How much does an all grain brewing system cost?

I have been lurking for a while now with an interest in home brewing as a hobby and recently decided to buy my equipment.

After several hours and months reading this forum and several others, I created a basic system that seems to cover all bases for all grain brewing.

Surprisingly, the start up cost were nearly three times what I expected. There are several items that the basic starter kits do not include and seem to be essential to anyone who is interested in doing this for an extended period of time.

Since there are cost that many (including myself) fail to consider when getting into this, I decided to write a post on the cost of an all grain brewing setup.

I hope this helps anyone who is considers skipping extract brewing and starting with all grain.

While the price tag was more than expected, I do not regret purchasing my equipment and look forward to brewing my first batch in a few days.

I will keep you posted with the results and I sure a lot of questions.

I think it depends on the level of desire and availability of funds. I am young, have 3 small children and not a large paycheck. I built or assembled my equipment using what I had around and what I could get my hands on for a reasonable price. I have spent probably 250-300 bucks and can do 5 gallon batches of any gravity and 10 gallons of anything in the 1.060 range. I have 5 fermenters. I only have 1 corny with another one being picked up soon. I say this not to discredit, but you don't have to spend a lot, this forum has tons of great ideas for DIY and keep an eye on craigslist.

Nice Job!

I would have guessed about $400 if you were not "mechanical" like me.

I have a 10 Gallon system that I figure would cost about $900 not including:


...and I have a bunch of that stuff.

Good Luck with you brewing...

DPB

emmdubb23 said:

I think it depends on the level of desire and availability of funds. I am young, have 3 small children and not a large paycheck. I built or assembled my equipment using what I had around and what I could get my hands on for a reasonable price. I have spent probably 250-300 bucks and can do 5 gallon batches of any gravity and 10 gallons of anything in the 1.060 range. I have 5 fermenters. I only have 1 corny with another one being picked up soon. I say this not to discredit, but you don't have to spend a lot, this forum has tons of great ideas for DIY and keep an eye on craigslist.

Click to expand...

Thanks for your comment. I totally agree with you that building a system can be done for less.

I basically started with nothing but a propane tank so I was kinda limited as far as using items that were laying around the house.

Some may have a large stock pot, burner, coolers, fittings, etc already so their cost will be reduced as you mentioned.

Like said above i built more than 50% of my equipment.
Used an old cooler for the MT. I batch sparge so i have no need for a HLT but looking into it for the future.
Mash tun cost me 20$ with the bulkhead and stainless valve add another $25 if your buying a new cooler

I made my own grain crusher from a corona mill 2fer 5 gal Hopper and 2 HD buckets Cost me about 40 bucks
Not sure how much you spent on that capper but i find it ALOT easier and faster to cap 10 bottles by lining them up on a table and running a Red Barron Capper
That burner and 50ft chiller look really good just need a bulkhead, pickup and valve for the kettle. I reccomend www.bargainfittings.com for any fittings. There a sponsered vendor on here and have some of the cheapest proces around for stainless valves
Enjoy and have fun! Dont go crazy over your first batch be patient and LEARN from your mistakes.

I also agree that craigslist can be a great resource when it comes to buying equipment.

I searched for 2 months and could not find anything that I was looking for except used bottles. As soon as I made my last purchase, a local guy posted a nice setup for just a little more than what I paid. That's how it goes sometimes.

OrdinaryAvgGuy said:

Thanks for your comment. I totally agree with you that building a system can be done for less.

I basically started with nothing but a propane tank so I was kinda limited as far as using items that were laying around the house.

Some may have a large stock pot, burner, coolers, fittings, etc already so their cost will be reduced as you mentioned.

Click to expand...

I agree completely, I really wish I had prettier stuff, but hey, it gets the job done. I would hate for someone to look at this posting and be discouraged due to cost. Also I have found a wealth of good brewing equipment @ yard sales, flea markets... Etc.

emmdubb23 said:

I think it depends on the level of desire and availability of funds. I am young, have 3 small children and not a large paycheck. I built or assembled my equipment using what I had around and what I could get my hands on for a reasonable price. I have spent probably 250-300 bucks and can do 5 gallon batches of any gravity and 10 gallons of anything in the 1.060 range. I have 5 fermenters. I only have 1 corny with another one being picked up soon. I say this not to discredit, but you don't have to spend a lot, this forum has tons of great ideas for DIY and keep an eye on craigslist.

