So,,,,,how much will I save

I pay $6 for a tall glass of Hefe at the local brewery in my city. I feel it's worth it. Yum. If I learn to brew my own what can I expect a tall glass to cost me once I have all my equipment down? Just curious.

some online vendors claim to have kits for ".50 cents a beer" basic basic stuff.. thats obviously not including cost for equipment... It can be really "cheap" or really expensive when you starting getting into imperials, etc.

*Laughs uproarioulsy* Ah, the naivety of the new brewer...

Don't even think that this is something that you can save money on....

I probably spend MORE on commercial micros of an expensive nature since I started homebrewing....it's called research.

Especially hanging out on here, you read about so many interesting beers that you just have to try. You want to brew a new style, so you have to try a bunch of different versions. You want to make a clone of something so you have to keep buying to try to nail it. You have a full pipeling, with 3-4 beers drinkable, but you just happen to be in the mood for a double chocolate bourbon jalapeno porter, so you drop 12 bucks for a bomber of it.

When you start brewing your beery horizons broaden so much, you really can't escape buying beer.

(Heck, I'm getting a feel for the bock style of beer, and looking at brewing one, in one weeks I bought 3 different sixers of it, one of them was 14.00 for the six- Bell's Celebrator Dopplebock.)

Not to mention new shiny brewing toys, ingredients, yeasts, books, magazines, and whatever else I can do it.

You can't escape it. You're gonna be buying gear, ingredients AND beer.

5 gallon kits are $20-$50

40 pints in 5 gallons.

Revvy is right though. It's like being on crack. Just racked my 15th gallon and I'm only 3d weeks in....

Yeah, just put those thoughts of saving money right out the window. That's simply not going to happen.

The way I explain it to my wife...lol...is that it averages 12 bucks for a 4-6 pack of micro brew from the local liquor store. That's 48 bucks for 24 (a case) that's 96 bucks for 2 cases which is basically what I brew for around 30 bucks. Although the equipment off-sets those figures but she doesn't need to know that part...lol.

Yeah, the 2 great myths:
1. I'll save a lot of money
2. I'll stop drinking commercial beer.

LandoLincoln said:

Yeah, just put those thoughts of saving money right out the window. That's simply not going to happen.

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Yeah.

It's technically possible, but I don't think anyone in the history of brewing has actually pulled it off.

There's just too many cool toys out there.

Hell, if I stopped buying gear right now (not gonna happen) I would still probably have to brew 200 more 5 gallon batches before I hit the break even point compared to buying microbrews from the store. If I did the math right now, including gear and ingredients, well, let's just say I don't want to do the math.

This is why I'm stuck on Apfelwein now. I will start the beer again soon, so I fear I am doomed!

Frank99 said:

Yeah, the 2 great myths:
1. I'll save a lot of money
2. I'll stop drinking commercial beer.

Click to expand...

I have almost completely stopped drinking commercial beer. Every other week or so I'll stop and buy a single bottle of something that I'm planning on brewing, a "calibrator". Verdict: NOT A MYTH

You probably could save money doing this, but only well after you stop upgrading the system. I'm at that point now. I'd say I save a lot of money compared to buying. VERDICT: MYTH IN THE SHORT TERM, TRUE FOR THE LONG RUN

Dude. Before I got in to this, I drank maybe a beer a day in the summer. Less in winter.

Now, I've spent a ridiculous amount of money on equipment and ingredients, and have invested an even more ridiculous amount of time on this hobby.

I now drink more beer than I ever did. And it's expensive! Hell, even tonight I stopped at the beer store and picked up a 24 of craft brew. I'm concerned I might be turning in to a full-blown alcoholic. Seriously! But man, it's a delicious addiction.

To answer your question: You'll save nothing. You'll spend more.

I don't recall the prophet that said this, but it is right on: "Homebrewing to save money on beer is like buying a fishing boat to save money on fish."

Its plenty possible to save money. I still use the same equipment kit I started with 2+ years ago and the only upgrade I have made is a turkey frier that I got at a yardsale. You don't have to go all out in this hobby but some people do and they probabily don't need to save money.
If you don't get carried away with upgrades and pretty shiny kettles, kegs and whatever it is very possible. I spend about $70 a month on ingredients and that averages out to about $12 a case. Hell a case of bush is $17 so tell me I'm not saving money.

