HOMEBREW COST - The Addiction: My $$$ Per Pint

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
faststage1 said:
Alright Mr. CPA, at what point in time to you stop factoring your capital equipment cost?
Click to expand...

OH! Depreciation! You'll be brewing cheap beer in no time! :mug:

EDIT: Alright, how about you start serving it to all your clients and deduct 8/pint as office supplies. Just like coffee.
 
faststage1 said:
Alright Mr. CPA, at what point in time to you stop factoring your capital equipment cost? (1) Legally three 3 years? I know we all do it but any hobby costs money. If you got into photography would you (2) amortize the cost of every picture taken together with the equipment? NO!
Click to expand...

(1) Depreciable assets are ALWAYS capitalized, depreciated, and included as deductions against gross income...As a tax attorney, I can also tell you there is no "legal" time frame regarding this concept.

(2) I understand you were attempting to sound like you know what you are talking about, but the proper term is "capitalize." And no I wouldn't capitalize the cost of every picture. The cost of a taking a photograph is an expense in the ordinary course of business for a photographer. It is proper to deduct all the necessary expenses for capturing that image in the period in which the image was captured.

Has a homebrewed pint only cost me the cost of the ingredients and propane? No. It would not have been possible without my capital outlays. Therefore, my cost per pint is as accurate as it's going to get without factoring in depreciation and the opportunity cost (my hourly billable rate) forgone by spending the time brewing. Do I really give a ****? No. The fact of the matter is, the higher my $/pint is, the more it humors me. Money exists so it can be spent.

Stick to brewing & riding bikes (insert a smiley here if you want).
 
Like I said before, I like tracking my numbers. And part of what I like about brewing is that I have it all paid for by the time I enjoy it; equipment, ingredients, everything. Putting 5 gallons of beer on tap feels great, no matter what.

Knowing that I owe on my motorcycle doesn't detract from its fun, money does exist to be spent (eloquently put, DR!)
 
I fail to see the entertainment value of tracking the bleeding. But then I guess that's why I didn't become a CPA.
 
What an interesting read.... I think I might go and check the cost of all of my Equipment as well.... I'll be back!
 
Because I am recently married, just finished my Master's Degree, and am still looking for a full time teaching job; I had to keep the cost down as much as possible so here is my break down. I went right into AG because that seemed the most home made to me and allowed for the cheapest batches.

1 cooler - Found in parents basement
Glass carboys - Part of family Wine making
Propane Turkey Burner - Borrowed from Aunt and Uncle
7.5 Gal Pot - Found at family rental property
Keggle - Pay it forward thread shipping cost $23
Mini fridge - Father's old college fridge
Plexi-glass - Scraps from another project
CO2/faucet/regulator - Different Uncle who only bottles now...
Stout faucet - $90
Second CO2 Tank (exchanged for beer gas) - $50
Copper pipe to make manifold - ~$10
Copper pipe and parts for IC - ~$25
various tubing - ~$15
Brewing ingredients for 3 batches - $70
CO2/Beer gas fills - $35

So I am at ~$320 so ~$2.15 per 12 oz beer. Still cheaper than going out and almost the same cost as buying "****" beer.
 
this is silly... Never ever try to put a price tag on your hobby. I ride Harley's and collect old cars if I figure out what it cost me per day or mile it would be staggering... Siht ever buy a NOS set of hub caps for a 66 SS Chevelle would make you toes curl and your bung hole pucker ....



Look at it this way

Cost of equipment =$3221

Cost per pint=$8.05

Fun Factor of a hobby brewing Beer = Priceless
 
You'd think after spending all that money on a fine hobby you wouldn't cut corners by shaking the piss out of your beer to carbonate.;) :mug:
 
Thank goodness I didn't track my expenses! I think that I would be sick at the amount of money I pissed away (literally!) in the last 4 years or so.

My husband, after acknowledging that I'm buying the_Pol's rig, today said, "It never ends, does it? You'll be happy for a year or so, and then 'need' something else." Aha! He finally understands!

I was perfectly happy with my little partial mash system in my little pot. I was happy bottling over 100 batches. But, then I found this forum. Now, I want a brewery and a reverse osmosis water system! It never ends.
 
