What does a case of beer cost you?

(In Canada you gotta be rich to be an alcoholic, or make your own)

Same situation in BC, crap is just under $2 and craft is just over $2.

I am gradually increasing my batch size and efficiency and can brew a Centennial Blonde for about 25 cents.
Saving over $1 a bottle and this whole thing will pay for itself in 3 years.... if I drink fast enough!

Tom

Lately I've been doing 4 gallon batches because I only have a small kitchen stove in an apartment, and I've been doing session-ish beers around 4.5% abv.

Don't have exact numbers in front of me, but my last sack of Marris Otter cost me a little under $70. So, 70/55 (lbs.)= 1.27/lb.

About 5 lbs. of base malt per recipe x 1.27= $6.35

Somewhere between 1 and 2 lbs of specialty malts at 2-2.50/lb. We'll say 1.5 lbs @ 2.25/lb.=$3.38

Usually about 1 oz. of hops (bulk EKG) ($14/8 oz=$1.75/oz) $1.75

One vial of WLP002 lasted me 6 batches with washing. One vial is $7/6= $1.17/batch

3 gallons of distilled water to round out my filtered city water=$3/batch

That adds up to $15.65/batch. Add a little tax, some small things like DME for a starter, one tsp of calcium chloride per batch, star san, etc, and that should still be $20 or less per 4 gallon batch.

About 40 bottles per 4 gallon batch/$20= .50/bottle. So about $12/case? I could brew cheaper of course, but I feel like I'm making craft level brew, and styles like English bitters and dark milds that don't make it over here. When craft beers are running $12/6 pack...I'm happy with that.

Here where I live in Newfoundland, Canada, the average beer (Bud Light, Coors, Molson Canadian, Budweiser, etc.) all have pretty close on the same price of $25 / dozen including taxes and bottle deposit. A 24 pack is roughly $50. Any craft brews range from $26 or $27 per dozen up to $30 per dozen. Some other local craft brews are sold at $7 for a 750ml bottle (that includes a $1.50 bottle deposit).

In comparison, when I make homebrew, it costs roughly $10 per dozen (lightly hopped ale), so I am definitely saving a lot of money by making my beer. If I make a highly hopped IPA, it would cost roughly $13 or $14 per dozen bottles.. Still saving me $10 per dozen when compared to the popular bud, coors, etc..

amiller said:

Here where I live in Newfoundland, Canada, the average beer (Bud Light, Coors, Molson Canadian, Budweiser, etc.) all have pretty close on the same price of $25 / dozen including taxes and bottle deposit. A 24 pack is roughly $50. Any craft brews range from $26 or $27 per dozen up to $30 per dozen. Some other local craft brews are sold at $7 for a 750ml bottle (that includes a $1.50 bottle deposit).

In comparison, when I make homebrew, it costs roughly $10 per dozen (lightly hopped ale), so I am definitely saving a lot of money by making my beer. If I make a highly hopped IPA, it would cost roughly $13 or $14 per dozen bottles.. Still saving me $10 per dozen when compared to the popular bud, coors, etc..

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I thought in Canada every resident was given a lifetime supply of Molson at birth.
Just like they get free healthcare, Ice skates, a Maples Leafs Jersey and the complete Filmography of Jim Carrey on VHS!

Decent homebrewed pale ales and IPAs (5 gal extract batches)here in the northeast cost 1/2 of what the stores charge. I will only buy store beer if the pipeline runs dry.
So, a case of craft beer here in store costs about $35.
A 5gal(2 cases) batch decent extract brew costs about $35.

all grain porter cost 50 dls for 5 gallons

In New Brunswick,Canada, it is 42$+ for a 24 of BMC. And at least 3$ per 500ml of craft beer.

I moved to Quebec last year and its 24-26$ for a 24 of BMC BUT the craft beer can be quite expensive. Typical range is 5-6$ per 500ml of craft beer

I make 3 gallon batch so, if I use tap water, and a pale ale recipe, it would cost me 40$. (yeast hops grain possible adjuncts etc...)

