How much $$$ does it cost YOU a batch?

[kinkothecarp]

How much does it cost you guys on average to brew a batch of beer? I'm usually at about $40-50, and I split it with a friend. We usually use the Wyeast and lots of hops, but sometimes I hear that some of those big IPA's can start costing some money.

 

[PseudoChef]

I buy hops in bulk and have a great (cheap!) store near me so I don't pay for shipping. I actively re-use yeast, as well as participate in club "cake" swaps.

For 8 gallon batches, I run around $25-30, which doesn't factor in the equipment recoup costs.

 

[Yooper]

It varies, but usually it's $10-$18 per 5 gallon batch.

I buy grain in bulk, hops in bulk (and kept vacuum packed in the freezer) and wash my yeast. I use tap water, or a mix of tap/reverse osmosis water, so don't spend much more than $1.50 on water per batch if that.

 

[EdWort]

$6 to $10 depending on hops & yeast.

 

[Tiako]

Wow I am spending a ton. Anywhere from 40-55 bucks..

 

[Hugh_Jass]

For 10 gallon:
$16 - 20 lbs grain average price $.80/lb
$6.50 - 4 oz hops @ $1.625/oz
<$1.00 - washed yeast
add another $1.00 for fermcap, Irish moss, .....

so $23.50 for 10 gallon.

 

[weirdboy]

I just made a 4 gallon batch of IPA at a cost of $22, but that was because I did a partial mash and used up 4.5 lbs of DME. If I did it AG the cost would have been a bit under $16.

 

[kinkothecarp]

Wow I am spending a ton. Anywhere from 40-55 bucks..

Me too. I go to the local homebrew shop that I thought was pretty reasonable.

I guess buying in bulk saves a lot of money...

 

[albannach]

Grain in bulk (somewhat), wash yeast, 5.5 gallon batches. I average about $38 a batch

 

[SmugMug]

Depends on what kind of beer you're brewing and if you're doing AG,PM or extract. The last 2 extract kits I bought were between $35-40 and the partial mash I just finished was about $28. I'm not a hop head so I can keep my costs down a little there since I don't have to have tons of hops on hand. Just some cascade, saaz, and hallertau.

 

[SOB]

Been buying hops in bulk this year, just got my barley crusher and will be buy grains in bulk soon. Right now it's about $20-$25 a batch. I re-use the liquid yeasts as much as I can which helps.

When I was doing extract it was $40-$50 a batch...

 

[lupo66maniac]

Buying grain and hops in bulk will really cut your costs. Throw in a little yeast ranching and you can really start saving money. I have a CAP that I make with dollar store rice and homegrown hops that costs less than $5 for a 5 gallon batch...

 

[Synovia]

$6 to $10 depending on hops & yeast.

I was gonna ask how you pull that off, but now that I think about it, if you buy in bulk, etc, its totally possible.

Your Haus Pale, at bulk prices:

8lbs 2 row @ .70/lb = $6
2lb Vienna @ .75/lb = $1.50
2 oz Cascade @ $18/lb = $2.25
Yeast (washed, etc) = $0
-----------------------------------
$9.75




For me, extract was, what, $35-$40 a batch? All grain is probably costing me about $80/batch with all the crap I keep buying (kegs, burner, etc), but probably $15-20 for ingredients.
If you get higher than 75%, it gets even cheaper.

 

[nutty_gnome]

The LHBS near me is from 35 to 45 bucks for the brewers best 5 gallon kits. I like supporting him though and have in the past.

Obviously you can do better online. I recently picked up 2 5 gallon kits with UPS ground shipping for 53 bucks. These were the internet special kits from Windriver Brewing Co's newsletter that you can get at their homepage. I really liked the quality of the kits that i got. (Gopher pale ale and Red Cedar Ale).

I figured that if I used the dry yeast that comes with the kits, I paid 26.50 for a 5 gallon kit shipped. Thats all extract with steeping grains, of course.

The trick is to order two kits at once.... the shipping for one kit is very nearly the same for 2 kits. you may need to add a buck or 2 for whirlfloc and bottle caps, but that is at your discretion.

 

[IrregularPulse]

It varies, but usually it's $10-$18 per 5 gallon batch.

I buy grain in bulk, hops in bulk (and kept vacuum packed in the freezer) and wash my yeast. I use tap water, or a mix of tap/reverse osmosis water, so don't spend much more than $1.50 on water per batch if that.

$6 to $10 depending on hops & yeast.

