Poll: What is your investment in homebrewing?

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Since I've started homebrewing I have spent:

  • < $100

  • < $500

  • < $1000

  • < $2000

  • < $5000

  • < $10000

  • < $20000

  • < $50000

  • < $100000


Results are only viewable after voting.

PupThePup

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How much money have you invested in homebrewing?

Be honest!

What is your most expensive piece of equipment?

(It would be interesting to note if there is any correlation between the amount invested and the quality of the brew. Quality would most likely be more related to years of experience as would the amount spent.)
 
Around $1,000 in equipment and where I am right now I can comfortably brew 11 gallon batches as often as I like and bottle the proceeds. If you look at the cost savings of the IPAs and stouts I brew versus buying a similar product at the store I am actually down to about $500 in total investment so far and that will go down to about $0 after another year unless I feel the need to upgrade any equipment (which I don't).
 
I have been hesitant to add it up. I started in November, and I am guessing that I am close to 2000 (excluding ingredients) with more to go. I still need a fermentation chamber (and keezer dispensing may get added). Hope to be done soon. And I am probably on the low side compared to all of the fancy builds that I see out there....but this hobby takes a lot of equipment.

I never did this to save money though. I needed a hobby...and this one seemed logical. Love it so far, and still cheaper than golf in the long run.

4 corny kegs
5 6.5 gallon carboys
1 5 gallon carboy
8 gallon brew kettle (5 gallon batches)
22 quart brew kettle (small batches indoors)
Camp Chef propane burner
wort chiller
CO2 regulator and 5 pound CO2 tank
bottling supplies (capper, cleaner, vinator, caps, brush, spring loaded dispenser)
corny attachments and hoses
cleaning and sanitizer supplies
autosiphon (large and small)
wine thief
stoppers / airlocks / mesh bags / o-rings for cornys /
stainless spoon
stainless colander
spray bottles
Carboy handles / Carboy carriers
Bottling Bucket and spigots

On order:
Barley Crusher
Yeast stirrer with flask
Drill for barley crusher
 
I'm somewhere under $5k. I've never actually thought to stop and add it up. It wasn't all in one shot, like any hobby a little bit here, a little bit there. Quality isn't necessarily equal to the amount spent. Proper technique and sanitation is a must and will go much farther in producing quality beer than expensive equipment. You can buy the most expensive sports car out there - if you don't know how to drive stick or corner properly, you're going to get beat by the better driver. Likewise, you can make crappy, off-flavored beer using a Sabco.

If I had to pick the single largest expense to-date, I'd say it was switching to kegging. A dozen kegs, building a keezer and the associated tap system, and the fact that it made my bottles and bottling supplies surplus. (Although I did find a buyer for them on craigslist.) That said, it was arguably the best process improvement I could have made - eliminating the effort of dealing with many cases of bottles. Over time, it has paid for itself.
 
I'm at <$500 but only because I'm doing extracts right now. I've probably only spend around $200 on equipment in TOTAL! However I plan on doing all grain soon and I've slowly been collecting the few extra additions that I need. Also, I don't keg and don't plan on it because I like to put my beer in bombers, champange bottles, and those fancy Belgian bottles with the corks!

What I have for about $200

1 6.5 glass carboy
1 6.5 fermenting bucket
1 borrowed 5.5 gallon glass carboy
1 3 gallon SS kettle
2 spray bottles. 1 for Star San, 1 for Water
1 Thermometer
1 hydrometer
1 flask for hydrometer readings
3 or 4 bungs
3 or 4 airlocks
1 bottling bucket
1 bottling wand
3 or 4 filter bags/muslin bags/ strainers
1 capper
1 (crappy) wine thief (it's to short for my 6.5 carboy)
lots of caps
3 brushes of various sizes for cleaning
Sanitizer
autosiphon
72 quart converted coleman xtreme cooler for 10+ gallon batch mash tun (the cooler was a gift, the hardware I bought)

Things I got for free through reuse:
1 1 gallon glass jug (for yeast starters and small brews)
2 1/2 gallon glass jugs (yeast starters)
All my bottles
Eye Dropper for saving yeast

Things that I need to buy to go all grain:
stir plate (I'll build mine)
15 gallon kettle (looking for a sanke or the boilermaker)
wort chiller
propane burner and attachments
1 or 2 more fermenting buckets
mash paddle (I'll try to make this as well)


I may be missing a few things for what I need to go AG but I'm getting equipment for 10+ gallon batches so that I don't have to upgrade in the future. Plus I may buy pumps to make the lautering process and the moving of wort easier but that would be a luxury that will have to wait!
 
