...hang out here...READ READ READ...I've never tossed a batch.

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BuffaloSabresBrewer

Recipes 

alot of us keg it rocks
yes
yes
as much or as little as you want corner of a room if your limited
you should start with extract and it will take a few hours on brew day, mostly cooling(sitting around) and then a few weeks to carbonate and age
none if you read and be smart this isnt that hard

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