My new goal- $10.00 to make 5 gallons

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BobbiLynn

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Money's tight and now that I've gotten into all grain... one batch under my belt and besides the stupid idea to try it on the stove top(resulting in fire) before moving production outside to the propane, I'd say I had a great brew day. Took me 7 hours. But, whatever, I can trim that down to 4 hours next time, within the next couple days. Got the supplies already.

So now I want to be able to brew beer for $10.00 or less per 5 or 6 gallon batch. I like simple beers in the relatively low ABV range, under 4%. I like to be able to have a couple and still get my work done.

To accomplish this, I know I will have to start harvesting my own yeast, I am researching this part. I know I will have to start buying grain and hops, etc, in bulk. Or even grow my own and use it for trade with someone that has the facility to malt it(grain). I think I could probably also grow hops and learn how to use the leaves instead of pellet(my tea balls would work).

My favorite style beer(though I never really met a beer I didn't like) is American pale ale or amber ale. Any good tips for me so that by the end of this year I will be brewing 5 gallons batches for under $10.00?
 
You definitely have to harvest yeast to get even close to $10 IMO. Maybe a cream ale. Wouldn't be my kind of beer but if money is the problem, why not wait until you have enough to make 5 gallon of the kind of beer YOU like to drink?
 
Not possible.

Even when doing a bulk grain buy(35ish a sack of 2 row), using minimal hops bought in bulk, minimal specialty grains and adjuncts, and yeast washing, slanting ect....the cost of DME for starters, propane(this is a big one), water(if you dont filter), star san, cleaners, caps, ect will put you over that limit quickly. Thats not even considering amortizing equipment costs.
 
Excluding the starsan and such I routinely get under ten bucks

6 pd 2 row
2 pd instant rice
1 pd instant grits
1 ounce bittering hops of your favorite flavor...I like Saaz

Reuse yeast.

Mash 151 and boil 60 min. Ends up right at 10 bucks for 6 gallons for me. But be careful about using the grits because you may want some for breakfast sometime and not have any.....Like this morning:eek:
 
It sounds like they are looking at $10 for ingredients and just accepting cost on all the other equipment which I think is a acceptable way to think about it because it is a hobby and any hobby likely has costs associated with it. A big saver would be the yeast which as you know cuts out a ton of cost. Growing hops could also eliminate cost if you have a green thumb and good weather.

I'd say you could get close if you're just factoring in ingredients.
 
Outside of propane, this can be possible. I did a simple Kolsch recipe and it was just over 15.00. This included the yeast which I now have in my library. My next batch will be under 10.00. Some simple Pale Ales will be the same as I have them in my inventory. My beers run me under 10.00 to my most expensive being around $30.00/5 gallon (Cherry Wheat and Westy 12 clone).
 
It can be done, especially if you are keeping the ABV low. It's gonna be a bit of a challenge however. Bulk 2 row cost me around .58/ pound. Specialty grains are about 1.69 for me, but you can search on making your own crystal malts at home from your bulk pale malt. Reusing yeast and bulk hops will save you a lot. My hops are .90/oz average. I bitter with magnum, so I use very little to get my ibu to bitter. Propane cost me $3 for a 60 min boil.

I can make a simple pale ale for about $10. That doesn't include caps or co2, or sanitizer though.
 
I brew 11 gallon batches of 5% abv for <$20 now so it's definitely doable!

You must get in on group buys on bulk grain. I pay 75 cents a pound for 2-row and Pilsner malts.

Buy your hops in bulk and stick to common domestic hobs (Willamette, Cascade, Columbus, Nugget, etc.) I pay about $8 per lb of pellet hops when they go on sale from the big hop sellers.

Use dry yeast (Nottingham and US-05) and wash it and reuse with a starter for each batch. I use mine 4-5 times before starting with fresh yeast.

For all grain the larger the batch the more efficient the propane use. When I do 10-11 gallon batches I only use about 25% more propane than I do to make a 5.5 gallon batch.
 
A smash beer with harvested/repitch could get you close. My BM's Centennial Blonde worked out to not much more than that though per gallon. I don't see any problem with a goal of $10/batch per se, but I bet that if your budget was say $15/batch, you could make a much more pleasing beer with top notch ingredients.
 