I guess if we're not talking ingredients, just "stuff" related to brewing, I'm probably around 2 grand. I built a keezer last spring, that when all was said and done, probably cost me around a grand for everything. By brewing system is really pretty ghetto- Turkey fryer and cooler for outdoors, and I also do indoor stovetop small batch ag brewing often too. But I just have accumulated a lot of "stuff" over the years, to aid in my process, and made a bunch of things.

I have probably a dozen fermenters of various sizes for instance. I have a 5 gallon oak barrel. I have a refractometer, I have probably a half dozen or more thermometers, 3 hydrometers....I have three autosiphons. I have three ebay temp controllers, one on my keezer and two wired modules for temp control of fermenters (and even when I cook sous vide) I even have a couple coffee urns that I use when I'm doing stove top ag to heat strike water that I got from the salvation army, that sometime I'm going to turn it into a small batch rims or herms system.

For years I always bought brewing stuff for myself for Christmas....But this year I couldn't really come up with anything that I felt like I really needed or had to run out an get, though I want a floor corker for wine and champagne bottles and probably down the line a ph meter, (but I haven't played with PH in all these years, so it's not a priority.)

Actually this year my gifts to myself have been all Chracuterie related; a bunch of little odds and ends to cure meat and make sausage, I just for example picked up from Granger on my way to work a humidity controller, just like an ebay temp controller but it fires a humidifier when it reaches a certain set point. I also bought a cheap ultrasonic humidifier to hook up to it, and a hygrometer. Plus a bunch of plumbing parts and a larger aquarium pump for a cold smoker.
 
Equipment only - about $1700. This includes plumbing on my porch for a sink, wooden stand with 2 burners and a cooler tun. And my newest addition - a fermentation chamber big enough for 3 carboys.

Ingredients = another $1000

34 batches so far. With enough grain and hops for 6 or 7 more.
 
$3.36/sixer marginal
$8.79/sixer fully-loaded

Which means I need to amortize those fixed costs a little better. (aka, brew more, buy less)
 
I thought I was doing pretty good at just under $500, which includes a keggle that's only used a few times a year, a mill, and a few gifts. But then I rememered my 17 fermenters and had to tack on another $350. With some incidentals like tubing and hydrometers that get replaced from time to time I'm sitting at about a grand.
 
I'd say around 2 grand..I have a couple chest freezers (lager and fermenting), a kegerator w/ 10 kegs and all the hardware for a two tap system. I have a bunch of plastic buckets and better bottles for fermenting. A keggle and burner and with all the other odds and ends, mash tun, a couple SS kettles etc. I would say around $2000..Maybe a bit more.
 
These all sound like very wise investments

Give a man a beer and he will drink for a day. Teach a man to brew and he will drink for a lifetime. -- Confucius

:D
 
Since I've started back in January 2010, I've spent $3657.07 in equipment and non-ingredient related things. (Not counting shipping to comps/comp entry fees.)

My average ingredient cost is $27.66 over my last 20 batches - and I've done 61 batches. So around $1700 in ingredients (probably more for those earlier extract brews).

So if we were counting ingredients, I would be around $5300 in the past three years.
 
According to what I tell the wife, around 1k in reality much much more. Im afraid to add it up
 
I would have to guess about $800, but that would be including one thing new (I cracked a carboy a while back, had to buy a new one). Everything else was second-hand.

My best deal was a Corney key with a 20# CO2 tank, regulator and all tubing for $100.
 
In equipment? Probably between $500-1000.

2 burners
4 brewpots
cooler mashtun
8 carboys
2 cornys
kegging system
2 hydrometers
3 thermometers
2 autosiphons
theif
several bottlecappers
avinator
tree
various other knick-knacks

That's stuff off the top of my head...I'm at work so hard to give a better estimate than that.
 
