Brewing on a budget.........My Opinion.

KISS is my motto. (Keep it simple stupid)
If for no other reason than to make it fun to make your own beer, let's not over complicate the process. I've been making beer on and off since 1978 and have never made a batch that didn't disappear pretty quickly. Were they competition quality? Doubtful, but were they enjoyable no doubt!
If you're on a budget or simply can't justify spending a lot of money on brewing equipment (that's me) then you can still make good beer. I know this fit's a lot of you. Shop around and find used stuff, but get the best you can afford or justify. There is a lot of gadgetry out there that will no doubt make brewing easier or with less effort. If that's what you want and can afford it great! But as I said, if you can't, don't let that stop you from making good beer.
There have got to be at least a dozen ways to brew a good batch of beer. Different temps, different mashing processes, different spargeing techniques, different fermentation methods and even different containerizing processes.
But they all work and it comes down to what is efficient and comfortable for your own brewery. Try a few different methods till you find one that you like and makes the product you're looking for. Having said that you may want to vary your method to fit different styles of beer as they do require slight variations in temps and fermentation times and container aging.
But, keep it fun and keep it brewing!

 

I thought KISS stood for "Knights in Satan's Service."

But, I agree... you can easily make beer without all the fancy gadgets and it's like any hobby, really.

You can be a casual birder with a pair of cheap binoculars and a notebook, or you can get all nuts with high-end photography equipment/binos/nets and cages? (I don't know what bird watchers do).

Anyway, yeah... whatever works. Just brew beer... it's the cool thing to do.

 

I completely agree. I always chuckle when people say it's impossible to save money by making beer vs. buying it. With the right processes, buying only equipment that's necessary, and buying things on sale or used, it's definitely possible. BIAB with a cheap used propane burner and a freezer and temp controller from craigslist (or building your own ferm chamber) can be a great way to save money. Also buy ingredients in bulk, and harvest yeast. That's cut my ingredient costs in half (more if you include the yeast.)

 

For many years I had a gas stove, two buckets, 3/8" ID hose and a donated canning pot. Then I bought a thermometer and eventually I think someone gave me a hydrometer. My biggest investment (beyond raw materials) in those days was a bench capper for like $35.

Later I built a gravity fed three keggle system. I had graduated college and had a real job. Kegging came next and it was cheap back then ($15 used pin locks).

I am still a mostly KISS (or as I call it, Redneck) brewer. I still use my Phil Mill II and grind by hand. Most of my three-tier and kegging equipment disappeared while I was working in Iraq so now I have a propane burner, boiling keggle, 1 1/4" folding OSB stand and an all manual eHLT made from cast-off 40 QT cooler. I measure my grain with an Octoberfest plastic pitcher (it holds 2# to the handle). I buy three grains in bulk each year as well as about 3# of hops. I buy 1-2#'s of specialty grains when I want them. My temperature control is whatever the basement temp is...vary the location in the basement based off the season. I use S-04 for most stuff because I like it and ferments well and gives me clear beer every time.

My process is simple and repeatable but not scientific. I undershoot my intended initial mash temp (after significant stirring) almost every time by 3-4 degrees so I always have 2+ gal of boiling water on hand...I guess that makes it a step mash. I am careful but not insane about sanitation and ye have only had to dump one batch due to change in the chlorine at our water treatment plant...never due to infection.

My beer is good to very good. It all gets consumed and in my case I actually am saving money over commercial craft beer. Plus I like doing it and it give me an excuse to sit on the back porch and watch the dogs play.

 

It's absolutely true you can brew with very modest equipment and make beer as good as anybody. At lot of times the bling stuff is for convenience, or just because. Or maybe you just like building things!

Temperature control is one area that can get difficult to do without spending a little, depending on where you live. But still you might be able to find a used fridge and a cheap temp controller, or even settle for a swamp cooler type thing and still maintain a reasonable temp.

 

BIAB on my stove top with with my DIY IC chiller and a swamp cooler for summer and Fermwrap for winter. AG is cheaper than extract and my bags typically last for over 20 brews. Harvest your yeast for even more savings. But watch out if you like IPAs - hops ain't cheap.

 

Sounds like my story pretty much as well. I'm going on 66 this year, so I don't see a lot of change coming to my methods in the future.
Old School is tried and true!

 

Yes temperature control is alway the hardest part to deal with! And while it is quite important, I think we ge obsessed with it. Try as I may I've never had a perfectly consistent mash temp. I quit worrying about it, a degree or two either way doesn't seem to effect it that much.
As far as fermentation temps. go. I live in Arizona so I don't do a lot of brewing in the hotter times of the year. But I can maintain a pretty constant 64-67 F. in a closed off bedroom for my three mo. brewing season.

 

When I started brewing in the 70's I like others I'm sure, used what we could scrounge or find in the far a few between brewing supply stores. At that time they were more into wine making so you borrowed from there supplies.
I had the old 30 qt. blue speckled canning pot, a 15 gallon garbage can w/snap on lid and 3 five gallon carboys. No hydrometer, it was 7 days in the trash can and 7 days in the carboy then into the bottles with 3/4 cup of corn sugar. Or if you didn't have that it was Karro Syrup. It worked and many a good time was had. We had a SCUBA diving club that soon became a SCUBA/Homebrewers Club. It's a wonder we had no embolisms!

 

Not over-complicating things? You must be one of those "non-engineers" I've read about

 

What?! You mean I didn't have to spend all of this money on equipment to make decent beer?!

I wish you had told me this years ago.