I need a good, cheap beer recipe

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ohiochris

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for a beginner who does not want to mess with the kits. 30-40$ for a one time kit just seems to be a waste to me. I agree the experience gained by using them could be beneficial but I am just wanting to try and make beer with my 5 gallon buckets , some extract and possibly partial grain , and hops , but I am trying to do it on the cheap side. I know everybody has their preferences and some are quite costly , but I just want the experience of making decent drinkable beer as easily and cheaply as possible for my first try , and I know it can be done , but with some input from those who have been there it can turn out better than a blind attempt. Anybody have any suggestions ?
 
Kits cost less than buying ingredients separately imo!

I agree about AHS, they do have some cheap kits.
 
You can save a TON of money by buying in bulk. Your biggest money savings would be from buying a huge bag of DME, and then just buying specialty grains for whatever particular recipe you want to make. For example, at midwest supplies, it's $4/lb for DME in 3lb bags... but if you buy a 50lb bag, it's only $2.75/lb. If you're using around 6-8lbs of extract for a 5 gallon batch, that can save you ten bucks right there.

If you get familiar with what kind of hops you like, you can buy those in bulk too. Cascades are very versatile and can be used for both bittering and aroma. Nikobrew.com has pounds of cascade for $25 shipped. That saves you another buck per batch.
 
I'd get my hops through hopsdirect.com, you can get a pound of cascades for about $8.75 before shipping, which is probably about $12.
 
Hopsdirect is still selling off their '08 stock, many for around $10/lb. Good way to save some cash.
 
Wow... that is super cheap. I am gonna buy some right now, at those prices... I had no idea hopsdirect was so much less.
 
I have found that midwestsupplies has some inexpensice kits that come with everything you need (except bottles, and caps) for around 24.99....thats pretty cheap for 50 beers.
 
Stoopidwon said:
I have found that midwestsupplies has some inexpensice kits that come with everything you need (except bottles, and caps) for around 24.99....thats pretty cheap for 50 beers.
Click to expand...

Also all newbies should take advantage of Midwest special which gives you a 1 litre swing top bottle for only $1.50 I bought a bottle with every kit I bought from them.

Stoopid,

Hank's Hefeweizen is one tasty beer. I did 2 Hefe kits from NB using different yeast and its like night and day.
 
Pivzavod said:
Also all newbies should take advantage of Midwest special which gives you a 1 litre swing top bottle for only $1.50 I bought a bottle with every kit I bought from them.

Stoopid,

Hank's Hefeweizen is one tasty beer. I did 2 Hefe kits from NB using different yeast and its like night and day.
Click to expand...

cant find that special...can you link me? or is there a code or something to enter?
 
Well, to start out I can get a pretty decent price on bags of extract for I think under $7 a bag which I think contains a pound or two and the silver freeze dried bags of hops for close to the same price I think right here at my local brew shop , which means when I decide on the recipe I can just drive over and buy it. They also sell some type of whole grain which he has in a big can and sells by the pound I believe and he can grind it right there. For my first experiment it just seems easier to get the stuff there instead of ordering it online. I also noticed today I can get milled barley or wheat at the local grocery store in bags of around a pound I think for about $3.99 give or take. I have read about boiling the grain and adding the malt but dont really know how to put everything together in the right amounts to come up with something worth drinking. Thats where the kits would come in handy but if I buy local and dont want to pay what they ask for a kit then I have to figure out what I need some other way. All I have is the buckets and imporvised air locks Ive been using for cider , bottles and caps. But being a minimalist out of necessity , atleast for now , I think it should be possible to brew beer with what I have and what I can pick up at the last minute from the brewshop.
 
When you say a bag of extract, what are you talking about? Dry malt extract? How heavy are the bags?
 
pale ale
.5 crystal - $2
6# dme - $25
2oz hops - $7
dry yeast - $4

$38 for a basic recipe; i'd go with a kit and then after you figure things out buy some stuff in bulk.
 
craven_morhead said:
When you say a bag of extract, what are you talking about? Dry malt extract? How heavy are the bags?
Click to expand...

Hmmmm, not exactly sure. Maybe I better check that out first. Bag size is about as big as a 1 or two pound bag of brown sugar ( remembering from sight ) , thats about all I remember. I just dont know what Im shooting for as far as the amounts I will need. Yes, dry malt extract.
 
Even if everything is gonna cost me more than I originally anticipated , I can atleast buy ingredients one at a time each payday and set them aside until I get everything.
 
