Are You Saving Money?

I just assume that all the costs for equipment and builds can be tacked onto the price of the very first batch of brew. All other brews simply cost the amount for the ingredients. So I pay less than 4 bucks per gallon.

That first brew though............MAN.....I hope it was really freaking good. That batch has run me about $400 per gallon so far.

ongreystreet said:

I am not a big gift person, don't like to celebrate birthdays, especially my own. But when these days come up, people are gonna get you gifts. So I just ask for brewing equipment, books, kits, or whatever. Better then getting a new shirt I'll never wear, and saves me a few bucks. If my wife gets me a kit for Christmas and my birthday, that's two batches a year that ain't coming out of my beer budget. (I might have to give up a box cigars to do this)

Plus it's a lot easier to ask for a new pot or book, then a case of beer.

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I am only just getting started in this hobby but for once in my life, I now have something I can ask for when my kids ask what I want for xmas or my birthday. My initial set-up was actually an early birthday present.

A question my son asked me and I don't really know....Can someone under 21 buy an extract kit. He said he wants to buy one for me for my birthday.

GeoGirl said:

I am only just getting started in this hobby but for once in my life, I now have something I can ask for when my kids ask what I want for xmas or my birthday. My initial set-up was actually an early birthday present.

A question my son asked me and I don't really know....Can someone under 21 buy an extract kit. He said he wants to buy one for me for my birthday.

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I don't see why not, most or all of the ingredients in beer can be bought and used separately for other purposes besides brewing.

I think buying the kits and making my own = saving money. I went to a beer brewing class and the teacher said brewing your own beer is half price. That seems about right to me. That is factoring in gas and water, but not factoring in my time. It takes a lot of my time, but as someone posted before, it is a fun hobby and hobbies take time.

I don't buy any six packs under $10 except Sierra Nevada and occasionally a Sam Adams mix pack or Noble Pils. So far my most expensive batch cost around $9 a sixer, so excluding equipment, I'm saving money

That is true. I might make 5 gallons of beer for 25-30 bucks and a 6 back of good beer will run me about 10-15$. When i buy beer for my house or just to have I will spend more per bottle. There is a store on the way home from work were they have single bottled beer from all over the place and ill load up with the good stuff probably once a month. Last time i was there i droped a little over 100 bucks for maybe 10 beers. BUT, they were worth it!

Suthrncomfrt1884 said:

I don't buy beer by the 12 pack anymore unless I'm going to a BBQ or something...then I'll pick up keystone. I buy almost everything by the bottle or by the six pack. I frequently spend $10-15 for a six pack. I'm making cheaper beer, but I'm not saving money. The money I have save drinking homebrew, I put back into more expensive, collectible type beers. I frequently spend $10-20 on a single bottle of beer, and I've even spent $120 for a 12oz. bottle before. Insane...I know.

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first batch of extract hefe was $26
second batch of west coast blaster red ale, $80

did I save money, on the HEFE hell yeah, on the ale F**K NO.

was it worth every penny? as long as my ale isn't a DUMPER YES.

I'd rather spend money brewing/ drinking home brew than stick 20's into a slot machine, or scratcher tickets. (my FIL is addicted to casinos) and doesn't drink a drop so thats his vise.


-=Jason=-

From a New Zealand perspective:

12 pack cheap commercial beer (e.g. Tui) - around $17 = $4.25/L
12 pack standard commercial beer (e.g. Stienlager) - around $20 = $5/L
that can be matched or beaten in quality by basic kit + kilo - $22 for 22L = $1/L
SAVINGS: homebrew is 75-80% cheaper

6 pack quality commercial beer (e.g. Macs) - $12 = $6/L
500ml bottle of local craft beer - $6 = $12/L
can strive to match or beat with extract and speciality grains - $60 for 22L = $2.72/L
(AG can be done much cheaper but I don't have numbers)
SAVINGS: homebrew is 55-77% cheaper

I just made a triple IPA/Mild partigyle a couple of weeks ago that cost me $52 in ingredients. I still haven't finished all the dry hopping, but assuming I only end up with 4 gallons of that beer after it's all said and done, I'm still saving a ton of money over buying a commercial equivalent. Plus, I am getting 5 gallons of the mild for practically free...I think total marginal cost on that was maybe $4 for the whole batch.

I think this question largely depends on beer styles, and how each brewer brews.

As an extract brewer thus far, I save most of my money on imperial beers (RIS, IIPA,) and specialty brews like bourbon barrel beers. I find the average price of these at the bottle shop to be north of $2 (and thats on the low low end) and upwards of 3$-4$ (yeti RIS, Stone Ruination etc.) so brewing these beers you absolutely (even as an extract brewer) save quite a bit of money.

But for more sessionable beers, or IPA's (hops are/can be pricey) I usually save just a little money, or break even, but I still have the fun of making something I can barely buy here in VA. My favorite styles are massive WC style IPA's and DIPA's, and finding those here (other than Green Flash, and Hop Stoopid) is tough to do, so I like making them for 1.50 or less a serving. My .02 anyway.

