Homebrew and money
 

When I first posted this thread awhile back I was trying to explain how I would like to save money by homebrewing and not buying more commercial beer. Well I have thought it through and I have figured out that I will not save money by homebrewing. I love beer. All kinds (not BMC). I love homebrew, commercial brew, just good brew. I started homebrewing for the love of it but have realized that im not in this to save money (yes I would like to). I want all these brewing toys, and recipes and this and that have now see that im not going to save money. I do see myself spending less on other things because I want to use my money wisely on brewing

My main point im trying to make here is that I would like to save more money on beer (if I can), brew better beer to drink and have more homebrew around.

Whats your thoughts on this matter...?

- Brian

3 years of brewing and I still hit the bottle shop once or twice a month.

Brewing your own will not save you any money if you are realistic about the process and overhead. Many are not and justify ommitting certain factors to skew the result. Apples to Apples?

I only buy commercial now if there is some style I want to work on, or something super cool that I want to try. 7 taps keeps me pretty satisfied otherwise ;)

EDIT: And as for saving $$$, maybe if I love to be 176 years old I might break even. If I don't, I don't really care. I love brewing and love drinking what I make :D

It didn't take me long to realize that brewing is break even at best, depending on how many toys you buy.

I still buy commercial from time to time. Typically I'll do so when I have a hankering for an IPA and I don't have any of mine in stock.

Sounds like it's time to get "serious" about making good beer. Read and listen about all the topics you can that could improve your beer.

Buy clone kits or search for clone recipes of some of your favorite beers. Find a recipe that you really enjoy and make a ****-ton of it. For me that's Ed Wort's Robust Porter. I had a case drank before it was done bottle conditioning.

Do some 2.5 gallon batches to try some recipes you're not sure about, that way you don't end up with 2 cases of beer you don't care for.

Just some ideas.

I have found that since I started brewing my own I have bought a greater variety of beers at the store. I have no problem dropping $4 on a bottle of beer now where as in the past it would not even be considered. I buy in order to expand my beer experience and see what styles I like best then try to brew them. I suspect i will take a long time before it's cheaper to brew than buy but it's a lot more interesting to brew than buy a known thing.

I believe it is POSSIBLE to save money homebrewing, but not practical. A basic all-grain set-up for a couple hundred bucks and brewing on a regular basis you could break even within a year (obviously not counting the cost of time...). I have a couple thousand into my set-up (14.5 gallon Blichmann conical, 20 gallon Boilermaker kettle, 15+ glass carboys, etc.) so I my theoretical break even point is at least a decade away, and thats assuming I don't buy anymore toys. I brew at least 10 gallons a week, which means I'm giving plenty of beer to friends and family. It would be much cheaper for me to buy premium beer, but I just love this hobby too much. I wouldn't recommend homebrewing to anybody looking to save money. Thats my two cents.

About the only thing I save money on is Apfelwein. By the time I buy all the materials and pay myself for labor to make and store it-It's cheaper to go to the store.
I tell anyone that asks me about homebrewing, it's not about the cost-it's all about creating something yourself.

I orginally just brewed once in a while cause I thought it was fun and I reallly enjoyed the end product. Now I totally do it to save money. What I would normally spend on a couple six packs can get me enough ingredients to make 5 gallons of some great beer. The only time I spend money on commercial beer is when I want to try something special or to compare it side by side to one of my brews.

craigtube brews to save money.

Although I don't recommend this...