You're looking at about 5 lb of dry malt extract per batch. There is a good thread about how much brewing costs people that I'm too lazy to link to. Anyway, I buy hops in bulk, and get yeast and bulk LME from the LHBS. Most of my beers are around 5-6% abv, and they generally run around $25-30 per batch, including incidentals like bottle caps and priming sugar. Less if I'm pitching onto an existing yeast cake, which I do commonly. Comparing the recipes I do to the kits sold by AHS, my way is around $5 or so cheaper than the kits, maybe a little more when you figure shipping into the mix. As an extract brewer, there isn't a lot else I can do to bring costs down without buying bulk DME or something of the like.
 
7.00 for a pound of malt is pricey, can be had elsewhere for around 4.00 to 5.00 per pound, you are gonna need approx 5-6 pounds of malt.... the kits contain everything for considerably less, I would just buy a basic kit, would be less expensive and even comes with exactly what you need. But if thats not an option try this...

5 lb of dried wheat malt
1 lb of dried light malt
8oz of Carapils grains (heated for 45 minutes at 155 degrees)
1 oz of tettnang or hallertau hops boiled for 60 minutes
1 package of SAFBREW WB-06 yeast

makes a good hefewiezen and isnt to expensive
 
Can a decent tasting beer be made using only malt extract and hops , without crushed grain ?
 
Mainly just tasty wheat beers can. With extract, it's the crushed grain that is contributing a lot of your flavor. Plus, it's easily the cheapest line item in the recipe list if you're just doing steeping grains. The crushed grains for my beers, purchased in bulk, tend to run around $2/batch.
 
ohiochris said:
Can a decent tasting beer be made using only malt extract and hops , without crushed grain ?
Click to expand...

Yes.

Bottom line here is that you have several options.

1. Buy a prehopped kit. Often called "can + a kilo" or similar. This is the easiest option, but probably not the cheapest (its been a while since I brought one of these). Go to your LHBS, and look at the kits he has, and choose a style you like. Many of these have a liquid extract which has hops already added. You just need to boil, and add a kilo or so of dry extract. But, ignore the instructions that come with the kit (it will have you zipping through the process, but the beer will be better with more patience). Come back here and ask for advice. My very first beer was a Munton's Old Ale kit like this, and it made a tasty brew!

2. Buy a non-prehopped kit. Your LHBS will probably have these kits too. This will cost about the same as option number 1, but involves a tiny bit more work. i.e. you will need to add the hops during the boil. Ignore instructions as above. What you are buying is an extract made from various grains mixed in the proportion for the style of beer. As such, you are more limited by what the extract maker thinks you want to make. Still, these can make very drinkable beers.

3. Get an extract plus grain kit. This gives excellent flexibility, and will make (possibly) a slightly better beer. You buy light liquid or dry extract for the bulk of the sugar, then add some grains to get colour and flavour you want. The grains generally just need steeping - sitting in some warm water for an hour or so. You then just drain them (a paint strainer from Home Depot works great for this) and boil with the extract. The process is a touch more involved than option 2, but still very do-able. You can do it on a stove top easily. Your LHBS should be able help you find a recipe, or tell us what your favourite style is, and we'll try to help. Most of the kits at places like Austinhomebrew.com are going to involve some grain. Cost though will still be about the same as above.

4. The next step up is called a mini-mash, or partial mash, which just means you need to add some so-called base grains to the steep, often replacing some of the extract. All-grain just scales up on this, and omits all the extract. Ignore those for now though. (Grain is cheaper than extract, but you need more equipment).
 
BioBeing said:
Yes.

Bottom line here is that you have several options.

1. Buy a prehopped kit. Often called "can + a kilo" or similar. This is the easiest option, but probably not the cheapest (its been a while since I brought one of these). Go to your LHBS, and look at the kits he has, and choose a style you like. Many of these have a liquid extract which has hops already added. You just need to boil, and add a kilo or so of dry extract. But, ignore the instructions that come with the kit (it will have you zipping through the process, but the beer will be better with more patience). Come back here and ask for advice. My very first beer was a Munton's Old Ale kit like this, and it made a tasty brew!

2. Buy a non-prehopped kit. Your LHBS will probably have these kits too. This will cost about the same as option number 1, but involves a tiny bit more work. i.e. you will need to add the hops during the boil. Ignore instructions as above. What you are buying is an extract made from various grains mixed in the proportion for the style of beer. As such, you are more limited by what the extract maker thinks you want to make. Still, these can make very drinkable beers.

3. Get an extract plus grain kit. This gives excellent flexibility, and will make (possibly) a slightly better beer. You buy light liquid or dry extract for the bulk of the sugar, then add some grains to get colour and flavour you want. The grains generally just need steeping - sitting in some warm water for an hour or so. You then just drain them (a paint strainer from Home Depot works great for this) and boil with the extract. The process is a touch more involved than option 2, but still very do-able. You can do it on a stove top easily. Your LHBS should be able help you find a recipe, or tell us what your favourite style is, and we'll try to help. Most of the kits at places like Austinhomebrew.com are going to involve some grain. Cost though will still be about the same as above.

