Prices off at my LHB? Don't seem to be much savings DIY recipes???

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akthor

akthor

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So I looked on here and picked out a couple extract recipes that I was sure my LHB had on hand and figured instead of buying a kit I would save some $ and buy all the ingredients seperately myself. Well I got there and started pricing the ingredients out I was coming very close to the kits price. So I just went with buying another kit figured all the measuring and weighing is done for me and it even comes with a steeping bag, caps and bottling sugar.

Is my LHB prices just ridiculous or are there really not much of a savings if you buy the ingredients seperately?
 
There are no real savings to doing individual recipes over kits. The kits come mass manufactured, pre packaged, and introductory beginner priced.

You can save doing extract by buying in bulk (hops + DME). All grain really brings that down, and buying all grain in bulk REALLY brings that down.

Remember though, support your LHBS! Buying online and bulk through Country Malts takes good sales away from your store...and some day he may not be there anymore if he doesn't make his sales.
 
There's no savings until you start buying in bulk and the real savings start after you've purchased a grain mill. I've been brewing 10 years and other than hops, I buy the makings one batch at a time. I keep some packets of dry yeast in the fridge. It's a wash between the NLHBS and online for me.
 
The biggest savings I've been able to manage is ordering hops in bulk online. You can buy 1lb+ of hops and put the rest of the recipe together locally and save a good amount of money, especially if you like to brew hoppy PA/IPAs.
 
so far my brews been averaging about 75$ per 10g batch (kits and non). I just bought a 33lb. growler of lme for 75$ and some grains in bulk which should bring that number down. also my buddys hop garden did really well this year. we have centenial, cascade, chinook and nugget and will hopefully yeild about 5lbs. each. been spending more time trying to bring down the cost of beer rather than perfecting it :eek:
 
As other said, all-grain is where the savings happen. Also, if you like the big beers, (Tripels, barleywine, etc.) you will save a lot of money compared to commercially available types.

IMO, extract brewing tastes better than microbrew, but it's not a whole lot cheaper. ;)
 
superjunior said:
so far my brews been averaging about 75$ per 10g batch (kits and non). I just bought a 33lb. growler of lme for 75$ and some grains in bulk which should bring that number down. also my buddys hop garden did really well this year. we have centenial, cascade, chinook and nugget and will hopefully yeild about 5lbs. each. been spending more time trying to bring down the cost of beer rather than perfecting it :eek:
Click to expand...

That is alot of $$ Now that I'm all grain I just brewed 10 gallons of a 6% porter and my cost was right around $40. I jumped in on 2 group buys thorugh the forum, the first I spent $60 on 110 lbs of grain(Marris Otter $ CMC 2-Row) The next one I got 275 lbs of random grains for $160. Also like stated above buy hops in bulk and that will help. I usually use dry yeast unless there is a need for something special. Gettin away from LME/DME is the best way to reduce costs
 
Locally kits by me are expensive. I extract brew, and when I go in and buy what I need for a recipe I see a huge savings. This is true using LME or DME with steeping grains. This is compared to Ture Brew and Brewers Best kits.
 
I spend like $50 for a 5 gal batch. That includes yeast and such...but I do extract/parial mash brews. I also shoot for higher OG's, so that's a factor too.

Still its a huge saving rather than buying two cases of similar quality beer!
 
Yep sounds exactly like what I'm experiencing too. Actually the kits seem to be a better deal since the kits throw in bottle caps, priming sugar and yeast for about the same price as the fermentables and hops in extract batches. I'm one of the lucky few who have 3 lhbs pretty close to home and I checked all three. Same story at them all. I was kind of bummed when I figured this out, don't think I'll be really saving money until I go all-grain. On a side note, it wasn't a bad idea to check em all out, one had way better hardware selection the other had almost every grain I could ask for (third was kind of a bust). Looks like I'll be supporting both ;) I never realized how many people home brew but both stores said they have great turnover.
 
keep in mind that 'kits' covers lots of options. There are kits that come prepackaged with all the ingredients from large companies. Then there are kits that the LHBS puts together that are more just recipes and equipment bundled together. The store i use when in tulsa literally has all the instructions, priming sugar, caps etc, packaged together with the kit label. When you ask for one they then go and measure and crush the grains and pour the LME if needed.