So If I compare my home made brew price to the craft beer in Quebec, I actually save a lot of money but not so much in NB.

I think the question of saving money is a matter of what you're making. You can't compete with the cost of BMC beers in a home brewing environment unless you're making large batches and are able to re-use your yeast many many times.

Now if you're making IIPAs all the time, then I think its quite reasonable to recoup your equipment cost and batch cost. Around me a good IIPA goes for about $1.25-1.50/12oz bottle.

To make a 10 gallon (100 bottle) batch, an approximate IIPA recipe would be:
22lbs base malt (in bulk about $1.25/lb) = $27.50
4lbs specialty malt ($2-3/lb) = $12
1lb hops (in bulk about $1.25/oz for brand name varieties) = $20
Yeast (2 packs plus 3L of starter beer)= $20
Misc supplies (fuel, water treatment, sanitizer, cleaners, co2, etc) = $10

That gives a very generous estimate of $90 for 100 bottles. To be fair making a beer like this is really equivalent to the $1.50/bottle stuff (although the home brew is probably even better), so you could say you're saving $60/4 cases.

I think its quite possible to cost optimize a beer like this by using dry yeast, or re-using yeast, or by using less expensive hops (although i think that defeats the purpose of making a killer IPA).

So I think its fair to say that the more you drink, the sooner you'll get your money back. Good logic, right?

I've spent far more in just the equipment this past year than I would have buying beer. I also drink much more than would if I were buying commercial beer.

My average cost per case is $15.84 or 66¢ per bottle. But if I added my standard hourly charge, the cost per case jumps to $426.96 or $17.79 per bottle.

Am I saving any money? Not a chance. It's a hobby, I brew because I enjoy it.

chawn said:

But if I added my standard hourly charge, the cost per case jumps to $426.96 or $17.79 per bottle.

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Would you eat out every night, because your meal cost based on time spent is too high?

MC

Misplaced_Canuck said:

Would you eat out every night, because your meal cost based on time spent is too high?

MC

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Poor analogy because I seldom cook, but I get your point. However, my point was that I brew because I enjoy it. If I brewed to save money on beer, then my time would most definitely be a factor.

Well here in NZ 24 bottles of BMC is going to set you back $50. A box of STD (the local equivalents being Speights, Tui or DB) is usually between $35-45 depending on specials (one of them is always on special).

Most batches for me run in at around $20-25, including 5kg (10lb) grain and 100g of hops (3 oz) and yeast (which I wash so working off 7 batches per pack).

Oh and USD is currently at about 70c to the NZD.

Cost of grain and fuel and re pitching yeast my beer is way cheaper and sometimes better than most commercial brews i can get. If I factor in time and the cost of equipment, its going to be more expensive than commercial beer. I like having hobbies, its fun to go to beer club and drink with other brewers, and I like brewing.
Cost isn't the driving force behind everything, or else I wouldn't go fishing, skiing, eat out, buy $20 sour beer, get a divorce, take pictures, road trips, concerts....

I live in Finland, so I'm gonna beat you all in the worst contest ever, at least until a norwegian comes along

24 pack of cheapest i could easily find, 25 euro's or about 26 dollars.
Decent Bottle of beer in the store(la trappe dubbel) 4 euro's for 33cl.

Guess why I homebrew?

5 gallon batch is about $1-1.25 lb for grains and the same per oz of hops. I reuse yeast so lets assume $2 per batch. Assuming 10 lb grain bill and 4 oz of hops, that costs about $17-18 for approx 50 - 12 oz bottles. Ingredients are about $8-9 per 24pk.

Most craft beers run $8-11 per 6 pack around here so around $40 per 24 pk.

I think comparing BMC cost with homebrew is way off. BMC is cheap to brew (3%) so cheap to buy. I would rather compare with a like beer.