I REALLY need to start buying in Bulk. I need to show SWMBO these numbers to justifty the up front cost of the initial bulk buying. Oh and a grain mill

Currently I am anywhere 20-50 / 5 gallons depending on recipe. Got ingredients for a 10G Smoked porter for 53 last weekend to brew this weekend.

 

[humann_brewing]

It varies, but I buy most things in bulk so my range for beers so far is between $10 and $30 for 5 gallons again depending on the grains and hops.

I wash yeast and usually get at least 4-6 brews out of one vial so you could consider that a $1/batch.

I did a Vienna smash and had to pay $2.10/lb for vienna so that was about a $25-$30 batch but when using my GW pale malt as a base grain that I get for .65c/lb and use hops that I buy by the pound beers are close to the $10 mark.

 

[Baja_Brewer]

'bout 20-40 per 10 gallon batch. I don't have a specific set of recipes that I brew yet, so I can't/don't buy all of my ingredients in bulk.

If I started washing yeast I would save some more, but I don't really have time/interest... of course that may change now that (dry) yeast prices have jumped drastically.

I buy bulk hops and base grain. I need more space... thats my biggest issue!

 

[springer]

my last beer was Eds Bavarian Hefeweizen 10 gallons

12 lbs wheat @73 Cents per pound =8.76
6 pounds Pilsner @ 70 cents per pound =4.20
1 lbs rice hulls free Thanks to Bad Coffee
1 Packet 3068 = 5.75
1.25 oz of halletau @ 1.20 a pound =1.51

about 2 lb propane = 4 $

24.22 cents for 10 gallons .

That comes out to .30 cents per pint.

Bulk baby

 

[carbon111]

For an average beer around 1.055 OG:

Malt $17
Grains $3
Yeast $7
Hops $3
---------
$30

I don't do AG so the DME is killing me!

My biggest savings are from buying hops in bulk (11-20$ lb depending on the variety) and making a yeast starter (so I only need a single Wyeast pack to hit proper pitching rates).

 

[OMJ]

usually between $20 to $30 for 10 gallon batch

 

[mattmcl]

I don't buy anything in bulk and run about $18 for 5 gallons. I do wash my yeast though, and I don't like hoppy beers.

Now, something like Denny Conn's Vanilla Bourbon Porter will run close to $40, but that's with a pint of Maker's, fresh vanilla beans and 18 lbs. of grain.

 

[sjlammer]

When i started out buying grains and hops from my lhbs I was paying 40-50 for a 5 gallon batch. now that I go all grain, in bulk, im down to about 20 dollars for a 6.5 gallon batch.

I would get a grain crusher.... I calculated the payback period to be about 10 batches

 

[Evan!]

I buy base grain in bulk from a local craftbrewery, and hops in bulk from Puterbaugh. I use my own filtered water, and wash/reuse my yeast. All in all, for a middle-of-the-road 5 gallon batch, I'm looking at between 6-14 bucks. If I'm going with a very high-gravity batch, it get into the 20's.

 

[flyangler18]

I buy base grain in bulk from a local craftbrewery, and hops in bulk from Puterbaugh. I use my own filtered water, and wash/reuse my yeast. All in all, for a middle-of-the-road 5 gallon batch, I'm looking at between 6-14 bucks. If I'm going with a very high-gravity batch, it get into the 20's.

My costs echo very closely that of Evan's, perhaps slightly higher.

My cost-cutting tip of the day: stock up on a clean high-AA bittering hop like Magnum or Galena, and a single pound will last you many, many batches of just about any style you can imagine. Less junk in the kettle with big bittering potential.

 

[chefmike]

I am doing well at $10 to $20 per 5 gallon.

Bulk buying with a club changed my brewing cost and habits.

My grain mill is a pasta roller.

Bulk = good! There are even guys buying DME and LME in bulk through our grain buys. IIRC, it was like $1.75/lb. I was thinking... shoot... that could be an easy brew day cheap.... but I really love the process of AG brewing.

 

[IrregularPulse]

No freakin wonder you guys brew so much! I thought, How can they afford all this. But seeing as your batches literally cost a 3rd to 5th of mine, I can now see why!

 

[pnh2atl]

Okay I'm doing something wrong. I spend way more than most. I run between $6-8.50/six pack. I don't buy in bulk and that doesn't count the $14 in gas I use to get to the LHBS. I hate to change direction but where do I start buying in bulk. I live in metro Atlanta. I'm all ears since I could be brewing twice as much with what I'm spending.