When I add everything up, including all equipment, ingredients, even the water then I might save a little money. If I add in anything for the time I spend on it then hell no I'm not saving any money. But I've always said that, for me, homebrewing has nothing to do with 'having beer'. It's all about doing a hobby that I love and it's way cheaper than golf. If it were about 'having beer' I'd take the easy route and just buy it at the store.

Six packs and single bottles of beer! [shakes head] Here in Pennsylvania we're forced to buy cases, or head to a bar with decent six-pack offerings.

I bought a bottle of a belgian saison for $20 the other day. It is a liter bottle. I can buy a kit for a similar beer for $40, $50 with shipping, with water, gas, electric and cleaning, I figure $60. To buy the same amount of beer would be close to $200.

sdillow said:

Six packs and single bottles of beer! [shakes head] Here in Pennsylvania we're forced to buy cases, or head to a bar with decent six-pack offerings.

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Not all of PA. Many of the delis around here sell loosies of good beer. With awesome, uniquely shaped bottles! Why just the other day it was all I could do to not buy a mess of pre-filled bombers and attribute it to my Homebrew budget. Those steep bottle prices are what's keeping me in the red on this venture.

Definitely haven't saved any money yet but the potential is there.

My problem is I want to brew more often than I can drink up the product. I'm already itching to start a new batch but have more than 80% of the last 3batches I brewed so I really don't need another 5 gallons. I'm thinking half batches are the way to go, but that means more equipment. Man, it never stops:cross:

brewit2it said:

Definitely haven't saved any money yet but the potential is there.

My problem is I want to brew more often than I can drink up the product. I'm already itching to start a new batch but have more than 80% of the last 3batches I brewed so I really don't need another 5 gallons. I'm thinking half batches are the way to go, but that means more equipment. Man, it never stops:cross:

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Smaller batches is fun. I find it a desireable thing. It takes me too long to drink it all when I make 5 gallon after 5 gallon batch. With less beer I can brew more and make more different styles.

The only way I can say I'm saving money is if I use "fuzzy Washington math" and don't include my equipment costs. All things told, brewing is a hobby and costs money accordingly. But it doesn't eat money nearly as quickly as say, building up a muscle car, or hell, even building a fancy computer. And in the end, I have beer. That *I* made. So it's totally worth it.

I drink a lot of beer, but saving money? BWAAAAHAHAHAHA!

Not only have I dropped a few grand on this hobby, but I am also in the habit of buying better beers to drink as part of background research on various styles or just generally having more appreciation for craft beer and local breweries.

Randar said:

I drink a lot of beer, but saving money? BWAAAAHAHAHAHA!

Not only have I dropped a few grand on this hobby, but I am also in the habit of buying better beers to drink as part of background research on various styles or just generally having more appreciation for craft beer and local breweries.

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well said. this about sums it up. also to a previous post about not drinking five gal. normally. i see it as a challenge and a responsibility. also it gives me a good excuse to drink excessively

OK, as a resident cheapskate, I have tried to go bulk. I've picked up the fifty lb bag of malt and such. No kits, etc. A twelve pack of bottles around these parts puts each bottle at a bit over a buck. My ingredient costs are probably less than a third of that. But equipment has to be factored in too. Not sure, how much I'm saving, but I'm having a good time.

Hell no I'm not saving money!

Sure, the ingredients are cheap but with what I spend (time and money) on equipment...

Then again, I enjoy brewing and can blow a day for $30 or less in ingredients and propane...

yeah. as far as hobbies go, it can (stress can) be relativly cheap. but i don't know that its saving you money. unless your saving money by combining beer drinking and having a weekend hobby. (so your paying for both a hobby and your beer at the same time)

Here in nebraska there is no bottle deposit. But I've spent $11 for a 4-pack of Tank 7...and that's far from spendy.

I don't brew to save...but its a nice benefit when my brew comes out cheaper than a commercial craft beer alternative.

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

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 bucls 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 too mention new shiny brewing toys, ingredients, yeasts, books, magazines, and whatever else I can do it.

You can't escape it.

abrdnck said:

I think I have to replace my hydrometer about every 3 batches on average...

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Why? Do they go bad?

I still haven't bought one yet. I think that I will buy one on my next purchase from Northern Brewer though.

The reason I got into home brewing was to save money. I am fairly confident that I save quite a bit of money. For me to buy the same amount of beer in six packs as I make in one batch would cost close to 90 dollars. And if I just buy one kit, and have to pay shipping, I get that much beer for around $30. If I buy multiple kits at once it gets even cheaper. Also soon I plan on moving to all grain using BIAB in order to save even more money.

Also you can get brewing equipment for cheap if you are trying to save money. I just found a second fermenter for free. You just have to look around and re-purpose stuff. The one big investment I had to make in my brewery was the burner and I got that using a gift card.

mikemoss said:

Why? Do they go bad?

I still haven't bought one yet. Maybe you could sell me one you dont use anymore on the cheap.

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They don't go bad...they get broken...

I don't think you want to buy his used ones.

Revvy said:

(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.)