Maybe under 2k. 2 10g pots, 10g igloo cooler, 2 6.5 carboys, 2 5g carboys, 1 6g carboy, stirplate, Kegging setup, 6 kegs, grain mill, 5g pot, and ok maybe <3k
 
Sheesh these <50,000 guys are really making me feel good(and bad now that I think about it) for being in the <5000 camp..


My 4 tap keezer and 6 kegs are easily my biggest expense. Beyond that I have a frugal set up. I should add that I am including ingredient cost.
 
Well I guess I'm in the minority here (in the comments at least). I'm well over $5k in just the last 2 years. That doesn't include ingredients either. My keggles are the most expensive things I have bought. I had them welded and shipped for about $650 for all 3. Then my fancy kegerator and fermentation chamber and my add-on HERMS. It's just a couple hundred bucks here, three hundred bucks there. What really adds up is all of the little pieces: camlocks, stainless fittings, bulk heads, jam nuts, faucets, ball locks etc.

Then it seems every time I head to the LHBS i end up spending $30 in random parts that I couldn't live without. Last time it was a fermentap aerator and fine mesh bags for $22.

I have an awesome wife who lets me induldge because I don't ask too many questions about how much money she spends on her craft room. It's a fine agreement for both of us.
 
I have spent around $300-$350 of my own money for brewing equipment. Since I started brewing 3-1/2 years ago, people/family give me money or buy gift certificates for brewing, so I spend that on any addition equipment and ingredients. I have a very basic set up because my objective was to brew good beer as cheaply as possible, and I have succeeded in doing that. I have used gift money almost exclusively the past two years for everything, so I guess you could say that I brew for free! Who can argue with free beer :mug:!

BTW I usually brew twice a month, mostly 6 gallon batches with the occasional double batch thrown in there.
 
I marked a grand, but that's not counting the MIG welder or MLT/HLT coolers that got scraped for real pots. I should change my vote to less than $3000, oops.
 
Couldn't really say for sure--I've been brewing for nearly ten years and have at various times given away a bunch of equipment and repurchased. I'd say the replacement value of my current equipment isn't more than $1000. You don't really need more equipment to get better beer, although a few things (temp control for fermentation, mashtun configuration for AG brewers) are worth spending money on to get right, IMO.

It's like with most hobbies--you can spent as much as you like, but it's not really necessary. I still ride the same road bike I bought 12 years ago for $800, and there's nothing better than cruising past someone on a $6000 carbon beauty on a steep hill...sure, I might be able to ride a little faster with a newer/lighter bike, but I still do OK with my old aluminum Novara.
 
Just a quick note about poll options, If I had spent no money at all, I could choose any of the above options and still be accurate. Include the bin ranges you would most likely want. :)

I would also request a negative range for the money that I've actually saved by brewing at home. I know that if I were spending $12-$15 on each bottle of wine or however much a good cider costs, I'd be way over the cost of my equipment and supplies easily; assuming the same rate of consumption.
 
Some good replies. I think it gives a general idea as to what is common expenditure/equipment for homebrewing.

Now I'm jealous. I'd like to know what equipment some of the upper end folks have!

There's no shame in the responsible expenditure of money!

Keep 'em coming!
 
a LOT (probably about $4-5k):

15G BoilerMaker w/ Hop Blocker and Whirlpool Valve (BK)
10G Rubbermaid Cooler w/ False Bottom and Ball Valve (MT)
15G Aluminum Pot w/ Electric Heat (HLT)
Blichmann Burner w/ Leg Extensions
Standard Burner w/ Home Built Platform
4 20lb Propane Tanks
All tubing 1/2" Hi-Temp Silicone with Female Polysulfone Disconnects
All Equipment has Male Polysulfone Disconnects
Sparge Ring
Brew Utility Cart
March Pump (hot pump)
Utility Pump (cooling water circuit)
Therminator
20 cu ft O2 tank w/ Regulator
Sintered Stainless Stone for In-line Aeration
2 14.8 cu-ft Chest Freezers w/ Ranco 2-stage temp controllers
4 6.5G buckets
3 6G better bottles
1 6.5G glass carboy
4 Carboy Caps
8 Airlocks
2 Thermowells
3 Racking canes (1/2", 5/16", mini)
5 2L Erlenmeyers
20lb CO2 tank w/ premium reg
5lb CO2 tank w/ premium reg
7 corny kegs
6 sets of Keg Disconnects
All premium thick walled gas and beer lines for 5 kegs
O-Clamp Tool and Clamps
Barley Crusher w/ Refurbished Drill
4 5G Paint Buckets (many, many uses)
1 2G Paint Bucket


Not to mention all of the pieces that I forgot or were bought before these and have little to no use anymore.
 