I attempted to do something like this with my other hobby (I run a beer league mens softball team here in Albany, NY) and SWMBO's jaw dropped when she saw how much I spent for that.

If she saw how much we spend on homebrew (which I spend a lot more on than I do the softball team)... let's just say it's a good thing she can't see all of the thoughts that are running around in my head after having started to read through a lot of this forum over the past week! :)
 
I count my cost also.

I do it in two ways: overall (meaning every dollar I have spent to brew up to and including the last batch) and per batch (meaning only the ingredients in the bottle that I am drinking).

My per batch ranges from $1.30 per bottle ($1.74 per pint) for a Belgian Saison which I had to pitch twice to get the gravity down and $0.76 per bottle ($1.01 per pint) for a Red Ale which used a pre-hopped extract, no additional hops and dry yeast.

My overall cost includes everything.........EVERYTHING. From caps, propane, Starsan, cheap vodka for the airlocks to carboys, DME for starters and any book I buy or class I take. Even the cost of the mason jars for yeast washing is incuded. Presently my cost per bottle is $1.75 ($2.34 per pint) through 17 batches. This cost almost always goes down unless I buy some new gear, then it peaks a little.
 
annasdadhockey said:
Nothing like jumping into a hobby headfirst. good for you, though thatt you found a hobby you enjoy. Seems like you should be just about finished with equipment purchases and can work on getting that per pint number down to a respectable number.:mug:
Click to expand...

This is about the funniest quote in this thread. ;) For me this hobby is at least 50% about the equipment purchases, and diy builds, etc. The beer is just a happy, wonderful by-product.

I am just like Yooper. I finish up a major project, like a fridge build, or an AG set up, and it is then time to build a brew scuplture or new fermentation room.

I came home with a keggle last week and my wife was like "oh no! No big ass brew sculpture until you build yourself a brewshed to house it." See, this is
why I love my wife so much; she is practically demanding that I build myself an awesome brewshed. At least that's how I interpret her comment. Am I right?
 
One of the things I like about this hobby is that the high dollar pieces of equipment tend to hold their value (as long as you buy good stuff at a decent price). When the time comes to upgrade, you can usually get a lot of your investment back out of the old gear. It's not like you're just burning money.

Looking over the OP's expense sheet, I hope he Ebay'd the crap out of all those extra brew kettles he purchased.
 
Doc Robinson said:
The haters miss the point. This isn't a complaint thread. It's for fun.
Click to expand...

well I am not a hater and never thought you were complaining about it. Its just that people get caught up in the monetary aspect of a hobby thats all. Whatever you do as a hobby is going to cost money but there aren't to many hobbies that can get you a good buzz... Well some agricultural hobbies do but this is a legal one ;)
 
Doc Robinson said:
It's for fun.
Click to expand...

And fun it is - both brewing and the DIY build. Up next for me this next year is converting my system to electric. Of course I'm going to have to do a lot of reading and probably hire an electrician but it will be fun.

Did I mention this is a very fun hobby? Like DR, I don't care what I've spent and SWMBO indulges me. Cheers! :mug:
 
Doc, you have a problem. Quit buying feces. Next time you feel like buying something, pick up one of your 2 books and get to studying. Repeat after me ... buy ingredients not equipment...buy ingredients not equipment.
 
Soulrebel said:
Doc, you have a problem. Quit buying feces. Next time you feel like buying something, pick up one of your 2 books and get to studying. Repeat after me ... buy ingredients not equipment...buy ingredients not equipment.
Click to expand...

Yes. It is now time to get brewing. However, 50 gallons in a little over 2 months is a bit insane. Especially since I'm the only one drinking.
 
springer said:
Well some agricultural hobbies do but this is a legal one ;)
Click to expand...

Gardening is legal. It's what you plant that may not be.

As for the "haters", I'm not one of them. I keep meticulous records of my income and expenses, just not my brewing ones. I shouldn't say this out loud, but I work in a cash business. My bills are paid with the income I declare, but there could be some undeclared purchases related to brewing. But you didn't hear that from me.
 
homebeerbrewer said:
Gardening is legal. It's what you plant that may not be.

