So in theory, if I brew my own, I can pay 2.50 a six pack?

[eelpout]

Just ran the math on the OPs 5% smash. 40 something IBU.
With bulk grain, buying hops by the pound ( I went with summit for the middle of the road price) and a new packet of 05 yeast. $9.50 a 5 gallon batch.
How ain't I saving money?
You guys talked me into buying all bulk.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[mikescooling]

Yeast is free, save the yeast cake, then trade with friends. You can even freeze the parent strain.

 

[ericbw]

To save on the labor cost, you have to make bigger batches. a 1 bbl system would produce 6 times the amount of the typical 5gal, and the time is not much more.

Realistically, the only way to save money on any endeavor like this is to produce in large quantities and sell the excess.

 

[cernst151]

I don't exactly set out to save money but I think I end up doing so. I certainly don't monetize my time any more than I monetize my time rock climbing, reading or eating. It's a hobby and I do it in time I wouldn't otherwise be making money so no loss there.

For ingredients I don't buy anything in bulk and I've had recipes (5 gal) as cheap as $25 (Irish Red) and as high as $75 (Strawberry Rhubarb Lambic that was worth every penny and more!) so I've got a range for ingredients between $0.50 to $2.00 (I get anywhere from 40-48 bottles per batch) or $3 to $12/6 pack.

My equipment wasn't that expensive. I got the basic starter set from Northern for about $50 on sale a few years ago. I got another set when I ramped up production for my wedding and a few carboys but I considered those wedding expenses. I do BIAB so going from extract to all grain cost me exactly 1 bag, and considering I was buying small bags for my specialty grains and throwing them out in most batches that hardly even counts. I'm looking to buy a chest freezer and temp controller which will be another $100-200, my largest brewing expense ever.

In the end, if I weren't brewing, I'd probably be drinking mostly Summit which is tasty and only about $1/bottle and I'd occasionally invest in a good $10 6 pack. Depending on how often I get the really fancy stuff I figure I'm either saving money or breaking even. That, and I get to have the fun of brewing!

 

[porterguy]

Okay, I just sort of skimmed the last few but...Don't tell me NONE of you buy new craft beer or Belgian imports or something in order to then say "man, that's good siht, I'm going to brew up 5 gallons and save me a bunch of money".

I don't know about the rest of you, but I find myself buying and trying a lot of beers I would have in the past said were too expensive. Because now I am "researching" what good, expensive beer I can replicate much cheaper. Each of those $10.00 bombers to sample a new beer sure add up over the course of a year of homebrewing and "saving money".

 

[Brew_Dude41]

Okay, I just sort of skimmed the last few but...Don't tell me NONE of you buy new craft beer or Belgian imports or something in order to then say "man, that's good siht, I'm going to brew up 5 gallons and save me a bunch of money".

I don't know about the rest of you, but I find myself buying and trying a lot of beers I would have in the past said were too expensive. Because now I am "researching" what good, expensive beer I can replicate much cheaper. Each of those $10.00 bombers to sample a new beer sure add up over the course of a year of homebrewing and "saving money".

True, I am still buying few bombers or six packs here and there, but not nearly as much. Nice thing is that a sixer can now last me a week or two instead of a night. I have one from the six pack and then move on to whatever I have on tap for rest of the evening if I like.

 

[Arttu]

Good beer in Finland is very expensive. A Sierra Nevada Pale Ale or a Fullers IPA is 5$/bottle. Local craft beers aren't any cheaper due to high taxes and strict alcohol laws. IMO the cheapest good beer in Finland is the Sinebrychoff Porter, which is $3/bottle, but that is a rarity (also happens to be one of the best beers I've had).

I just bottled a 22 liter batch of a hoppy single malt IPA, that cost me about $27.

My setup is a stainless 33l e-BIAB with PID control (+PWM pump control, and separate boil control) that has, with all of my other brewing gear (including a homemade grain mill), cost me around $350. I have enough beer in fermenters and bottles to cover that cost at least twice, if not 3 times.

For me, homebrewing is very cost efficient. Having said that it is not the main reason I do it.

