Brewing Cost Cutting Methods

In another thread there are ideas of cost cutting methods that many feel are in the extream. That in the end the final product will not be good.

This thread is the opposite. What are ways to cost cut/cut corners that will not deter from a quality product. With all of the folks out there who are on a strict budjet seems they need an answer to "How can I do this cheaper?" It seems we need a thread to give them some resources... perhaps we can put this on a FAQ? Remember... these are methods that you know will give a good brew.



I'll start

When you guys convinced me to make a yeast starter I obviously went to my books and searched everything I could on them since I had never made one before. In one of them it was saying that you could take that yeast starter and use half for your batch. Then add more fermentables to the starter so that it builds up again. You can then keep feeding it till you need it. Has anyone done this before? I am assuming that you would have to want to make say one particular style of beer and not care to choose from the many strains that are out there. I am also guessing keeping things sanitary could be more difficult.


This is exactly what I do with my sourdough starter. I have a starter and I feed it every week till I need it (it would otherwise take 4 days pre plaining if I had not).

You could do that, but after some time yeast will start to mutate. I don't know how long that is, but you certainly can't keep it going indefinately like you can sourdough.

IMHO, the best way to save on yeast is to wash the trub from a batch. You can easily get 4 batches out of the first generation, then 4 more from each in the second generation. That's 16 plus the original, so seventeen batches out of one vial of yeast. Plus, the yeast will store well in the fridge, so you don't have to brew the same style over and over again.

I've started making a starter and splitting it into five or six batches that I store in the fridge. I only do this with liquid yeasts. Dry yeasts are cheap enough it isn't a problem.

The most obvious one is to spend hundreds of dollars on the gear to go all grain. Much cheaper by the batch, though.

Doing partial boils cuts your energy usage.

Growing you own flavor and aroma hops.

Dont wake up the yeast more than ten times. After that your yeast will decline rapidly. After about ten times the short bus yeast comes out. Just think rain man.