What is the cheapest possible wine or beer you could make that is also drinkable?

[Mustang_Bobby]

I had a friend ask me the other day what is technically the cheapest way to make alcohol that is also drinkable. The things I thought of were inmate brew (welches, champagne yeast and nutrient) or possibly sake but I wanted to see what you guys thought was the cheapest alcohol you could make. Thoughts?

 

[phug]

are you including equipment costs? or no?

 

[m_c_zero]

Are you saying something you would enjoy drinking or just something that would get you drunk?

 

[Psylocide]

Cheapest?

Water, sugar, yeast.

Most liquids are drinkable... whether you like the flavor or not is something else.

 

[poptarts]

skeeter pee is stupid cheap and delicious, same with apfelwine

 

[hunter_le five]

Frozen Welches grape juice concentrate wine is drinkable and cheap.

A SMASH beer with low IBUs could also be brewed cheaply.

 

[Mustang_Bobby]

Enjoy drinking but doesn't have to be great. Mediocre will suffice.

 

[Mustang_Bobby]

Haha what does water, sugar, and yeast even taste like has anyone tried that?

 

[Mustang_Bobby]

are you including equipment costs? or no?

Not including equipment cost.

 

[fathertorque]

I concur with poptarts; 5 gallons of either SP or apfelwine generally run me around $12.....so 55ish 12 ouncers for roughly .20 cents each(not including cost of caps, etc.)

 

[Mustang_Bobby]

Apparently sugar, yeast and water is called "Kilju" or "sugar wine." The Finnish make it lol. Has anyone tried this I guess the only flavor you'd get is from whatever type of yeast you use?

 

[FloppyKnockers]

Pick up fruit from wild fruit trees....$0
Put in grocery bag you found littered everywhere... $0
Add water from creek/gutter/pond... $0
Tie bag up and let ferment

Total cost ....... $0

 

[fathertorque]

Apparently sugar, yeast and water is called "Kilju" or "sugar wine." The Finnish make it lol. Has anyone tried this I guess the only flavor you'd get is from whatever type of yeast you use?

Basically skeeter pee without the lemon juice. I'd imagine it tastes very vitamin-y. Also, Wikipedia says, "Kilju is considered to be a low-quality beverage that is consumed mainly for the sake of its alcohol content. It is most often found at student parties"....this stuff supposedly comes in around 15-17%...wiki also says it's best when mixed with juice.

 

[drainbamage]

Realistically speaking, skeeter pee or apfelwein are your best bets (juice+sugar+yeast).

Practically speaking, if your buddy is only looking for a cheap drunk, why not just add rotgut vodka to the liquid of his or her choice?

 

[theDREWery]

+1 on rotgut, if you just want to get drunk, $10 handles can't be beat.

Now if you want cheap and tastes good, then that depends on what you think tastes good...

I have made sugar wine or kilju...taste is a little phenolic, but easy to cover up with fruit flavors. It would be easier to make high ABV carrot wine, and wouldn't cost much more. When carrots start to go soft, the grocer throws them out, this is also when the starches are breaking down into sugars...make friends with your produce manager, or at least find where the dumpster is.

 

[madscientist451]

Haha what does water, sugar, and yeast even taste like has anyone tried that?

Yup, its Disgusting. I work in law enforcement and have come across some pretty nasty homebrew that prisoners make in jail in 3 days with whatever they can get their hands on. Usually its just sugar and water. They do get roaring drunk though.....
The easiest and cheapest way to go is apple juice from a big box store, small amount of sugar and some raisins. I'm not going to say its good, but it is drinkable if you keep your ferment temperature in the low 60's and be patient with it. Use some ale yeast if you can get it.

 

[TheMadKing]

a basic AG hefeweizen usually runs me between $10-$15 in ingredients if I use dry yeast or have a hefe strain on hand.

Edit: Oh I forgot. I took a 2 gallon jug of applejuice that was old and tossed in some turboyeast to see what would happen. I ended up with a VERY tart cider, but nothing a sprinkle of cinnamon-sugar couldn't cure. It wasn't half bad actually.

 

[MaxStout]

For beer, a SMaSH (single malt and single hops) brew would be economical and taste decent. Some base malt, whatever hops you like and a packet of dry yeast.

 

[casualbrewer]

A low ABV all grain beer is stupid cheap.. 9lbs two row, maybe an ounce of whatever for bittering and a packet of 05. Simple and cheap.

 

[m00ps]

For the absolute cheapest, wouldnt you need to get you some wild yeast?