Kits can easily just be the way that store sells clone recipes and such, so the costs might be about the same since they are selling the same ingredients as you'd buy if you brought in your own recipe.
 
GaryJohn said:
I spend like $50 for a 5 gal batch. That includes yeast and such...but I do extract/parial mash brews. I also shoot for higher OG's, so that's a factor too.

Still its a huge saving rather than buying two cases of similar quality beer!
Click to expand...

wait....what..... was this some huge OG huge hop monster beer. I admit I have only done one 2.5G batch so far but for 2.5G of 1.050 I spent ~US$11.
Can you tell us that recipe?
 
i usually hit around $40-50 for 10-12 gallons, depending on the style. i harvest yeast from each brew, so that's not really a factor, i buy hops from hopsdirect.com, and i get in on bulk grain buys from my lhbs.
 
I pay 2.75/lb for LME locally from brewmasters warehouse. For me this is huge, and part of what I think helps keep my costs down.
 
Ive never bought a kit, never had to, cause I am super lucky to have 4 LHBS within 20 miles of me. The one that I go to all the time ends up costin me around 30-40 bucks for a 5 gallon partial mash/extract batch. That includes buying gallons of water too. Same store sells kits also, but I started brewing just so I could change things up at whim (more chocolate here, less crystal there, massive ammount of hops everywhere), which I would imagine could be kinda hard to do with a kit.
 
Buying extract is what kills you. I do partial mashes and can mash about 6 lbs of grain which means I only have to top off with 3 lbs of DME ($10) to get around 1.050+ or so. Typical batches run around $25 to $35 with the higher end meaning more hops. Add $10 for IPA's etc. A little less than kits I guess but still more expensive than doing all grain. $50 a batch seems expensive to me, though. I do IPA's (1.060+)with 6 oz of hops for a little over $40.. Thats buying on a batch to batch basis and not buying in bulk.
 
Some people buy where there is more sales tax, etc.

Also, if you are using wet yeast you can pay nearly $10 just for that... and if you pitch two packs instead of making a starter... :(

3 lbs of malt ~$11
Specialty grain ~$1.75 - $2 per pound
Hops ~$1-2 per ounce
Wet yeast ~$6 - $10 per

5 gal. batch:
6 lbs malt ($22)
2 lbs grains ($5)
yeast ($7.50)
2 oz hops ($2)
tax ($3.50)
----------------
~$40 for all

add $7 for bottled water, almost at $50... :(
 
Justibone said:
Some people buy where there is more sales tax, etc.

Also, if you are using wet yeast you can pay nearly $10 just for that... and if you pitch two packs instead of making a starter... :(

3 lbs of malt ~$11
Specialty grain ~$1.75 - $2 per pound
Hops ~$1-2 per ounce
Wet yeast ~$6 - $10 per

5 gal. batch:
6 lbs malt ($22)
2 lbs grains ($5)
yeast ($7.50)
2 oz hops ($2)
tax ($3.50)
----------------
~$40 for all

add $7 for bottled water, almost at $50... :(
Click to expand...

This sounds just about right...about $50 per batch.
 
See if I am not gonna save any money $30 - $40 is what a kit costs. To me I am not going to go thru the hassle of all that measuring, weighing, grinding ect. If I am not going to save any money. I have a friend who does all his own recipes and all grain and i don't notice that his beer is any better than kit beer I have tasted. It is certainly not an eye opening thing making me want to do more work for the same $$$.

