New guy from NV trying to do everything....

[modelafish]

I'd been thinking about getting in to home brewing for a couple of years, but probably for the wrong reasons. Being a natural born cheapskate, I figured I could make beer cheaper than I could buy it. Started reading up on it, as I do on everything, and saw that it did require some investment, but I knew I would find a way to save money. Finally found a deal last summer that was too good to pass up, so I jumped in. I have my third extract brew in the fermenter, and last week got a killer deal on a bunch of equipment off craigslist. So I added 5 more fermenters, a keg, a CO2 tank, chiller, etc. In addition to beer, I plan on making some mead, some hard cider, maybe wine (I also got a distiller thrown in for good measure). Made some home made Baileys last night, and got a cheese making kit for Xmas. .Not counting the equipment, I CAN make beer for a reasonable price, but the BIG bonus, is that I've expanded my tasting horizons beyond what I would normally buy in a store. Thanks for all the information and feedback, and I'll see you on the other forums for specific questions on other projects.
Mike

 

[doug293cz]

If you keep your gas* under control, you can keep you costs reasonable.

Brew on

* gas = gear acquisition syndrome

 

[Homercidal]

Welcome! As has been posted, it's easy to brew beer cheaper than you can buy it, but it's also very easy to continually upgrade until the costs negate the savings.

 

[SavoryChef]

Welcome from Sparks

 

[smccarter]

I'm the same way. I really want to beat the system as often as I can.... meaning, save money.

I've had my gear for a number of years. I'm a minimalist when it comes to brewing though. I use the same brew kettles that I've had for years... the same carboys, kegs, bottles, etc. Once you've absorbed the initial cost of equipment, you'll brew many times with it. It's simply the cost of doing business, so to speak. As time goes by, the cost of equipment will depriciate. It's at that point that you're really saving.

One thing to consider will be going all-grain. More for the cost than anything. The average extract kit will cost you about a buck a beer to brew. When you go all-grain, you'll be able to get the cost per beer down to anywhere from 25 to 50 cents per beer - depending on how big or complex the beer is. The real savings come when you're able to buy in bulk.

I really didn't have any luck saving money with cheese making. I don't have access to cheap milk, so I usually produce an amount of cheese from a gallon of whole milk that costs more than I could buy the same amount of cheese from the local grocery store. Are you able to save money making cheese? If so, how?

 

[modelafish]

I haven't tried the cheese yet. The kit I received makes mozarella out of a gallon of milk; which the cheapest at Walmart is $3.29. But I don't know how much the kit cost, so by the time you factor that in... ? I guess what piqued my interest was my daughters boyfriend had some cheese shipped to him that was real pricey, and I saw our local brewshop has kit to make 30# for $30.

 

[Cyclman]

Welcome to the hobby, and the group, from CO

Certainly, doing BIAB you can save $$$ and keep equipment costs reasonable.

Just to stoke the fire, have you tried fermenting kimchi, sauerkraut, or pickles? Also, doing sourdough from a homekept starter? High quality, low cost, delicious food.