Brewing cost question

[Wulfonce]

I'm new to brewing and was wondering the approximate cost of the raw ingredients to brew a 5 gallon batch vs buying a kit (ie. everything you need grains, hops, yeast ect.)

Right now I'm paying around $35 for a 5 gallon (imp gallon) kit. Could I be making beer for alot less money?

 

[noblesquirrel]

Yes and no. There is a larger initial investment in order to bring down per batch costs. These would include building a mash tun, buying a grain mill, bulk grain and hops purchases, large enough pot for full boil, chiller, etc. It all depends on how you define less money

 

[Marsdude]

I am new to brewing but $35 sounds about right for an extract recipe. It really depends on what type of yeast, and what/how many grains are in the recipe.

 

[The Pol]

You are talking grains and hops, so I presume AG.

If you buy your own ingredients, it is easy to get a 5g batch complete for $12-$15 when brewing AG. I can brew an AG IPA for about $17, so not bad at all, I can brew a Hefeweizen for about $11

Some kits are that reasonable, but some are not. Depends on what you want to brew and if you want to buy stuff in bulk or not.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

If you buy your own ingredients, it is easy to get a 5g batch complete for $12-$15 when brewing AG.

whereas if you send the wife to buy your ingredients it'll cost you $12 to $15 for the beer and hundreds for the bracelet.

After an investment of nearly $12k over 3 years my beers are finally down to around $0.25 per serving, ingredients only. Throw in an amortized investment cost and my beer is a bargain at $22.50 per half ounce.

Your results may vary.

 

[Arkador]

I do AG brewing for less than $20 a batch, but have over $1000 into gear.

 

[david_42]

I do AG brewing for less than $20 a batch, but have over $1000 into gear.

That really sums it up. You can have low capital costs and high batch costs or high capital costs and low batch costs. Compare your $35/batch to Arkador's. After about 70 batches, you hit break-even.

 

[KYB]

That really sums it up. You can have low capital costs and high batch costs or high capital costs and low batch costs. Compare your $35/batch to Arkador's. After about 70 batches, you hit break-even.

You can still do it cheap.

Burner: $40

10g Cooler + Ballvalve setup: $60

2 aluminum pots: $50

Grain Mill: $130

$280 to have a AG setup to buy in bulk. Those prices include shipping, which was free for the first 2. I still do the ole ice bath in the tub freezing jugs of water, although I am building a wort chiller to do 10g batches. I've been brewing like this for a year. It works and produces great beer, so I see no need to spend more money on equipment that isn't necessary. If I had money to blow I would, but I don't. I guess you do have to factor in the cost of propane as well.

My process: I heat the strike and sparge water on my stove, have the mash tun on the floor, dump water into it, then grains, lift and put on the counter, sit the boil pot on an ale pail under the mash tun, sparge, carry outside and set on burner, boil, carry inside and sit in tub, once cool dump into ale pail. I don't have the room or money for a nice brew sculpture or anything.

If you brew a lot, bulk is the way to go, especially with hops, as they run $3+/oz around here at the stores. 6+ lbs of hops from hops direct shipped ran me about $92 (2009 leaf hops). At $3/oz, thats about $280 from the store overtime, and hops direct tends to give you a little more than a pound each.

 

[Synovia]

That really sums it up. You can have low capital costs and high batch costs or high capital costs and low batch costs. Compare your $35/batch to Arkador's. After about 70 batches, you hit break-even.

Thats ridiculous.


Theres no reason you NEED to spend a lot of money to go all grain. NONE. If you want to, great, but theres no NEED.

Burner: $40
Pot: $25
Mash Tun: $40.
Grain Mill: $20 Corona


Thats it. $125.

I just did Bee Cave Kolsh for about $7 last week.

 

[ForRealBeer]

The price of AG gear really comes down to how handy you are at making or modifying your own stuff.

For example: a mash tun. You can make one yourself from a cooler pretty cheaply. The money you save is paid for with your time and ingenuity in your garage or workshop. Last time I checked at Lowe's, a 10g Gott cylindrical cooler could be had for $40 on sale. Add in another $20-$30 for a valve spigot, a false bottom, etc. and you have a tun that you can use for years.

