Another Cost Related Question

I just bottled my witbier on Monday and that primary fermenter is looking pretty lonely. Only solution is to brew more beer.

I have two beers that I want to brew, but with the whole American economic situation I'm just wondering which one would be the least expensive.

I'm thinking either a chocolate oatmeal stout or a sierra nevada pale ale clone. The pale ale recipe looks like this:

2.2 0.25 lbs. Crystal 60L America 1.034 60
93.3 10.50 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row) America 1.036 2
4.4 0.50 lbs. Cara-Pils Dextrine Malt 1.033 2

1.00 oz. Cascade Pellet 5.80 0.0 Dry Hop
1.00 oz. Cascade Pellet 5.80 4.3 1 min.
0.50 oz. Perle Pellet 7.70 4.6 15 min.
1.00 oz. Magnum Pellet 13.10 64.5 90 min.

WYeast 1056 Amercan Ale/Chico

I don't have an Oatmeal Stout recipe yet, but I'm not sure which will run up the bill. I know Hop prices are crazy, but all types of gain and oat prices are on the rise too. I think I could probably save some money by switching to dry yeast, but I know I want to stick with DME (I've had much better luck).

I guess it really doesn't matter which one (i'll be happy either way). I can't see brewing any double/tripple ipas anytime soon, but I think I can make some great beers on a more limited budget.

landis said:

...with the whole American economic situation I'm just wondering which one would be the least expensive.

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Go AG..>(Build your Mash Tun..>See the stickey)
Then make BM's Cream of the crops....It's like a $14.00 batch if you can do AG.

Best practice for your current situation....Go to AHS and Midwest...price each recipe at each place and see what you come up with.

For the most part anything with less hops will be cheaper. For the oatmeal stout for example you can use a high alpha acid hop for the bittering addition which means you need very little. Anything with any kind of hop flavour will require more money in hops which will cost quite a bit more than any grain.

If it were me I'd brew the oatmeal stout (in fact I am this weekend ) but I do loves me some stout!

+1 for BigKahuna-go AG. DME isn't cheap. You could make 2 normal strength beers (cost of base grain) for the cost of 6.6# DME, which will yield 1 batch (at least at my LHBS).

Did you two guys read the recipe he posted? There's no extract in it.

Gotta convert the converted I guess.

avidhomebrewer said:

+1 for BigKahuna-go AG. DME isn't cheap. You could make 2 normal strength beers (cost of base grain) for the cost of 6.6# DME, which will yield 1 batch (at least at my LHBS).

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Amen to DME being f*cking expensive.

I just found out that my not-so-local HBS store in the San Fernando Valley not only has a lovely selection of whole grains, but they have a grain mill right there that I guess I could run my grains through.

I want to get a half dozen to a dozen batches under my belt, and then I'm seriously thinking of taking the plunge into AG.

bradsul said:

Did you two guys read the recipe he posted? There's no extract in it.

Gotta convert the converted I guess.

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Got Me.
I Didn't read it very close....My Bad

I guess I'm the dumb one posting the all grain recipe. I was actually going to go extract with steeping grains (I don't have the right equipment right now i.e. large enough boil pot/propane burner).

I went to the LHBS last night just to "look around" and gather some prices. I saw they had one of those pre-made West Coast Pale Ale kits for $50, and $50 is a bit pricey. But I showed the guy my recipe for SNPA clone and we put a kit together with some adjustments (dry yeast instead of liquid, pellet hops instead of whole leaf) and got something together for $40. I think I could have gotten the oatmeal stout for cheaper than that, but $40 for two cases of beer is better than anything I could buy commercially.

I just love the smell of that store - Ah, I can't wait to start brewing this batch. The oatmeal stout will be next up after this clone.

$40 for an extract batch (especially one with a fair amount of hops) is pretty decent.

All grain with a full boil means more equipment, more gas and water usage, but you're getting more efficiency on your grains and hops. When you start making STRONG IPA's with 3oz of hops you'll really realize the savings. Heck, I made arrogant bastard and it only had 4oz of hops on a partial boil. It would be like 3 on a full boil.

bradsul said:

$40 for an extract batch (especially one with a fair amount of hops) is pretty decent.

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I've either got a really cheap LHBS, or my recipies are less complex, or prices really have gone up since winter.

I have a Hefe recipe that doesn't cost me much more than 25, and that's with liquid yeast. but it's only like 6lbs LME... and then a couple ounces of some steeping grains.

Dycokac said:

I've either got a really cheap LHBS, or my recipies are less complex, or prices really have gone up since winter.

I have a Hefe recipe that doesn't cost me much more than 25, and that's with liquid yeast. but it's only like 6lbs LME... and then a couple ounces of some steeping grains.

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Grain (and extract) prices are up, but nowhere near as much as hops. That's where the main difference is I imagine.