My oat stout that i make all the time costs about 25$ if i buy yeast. That is for everything. Ingredients, caps, sugar, everything. I rarely buy yeast, so its more like 20$. This is for 45-50 bottles, so we will call it 2 cases.

A comparible oat stout i like is about $8.50 a six pack. Thats $34 a case. So for 2 cases (equal to my 5 gal batch) is around $68.

Now, if you really consider EVERYTHING into your homebrew, (water costs, starsan mix, propane, batteries, DME for starters) Its probably around $30 with buying yeast. Probably less. That is less than half of what you would by at a store. Plus, I do a lot to save money in my brews, so im mor at the $20-$22 range. Even if you do compare to a BMC, its like $17 a case, so $34. Still way cheaper.

chawn said:

Poor analogy because I seldom cook, but I get your point. However, my point was that I brew because I enjoy it. If I brewed to save money on beer, then my time would most definitely be a factor.

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I brew because i enjoy it, AND to save money. Time is not a factor in a hobby. Only in work. They ONLY way you could consider you time a cost in homebrew, is if you hated doing it, did not drink beer, and sold it.

My homebrew cost per bottle is pretty good. On a standard 5.5% beer

Caps 2$
Propane 7$
Ingredients 30$
Free MoreBeer Shipping

I have all the bottles.

48/39 = ~82 Cents per bottle.

Pyg said:

I thought in Canada every resident was given a lifetime supply of Molson at birth.
Just like they get free healthcare, Ice skates, a Maples Leafs Jersey and the complete Filmography of Jim Carrey on VHS!

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Who does this hoser think he is eh?!

Haha. That was good for a laugh! I'm just happy to know you don't think Jim is American.

Cheapest beer I could find at The Beer Store (one of two stores that sells beer in Ontario, and the cheaper of the two)

PBR, Maclays, or Old Milwaukee for 31.95 for 24 bottles.
Bud was 37.95 for 24 bottles
local craft beer from Muskoka Brewery 46.50 for 24 bottles.

My pale ale @5.7% would cost
9.90 10 lbs two-row
2.85 40 g Ahtanum
0.62 5 oz Carafoam
0.62 5 oz Crystal 60
3.99 1 ea US-05
1.56 54 bottle caps
0.77 5 oz Dextrose for priming
0.10 1 campden tablet
0.13 8.8 gals of tap water
0.088 per kWh of electricity ?
total
20.54 + electricity for 54 bottles
converted consumables cost for 24 bottles $9.12

I did not factor my time, and I did not factor in equipment, or star san (negligible, as I still have half a 4 oz bottle left to go after more than a year through mixing small amounts and reusing) and I didn't factor in my home made pbw cost.) but lets add the home made pbw cost per batch of 0.31 and the cleaning water for another 8.8 gallons at 0.13

20.54+0.13+0.31 =20.98 which gives me a 24 price of 9.32

I think I'm not doing too bad.

ok fine, I've made 65 gal of booze using 2 oz of a 4 oz bottle of starsan that cost 7.89 incl tax, so my per gal of booze starsan cost works out to about 0.06, so let's add .30 to the batch cost for starsan.

21.28, all in for consumables and yes that includes taxes. I'm not going to factor in electricity to run the lights while I brew

Slightly OT, but this makes me wonder if there is a correlation between price and the popularity of u-brew shops?

Here is Canada, there are brew it yourself places (extract but plenty of stainless) in every city (I would guess more than brew supply stores).

Is this just a price thing?
Besides the price, their pitch is "no additives to kill you like the big brewers"

Is this as popular in other countries?

Tom

there's no dedicated brewshops in finland except the biggest cities.

But most towns have a shop that'll have a homebrew shelf with buckets etc, probally some kits and a lot of horrible quickyeast products to make
"kilju" sugarwine... and yes, it does what you pronounce it in english....

Ontario beer prices are regulated with a minimum legal price. Everything goes up from there