Click to expand...

Exactly my situation, and I second the last sentence.

Johnnyhitch1 said:

Like said above i built more than 50% of my equipment.
Used an old cooler for the MT. I batch sparge so i have no need for a HLT but looking into it for the future.
Mash tun cost me 20$ with the bulkhead and stainless valve add another $25 if your buying a new cooler

I made my own grain crusher from a corona mill 2fer 5 gal Hopper and 2 HD buckets Cost me about 40 bucks
Not sure how much you spent on that capper but i find it ALOT easier and faster to cap 10 bottles by lining them up on a table and running a Red Barron Capper
That burner and 50ft chiller look really good just need a bulkhead, pickup and valve for the kettle. I reccomend www.bargainfittings.com for any fittings. There a sponsered vendor on here and have some of the cheapest proces around for stainless valves
Enjoy and have fun! Dont go crazy over your first batch be patient and LEARN from your mistakes.

Click to expand...

Sounds like an cost effective setup. I bet it works just as well as any other homebrew system

As for the bench capper, It was around $40. I considered a hand capper but read that they can sometimes crack the bottle and spilled beer would be a shame. Has anyone ever had this problem with this type of capper?

I'll have to pick up a valve for the pot after I recover from the initial cost. Looks like it would be much easier than lifting and pouring into the fermenter.

I have well over a thousand dollars into my system. I actually stopped counting at some point and just keep building. It is all stainless, dual pumps, electric, tri clover fittings at all locations... All Grain can be as inexpensive as finding used and free components or as pricey as you want it to be. All the systems can make good beer. I just happen to like building things.

emmdubb23 said:

I agree completely, I really wish I had prettier stuff, but hey, it gets the job done. I would hate for someone to look at this posting and be discouraged due to cost. Also I have found a wealth of good brewing equipment @ yard sales, flea markets... Etc.

Click to expand...

As I mentioned in my blog post, there are a few items that I could have cut cost on such as the barley mill and bench capper.

If you have your grain crushed by the LHBS and go with a red baron capper you can lower this cost by about $150. I decided to buy the barely crusher because I plan to buy my base malts in bulk.

My intentions were not to scare anyone away but rather share my setup so that others can get an idea of what the potential cost could be if starting from scratch and would like a similar system.

If only I had more patients and shopped for more used equipment I could have saved even more but I became thirsty while searching

The HLT is not covered in enough depth. I was left to wondering how you used it to get your strike water, sparge water temps. As a side note "hot liquor" is the water that is used for the mash As opposed to "hot liquid" which could be anything else.

I think its a great blog and welcome to the obsession, you always want to get bigger and better. I just got a 135000 btu burner from my wife for Christmas and I am going to splurge 50$ on a corny just because this week. There really is no limit to what you can do with this hobby. Wait until you start trying to play with temperature control.

I'm gonna be THAT guy... BIAB:

36qt Turkey burner - $100
propane tank - $50 (if you already have one, spend this money on a refractometer)
nylon straining bag - $10
immersion chiller - $60
basic home fermenting starter kit -$70 (most homebrew shops have one)
bottles - $30 (or free if you are willing to scrub, spend this money on a couple of extra plastic buckets)
capper - $20

approximate total ~ $210

A basic AG set up that you can easily brew 5 gal batches up to 1.060.

gbx said:

I'm gonna be THAT guy... BIAB:

36qt Turkey burner - $100
propane tank - $50 (if you already have one, spend this money on a refractometer)
nylon straining bag - $10
immersion chiller - $60
basic home fermenting starter kit -$70 (most homebrew shops have one)
bottles - $30 (or free if you are willing to scrub, spend this money on a couple of extra plastic buckets)
capper - $20

approximate total ~ $210

A basic AG set up that you can easily brew 5 gal batches up to 1.060.

Click to expand...

