Beer got cheaper

[hopdawg]

Well my production cost just fell significantly. Too bad I can't write off my capital expenditure.
I just received my "Barley Crusher". I live 5 minutes from Gambrinus Malt Co. and I can walk in and purchase a 55LBS bag of 2 Row Pale Malt for $22.00USD. Lets see, for a batch where I use 8LBS that would be 22/55=$0.40/LB so 8x$0.40=$3.20 for a batch 'o' beer. And since I grow my own hops it's virtually "FREE BEER". Ok forget that my hop yard cost me $700 and my Barley Crusher was $150 landed and my keggerator was another $400. Not to mention the propane burner and misc equipment.
WHO CARES!!!! I CAN MAKE MY OWN BEER!!!!
Another round please love.

 

[JMSetzler]

That's a bargain for sure on the 2-row. I'm trying to work out a deal with my local brewery so I can get them to add a 50lb bag on to their orders here and there so I can save a few bucks. I also bought the barley crusher a while back. I have only used it once so far but it worked great at the factory settings. I'm not sure if i'm gonna tweak that any yet, but i might down the road. I hand cranked a 14lb grain bill on my first use of it. I'm gonna hook my DeWalt 3/8" drill up to it on Sunday's brew and see how that goes...

 

[Fingers]

Very nice. I bought a Barley Crusher and found a malt plant on my doorstep too. I pay about the same price as you. My hop garden isn't producing yet, but there may be some little presents on them this fall. Now all we need is a wholesale source of crystal and specialty malts.

 

[hopdawg]

The specialty malts get purchased out of petty cash and are available from my LHBS. Once I get the yeast harvesting method nailed it'll be as close as you can get to free beer.
The dewalt on barley crusher is the way to go, like shellin' peas. (I'll spend two hours rigging a motorized solution to save 10 minutes of manual labour:cross
Now I think I hear someone challenging me to a game of pool, gotta go.

 

[humann_brewing]

haha, I am not sure any of us are in this hobby to save money on beer althought it is becoming cheaper and cheaper and time goes on and i find myself buying less and less at the store

I am having quite of a bit of my Vienna/Northern Brewer smash tonight

 

[Whut]

You suck. . . . . . Can you tell I'm Jealous?

 

[Synovia]

$22? wow. Thats .40 a lb. You could do $10 batches

 

[amercuric]

I live 5 minutes from Gambrinus Malt Co. and I can walk in and purchase a 55LBS bag of 2 Row Pale Malt for $22.00USD.

Obligatory "You suck!"

 

[hopdawg]

Obligatory "You suck!"

Ok, know I'm feeling guilty of stretching the truth to benefit my story. Truth be known I'm really 8 minutes from Gambrinus.

 

[hopdawg]

haha, I am not sure any of us are in this hobby to save money on beer.............

Actually saving money was my original motive. It started with getting it from the kettle brew store at 12 dozen for $100.00. To buy in the liquor store would be approx $250.00 for the same amount (beer ain't cheap in the great white north).
Even with all the equipment costs it doesn't take long to achieve a ROI.

So lets look at a typical 5g batch of ale:

8LB 2 row Pale Malt - $3.20
1-2LBS specialty malts - $4.00
Bottled water - $4.00 (10 gallons)
Hops - $0.00 (home grown)
Pk of Notts yeast - $2.50

For a Grand Total of: $13.70 or about the cost of a 6pk of craft beer.


The other production costs I don't factor in are:
Propane
CO2
Sanitizer
Water for the hops
Electricity for the keggerator
And of course capital equipment costs.

 

[craven_morhead]

If you have $1500 wrapped up in equipment, which seems like a low estimate, that's about 16 batches to recoup equipment costs, or about 800 bottles.

 

[hopdawg]

800 BOTTLES!!!! That could takes weeks to drink.
Gotta go. Time to sparge my wort.

 

[Moose777]

Another orange rider on HomeBrewTalk.right on!!
.I am also a lifetime member at KTMTalk..
Good to see your post. I ride a 2001 520 mxc, modified with a Thumper Racing 570 kit to move my fat ass. Loooove my KTM man.

