cost of brewing compared to the liquor store

[creepingcharlie]

I was at the LHBS a few days ago looking at supplies because I'm thinking of buying a brew kit. While I was talking to one of the employees he said something about how brewing your own beer is cheaper than buying it at the liquor store. This really isn't a determining factor to me (I want the satisfaction of drinking my own brew), but it caught me off guard. I mean, I could believe that it's cheaper if all you buy at the liquor store is those $8 specialty 6-packs, but how about compared to the cost of say, Killian's/Leinenkugel's/Heineken assuming I'm buying 12 or 24 packs?

Cost of brewing equipment aside, Is it still more cost effective to brew your own rather than buy it at the liquor store?

 

[BuffaloSabresBrewer]

It can be if you pinch you pennies skillfully. Do some research for cheap ingredients. Be a cheap bastard and fight the temptation to buy more equipment till you "pay off" what you already have bought. When Ive brewed enough beer with my set up that it about equals what I would have been paying in stores I can more easily justify upgrading. Im a humble man and dont need 15 gallon conicals. But I want one! I use excel to track my spending down to a penny for the hell of it.

 

[Blender]

You cannot make it cheaper than the big breweries but you certainly can make it cheaper than the $8 dollar micro beer that you find in the stores. If you are a grain brewer you can easily make a batch in the $20 range for 5-6 gallons.

 

[Kevin Dean]

I could believe that it's cheaper if all you buy at the liquor store is those $8 specialty 6-packs

Most of us began drinking those "expensive" beers when we began brewing. Some of us still drink a lot of them. While I still enjoy a Killian's now and then (drinking one now, actually) my "normal" commercial beer is a Rogue Mocha Porter or a Wychwood Hobgoblin at $3.99 a bottle. Homebrewing is MUCH cheaper than drinking those every night.

Here's the problem...

Cost of brewing equipment aside, Is it still more cost effective to brew your own rather than buy it at the liquor store?

To say "other than equipment" in relation to homebrewing is like saying "other than the cost of the vehicle and maintainance and gas, is car ownership expensive?" Some of us have invested thousands of dollars into our breweries and even drinking the "good" beers that is not a small chunk of change.

You said you're interested in brewing, not saing money, good. If you're in it to save money the best advice I can offer is "quit now". Homebrewing truly is somewhat of an obsession because with every beer you drink you'll think on ways to improve it, either by equipment or ingredients.

 

[SuperiorBrew]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?p=477386#post477386

 

[Mr Nick]

Liquor store Price = 19 something dollars (plus deposit) for 15 cans of Wildcat.
Home Brew Price = 20.00 dollars for 5 gallons...more than twice as many bottles.

The equipment is a one time expense... (which does not have to be all that much) once your initial start up cost is recovered. It can quite easily pay for itself...or save you money.

That is not hard Math.

 

[beergears]

As an aside, what is your local term for liquor store?

Here, in some parts New England, it is "package store" or "packy" for short.

What is it in your neck of the woods, as Al Booker would say?


.

 

[Mr Nick]

As an aside, what is your local term for liquor store?

Here, in some parts New england, it is "package store" or "packy" for short.

What is it in your neck of the woods, as Al Booker would say?.

My neck of the woods is the South West Coast of Canada.

My local term for liquor store??? It is actually called the Government Liquor board store.

One can purchase beer and wine from some local (general) stores...but it is a bit more expensive.

 

[Kevin Dean]

I refer to them as "Beer Stores".\

 

[Stratotankard]

Down here in Arkansas they're just liquor stores (if you're not in a dry county ). Just moved from North Dakota and they were called bottle shops.

Cheers

 

[splat]

Around here nobody buys beer at the liquor store, really dont even know if they sell it....Ours pretty much is for hard liquor...We can buy beer/wine from any store, 7-11, or gas station around....Funny story...I live in Oregon, and I was in Michigan for a trip with my wife...We stopped at this gas station/quickie mart combo to fill up our rig and I went inside to get a pop, and a 1/2 case of beer to take back to the hotel. I got my pop and am wandering around looking for the beer case. Finaly I ask the two clerks where the beer is at. they look at each other, kinda smirk, and look at me and ask what I am talking about. So I asked again where the beer is? They tell me "dude, this is a gas station, we cant sell beer"....You have to go to a "party store"...I laughed and went to the car and told the wife(she is from there)...She knew right where a party store was...Basically a liquor store....

 

[Kubed]

We have "liquor stores" in Las Vegas, but some of them are huge! Think costco, but aisles and aisles of booze. God bless Lee's

 

[MikeFlynn74]

splat

Same stupid ass rules in Anchorage. Start Homebrewing.

 

[Kevin Dean]

You have to go to a "party store"...I laughed and went to the car and told the wife(she is from there)...She knew right where a party store was

Interesting benefit from having moved around alot... I didn't realize "party store" was a regional term... I used to get my candy and jerky from party stores as a kid.

The term "pop" certainly is regional though... I kind of chuckled when I went back up there and say "Pop" actually displayed on the store sinage.

 

[EvilTOJ]

It's called "Soda".

 

[Dycokac]

I've seen gas stations around here that sell 12 oz cans of beer in the fridge... just depends if they have a license or not

and all the rest of you call it soda because you can't find/drink verners without coughing

 

[Donasay]

It is called tonic!