Excluding the starsan and such I routinely get under ten bucks

6 pd 2 row
2 pd instant rice
1 pd instant grits
1 ounce bittering hops of your favorite flavor...I like Saaz

Reuse yeast.

Mash 151 and boil 60 min. Ends up right at 10 bucks for 6 gallons for me. But be careful about using the grits because you may want some for breakfast sometime and not have any.....Like this morning:eek:


What does this end up being? It sound like a really thing light weak APA at less than 2% ABV???
 
Funny, I just brewed a $10 beer last weekend.

7.5lb 2-row: $9
1 oz bulk hops: $1

Boom, $10 beer. I scooped the yeast off the bottom of another fermenter. At 71% efficiency, I got 1.042 at 5 gallons.

This does ignore propane, which I suppose is at least a dollar or two.
 
I was just thinking about how cheap $10 for 5.5 gallons of beer is...

$2.50 for a 12 pack! The cheapest 12 pack I can get is Miller Highlife and I think it's about $6.

You can make a darn good cream ale or light pale ale for less than 50% of the cost of the lowest end skunk domestic beers.
 
I brewed centennial blonde for $8.55, an oatmeal cookie beer for $9.89, and recently 4 5.5g batches at $12 +change (DF 60, american amber, etc.). If I counted propane costs (I don't) it would be another $1.30 per batch for me. I have also calculated equipment costs and have paid it off by now (assuming I would drink that much craft beer at 1$ a bottle). I also have had the same bottle of star san for a year now, when its finished i'll calculate that in there too, but it won't add much.

Yes it can be done, and I don't buy hops in bulk. I order 4oz at a time from farmhouse (usually the ones on sale). I use washed yeast. Grain costs me $0.63/lb in bulk.
 
Counting only ingredients $10 for 5 gal is about .20 a beer. Not bad for good beer. Could we make better? yes, but that is not the point.
 
Don't forget, if you buy sacks of grain, you'll need a mill. I mean, you can get full sacks crushed, but it's only going to last a month or so unless it's really protected from moisture and oxygen.
 
Your only gotcha is that you'll have to spend to save. It's going to be a few hundred on ingredients up front to hit the price point, but after that you'll be golden. Maybe pick up a part time gig to cover initial equipment costs? ;)

Right now I'm paying 0.50 - 0.60 for base malt, around 0.90 for specialty grain, and ~1.00 for good American hops. Check out the "group buy" forum to see if there is one coming up in your area.

You could do an English style pale with 8-10 # of base malt, a pound of c60 and 2z of hops for under $10.

Also, you can save extra by either using your first wort chiller water to start a 2nd mash (less propane) or take that water and throw it in the washing machine for washing your whites.

FYI - cost of propane and ice are the hidden budget killers - either could run you an added $5-$10.
 
What does this end up being? It sound like a really thing light weak APA at less than 2% ABV???

I think it is a cream ale but heck who knows. Depending on the crush though I end up around 1.035 or 1.040 for my sg. I gues it ends up about 3.5 or 4.0 alcohol though with 80%

I like it and have some brewed all the time. But I like to drink and not get snot slinging commode hugging drunk all the time.

I just checked brewtarget and my memory is working pretty good today since it came out 3.9%:D
 
Yeah, I'm not looking to win a competition for "best beer". I just want a nice drinkable beer to enjoy, knowing that I made it myself. After reading all the comments, I do feel confidant that I can reach my goal. I think people often underestimate the process over the perfect ingredients. You can achieve a lot with something less than perfect.... and you can really mess up a batch even if you are starting with the best ingredients.

I am loving all these great tips! And, yeah, factor in every single cost, including propane... might go over 10 bucks a little. Or maybe not...
 
I think the burning question of the day is why and how people spend 50 bucks for a batch when they can make great beer for 10 bucks

Of course I like to make a dime think it is a dollar whenever I can:ban:
 
I'd say your cheapest (and still flavorful) beer will be a Berliner Weiße.

You only need 1.038 OG (55% 2-row, 40% wheat malt, 5% table sugar - Plus ~1/2 lb uncrushed grain for souring your mash).