I think I will buy some kits from Austin Home Brew though since if I buy 3 I get free shipping. I do wonder if kits like that have fresher indredients and if they make a difference? Plus you can upgrade the kits with alcohol booster and liquid yeast which I would try.

zahrndt_usmc said:
Ive never bought a kit, never had to, cause I am super lucky to have 4 LHBS within 20 miles of me. The one that I go to all the time ends up costin me around 30-40 bucks for a 5 gallon partial mash/extract batch. That includes buying gallons of water too. Same store sells kits also, but I started brewing just so I could change things up at whim (more chocolate here, less crystal there, massive ammount of hops everywhere), which I would imagine could be kinda hard to do with a kit.
Click to expand...
 
You can get extract kits pretty low with bulk ingredients. My standard pale ales are less then $20, and my higher gravity IPA's with a few ounces of hopes only get up to about $25-28. For the last two buys I tallied my ingredients for batches and compared the total to what the comparable kit would cost at AHS. Even assuming I would waste the remaining oz of hops (I bought by the pound) buying ingredients separate ranged from $10-$25 cheaper for 5 gallons.

My Green Flash IPA came out to ~$33 and the AHS price was $59. Of course like anyone that spews numbers I picked the largest difference example. But every single recipe saved a minimum of $10. If you like >5%ABV and high IBU beers the savings go up dramatically.

Yeah its a little more work but I think its worth it to save ~25% or more. Plus its great to be able to utilize all the great recipes on this forum and be able to play with the ingredients if I want.
 
akthor said:
I think I will buy some kits from Austin Home Brew though since if I buy 3 I get free shipping. I do wonder if kits like that have fresher indredients and if they make a difference? Plus you can upgrade the kits with alcohol booster and liquid yeast which I would try.
Click to expand...

Fresh ingredients make a difference in taste and overall beer quality. Austin Homebrew has a high turnover. If you buy from them you will be getting fresh ingredients.
 
If you want to make the cheapest extract beer possible (and have it be called beer, as well as being remotely drinkable):

Justibone said:
3 lbs of malt ~$11
Specialty grain ~$1.75 - $2 per pound
Hops ~$1-2 per ounce
Wet yeast ~$6 - $10 per pack
Dry yeast ~$1-2 per pack
CANE SUGAR ~$1 per lb on sale

5 gal. batch:
3 lbs malt ($11)
4 lbs CANE SUGAR ($4)
yeast ($1)
.5 oz hops ($0.50)
tax ($1.20)
Click to expand...

~$17.70 for probably pretty bad beer ;)
 
I'm finding the same thing. I can order a kit from Midwest, or AHS, with everything included plus muslin/grain bags for $30-50 which includes shipping. Anytime i've been to my LHBS the cheapest i get out of there is $60. Perhaps its because they charge a pretty penny to mill the grains for me. And on top of that, I get better efficiency from the kits.
 
akthor said:
See if I am not gonna save any money $30 - $40 is what a kit costs. To me I am not going to go thru the hassle of all that measuring, weighing, grinding ect. If I am not going to save any money. I have a friend who does all his own recipes and all grain and i don't notice that his beer is any better than kit beer I have tasted. It is certainly not an eye opening thing making me want to do more work for the same $$$.

I think I will buy some kits from Austin Home Brew though since if I buy 3 I get free shipping. I do wonder if kits like that have fresher indredients and if they make a difference? Plus you can upgrade the kits with alcohol booster and liquid yeast which I would try.
Click to expand...

Unlike most stores we make the kit after you order. We use fresh extract that is poured the same day your order is shipped. We have to do this because we have over 850 recipe kits available with 4 different types per kit.

Kits that use cans of extract are going to be much more expensive and they are not as fresh.

Thanks for the mention and your business.

Forrest
 
I figured it out for what I was actually paying per ounce (from my grocery receipts over a few months time) so I knew what I was shooting for from the outset. 7.6 cents an ounce. I can make 6 gallons of a Coopers beer for 3.4 cents an ounce or so, which is just as good. Or of course a much better and stronger brew for less or similar price. And it just gets better from there once I get to washing yeast and bulking up on common ingredients.