4. The next step up is called a mini-mash, or partial mash, which just means you need to add some so-called base grains to the steep, often replacing some of the extract. All-grain just scales up on this, and omits all the extract. Ignore those for now though. (Grain is cheaper than extract, but you need more equipment).
Click to expand...

+1 to all, and i would add, stay away from any lager style beer. equipment alone for that is too expensive for your first "i don't wanna F up beer"

BUT, my first batch was a kit and it turned out great...
 
+10 to those above. I started with kits from my lhbs. They were all lme plus grains. The store does a huge turnover so LME is super fresh. These kits all turned out great.

I have since moved into my own(found in books and here). The price is roughly the same. I just buy the lme and ingredients for the recipe. The biggest difference is now I'm using liquid yeast and I usually save a $1 or so.

Honestly if you want to save money on beer kits invite a friend. Kits are much cheaper with help.
 
Um...Ok - so been doing wine for about 9 years now. Started making hooch from fruit and wild yeast. did some time in the pen with unpasteurized juices.(those fools wanted me to add cooked bleached white bread LOL - told them to piss off, it came out great)
Then did sugar water and baking yeast, kool aid after finish. last three years it's been fruit juices. I've made some really great combos. working on a carrot orange wine now. Gotta tell you - orange just goes and goes. maybe all the fibrous materials IDK. Also making wheat wine right now(experiment LOL)
Anyway - to the point right.... "malted" barley is just barley that has been started to germinate(grow) then stopped and dried. So, on the cheap you could get corn, rice, barley, whatever and malt it yourself. Toast it after etc.


Now a Question for the experts. Sugar beer? what's up. Substitute sugar for a good amount of your malted stock - couldn't this work? prolly taste like crap beer but I think this is what he's going for.
 
You want cheap? Then here is the deal-y-o:
Unless you can find malt extract and hops at a good price then beer will general be cheaper on sale at the store. Of course I am talking cheap, PBR, Keystone etc.

I once found complete kits for 50 cents each at a grocery store and was making a real fine beer for $2.54 for a 5 gal batch. I bought every case of the **** they had.

But back to reality. I actually like cheap beer, heck Keystone, Natty lite, what ever as long as its cheap. But here in Hawaii The cheapest 30 pack is 20 bucks plus the stupid tax and can fee. So at that price it is a $300.00/ month habit.

So the good news is that you can make beer with some really cheap ingredients.
(note: this will make a beer about like Keystone "which is the exact same as Coors light")

Bring 2 gal water to boil
add 3 pounds sugar $1.50
add 1 oz. hops $1.00
add 1 tbsp cocoa .10 (adds color nutrients and bitterness and body)
boil for 10 minutes
throw in 3 Lipton tea bags .15 (adds color and bitterness)
let steep 5 minute for tea tannin to extract

In a CLEAN 5 gallon bucket or carboy or jerry can or what ever
add 2.5 gallons of cool tap water
then pour your hot wort in to that.
Now that your wort is at about 90F
pitch in your distillers yeast about a tbsp .50
crush 2 women's multivitamins .10 ( high in B complex w/ mineral miners)
mix well.
Either use the air lock or cover with plastic wrap and a rubber band.

The nutrients will cause this wort to completely work out in about 5 days to a SP of 1.007 and a ABV of just less than 3%
top off the keg to 5 gallons with water when you rack it into your keg.
There you have just made 2 cases (actually 53 cans) of a ****ty American beer that I will come over and be glad to drink with ya. and all for less than $3.00.

I use 5 gal soda kegs and you can buy a 5 cubic foot freezer for 150.00 at Home Depot on sale and that will hold two kegs and your co2 rig. You have to add an external thermostat to regulate the temp to about 38F

I think the 7 cubic foot one will hold 4 kegs
 
And for anybody that was about to do the math on the above post -- according to those numbers he drinks 450 cans of beer every month... approximately 15 per day. Unless of course the $300 per month cost includes his water bill from flushing the toilet so much.
 
If you want inexpensive you need to be willing to buy in quantity. For me brewing is about variety. Right now I have 6 cases of bottled beer ready to consume, 2 more cases conditioning and 4 cases in the fermenter ready to package in a week or so. Each batch is a different brew, and I'm looking forward to them all. For me brewing would quickly become a monthly chore if they were all the same. Most recipies I do have a large portion of the grain bill as 2 row base malt, so if I were to attempt economy I would look into buying and storing a sack of grain, which would require me to invest in a mill.
 

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