 

[sputnam]

I have produced many beers that within themselves cost $2.50 a sixer, but the 6 kegs, 6 taps, 2 c02 tanks, 2 refrigerators, kegerator, 6 brew pots, 2 burners, 6 carboys and other various "necessary" items have driven the actual cost up to somewhere in the neighborhood of $93.27 per six pack....

 

[mrgrimm101]

It's funny because when I was buying my first equipment starter kit, the guy at the store was telling me about how much money I will be saving. He said, "If you think about it, a 6 pack of beer that I like is anywhere from $10-$15. Say I spend $40 on ingredients to make my own, and I get at least 40 beers from my brew, that's like $6 per 6 pack." I assume this is true if you're ONLY drinking homebrew. But I still go and buy beer at least once a week, so I've definitely increased the money I spend on beer. Plus I usually have only 1 batch ready to drink at a time; 2 at the most. It's not hard for me to get bored of drinking the same brew over and over (even if it's my own), so I often go and buy other beer.

It's not really an issue with me, though, because I don't brew every week so the cost isn't too much. Plus it's relaxing and I love doing it so I don't mind the time and effort that I put into each batch.

 

[RM-MN]

It's funny because when I was buying my first equipment starter kit, the guy at the store was telling me about how much money I will be saving. He said, "If you think about it, a 6 pack of beer that I like is anywhere from $10-$15. Say I spend $40 on ingredients to make my own, and I get at least 40 beers from my brew, that's like $6 per 6 pack." I assume this is true if you're ONLY drinking homebrew. But I still go and buy beer at least once a week, so I've definitely increased the money I spend on beer. Plus I usually have only 1 batch ready to drink at a time; 2 at the most. It's not hard for me to get bored of drinking the same brew over and over (even if it's my own), so I often go and buy other beer.

It's not really an issue with me, though, because I don't brew every week so the cost isn't too much. Plus it's relaxing and I love doing it so I don't mind the time and effort that I put into each batch.

Bottles are cheap when you consider that they can be reused so many times. If you have the storage room, make more varieties. Homebrew beer stores quite well, depending on the variety. Make smaller batches so you don't get 50 bottles of a beer you aren't really fond of and brew more batches. I have about 18 variations on hand now but I make 2 1/2 gallon batches, only 1 case in a batch if that. If I want a pale ale tonight and a stout tomorrow and a red ale the next, I just grab the bottles and refrigerate them. Once I went to BIAB I cut the ingredient costs considerably and I've found that all grain by way of BIAB takes no more time than an extract batch and maybe less so it's easy to fit a brew session in.

 

[Conehead]

Budweiser is $45.00/24 in New Brunswick, so yea making your own beer in Canada is a huge saving.

 

[campbellmike]

I agree with most all the posts. I brew because it's a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon drinking a few and creating more. I am retired and try to save money on everything so I started on the cheap. In September of last year I bought a new "deluxe" starter set with one extract ingredient kit included on CL from some guy who got it from his brother. It's the set with two buckets; therm/hydrometer/racking cane, etc… I then went to look for a kettle and found a stainless turkey fryer / burner combo at Bass Pro Outlet. The first couple of batches were extract and the beer was good. I also found a 6 gal glass carboy on CL. Then I went to an all grain brewing class at my LHBS. It looked like something I could do so I found a 5 gal round Igloo cooler at a garage sale and bought paint strainer bags at Lowe's. My efficiency wasn't great as I was making 5 gal batches and the cooler wasn't big enough. I then found a 10 gal round Igloo cooler at a swap meet. My wife sewed a bag to fit. I currently want a larger boil kettle but I'm waiting until the right deal comes along as the current setup works well. My total investment for brewing/fermentation equipment to date is $120.

After the first two batches and reading about kegging I decided that was for me. I found a Beverage Air kegerator on CL and bought 8 kegs from local scrap metal dealer. Total keg/dispense investment to date $290.

(I found another Beverage Air kegerator for $45 + $35 thermostat so it's a nice backup or I may sell to offset some of my costs.)

I haven't bought grain in bulk yet but I do buy hops by the pound and reuse yeast 2-3 times.

With all that said, this is the way I do it and it's fun, rewarding and inexpensive. Others may not have the time to search out the deals but they are out there if you're patient.