It's hard not to want an entire brew shop or brewery! :fro:
 
mosquitocontrol said:
You can get extract kits pretty low with bulk ingredients. My standard pale ales are less then $20, and my higher gravity IPA's with a few ounces of hopes only get up to about $25-28. For the last two buys I tallied my ingredients for batches and compared the total to what the comparable kit would cost at AHS. Even assuming I would waste the remaining oz of hops (I bought by the pound) buying ingredients separate ranged from $10-$25 cheaper for 5 gallons.

My Green Flash IPA came out to ~$33 and the AHS price was $59. Of course like anyone that spews numbers I picked the largest difference example. But every single recipe saved a minimum of $10. If you like >5%ABV and high IBU beers the savings go up dramatically.

Yeah its a little more work but I think its worth it to save ~25% or more. Plus its great to be able to utilize all the great recipes on this forum and be able to play with the ingredients if I want.
Click to expand...

Not really a fair comparison. You can't compare wholesale grain and hop prices with retail grain and hop prices. You are also not including labor, rent, etc.

I am fine with anyone getting supplies where you find the best deal. Just don't compare wholesale to retail because retail will never win. You could have used any retail homebrew store instead of me and you would get the same results comparing retail to wholesale.

Just trying to compare apples to apples.

Forrest
 
I dont have a real LHB just a corner of the local health food store. So not much of a selection. I really like the way Austin home brew makes their kits. Great for lazy people like myself ;) Can't wait to try them! Gotta wait till I have the scratch to buy at least 3 kits so I get the free shipping though!
 
akthor said:
I dont have a real LHB just a corner of the local health food store. So not much of a selection. I really like the way Austin home brew makes their kits. Great for lazy people like myself ;) Can't wait to try them! Gotta wait till I have the scratch to buy at least 3 kits so I get the free shipping though!
Click to expand...

I would recommend ordering no more than 2 kits at once.. I ordered 3, and had a hard time keeping ingredients fresh long enough to brew all 3 (I'm on hte second one now). Better to order 2 kits, plus one piece of equipment that you're hurting for. The free shipping on orders over $100 is great, though.
 
akthor said:
I think I will buy some kits from Austin Home Brew though since if I buy 3 I get free shipping. I do wonder if kits like that have fresher indredients and if they make a difference? Plus you can upgrade the kits with alcohol booster and liquid yeast which I would try.
Click to expand...



Here is a video that shows AHS filling an order. You can see the employee putting together the order nice and fresh. Sure it is for a walk in customer, but as Forresst said, they make up each recipe kit as it is shipped. I have had nothing but good results from AHS.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
impur said:
I'm finding the same thing. I can order a kit from Midwest, or AHS, with everything included plus muslin/grain bags for $30-50 which includes shipping. Anytime i've been to my LHBS the cheapest i get out of there is $60. Perhaps its because they charge a pretty penny to mill the grains for me. And on top of that, I get better efficiency from the kits.
Click to expand...

They charge you to mill grains you buy from them?!?! We have several LHBS here, and the worst I have to do is mill my own grain on their machine. Larry's happily mills it for you and you get great conversation as well.
 
For me price depends on which LHBS I go to. Cellar Homebrew is about 2 miles away, but a 5g brew can easily cost me $50 there. when I drive down to Larry's my cost goes down to about $35 for the same recipe. Larry's is about 25 miles away though, and closed on Sunday. Sometimes I just don't have the time to go all the way down there. I've taken to creating my own recipes (adds a bit of danger to tasting day, "will this one turn out alright?") but my ABV's average 5%-7%.
 
BigJerk said:
They charge you to mill grains you buy from them?!?! We have several LHBS here, and the worst I have to do is mill my own grain on their machine. Larry's happily mills it for you and you get great conversation as well.
Click to expand...

The LHBS here in Raleigh you mill your own and it's "supposed" to be .10 cent per pound...but i've never been charged (maybe cause I usually only do a pound or 2). We'll see what happens when I am all grain and doing 10 pounds.
 

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