Look on craigslist for that Turkey fryer its after Christmas and everyone is going to be getting rid of them.

OrdinaryAvgGuy said:

As for the bench capper, It was around $40. I considered a hand capper but read that they can sometimes crack the bottle and spilled beer would be a shame. Has anyone ever had this problem with this type of capper?

I'll have to pick up a valve for the pot after I recover from the initial cost. Looks like it would be much easier than lifting and pouring into the fermenter.

Click to expand...

Never had an issue with mine. I dont go crazy with pressure either as soon as the arms butterfly out i pull back up and have never had a problem with carbanation either. Might be when people think that crimping the cap harder provides a better seal. It does not...

Trust me. I deadlift my pot off my burner 3 feet to a table and regret it everytime that i dont have a 3 tier system. Let alone haul all my junk out and in during brewday. A valve helps wonders and eases LOTS of strain.

iaefebs said:

The HLT is not covered in enough depth. I was left to wondering how you used it to get your strike water, sparge water temps. As a side note "hot liquor" is the water that is used for the mash As opposed to "hot liquid" which could be anything else.

Click to expand...

Thanks for pointing this out. I will have to go back and clarify this later this evening. Your feedback is much appreciated!

I planned on boiling both the sparge water and strike water in my kettle then transferring some of the water into the mash tun and the rest in the HTL for later sparging. I believe the temp should stay consistent in the HTL for an hour or so while the mash is working. What are your thoughts?

gbx said:

I'm gonna be THAT guy... BIAB:

36qt Turkey burner - $100
propane tank - $50 (if you already have one, spend this money on a refractometer)
nylon straining bag - $10
immersion chiller - $60
basic home fermenting starter kit -$70 (most homebrew shops have one)
bottles - $30 (or free if you are willing to scrub, spend this money on a couple of extra plastic buckets)
capper - $20

approximate total ~ $210

A basic AG set up that you can easily brew 5 gal batches up to 1.060.

Click to expand...

Nice. I guess there is more than one way to skin a cat.

DakotaPrerunner said:

All the systems can make good beer. I just happen to like building things.

Click to expand...

Homebrewing attracts the do it yourselfer, it's one of my favorite aspects. I just need to upgrade my welding equipment before I upgrade my brewing equipment....

gbx said:

I'm gonna be THAT guy... BIAB:

36qt Turkey burner - $100
propane tank - $50 (if you already have one, spend this money on a refractometer)
nylon straining bag - $10
immersion chiller - $60
basic home fermenting starter kit -$70 (most homebrew shops have one)
bottles - $30 (or free if you are willing to scrub, spend this money on a couple of extra plastic buckets)
capper - $20

approximate total ~ $210

A basic AG set up that you can easily brew 5 gal batches up to 1.060.

Click to expand...

wow, my math is bad

approximate total ~ $340

OrdinaryAvgGuy said:

Thanks for pointing this out. I will have to go back and clarify this later this evening. Your feedback is much appreciated!

I planned on boiling both the sparge water and strike water in my kettle then transferring some of the water into the mash tun and the rest in the HTL for later sparging. I believe the temp should stay consistent in the HTL for an hour or so while the mash is working. What are your thoughts?

Click to expand...

I see which way your going now. You heat your strike water in the BK and transfer to MT. During the mash you have the opportunity to add additional water if necessary to the BK for the sparge. Then before you start your runoff you empty the BK into the HLT to hold the heat. Got it.

You won't need to bring the water to boil for the mash and sparge. You will lose about 10° preheating each cooler and lose another 12° heating the grain in the mash. So roughly 175° to both.

iaefebs said:

I see which way your going now. You heat your strike water in the BK and transfer to MT. During the mash you have the opportunity to add additional water if necessary to the BK for the sparge. Then before you start your runoff you empty the BK into the HLT to hold the heat. Got it.

You won't need to bring the water to boil for the mash and sparge. You will lose about 10° preheating each cooler and lose another 12° heating the grain in the mash. So roughly 175° to both.

Click to expand...

Precisely. I'll let you know how it works out. Any suggestions on a more efficient way to do this. I know that I can batch sparge but I was interested in fly sparging.