Mash (2-row and wheat) at 156F for 60 minutes, let it cool down to ~100F, add the grain (that contains the "beer-spoiling" Lactobacillus bugs) and keep at "Body temperature" for ~2 days. A beer cooler is great for this.
It will stink (keep it in the garage or outside!) but tastes much better than it smells. ;)

Sample the flavor regularly until it will reach the sourness of your choice. After 2 days it will be sour enough. Now it's time for a mini boil (15 mins to kill the Lacto and give a tiny bit of bitterness to the beer). Add the sugar (~8oz for 5 gallon batch) 2/3 Oz 5% AA hops or whatever will give you about 5-6 IBUs of mini-bitterness.

Pitch an S-04 or S-05 or similar yeast at ~70F and ferment as normal light ale.

Can you get cheaper than that? Probably not! :D
 
A wittier person than I once wrote, "homebrewing to save money on beer is like buying a boat to save money on fish."

Hmm... I bought a boat to save money on fish, better. fresher fish... goes great with a homebrew, fresh fish caught from the boat... better than anything you can go out and buy...
 
If you're looking for cheap sugars to ferment, don't forget Skeeter Pee.

Yeah, yeah, some people will tell you it's a nasty wine cooler type beverage. Those people are correct, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad thing. I love the stuff. There's something wrong with me, I know. No matter. Join me on the trashy Skeeter pee train!

People who live in regions where the yards have lemon trees can get the lemon juice for free/barter; or bulk. Table sugar is cheap in bulk. Wine yeast is pretty cheap (Red Star Montrachet $0.75). It might be hard to make 5 gallons for $10, but you're also talking about something that's 8-10% ABV rather than 3-4% ABV. Could be scaled down in volume to get a similar bang for the buck.
 
I think the burning question of the day is why and how people spend 50 bucks for a batch when they can make great beer for 10 bucks

Of course I like to make a dime think it is a dollar whenever I can:ban:

Because that 50 dollar beer is significantly diffferent? The $10 beer may well be drinkable, but to my pallatte the $50 is likely to be much better.
 
Um... it's not?

I respectfully suggest that for most of us here, "making better beer" is precisely the point.

A wittier person than I once wrote, "homebrewing to save money on beer is like buying a boat to save money on fish."

The goal of the op is to make a decent beer as cheaply as possible. I've never made or tasted a beer with grits but I bet it is much better than a case of Keystone, which sounds like the alternative.
 
I'd say your cheapest (and still flavorful) beer will be a Berliner Weiße.

You only need 1.038 OG (55% 2-row, 40% wheat malt, 5% table sugar - Plus ~1/2 lb uncrushed grain for souring your mash).

Mash (2-row and wheat) at 156F for 60 minutes, let it cool down to ~100F, add the grain (that contains the "beer-spoiling" Lactobacillus bugs) and keep at "Body temperature" for ~2 days. A beer cooler is great for this.
It will stink (keep it in the garage or outside!) but tastes much better than it smells. ;)

Sample the flavor regularly until it will reach the sourness of your choice. After 2 days it will be sour enough. Now it's time for a mini boil (15 mins to kill the Lacto and give a tiny bit of bitterness to the beer). Add the sugar (~8oz for 5 gallon batch) 2/3 Oz 5% AA hops or whatever will give you about 5-6 IBUs of mini-bitterness.

Pitch an S-04 or S-05 or similar yeast at ~70F and ferment as normal light ale.

Can you get cheaper than that? Probably not! :D

Holy Crap! That sounds interesting but I don't know if i'm brave enough to try it.
 
If you have natural gas to your home you might be able to convert from propane to natural gas. I don't know how much that would involve, ie: running a new gas line, changing orifices on burner etc., but natural gas is usually much cheaper than propane. Natural gas hookups to built in outdoor barbecues are not uncommon. Of course, there is the initial cost to consider. I hear you on the money being tight and 10 bucks for a 5 gallon batch sounds great to me.
 
Not every one has the same REASONS to brew beer. Some folks try and perfect the system of beer making with many thousands of dollars in automation and such. Some folks like to experiment with different styles and such. All of the above is just fine and dandy

Myself and many others I think here just enjoy drinking a nice session beer that we have made. I have never brewed a beer over 4.5% and I never will because I do not like them. I do not brew beer for other folks and yet I heard one comment "why don't you save your money until you can brew a beer you like" Well maybe Bobbi does not want to save her money until she can afford to brew a beer you think she would like. Maybe she just wants to brew a inexpensive house beer to drink daily.

