How much does home brewing cost?

[govner1]

I currently have a 3rd room dedicated to my things which include a tv, 2 chairs, and my brewing equipment. I look around at all my stuff and I start to think did I really need this stuff. Example when I was bottling I decided to get a party keg for ease of use. After only using it once I purchased a kegging system. My question is how much money have you spent on equipment and looking back how much did you really need to spend given your current setup? I have easily spent a grand if not more on equipment from kettles, mash tuns, refrigeration, carboys and misc. items. What about you?

Since I started about 4 years ago (AG) I have slowly transitioned from a gravity fed, "ghetto" system using two saw horses & shelving doing 3 gal batches to a 6 gal horizontal brew stand w/ pump, ale & lager ferm chambers, 3 tap kegerator, etc.
Including ingredients for around 100 recipes over that period I've spent around $5K.

 

[Roadie]

Start up costs were high as we took an unfinished storage room in the basement and finished it to put everything in. I didn't have the tools so that was an expense, then the building materials, etc. The only thing we paid someone to do was the drywall and the vent (drilling an 8" hole in the side of the house was something I didn't have the balls to do). That said my spreadsheet ends at $10,333 to get everything up and running. I stopped counting at that point as it was readily apparent how obsessed I was.

 

[wmilas]

Way way too much.

Fully electric 10 gallon HERMs system. Had to install a 50 amp 240 circuit for it. Got sick of lugging water around so installed a small water tower DI system with pump and pressurized tank. Had to run copper pipe all over hell and back to get it where I wanted it.

Fermentation keezer plus all the associated fermentation tools. (I bank the occasional yeast)

I keg everything, have 4 rotating kegs.

I'm sure I'm over 7k at this point. Prolly over 8k. I try not to think of it. Also doesn't include my kegerator in the basement.

I really need to add another 2 larger keezers. One for lagering, one for longer term primarying bigger ales. Right now I'm stuffing bigger ales into kegs and shoving them into my kegerator to condition. Lagers tie up the fermentation keezer for WAY to long so I don't make them as often as I want.

On the other hand, I could be racing cars or doing something stupidly expensive so I feel like I'm in a good place. And I make some WONDERFUL beers

 

[Onkel_Udo]

On the other hand, I could be racing cars...

Those of us that do both envy those of you that have only one of these hobbies. Even racing $500 cars cost thousands...I am not sure but think a crack cocaine habit would be cheaper...but then I would lose my job.

 

[ArkotRamathorn]

First I exclude all ingredient costs and 'admin' costs like sanitizer and such, the ingredients I consume at a later date from the bottle, the sanitizers and cleaners and such I need to allow consumption of said ingredients in beer form.

Water and propane I exclude since, said water and propane are used to make the beer from the ingredients I purchased to be consumed as beer at a later date.

Next I exclude the costs of the equipment because, the equipment is used to take water, malt, and hops, to make beer that I will consume at a later date.

I have been brewing for free since day 1.

Honestly though, I've never really truly kept track of any of it. I mean, I keep track of it in terms of a monthly budgetary stand point, I make sure I can pay the actual bills and actual rent (woo now its a mortgage payment, no longer a rent payment). I know I havent spent more than $500 for equipment, I don't think I have spent less than $300 though for the equipment costs, I have a project coming up to build a kegerator though I hope I finish it by the end of summer. As for ingredient costs, I never really give it any thought, *unless* I'm planning a DIPA/Imperial whatever. Theres only so much malt you can throw in a beer when you are doing a 5 gallon batch (well, with a big enough mash tun you could make a gigantic beer, but it may not even ferment ever). But you could throw an endless mountain of hops into a beer and unless you grow or buy in large bulk (if you buy 1oz packages, sometimes at 3 dollars a pop a DIPA can get pretty expensive).

 

[Reisende]

My wife found the new kegs I ordered this weekend. One was brand new. I explained that the new one was for her soda because she would hate using a used keg. She is pumped about the new keg and is wondering if we are going to need a bigger kreezer than planned.

This may turn out well.

Dude, I am totally planning on using that angle when the time comes to keg! I've already started laying the groundwork... Good luck to you sir.

 

[Onkel_Udo]

I got extremely lucky... my Dad gave up brewing/drinking, so I got everything I needed for free, carboys, kettles, bottles, hoses, campden tabs, hop bags, caps, bench capper, etc. etc.

How many user names do you have? This is about the third identical post from different use names...