And beer/brewery t-shirts, pint glasses, cool bottle openers, hats, beer taps (whether or not you keg), beer mirrors, brewiana from old breweries, at least one glass for EVERY style of beer out there including every one for Belgian beers, tattoos if you're inclined that way, hop bines, obscure scientific instruments for harvesting/growing yeast, storage things for all your beer gear and collectables, tools so you can make some beer gear of your own, as well as more storage, plane tickets to travel to breweries, more luggage to bring back beer swag and beers you can't get at home, a second home or at least some sort of a brewshed or man cave, scrap metal to make your own brew stand, foods you never tried before to pair with your beers, your own set of pots, pans, knives and other cooking gear because you're also going to become a gourmet cook since your pallete has been refined, a smoker since beer and smoked meat goes together, a new computer to better surf homebrewtalk, sausage making and cheese making kits, since you started reading those other forums on here, and not to mention, a lawyer to help with the divorce when your wife can't take it anymore.

Have I missed anything gang?

Welcome to the obsession.

Revvy said:

And t-shirts, pint glasses, cool bottle openers, hats, beer taps (whether or not you keg), beer mirrors, brewiana from old breweries, at least one glass for EVERY style of beer out there including every one for Belgian beers, tattoos if you're inclined that way, hop bines, obscure scientific instruments for harvesting/growing yeast, storage things for all your beer gear and collectables, tools so you can make some beer gear of your own, as well as more storage, plane tickets to travel to breweries, more luggage to bring back beer swag and beers you can't get at home, a second home or at least some sort of a brewshed or man cave, scrap metal to make your own brew stand, foods you never tried before to pair with your beers, your own set of pots, pans, knives and other cooking gear because you're also going to become a gourmet cook since your pallete has been refined, a smoker since beer and smoked meat goes together, a new computer to better surf homebrewtalk, sausage making and cheese making kits, since you started reading those other forums on here, and not to mention, a lawyer to help with the divorce when your wife can't take it anymore.

Welcome to the obsession.

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Dude...I think you need to see a support group

I figure the the time I have in playing with recipies, upgrading my rig, reading
endless threads on fine tuning techniques, I figure it costs about $50.00 per pint !
Gotta Love it though.

passedpawn said:

I have almost completely stopped drinking commercial beer. Every other week or so I'll stop and buy a single bottle of something that I'm planning on brewing, a "calibrator". Verdict: NOT A MYTH

You probably could save money doing this, but only well after you stop upgrading the system. I'm at that point now. I'd say I save a lot of money compared to buying. VERDICT: MYTH IN THE SHORT TERM, TRUE FOR THE LONG RUN

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+2 Once you max out your system for the long haul, you will save money. I'm at that point myself. I haven't bought any commercial beer for well over a year (except a couple beers here and there from the local pub) It might take a couple years to recoup your investment. But eventually you will be money ahead. It takes a commitment to reach that level though. If you only want to brew a handful of 5-gallon batches a year, you are better off not spending money on expensive equipment. Your beer will be more expensive on a small scale, but if your not brewing that much it doesn't make a big difference. If you've really gotten into the hobby and you know you will continue to brew on a regular basis, upgrade your system to the point that will minimize time spent and maintain a steady pipeline and you've got it made.

Revvy said:

And t-shirts, pint glasses, cool bottle openers, hats, beer taps (whether or not you keg), beer mirrors, brewiana from old breweries, at least one glass for EVERY style of beer out there including every one for Belgian beers, tattoos if you're inclined that way, hop bines, obscure scientific instruments for harvesting/growing yeast, storage things for all your beer gear and collectables, tools so you can make some beer gear of your own, as well as more storage, plane tickets to travel to breweries, more luggage to bring back beer swag and beers you can't get at home, a second home or at least some sort of a brewshed or man cave, scrap metal to make your own brew stand, foods you never tried before to pair with your beers, your own set of pots, pans, knives and other cooking gear because you're also going to become a gourmet cook since your pallete has been refined, a smoker since beer and smoked meat goes together, a new computer to better surf homebrewtalk, sausage making and cheese making kits, since you started reading those other forums on here, and not to mention, a lawyer to help with the divorce when your wife can't take it anymore.

Have I missed anything gang?

Welcome to the obsession.

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Man, I didn't realize I needed a t-shirt, a plane ticket and a divorce to brew beer.

I'm different than most home brewers. I got a process (brew in a bag) down, I can make pretty good beer within a fairly defined window of styles (nothing too big), and now I just churn out 50 beers at a time for $20 - $25. With 3 kids I don't have time to experiment (experiment=buying lots of new gear).

My equipment cost me $150 bucks, and I've made up that money by now.

I just can't make a 12% RIS.

I still buy my share of commercial brew, but much less than a year ago.

If you can control your urge to get that "one last thing I really need to make my brewing super awesome" then definitely, no matter what country and liquor tax laws you are besieged by, you'll save money. The trap is that you always find something new that will save you time, or make things easier, or is just cool....