 

[thadeus_d3]

I buy everything in bulk, so a typical 5g batch runs me anywhere from $12 up (depending on what I make). I reuse my yeast 2-3 times to add to the savings. So yes, brewing saves me a lot of money.

I was very fortunate when I started this hobby. I posted a wanted ad looking for a corny kegs and found a distributor to sell them to me in bulk quantities. I've actually made a nice chunk of change from this hobby, even after factoring in equipment costs. All in all, bess hobby eva.

 

[MaddBaggins]

I found that my 5g batches cost anywhere from $20 to about $75 depending on what I make. It's still cheaper than if I tried to buy the same types of beers I'm brewing. I don't count my time in the equation because I do this for fun and relaxation.

 

[AnOldUR]

My 5g batches cost anywhere from $20 to about $75 . . . I don't count my time in the equation because I do this for fun and relaxation.

In that case, your beer didn't cost you anything. It's your hobby that cost money. Beer is a free byproduct.

Why do people find this so hard to grasp? Producing beer on a homebrew scale to save money is impossible. Instead of a hobby, you’ve turned it into a really bad paying job.

Drink your free beer and be happy!

 

[Calichusetts]

In that case, your beer didn't cost you anything. It's your hobby that cost money. Beer is a free byproduct.

Why do people find this so hard to grasp? Producing beer on a homebrew scale to save money is impossible. Instead of a hobby, you’ve turned it into a really bad paying job.

Drink your free beer and be happy!

This! I never hear the homebrew cost-style arguement with any other hobby. When a fisherman catches a fish....free fish! They never try to figure in the cost of the boat, line, rod, and an hourly wage.

I've always thought these threads were a little strange.

 

[Mike_kever_kombi]

Why do people find this so hard to grasp? Producing beer on a homebrew scale to save money is impossible. Instead of a hobby, you’ve turned it into a really bad paying job.

There have been numerous posts in this thread illustrating how people are saving money.

I am a licensed contractor. My services start at 65$ an hour and go up from there. Let's, for arguments sake, say you wanted to run a new overhead light and switch in a room without one. You have me quote it at $750, which you think is too high. You decide to do it yourself. It takes you 8 hours to do what I could have done in 1.5. Did you save money? Not really, but I bet you tell all your friends some arse clown wanted to charge you $750 to do it so you did it yourself and saved a bunch of money.

The ONLY time you have a legitimate argument about factoring in your time is if you are missing out on a paying opportunity. If you call off work and miss a days pay, to brew, then yes you lost money to brew, and it cost you.

If you would normally just sit around watching a ball game anyway, what money have you lost if you decide to brew while watching the game(s).

And as far as turning it in to a low paying job, are you selling your homebrew?
Because if you are I am sure you are well informed with all the licensing and other things involved, which begs the question. In what business model did you think that brewing 5 gallons at a time was commercially viable?

I think you may be confusing saving money, with making money.

 

[max384]

I'm glad this has been brought up about how much our time costs us. Unless I'm working, my time is free. I'm not giving up paid work to brew. Ever. I'm giving up watching a football game, sitting on my couch drinking a beer, out dirt biking, etc. (in other words, non-paying activities) in order to brew beer. If I was figuring in how much time all of my hobbies cost me based upon how much money I'd make working, I'd spend more on my hobbies than I make. What a ridiculous notion!

As far as if I've saved money homebrewing... I'm not sure. Maybe. Maybe not. I don't homebrew to save money. I brew because I love brewing, and being able to drink the fruits of my "labor" is an added bonus. I'm probably in the vicinity of 50 batches of homebrew (I didn't keep notes when I first started, so this is just an estimate). I make a lot of IPAs and other fairly expensive beers. I buy hops by the pound, grain in bulk, and I wash my yeast and reuse it about half the time (if I didn't make so many impulsive brews where I didn't have time to make a starter, I'd reuse my yeast more often). I know I save a lot of money if just considering ingredients, sanitizer, and propane... But it gets fuzzy when I try to figure in my equipment cost. I have a four tap kegerator, about ten Better Bottles, about fifteen buckets, an all-grain setup, and other various odds and ends. Everything I have I made myself... But the costs still add up.