 

[nDub]

I'm going with rice wine. I bought a five pound sack of white rice for 99 cents on sale and those rice balls from the Asian food place are about $2 for 50 of them. I'm not sure how much yield you'd get from five pounds of rice but the alcohol content of the wine is well into the teens.

 

[fathertorque]

I'm going with rice wine. I bought a five pound sack of white rice for 99 cents on sale and those rice balls from the Asian food place are about $2 for 50 of them. I'm not sure how much yield you'd get from five pounds of rice but the alcohol content of the wine is well into the teens.

I've been planning to try this eventually. Sounds stupid simple. If you do it, keep us updated.

 

[normonster]

Pick up fruit from wild fruit trees....$0
Put in grocery bag you found littered everywhere... $0
Add water from creek/gutter/pond... $0
Tie bag up and let ferment

Total cost ....... $0

DOH!!! I want some!

 

[normonster]

Appfelwein has been mentioned a bunch but I don't know how you guys are making it cheap. 1 gal of juice is $5 here.

I'd say rice wine or maybe two row and water bittered with a little cedar bark.

 

[normonster]

A low ABV all grain beer is stupid cheap.. 9lbs two row, maybe an ounce of whatever for bittering and a packet of 05. Simple and cheap.

And delicious!!!

 

[MattyIce]

Cheaper to just buy the rotgut if you are old enough to do so.

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

You can make a 5 gallon beer for 20 bucks easy. But the hooch would be a lot more fun and experimental lol.

 

[Brettomomyces]

You can make a 5 gallon beer for 20 bucks easy. But the hooch would be a lot more fun and experimental lol.

I just made a 10 gal batch for $20...simple blonde ale at 5% with repitched yeast and just a couple oz of centennial. The power of buying in bulk

 

[Hanglow]

A strong belgian ale made with t-58 or belle saison would be the best bang for your buck all grain probably. low hopping, cheap yeast, simple grain bill and sugar

 

[Bosh]

Probably for me 2 kilos of munich malt and enough rice or high maltose corn syrup to get the OG up and one oz of bittering hops.

 

[lumpher]

Some1 has already mentioned Welches wine, but you want even cheaper? You don't have to go with Welches, go with generic. $1.19 instead of 1.99/can. Add onto a yeast cake, add 4lbs sugar. $15 for a 12% wine, 5 gallons. A BIG bang for the buck

 

[Rockn_M]

You could just go to someone else's house and drink their stuff. That's pretty cheap.

 

[Nate]

Oh Be Joyful...

 

[pm5k00]

Mt.Dew wine, or any soda will do. get a couple 3 liters of cheap soda and some dry yeast, and you will get about a 7% wine, add sugar for more abv. you can even ferment it in the soda bottles so you don't have to use up a fermenter.

 

[brisboy]

Some sort of rice wine would do you pretty well. Just make sure you cook it nicely; it's not hard to steam rice.

So, Rice + Rice yeast balls + something to cook it in (probably already in your kitchen) + something to ferment it in gives you tasty and approx 20% ABV brew for very little money.

Or as others have said, appfelwine.

 

[enokidaki]

Mt.Dew wine, or any soda will do. get a couple 3 liters of cheap soda and some dry yeast, and you will get about a 7% wine, add sugar for more abv. you can even ferment it in the soda bottles so you don't have to use up a fermenter.

Eew eew I was afraid this was possible... I think I'll start with some orange crush.

 

[TeeJo]

Depends where you live.

In my area, in the interior of British Columbia, you can gather a LOT of fruit, simply for the asking, esp apples in the later part of summer.
Apricots are another tree that it seems everyone has, around here. Cherries too.

Hard to get cheaper than free. Net cost for equipment, one Homer bucket with a lid. Ask around the restaurants or donut shops, and you can get those for free or really cheap too. Stay away from the pickles or Mayo ones, go for the icing, jam, or other non-smelly, non-greasy stuff. Easier to clean, less residual odor/flavor.

Realistically, anything you can find that has sugar or starch, can be made into drink, and likely has been, at some point in history.

TeeJo

 

[Zekk]

I know a guy who made not terrible moonshine using Caro's corn syrup and yeast. It got you DRUNK..

 

[Dirt_McGirt]

Look into suppressing your immune system so you can develop auto-brewery syndrome in your gut.

Then a $.99 loaf of wonder bread will keep you completely ****faced for days.

 

[Johow]

I have 3 gallons of blackberry jam wine fermenting right now. Got the jam on sale.