For what it's worth, I've not purchased a single bottle/can of commercial beer in almost 7 months now, with the exception of a glass or two at a restaurant every now and then. I spend roughly $15 (canadian) to make 50-60 bottles of beer, and therefore I drink more than I used to.

If I could just stop buying new cool things like kegerators and such, I could really justify it all. But in the end, I call it a hobby as well and since it fits two aspects, it's worth it. I save money on actual beer expenses and get cool DIY knowledge on things like metallurgy and electrical work, while getting to drink my own beer which has been FAR better than the commercial swill I was drinking before.

All in all, it's different than I expected, but it's full of win!

Revvy said:

Bell's Celebrator Dopplebock

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Consecrator. Celebrator is Ayinger's. which is a fantastic beer. so is Consecrator. but not as good as Celebrator.

I've been brewing for 3 years and i'm still in the hole! don't do it for cost savings, do it for the great beer and the wonderful hobby it is

revy preach on man...heck im not even married and i could smell divorce... lol jk but its a true passion that if really heart felt, placing a dollar amount on it is absurd.. your always going to want to do better than your last...sometimes that means spending a few extra bucks here and there...just dont think about it..lol

Not sure about US, but here in Canada one will save considerable amount in long run because booze is so expensive here. How about $40 for 24 pack of Molson lager. I not even talking craft beer here, that stuff sells for $5-15 per bottle and its mostly come from US since craft brewing almost non-existent here. I used to spend $150-200 on beer per month, now days I just get 5 x 55 lbs of malt from local malster for $130 which last me almost a year if brew 5 gal every other weekend. I biab and don't planning to upgrade equipment anytime soon. And I stoped purchasing commercial beer because its taste like water compare to my homebrew. Buy bulk, reuse yeast and you will save some in long run once you overcome the urge to drop some cash on next piece of hardware

Sent from GT-I9100M

Cheaper than a psychiatrist!!

Pulled this from a random google result...

Our Current Fee Schedule:
New evaluation 60-75 minutes............................................$350
Follow up visit 30 minutes..................................................$175
Brief Medication Check 20 minutes......................................$118
Physician document review/preparation...............................$350/hr prorated
Record copying/sending (electronic)...................................$25
Record copying/sending (hard copy)...................................$35
Telephone visit (scheduled or urgent).................................$350/hr prorated
Late cancellations or no shows...........................................$100
Psychotherapy.................................................................$300/hr prorated

Heck, I can make 5 gallons of pale ale for the cost of "record copying/ sending (hard copy)!"

I agree with all the threads. I think if you went by pure cost alonel(maybe if you stick to the plastic buckets, and never replace them).....never fine tune your process or buy brew gadgets. if you add in the time and reseach and forget it. Its fun, gratifying to make something, dissappointing at times. I still think its cheaper than golf.

You might not end up saving any money, but your liver will sure as heck get a workout.

I started this as a hobby. I don't know if I will save anything or not. I seriously doubt I will save a dime. I'm almost positive it will cost more than it saves.

wvlheel said:

I'm different than most home brewers. I got a process (brew in a bag) down, I can make pretty good beer within a fairly defined window of styles (nothing too big), and now I just churn out 50 beers at a time for $20 - $25. With 3 kids I don't have time to experiment (experiment=buying lots of new gear).

My equipment cost me $150 bucks, and I've made up that money by now.

I just can't make a 12% RIS.

I still buy my share of commercial brew, but much less than a year ago.

Click to expand...

I'm kind of in the same position. I have 2 kids and my time is very limitted. Not to mention that I'm a stay-at-home Dad and we live off of my wife's income (all by choice.)

Almost all the equipment I have I got for b-days, X-mas, or father's day. I think I've only forked out about $40 to build a Son of Fermentaion Chamber and I rarely buy commercial beer anymore. The beer I used to buy costs $12 to $18. Now, I brew about a case for that much.

E

I've never had anything short of a great time while brewing ... worth every penny

at $6 a glass you will save if that is all you make. i can tell a difference if i am drinking home brew vs going to the bar or buying beer. i dont buy a lot to taste, but know what i like and taste a lot from friends and LHBS. i have rolled the dice and been happy with recipes from here, and have been let down. in the end brew if you want to make your own beer and are not afraid to have a sh!ty batch once in a while. in the long run i think i am saving some and know i am drinking better beer....

Well, I'm pretty new still, but this is the way I see it...

The actual homebrewing itself is a hobby. So far, I'm enjoying it greatly. It isn't a business venture meant to turn a profit, it's just something for fun. The result, however, is an added bonus, something that if I were to go buy myself would be dramatically more expensive.

To me, I'm saving money and additionally have a hobby I enjoy. Two separate things that just happen to coincide

I'm not trying to justify anything, (and my fiancee doesn't mind at all, as long as she gets to reap the benefits!), I just figure this is how it is. If I really did want to save money though, I could probably find a way to do so.