I also started making wine this year. I have 42 gallons fermenting, which equals roughly 200 bottles. With the cost of the juice, the wine bottles, corks, labels, yeast, and additional fermenters, I'm probably into this about $800. This comes out to about $4 a bottle. This compares to a very conservative estimate of $10 a bottle if I'm buying wine from the store (and this is probably a low average). So, I'm hoping this will save me money in the long run... Though I've already got plans to start crushing my own grapes, get some oak casks, etc... So who knows what the final per bottle cost will be.

So, in the end, I don't know if I saved money. I'd like to think so, but who knows. Frankly, I don't care. I don't make beer and wine to save money. It's a hobby. I have lots of other hobbies, including motorcycles, dirt bikes, camping, guns, reloading, and working out/running. Besides running and maybe camping (working out costs me a monthly gym membership), I'm pretty sure homebrewing is my cheapest hobby anyhow.

 

[outdoorvtguy]

I brew mostly for enjoyment but the cost-per-bottle is a bonus. I've got a lot of equipment for this hobby ( Kegerator, kegs, boil kettles, burners, etc ) that isn't really worked into the costs but my cost per 5 gallon batch is around $45 ( extract ). This works out to be about 90 cents per 12oz beer. I don't wash my yeast or buy in bulk because I chose not to, it's just not enjoyable to me to manage bulk supplies or jars of yeast in the fridge/kegerator. I brew for enjoyment and for the good tasting beer ( most of the time ) that comes out of the process.

 

[Zepth]

The ONLY time you have a legitimate argument about factoring in your time is if you are missing out on a paying opportunity. If you call off work and miss a days pay, to brew, then yes you lost money to brew, and it cost you.

If you would normally just sit around watching a ball game anyway, what money have you lost if you decide to brew while watching the game(s).
...
I think you may be confusing saving money, with making money.

Entirely true. Agree 100%. I happen to make some small craft type stuff while watching TV. Or with the TV on as background listening if it isn't something that really needs visual attention. Unfortunately the type of commodity I produce is not commercially viable because of foreign outsourcing and mass production.

However if making a large simple piece I can fairly price my time around $5/hr or smaller precision pieces closer to $8/hr both after material cost. Not going to be padding the bank account at that rate. However I can earn some money in my downtime. Full disclosure: tax free because income is under a threshold.

"Why not just work an extra hour instead of spending 2 hours on your crafts?" they ask. Well it's 2 fold at this point. First is that I am in the comfort of my own home, with no commitments. No deadlines, nothing. If I feel like deciding I would rather be on a bike ride, off I go! Secondly there is no more work at my job to be done on occasion. They won't pay me to show up and sit around looking good in the lunchroom. Not to mention: hobby. I enjoy doing so. Being able to sell the fruits of my labour, give them as gifts, make a little extra cash on the side, and not be over burdened with a growing collection is perfect.

The correct viewpoint is "What would you have made (or saved) by sitting around doing nothing instead?"

 

[beerme70]

OP, while some brew for cost savings, most of us do it for the enjoyment. I like the taste of fresh, non-pasteurized beer. I brew, IMO, just as good of beer that I pay $11-12/ sixer for 1/4 of the price.

 

[leapingbuddha]

I also am a retired person so cost is a factor in everything I spend money on. I buy in bulk, hops, 50 lb. bag two row, reuse my yeast. We have an all-grain system that we built. Keg for heating water, Igloo cooler for mashing and a 50 gal. stainless steel Coca Cola barrel cut in-half for the boil kettle. All gravity feed on a angle iron frame. We have 2 pumps in the system. One for moving wert through the flate-plate chiller and the second one is in the bottom of a 50 gal blue plastic barrel full of water. Since we are on a well [750 ft] I dont want the water to run to waste after chilling the wert. It gets recirculated back into the barrel. 50 gals of water and has no problem chilling 15 gals of wert. I live in the Columbia Gorge so dont leave the submersed pump in the barrel. It could freeze solid if your brew barn is unheated most of the time. Some of you brewers are going to squawk but when I am making a big beer of say 15 gals I have re-run the grains to make a lighter beer, of about 3 or 4 gals. Save money and it turns out pretty good. l. buddha

 

[leapingbuddha]

I forgot to mention in the previous post. When I mentioned the we. We are three brewers that put and paid for our system together. This can also save money big-time. l. buddha