Thanks,

Nick

 

[kinkothecarp]

Okay I'm doing something wrong. I spend way more than most. I run between $6-8.50/six pack. I don't buy in bulk and that doesn't count the $14 in gas I use to get to the LHBS. I hate to change direction but where do I start buying in bulk. I live in metro Atlanta. I'm all ears since I could be brewing twice as much with what I'm spending.

Thanks,

Nick

I'm totally with you. How do you guys buy in bulk and store the grains? And how do you figure out how much you need at what point? How long are grains good for?

 

[nebben]

After plugging in my LHBS prices into beersmith for this next recipe's ingredients, it'll be in the neighborhood of $27.00. Add in propane, electricity, sanitizer, bottle caps and whatever 20 minutes of running water will cost, and I'm guessing it'll be in the neighborhood of $31.00 .

This is for a low-hopped Hoegaarden clone, done AG with LHBS ingredients only. Buying in bulk locally would reduce the price. The next time, it'll be much cheaper since I'll have washed yeast. If I decide I like this recipe, I might buy some hops online with bulk prices since LHBS is pricey as hell ($3.00/oz for any variety).

Still leaps and bounds cheaper than a comparable commercial product.

 

[gingerdawg]

Around $17.00 per batch (5gal) BIAB AG. I have only bought Hops in bulk, but I get pretty good prices on grain at Midwest, and they are only a mile or two out of my way on my normal commute. Nice not to have to pay shipping!!!
Edit: I use a lot of harvested yeast from Bell's

 

[Whiskey]

Okay I'm doing something wrong. I spend way more than most. I run between $6-8.50/six pack. I don't buy in bulk and that doesn't count the $14 in gas I use to get to the LHBS. I hate to change direction but where do I start buying in bulk. I live in metro Atlanta. I'm all ears since I could be brewing twice as much with what I'm spending.

Thanks,

Nick

Brewmasters Warehouse is in Marietta depending on where you are in Metro Hotlanta that is not a far shoot up 75. They unfortunately can not ship to Georgia addresses, but I'd bet they would allow in store pickups, maybe they have a brick and mortar.

Really Bulk wise you really only need to buy base grains at least at first, a bag or two of 2-row and maybe a bag of wheat. 10 pounds of whatever specialty grains you always use makes sence also. You can store them in 5 gallon buckets, rubbermaid tote etc. pretty much anything air tight.

Biggest cost is a grain mill, but a roller can be used to start, or find a cheap corana mill on e-bay.


I spend about 30 bucks as I buy local and have not started buying bulk yet. Of course if you figure in recent equipment cost I'm probably at $150 a batch....

 

[Arkador]

about $25-35 for a 5gal extract batch. I buy everything spacifacally for the next batch, and don't stickpile.

Not including my keezer, I have about $300 into brewing gear over 7yrs/~50 batches.

 

[SmugMug]

about $25-35 for a 5gal extract batch. I buy everything spacifacally for the next batch, and don't stickpile.

Dear gawd I think my head just tried to 'splode. "specifically"

 

[Arkador]

Dear gawd I think my head just tried to 'splode. "specifically"

spelling nazzi on the loose!

 

[pksmitty]

Apparently, I'm spending waaaaayyyy to much at my LHBS! I'm trying to move away from extract and towards PM and hopefully before too long, AG.:rockin:

I know about Hops Direct for bulk hops. Where is the best place to get grains bulk? I'm not sure I can swing 55 lbs at a time yet, but maybe 10 lbs?

 

[Benjibbad]

I am currently arounf 15-20 per batch depending on what I am makeing. I have a IIPA coming up that will run about 30 because i am putting almost a pound of hops into it. I try to make my own equipment so I can keep the prices down on those costs.

 

[kinkothecarp]

A pound of hops? Is this common?

 

[flyangler18]

A pound of hops? Is this common?

Double IPAs are kinda 'go big or go home' kind of beers. Restraint isn't a strong suit.

 

[ChillyP]

Once you get dialed in you can keep cost low. Buying hops direct is a must. The LHBS I go to has an old crop, still, that dates back to the hop shortage. They're over priced.

 

[Benjibbad]

Double IPAs are kinda 'go big or go home' kind of beers. Restraint isn't a strong suit.

I wouldn't normally but since I am setting up for an OG around 1.090-1.100 I figure about 100-120 IBUs was needed to balance it out. All Amarillo hops!! That and a friend of mine and I are in a kind of competition. Who can make the biggest baddest IPA. He has a Smoked IPA which I am fermenting for him (not enough room in his mr. beer) and I am going with my experimental A-10 IIPA.