I think it is great that many people enjoy many different types and reasons to brew. But come on folks we are all brewers here and just because we have different reasons to brew does not mean that the brewing is any different.
 
Not possible.

Even when doing a bulk grain buy(35ish a sack of 2 row), using minimal hops bought in bulk, minimal specialty grains and adjuncts, and yeast washing, slanting ect....the cost of DME for starters, propane(this is a big one), water(if you dont filter), star san, cleaners, caps, ect will put you over that limit quickly. Thats not even considering amortizing equipment costs.

Just brewed 12 gallons of 4% abv beer for $18 dollars including nat gas caps cleaners the whole 9. VERY possible. I pay .35 a lb for 2 row .41 a lb for specialty. Yeast cost me $1 dollar per 10 gallon batch, on average I use 4oz hops at .87 per oz. Thats $12 dollars for ingredients or $1 per gallon. My brewhouse however is 85% efficient so that helps.
 
Varmintman said:
Not every one has the same REASONS to brew beer. Some folks try and perfect the system of beer making with many thousands of dollars in automation and such. Some folks like to experiment with different styles and such. All of the above is just fine and dandy

Myself and many others I think here just enjoy drinking a nice session beer that we have made. I have never brewed a beer over 4.5% and I never will because I do not like them. I do not brew beer for other folks and yet I heard one comment "why don't you save your money until you can brew a beer you like" Well maybe Bobbi does not want to save her money until she can afford to brew a beer you think she would like. Maybe she just wants to brew a inexpensive house beer to drink daily.

I think it is great that many people enjoy many different types and reasons to brew. But come on folks we are all brewers here and just because we have different reasons to brew does not mean that the brewing is any different.

+1. Well said.
 
Just brewed 12 gallons of 4% abv beer for $18 dollars including nat gas caps cleaners the whole 9. VERY possible. I pay .35 a lb for 2 row .41 a lb for specialty. Yeast cost me $1 dollar per 10 gallon batch, on average I use 4oz hops at .87 per oz. Thats $12 dollars for ingredients or $1 per gallon. My brewhouse however is 85% efficient so that helps.

He said in the OP that he uses propane....

Beyond that your ingredient costs are ludicrous Want to explain how you get base malt for .35...and even better specialty for .41?

And while you are at it, how did you get enouch yeast cells for a 10 gallon batch for 1 dollar?
 
Holy Crap! That sounds interesting but I don't know if i'm brave enough to try it.

There's nothing much to it, really.
Other than the smell (I'd say concentrated stale bread, fermented chick pea smell) it's a pleasant experience... :D

It's THE best Summer beer in my opinion, so I always make a bunch in the winter so it'll be ready for the warmer months.
It's acidic, refreshing and highly carbonated.
Just like soda, but healthier! :mug:
 
There's nothing much to it, really.
Other than the smell (I'd say concentrated stale bread, fermented chick pea smell) it's a pleasant experience... :D

It's THE best Summer beer in my opinion, so I always make a bunch in the winter so it'll be ready for the warmer months.
It's acidic, refreshing and highly carbonated.
Just like soda, but healthier! :mug:

My LHBS made some once but used second runnings for his. I will have to say it was really good. It was under 2% but really good
 
First: I'm from the Netherlands, so costs are way different overhere.
I assume (as others allready did) we are only talking about ingredients, not labor, water, gas and electricty.

The most cheapest beer, offcourse, would be a simple pilsener. You only need one type of grain (the most cheapest of all: pilsener malt) and one or two kind of hops.
Limiting down the variety of ingredients brings down the total cost of the beer.
Offcorse you should harvest any yeast from a source other than buying smackpacks, but I assume you have some yeast in the house or in in some bottle-fermented beer.

It also helps to buy the grain and hops in bulk. Overhere the general amounts for malt are 1 kg, 5 kg and 25 kg. When I buy a 25 kg bag of pilsenere malt, I pay 1,1 EUR per kg. If I buy one bag of 1 Kg of the same malt, I pay 2,95 EUR.
Same thing for Saaz hops: i I buy 1 kg Saaz hops I pay 36,75 EUR, when I buy the same Saaz hop in 100 gram it will cost me 5,85 EUR.

Last but not least about getting yeast: try to harvest from commercial beer, your own beer, trade some yeast-slurry with brewmates. I you really must buy yeast, use dry yeast.

Good luck with your plans :)
 
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