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Not only is it research you are performing but you are also gathering your bottles - double duty there

geneb said:

I haven't actually brewed yet since I am waiting on my new equipment to arrive. However, going by the set up I am buying, I figured that I'm looking at about 6 - 7 dollars a bottle on my very first brew (That's including all of the equipment and ingredients). Comparable beers in this area are around 4 to 5 dollars a bottle except at Wolf Hills Brewery, where I can get a growler of great beer filled for 10 - 15 dollars.

Any beer after this initial brew will run me somewhere in the vicinity of 1 dollar a bottle so I consider that to be saving money over time since I only have to buy the equipment once. A 5 gallon set up will be perfectly fine for me indefinitely so I won't be making any huge upgrades until I go all grain and even then I have made purchases early on to facilitate that so that I will need fewer new pieces of equipment in the future.

I'm sure I have lovingly flawed my logic in there somewhere, but it makes me feel better for dropping so much cash on a brewing set up.

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I thought this was the funniest reply so far. Ahh..grasshopper, to think you are done buying equipment before making your first batch.

Just today during this thread it has become painfully obvious to me I NEED a 3 gallon Carboy, a 3 gallon keg, another perlick faucet, tubing, upgraded regulator, and then I really should have a larger CO2 tank with the extra keg. I could use a new scale, actually I need it, and I've been wanting some new pilsner glasses.....

Trust me, the sooner you accept that it never ends the sooner you will find inner peace

i need: more corny's and more faucets. one of those diy deals where you have the pvc hoop with the paint bag attatched and the four rods comeing out so you can throw hops in the boil and take them out at the end. a ferm chamber (this will be next). a larger mashtun and boil kettle. more fermenters. and probably a ton of other stuff i can't think of. not to mention the excuse "i just need to try this because i want to brew it" i don't think i'm saving any money

doing something you enjoy, with all you can drink ,,, is priceless

sdillow said:

Six packs and single bottles of beer! [shakes head] Here in Pennsylvania we're forced to buy cases, or head to a bar with decent six-pack offerings.

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actually, here in York, there are a couple sandwhich shops called "Quick Six" that have awesome and I mean, awesome beer selections. The one off of the Mt. Rose Exit on 83 is probably les than 20 minutes from Columbia. Never the less, our beer laws in PA are amongst the most antiquated in the US.

brewit2it said:

Trust me, the sooner you accept that it never ends the sooner you will find inner peace

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only being a month or so into this obsession, i can already say this is the truth. I accepted this on week one

mojo_wire said:

My friends are the ones saving money. The other day a buddy came by to borrow my trailer and I gave him four 22oz beers. He borrows my trailer and I give him beer? How screwed up is that?

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Best quote in this thread so far

I definitely save money. Big Belgians own my heart...to think of the $$$ it would cost to drink a nightly Belgian!

Coming soon...to a fridge near you.

No one has mentioned an enormous savings potential:

-you brew at home
-your beer is at your home
-you drink your beer at home
-you stay home a lot more

What are the total costs for a DUI going for these days??

lou2row said:

No one has mentioned an enormous savings potential:

-you brew at home
-your beer is at your home
-you drink your beer at home
-you stay home a lot more

What are the total costs for a DUI going for these days??

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Or how about the cost of 1 beer at the pub, plus another $12.00 for the crappy reheated burger and microwave side of fries?

I suppose you wouldn't save much money if your intent is to brew monkey butt light clones. It's all in the style I suppose...

Coming soon...to a fridge near you.

Revvy said:

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

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Well said young man, well said!

For fun I added up the total cost of my equipment remembering everything I could think of and got:
Item cost
starter kit 60
small pots (2) 40
burner & pot 100
carboys 40
scale 10
hop bags 5
refrac 20
carboy brush 10
stoppers 15
funnels 5
tubing 15
mash tun 60
mill 140
bottles 60
mason jars 10
chiller 40
spray bottles 5
starsan 30
capper 40
misc 50
books 40
hbt 20
food saver 20
Total $840

The misc. is to cover anything I've forgotten and a few other odds and ends. So equipment totals $840. Now I'm not going to fall to the "I don't need to buy any more equipment" newb myth. Over the last 14 months I've made 30 batches of Allgrain beer at an average batch cost of $29/batch with ingredients, propane and bottle caps. Add to that $840/30 = $28/batch + $29/batch = $57 batch for all costs. That usually runs me around 50 bottles so $1.14 a bottle. Now in Canada I can't buy Molson Canadian or Bud for that, barely drinkable beer is around $2/bottle and good stuff is $4+ per bottle. So yes I'm saving money but I don't think I would stop if I wasn't as like most I enjoy the process, the brewing the tinkering etc. etc.

brewit2it said:

I thought this was the funniest reply so far. Ahh..grasshopper, to think you are done buying equipment before making your first batch.

Just today during this thread it has become painfully obvious to me I NEED a 3 gallon Carboy, a 3 gallon keg, another perlick faucet, tubing, upgraded regulator, and then I really should have a larger CO2 tank with the extra keg. I could use a new scale, actually I need it, and I've been wanting some new pilsner glasses.....

Trust me, the sooner you accept that it never ends the sooner you will find inner peace

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Minimalist brewing is not something found often on this board.