 

[weirdboy]

If you have $1500 wrapped up in equipment, which seems like a low estimate

Wow how is $1500 a low estimate? I'm not even close to spending half that much on brewing equipment.

 

[Araxi]

Yep 25 bucks for a 55lb bag of 2 row here in Winnipeg

 

[KayaBrew]

Well my production cost just fell significantly. Too bad I can't write off my capital expenditure.
I just received my "Barley Crusher". I live 5 minutes from Gambrinus Malt Co. and I can walk in and purchase a 55LBS bag of 2 Row Pale Malt for $22.00USD. Lets see, for a batch where I use 8LBS that would be 22/55=$0.40/LB so 8x$0.40=$3.20 for a batch 'o' beer. And since I grow my own hops it's virtually "FREE BEER". Ok forget that my hop yard cost me $700 and my Barley Crusher was $150 landed and my keggerator was another $400. Not to mention the propane burner and misc equipment.
WHO CARES!!!! I CAN MAKE MY OWN BEER!!!!
Another round please love.

Frickin' Canadians! Next you're going to tell us that it snows a lot in BC and the skiing is World-Class. Good thing you guys don't grow good herb!!

 

[craven_morhead]

$1500 is a low estimate based on his numbers, not mine:

"hop yard cost me $700 and my Barley Crusher was $150 landed and my keggerator was another $400. Not to mention the propane burner and misc equipment."

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

Hey, still great prices, I pay $1.60 per lb of 2 row, and $2 per pound for speciality grains. Hops and yeast just seem to get more expensive every year. Picked up 13lbs of grains and 2oz of hops and it ran me just short of $30.
But when you have to ship everything, and add in the unionised dock workers, etc I'm surprised I can still afford things at all.

 

[HomebrewJeff]

haha, I am not sure any of us are in this hobby to save money on beer althought it is becoming cheaper and cheaper and time goes on and i find myself buying less and less at the store

I am having quite of a bit of my Vienna/Northern Brewer smash tonight

Ha... I'm in it to save money, and I'm still not convinced that you can't. This post being a good example, Sure you are going to have equipment costs, but over time... you are going start saving.

It kills me everytime I have to spend 25-30$ for two 12-packs.

 

[mysteryberto]

I brewed an oatmeal stout the other day for $16 in ingredients. Not counting propane,CO2 or sanitizer. Brewing with dry yeast saves a lot of money as does buying hops by the pound in pellets. Malt is $33 for a 50 LB sack 2-row from an appointment only little brew supply place near by.

 

[hopdawg]

Frickin' Canadians! Next you're going to tell us that it snows a lot in BC and the skiing is World-Class. Good thing you guys don't grow good herb!!

Naw there's no skiing where I live. You'd have to drive a whole 25 minutes to get to the mountain Silver Star Mountain Resort-Official Website...accommodation, skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking. And even at that you have to suffer through bottomless champaign powder on endless double black runs. Its fine I guess if you're into that sort of thing, personally I prefer the heavy slushy snow and the crowds and long lines they get at Whistler/Blackcomb.
Herb? What's this "herb"? I know nothing about this BC Bud you speak of.

 

[Tlylebrew]

Something I don't see anyone doing is calculating there own costs into it.. Meaning what does your time cost?

If you work at a job paying say $25.00/hour, and you spend 7 hours from grain to keg... That is $175.00/batch.

I understand most people don't look at it that way, but it is why I have decided to stay with Extracts for the time being. I can go from Kit to Bottles in about four hours.

 

[hopdawg]

I can do an all grain batch in 4-4.5hrs. Getting off the stove top and onto a propane burner is the key.
I would guess most people don't factor their time in because their not generating income on a Saturday afternoon any way. Or if you look at it another way, whats it worth to duck cutting the lawn and instead spend the afternoon brewing up a quick batch.