As for the "haters", I'm not one of them. I keep meticulous records of my income and expenses, just not my brewing ones. I shouldn't say this out loud, but I work in a cash business. My bills are paid with the income I declare, but there could be some undeclared purchases related to brewing. But you didn't hear that from me.
Click to expand...

oh my lord in a skirt! you did not just say that. it's anti-american to NOT cheat on your taxes.

i tallied my equipment costs as best as i can: $2700
 
Doc Robinson said:
Before October 9th, I wasn't a brewer. On October 9th, I was stumbling on StumbleUpon to kill some time before the weekend. I hit a homebrew site. Since then, I have spent...and spent...and spent.

Hi, my name is Doc, and I'm an addict.

costperpint.jpg
Click to expand...


giving me those two 40$ gift certs for christmas? HOW THOUGHTFUL!!!!
 
Hey Doc, if it makes you feel any better I have spent a little more than twice what you have. I just calculated my costs and I am at $6.70 per pint now. The key is stepping up to 10 gal batches. Or stop thinking about it and just enjoy brewing.
 
bull8042 said:
Hey Doc, if it makes you feel any better I have spent a little more than twice what you have. I just calculated my costs and I am at $6.70 per pint now. The key is stepping up to 10 gal batches. Or stop thinking about it and just enjoy brewing.
Click to expand...

I just bought a 15 gallon kettle, a march pump, and built a CF chiller to do just that...10 gallon batches. I don't see how it makes a difference in cost though...it's twice the ingredients. What am I missing?
 
Doc Robinson said:
That's why I'm doing it. Come January, I'll be burning 80 hour weeks until April and really only have Sundays off. I need lots of beer, but won't have much time to brew.
Click to expand...

80 hour weeks? Holy crap, what business are you in? and who plans their work schedule so far in advance?
 
wilserbrewer said:
"$11.21 T-square for measuring volume"

How the hell have I been brewing all these years w/out a T-square???
Click to expand...

Haha...it's awesome actually. On my 5 gallon kettle, 2 inches is a gallon. On my 7.5 gallon, 1.5 inches is a gallon. Those both had graduation marks but they didn't seem to be accurate. My new 15 gallon kettle has no marks, so I am going to need the T-square to measure on fills.
 
Picobrew said:
Yes! Much cheaper than $30 per batch. All you need is a barley crusher. With yeast washing my Alt today was like $11 for 6 gallons. Thats $0.275 a pint and I didn't use bulk hops.

I'm still eyeing a sump pump...and I just bought 2 better bottles, I guess I am still addicted to equipment upgrades.
Click to expand...


I started buying local raw barley and malting it myself. I'm also freezing yeast. My last batch was an Irish Red. I paid about $4 for 2 ounces of Fuggles and $4 for the grain. So 5 gallons for $8, or 20 cents a pint. Buying hops by the pound would drop that even more. Brewing for cheap is a goal of mine. Granted, I never factor in time or equipment. That would be silly!:drunk:
 
Doc Robinson said:
I want to punch you in the teeth through my ****ing monitor.
Click to expand...

I was being mostly sarcastic. Obviously we all do this because we love it, not to actually save money on beer. I do like to try to keep my batch cost down, but I just don't really worry about the rest of it. I like being able to say that my beer (Ingredients) costs only $X amount per pint or gallon. That's my out of pocket for what actually went into the beer. If I figured out all the other stuff, I'd probably just quit brewing and drink more Hamm's!
 

Similar threads

J
Non-alcoholic homebrew - buzzed feeling?
Replies
7
Views
620
mashdar
mashdar
corncob
Bucket heater cut 30 minutes off my brew day
Replies
0
Views
241
corncob
corncob
G
Did I Kill My Yeast?
Replies
6
Views
881
KepowOb
KepowOb
Clint Yeastwood
My Plan for Primary Dry-Hopping
Replies
3
Views
557
Clint Yeastwood
Clint Yeastwood
Ali01
All my beers have this overpowering off flavor after bottling
2
Replies
76
Views
4K
WesBrew
WesBrew

Latest posts

Back
Top