 

[RICLARK]

I live in Grand Ledge, Mi and I know of about 5 Gas Stations off the top of my head and a truck stop that sells Beer not to mention the oodles of Party Stores around me you just have to find the right gas station, hell we even have a Drive through beer store where you just drive in the garage tell the guy what you want and he runs off and gets it for ya, But damn does he have a cow if you dont turn your car off when you pull up in there I wont do that again!

 

[malkore]

You cannot make it cheaper than the big breweries but you certainly can make it cheaper than the $8 dollar micro beer that you find in the stores. If you are a grain brewer you can easily make a batch in the $20 range for 5-6 gallons.

Exactly! Bud, Miller, Coors, etc...that is horse piss swill, and its cheap to make since there's a much corn or rice as there is barley, and hardly any hops.

if you just look at raw ingredients and not time involved or eqiupment cost, its a lot cheaper to make 2 cases of Blvd Wheat clone for $20-ish, than to spend the $7.99 a 6-pack that I'd have to pay locally...$30 a case!

plus I wash yeast that I know I'll re-use, which further drops my cost per batch.

 

[eddie]

I don't think I've ever saved a dime brewing my own beer. The money I've saved by by buying the ingredients and brewing just ends up going into more equipment. I don't brew to save money. I brew because I like great beer and enjoy the process. If I was just looking for a cheap drunk, I'd be better off buying a bottle of Gold Crown and joining the hobo's downtown.

 

[finchlake]

My philosophy is to homebrew the odd and expensive beers.

When I want cheap beer buy Coors. Why compete with them, they make it cheaper than I can.

Since I'm only brewing beers that would cost $8.00+ a six pack, I think I save money.

 

[MikeFlynn74]

blah- I cant even stomach BMCs. I use miller lite for cooking though

 

[CodeRage]

I have found that I dont save any money. I just drink alot more 'quality' beer now.

 

[Poindexter]

It really does come down to wehen you stop buying equipment.

25 gallons in to the hobby I was making beer that would sell for 7-9 dollars in the store.

In the last 10 days I bought two more 5 gallon kegs (80 dollars) and a spunding valve (80 dollars) that aren't going to really improve my beer, won't make it more "expensive." Actually, the valve will improve my session beer a little, but I did spend $160 without improving my 2008 Grand Cru at all.

Just focus on clean, relaxing technique. It is very easy to make very expensive tasting beer.

 

[Fingers]

Any Canadian that homebrews AG will save money eventually. I've spent buckets on my equipment and I'm not done yet, but I'm sure I've recovered the cost. It's about $25 for 24 cans of cheap garbage here. Sure, I drink a lot more beer now that I have kegs of it, but it costs me the same $25 for five gallons now.

By the way, welcome to the forums Charlie. You should put your location in your profile so we know where you're from. You might have a kindred spirit living near you that can point you to suppliers or even help you get started.

 

[MikeFlynn74]

Canadians? How many gallons is that in 5 real gallons?

I know I know its probably 7 or so.



lol

 

[Fingers]

Canadians? How many gallons is that in 5 real gallons?

I know I know its probably 7 or so.



lol

Used to be. Now a Canadian gallon is larger than a US gallon.

Seriously though, I think our gallon IS actually a little larger. Well, I guess I should say we USED to have a larger gallon. We used Imperial (UK) gallons before we converted to metric. As a person who lived through the conversion back in the 70's, I still use both metric and Imperial measurements. Then again, since we no longer use gallons, perhaps my equipment that has gallon measurements came from the US?

I don't know. I'm so confused.

 

[grasshopper1917]

Hmmm well 5 Canadian gallons is 23 liters I think. So maybe 4.some liters a gallon?

In my neck of the woods (Nova Scotia) the cheapest beer is Moodehead Dry which is 17$ a dozen or 34$ for 24..........

So I save a whole lot of money home brewing since I can make my own 55 bottle batch for about 25-30$. Plus its more fun to make your own then waiting in line at the beer store

 

[user 574]

Exclude the equipment. It's like MPG with your car and rolling the car buy price into it. Crap, I just paid $75.35 per gallon for that last fill-up!

Some people drive expensive fancy cars, others beaters. Same analogy IMO with your equipment investment.

 

[GloHoppa]

While Im very new at this whole brewing thing, one of the reasons I wanted to brew was not necessarily economics, but the freedom to drink the beer i liked. Sometimes it's hard to get the brew you want (Brahma, Sagres, Carlsberg) hopefully in a short period of time, I can make similar beers myself, and not only will I be enjoying good beer it will be from my own two manly hands...

 

[homebrewer_99]

This math has been done before.

Dollar-wise it is cheaper to brew your own. However, not including the cost of the brewing equipment and supplies the most expensive part of this hobby is our time. However #2, it is a hobby and hobbies are about relaxation time...you can't put a price on it.

Most of my brew supplies run about $15-17.00 a batch for 37 - 0,5 liter bottles. I drink a lot of Hefe Weizen. Let's use $2.00 a bottle as our starting point. At 37 bottles that's $74. Minus the $17 for supplies, that's a savings of $57.00 per batch. Not a bad return on investment if you ask me. :rockin: