Hi folks.
I am from the PNW originally and have been working in China for about a year now and plan to stay here awhile. I recently had a very nice pale ale from Slow Boat brewing in Beijing and it really got me hankering for an IPA (the restaurant was sold out of one IPA and the other was more a UK style one).
The price for a case is up to $80 for a double IPA though and I'm a bit of a cheapskate. Got me thinking I could probably do it cheaper myself. So for the last couple days I've been looking up what is the rudimentary equipment needed and how much ingredients cost to see if it's really cost effective. Tsingtao beer is dirt cheap and I actually like it, but I've been drinking it for a year and crave some variety now and then. I like very hoppy beers, the hoppier the better usually.
So, the cheapest IPA I can find is Brew Dog Punk IPA (never had it) for about $4 USD (will convert all the prices to USD) over the internet and $1 for shipping (if you order a lot, they'll waive the shipping).
I've also thought it might be a business opportunity for my girlfriend potentially. We are thinking about getting married in a year or two and she normally only earns about $400-500 per month working 70 hours a week with no vacation time. There are two American and one Bavarian breweries in Beijing and the demand seems to be growing. That's pretty far out there though.
Example prices (please ask if I miss something)
Equipment:
A 5 gallon pot is about $8-9. The biggest pot I have is about 2.5gal.
Brewing bucket is about $10
There's a 5 gallon stainless tank here that's used as a hot water dispenser at schools and factories that might be good as a mash tun for about $10
Bottles and caps: can re-use tsingtao bottles basically for free with the metal cork dealy-bobs
Thermometer about $3
5 gallon water bottle: maybe $3 with water inside (save some money there)
Grain mill: maybe $13, but there might be a cheaper traditional one
purpose-built brewing equipment is relatively expensive here.
I think I would do whole grain rather than extract because I'd like to try using Chinese ingredients (more on that later).
Australian 2 row malted barley (cheaper than American): about $13 for 22 pounds shipped.
American hops: around $24-27 for a pound shipped
Yeast: about $3-4 for a packet
Chinese products (China does make a ton of beer, but all lagers):
The problem I am having with Chinese products is there is really not a home brewing scene amongst normal Chinese. The rich Chinese want to use western products. So you usually see hops sold as medicine and malted barley sold for making barley tea. This means there is very little information about things like alpha acid levels which is important for IPAs.
1lbs of Chinese hops: about $2.50 shipped
Chinese malted barley you might be able to get a bit cheaper depending on how well you're able to negotiate the shipping. I can't imagine it being less than $6 for 22lbs shipped. I am guessing the good stuff is pretty similar in price to Australian.
Questions:
Is it worth it to try a couple 2.5gal or so batches first? Or is waiting 3 weeks for a case of beer discouraging?
What are the chances of Chinese hops being suitable to make an IPA, not knowing the AA levels? If the AA levels are say, on the low end of the American hop spectrum, could you add more? or would that ruin the flavor in some other way?
Most IPA recipes seem to require about half a pound of hops, does that sound about right?
Do I need any sort of special equiment to maintain the temperature while it's fermenting? My apartment probably ranges from 60-80 depending on where your standing and what time of day it is. Outside it is pretty darn cold (canals are frozen in the afternoon). Almost no humidity. What kind of range of temperatures is tolerated? There are some containers for making vinegar they sell here that maintain a specific temp but I'd rather not buy one if I can avoid it.
It's very cold outside this time of year here: is an inside ice bath better, or just put it outside, or both?
Thanks for any help you can give. Sorry if there's a few spelling errors. I finished this post right as I needed to do something else.
I am from the PNW originally and have been working in China for about a year now and plan to stay here awhile. I recently had a very nice pale ale from Slow Boat brewing in Beijing and it really got me hankering for an IPA (the restaurant was sold out of one IPA and the other was more a UK style one).
The price for a case is up to $80 for a double IPA though and I'm a bit of a cheapskate. Got me thinking I could probably do it cheaper myself. So for the last couple days I've been looking up what is the rudimentary equipment needed and how much ingredients cost to see if it's really cost effective. Tsingtao beer is dirt cheap and I actually like it, but I've been drinking it for a year and crave some variety now and then. I like very hoppy beers, the hoppier the better usually.
So, the cheapest IPA I can find is Brew Dog Punk IPA (never had it) for about $4 USD (will convert all the prices to USD) over the internet and $1 for shipping (if you order a lot, they'll waive the shipping).
I've also thought it might be a business opportunity for my girlfriend potentially. We are thinking about getting married in a year or two and she normally only earns about $400-500 per month working 70 hours a week with no vacation time. There are two American and one Bavarian breweries in Beijing and the demand seems to be growing. That's pretty far out there though.
Example prices (please ask if I miss something)
Equipment:
A 5 gallon pot is about $8-9. The biggest pot I have is about 2.5gal.
Brewing bucket is about $10
There's a 5 gallon stainless tank here that's used as a hot water dispenser at schools and factories that might be good as a mash tun for about $10
Bottles and caps: can re-use tsingtao bottles basically for free with the metal cork dealy-bobs
Thermometer about $3
5 gallon water bottle: maybe $3 with water inside (save some money there)
Grain mill: maybe $13, but there might be a cheaper traditional one
purpose-built brewing equipment is relatively expensive here.
I think I would do whole grain rather than extract because I'd like to try using Chinese ingredients (more on that later).
Australian 2 row malted barley (cheaper than American): about $13 for 22 pounds shipped.
American hops: around $24-27 for a pound shipped
Yeast: about $3-4 for a packet
Chinese products (China does make a ton of beer, but all lagers):
The problem I am having with Chinese products is there is really not a home brewing scene amongst normal Chinese. The rich Chinese want to use western products. So you usually see hops sold as medicine and malted barley sold for making barley tea. This means there is very little information about things like alpha acid levels which is important for IPAs.
1lbs of Chinese hops: about $2.50 shipped
Chinese malted barley you might be able to get a bit cheaper depending on how well you're able to negotiate the shipping. I can't imagine it being less than $6 for 22lbs shipped. I am guessing the good stuff is pretty similar in price to Australian.
Questions:
Is it worth it to try a couple 2.5gal or so batches first? Or is waiting 3 weeks for a case of beer discouraging?
What are the chances of Chinese hops being suitable to make an IPA, not knowing the AA levels? If the AA levels are say, on the low end of the American hop spectrum, could you add more? or would that ruin the flavor in some other way?
Most IPA recipes seem to require about half a pound of hops, does that sound about right?
Do I need any sort of special equiment to maintain the temperature while it's fermenting? My apartment probably ranges from 60-80 depending on where your standing and what time of day it is. Outside it is pretty darn cold (canals are frozen in the afternoon). Almost no humidity. What kind of range of temperatures is tolerated? There are some containers for making vinegar they sell here that maintain a specific temp but I'd rather not buy one if I can avoid it.
It's very cold outside this time of year here: is an inside ice bath better, or just put it outside, or both?
Thanks for any help you can give. Sorry if there's a few spelling errors. I finished this post right as I needed to do something else.