Wow, long diatribe for my first post. Guess I better post an introduction somewhere

Kosch

I'm pretty new also.

One tip I can give to the new brewer is buy a large bottle of StarSan. I must have bought 4 of those little 5oz. bottles before I got wise and bought a bigger bottle.

Similar thing for Oxyclean. I used to buy a small packet of that PBW stuff for every brew day. I probably bought 10 of those little packs for $1.95 each. Then after reading a topic here I bought 1 large container of Oxyclean (which works just as good if not better than PBW) for 12 bucks and I've hardly put a dent in the bucket.

Yea, believe me when I say you won't save anything.

Ingredient Kit: $30-40 each
Basic brewing kit: $115-130
Additional fermentors (cause who just has one?!?!): $10 each
Bottles: $0-15/case
Keg setup: 150-250
Bottle tree w vinator: 50-60
Misc (autosiphon, starsan, theif, airlocks, Irish moss, that little doodad you need, etc): $$$$$
Deep freezer: 50-500
Stuff to turn deep freeze into kegerator: 120ish
Decent big SS kettle: 100-300
Turkey Fryer w big aluminum pot: 50
10g mash tun: 40-60
Grains: 1.50/pound
Etc
Etc

However, you will certainly save some money, cause you won't be able to afford those $6 beers.

Good luck and welcome to the addiction

I'll go against the grain here.

I drink less beer than I used to. I now spend more time making it and tending to it, than drinking it. I used to go out every night and get 3-5 pints, that's dwindled down a good bit.

I've actually lost about 18 lbs since I started brewing.

My cost per pint is about $0.35. I have pretty much stopped buying new equipment and I stick with what I have. That's the idea there: Quit buying new sh*t!

M_C

I didn't know much about beer before I started doing this. I went to a couple beer fests with some 'beer snob' friends and it started to open my eyes to more than Miller Lite.
I bought a simple pot, 2 Glass carboys, and extract kits and it slowly became an obsession. I am on my 3rd iteration on equipment in a year and a half of brewing.
I have learned so much from this hobby - sanitation, chemistry, TIG welding, soldering, fermentation, control systems, sewing(?!?), and patience.
I have spent a lot of money on tools and materials and software. I have 5 sankey kegs (future builds) and 6 Corny kegs, 6 tap Kegerator, pumps and chillers etc. - never ending.
But it is a very satisfying hobby if you like to work with your hands and building stuff.
Nothing more satisfying than coming home from work and pulling a pint from your tap of brew that you made. And it is fresh.
At some point I may need a support group.

If you are brewing your own to only save money on beer , it might be for the wrong reasons. Could turn out to be an expensive venture.

I probably have $1,500 into my homemade brewery and I don't know how many countless hours reading, planning, building and brewing much less drinking great beer.

It's a hobby. Just as bass fishing with a 30K boat and a 40K truck to haul it around.

It depends how tall that glass is.

For a short answer, I don't brew a whole lot. I've made 63 gallons this year. Price of those ingredients is $326.11. Average price per 12 oz bottle is $.49.

If you start brewing because it's a hobby you'd like to get into, then no, you will not save money. Hobbies are activities we enjoy doing and enjoy being a part of... for many reasons, but a lot of the time for no other reason than "it's fun". Not too many hobbies out there that will actually help you save money or make money. (unless you're a rare coin collector and re-seller or something)

Brewing because you want to save money, however, can absolutely be done. Since it's not a hobby and you're not in it just for the fun of it, you don't need, nor want, all the expensive toys. You can absolutely save a ton of money while consuming the same amount of beer. Just depends on how crappy your ingredients are (Madagascar bourbon vanilla bean or Walmart's True Value imitation vanilla) and how ghetto your setup it (stainless steel conical fermenter or random 2 liter Coca-Cola bottles).

Think of it like this. Often times people see a sale and immediately think they're going to save money. "Buy 12 bottles of Pepsi, get 4 bottles free!!!". I only really wanted to buy one $3 bottle, which is more than enough for me. But... if I spend $36, I get 4 bottles for free!

Did I save money? Some will say yes, some will say no. Sure, if I were planning on buying 12 bottles to begin with, perfect. Or maybe in the long run, if I can manage to drink those 12 before they go bad. And buying those 12 will just entice me to drink more than what I was planning on drinking in the first place! But in my eyes, spending $33 more than what I was planning on spending is not saving money, REGARDLESS of what I get in return.

So, if you have that $6 beer once in a while, it may not be worth it to you to spend a couple hundred on a setup, plus $30 on ingredients for 5 gallons if you weren't really planning on drinking that amount anyway...