I'm including both of the dispensing systems in my <$1000. Just brewing equipment, it's probably more like $200.
 
assuming the same rate of consumption.

Hah! It's definitely not the same rate of consumption. If I have cases or kegs of homebrew around they go quick, but I guard the few bottles of commercial stuff since I hardly buy beer anymore.

Of my own money I've definitely spent under $1,000 on equipment, about half of that on a keezer. But I've easily spent $1,000 on ingredients over the past two years and more with gift cards or gifts.
 
Equipment only, I guess less than $3500, probably more spent on ingredients though. For close to 40 years it isn't too much averaged out.
 
Most expensive single item? Well, that would be the initial purchase. The morebeer starter kit.

After that, the most expensive single item would be the Blichmann plate chiller.

Best investment after the initial purchase? Again, the Blichmann plate chiller. Couple hundred bucks, but well worth it. I've used the cheaper ones and they don't have the cooling power and they move around like a jumping bean when in use.
 
I probably have around $2500+ in equipment and I brew 10.5 gal batches. With all the overhead (electricity, gas, water, ingredients) and amortization of the equipment, I brew for around $1.10/pint per year.
 
To much and counting.......:mug:

I think brewing is worse than gambling. I started brewing in hopes of saving money on buying beer.....bad move.
 
One point I forgot to mention before, upgrading along the way will cost you more money. If you really want that better boil kettle, or that whatever cool gadget, spend the extra money upfront and be done with it, IMO.
 
One point I forgot to mention before, upgrading along the way will cost you more money. If you really want that better boil kettle, or that whatever cool gadget, spend the extra money upfront and be done with it, IMO.

That's exactly how I feel and the reason I'm still doing extract batches. :rockin: I could go ahead and drop about 200 dollars to get the cheapest items I need to make the jump to AG, but I know that I'll have to upgrade in a year or two to be at the place that I want to be and therefore would loose out on soo much money. I'm just saving my money for about 6 months - 1 year and then going to splurge on all the items that I know will last forever and be what I need them to be for 10+ gallons of beer!

And whoever said they have spent close to 100,000 in equipment I call bull**** unless you are doing micro-brewing commercially. :mug:
 
I'm still using the original 34qt enamel stock pot & plastic fermenter I bought 25 years ago when I started with extract kits. Along the way I added carboys, a wort chiller (originally $25!) various other pieces & parts, and eventually upgraded to all-grain via a converted Coleman cooler and keggle. I think I still have less than $1000 invested, if you exclude the 10-12 cases of bottles I accumulated from drinking commercial craft brew.

Single biggest expense was a Craigslist chest freezer ($175) and a chugger pump (which I received as a Christmas gift, so it was technically free--except my wife bought it with my money.) Amortized over the life of my hobby, $40/yr doesn't sound so bad.
 
And whoever said they have spent close to 100,000 in equipment I call bull**** unless you are doing micro-brewing commercially. :mug:

Have a look at the 'Backyard Brewpub' and some of the other projects in the DIY Projects and you'll see why!:rockin:
 
Just counted it up (shouldn't have done that)... ~$1700.
Just last month alone I spent over $650 in pots, pump, and SS hardware (I like shiny things :) ).
I think I'm gonna walk out to my garage, uh brew-pub and have a cold one.
 
Well my wife say's I voted in the wrong amount and should be in the 10K section. Brew Troller is my Most $$$ pice of equipment and I don't have it setup. I have two systems and 2 BT setups
I have 3 pumps at 290 each (B&G way quiter than chugged or marsh)
In the last two months I have spent 550 on brewing ingredients
If hops are on sale you buy extras Right!!!
 
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