Or you can buy one already converted and pay someone for their labor. Your call.

As for a hot liquor tank (used to pre-heat mash and sparge water) you can scout around and find an old keg and convert it. Or you can call up SABCO and pay them to do it for you. Same thing with a boiling kettle.

And it is almost the same thing for a brewstand or sculpture. The nicest one I ever saw was one a guy designed and built himself. It was better than the ones I have seen online and it is better than the one I bought. Then again, this guy went to a community college to learn how to weld and as part of the class built his gear.

Then again, a buddy of mine makes award winning beer with two turkey fryers for a brewstand. He's cheap but his beer doesn't taste like it.

So really, you don't have to spend a mint, but if you want to have a first class set up and also want to save some bucks, you better break out the elbow grease and get busy.

 

[gunner65]

With my gear and first batch I will just tell everyone that the first beers are very special and cost about $12 each then they will be about $0.35 each after that LOL.

 

[Synovia]

So really, you don't have to spend a mint, but if you want to have a first class set up and also want to save some bucks, you better break out the elbow grease and get busy.

The thing is, having a "first class setup" doesn't brew any better beer.

 

[Wulfonce]

You can still do it cheap.

Burner: $40

10g Cooler + Ballvalve setup: $60

2 aluminum pots: $50

Grain Mill: $130

$280 to have a AG setup to buy in bulk. Those prices include shipping, which was free for the first 2. I still do the ole ice bath in the tub freezing jugs of water, although I am building a wort chiller to do 10g batches. I've been brewing like this for a year. It works and produces great beer, so I see no need to spend more money on equipment that isn't necessary. If I had money to blow I would, but I don't. I guess you do have to factor in the cost of propane as well.

My process: I heat the strike and sparge water on my stove, have the mash tun on the floor, dump water into it, then grains, lift and put on the counter, sit the boil pot on an ale pail under the mash tun, sparge, carry outside and set on burner, boil, carry inside and sit in tub, once cool dump into ale pail. I don't have the room or money for a nice brew sculpture or anything.

If you brew a lot, bulk is the way to go, especially with hops, as they run $3+/oz around here at the stores. 6+ lbs of hops from hops direct shipped ran me about $92 (2009 leaf hops). At $3/oz, thats about $280 from the store overtime, and hops direct tends to give you a little more than a pound each.

-Burner, Wouldn't a typical household electric stove work?
-10g cooler I already have. It has a plug on the bottom for draining. Sorry I dont know what you mean by "ball valve setup".
-Pots... check
-Grain mill. Wouldn't a rolling pin work?

So unless I'm missing something I should have all the equipment I need?

 

[gunner65]

-Burner, Wouldn't a typical household electric stove work?
-10g cooler I already have. It has a plug on the bottom for draining. Sorry I dont know what you mean by "ball valve setup".
-Pots... check
-Grain mill. Wouldn't a rolling pin work?

So unless I'm missing something I should have all the equipment I need?

If your kitchen stove burner will boil 6 gallons of water more power to ya! Mine takes 45 minutes to boil 3 gallons so I bought a camp chef two burner.

 

[ForRealBeer]

-Burner, Wouldn't a typical household electric stove work?
-10g cooler I already have. It has a plug on the bottom for draining. Sorry I dont know what you mean by "ball valve setup".
-Pots... check
-Grain mill. Wouldn't a rolling pin work?

So unless I'm missing something I should have all the equipment I need?

Stove: maybe. Depends on the stove, but I hope your electric company kisses you on the cheek after they send your bill!
Seriously, scout Craigslist or your local Wally World and catch a turkey fryer or similar on sale.

ball valve setup: it is an elaborate spigot. You will also need some kind of a false bottom. Search here for a multitude of designs that work well.

Grain mill: no it really won't work consistently. BUT...you can have your grain supplier mill it for you. Most LHBS's do this.

 

[noblesquirrel]

The thing is, having a "first class setup" doesn't brew any better beer.

While true, most of the people on here take pride in all aspects of brewing and beer production, including constructing nice looking, efficient equipment. To each his own, but I'm always looking for new ways to improve my setup. There's no need to be a pessimist about what people are willing to do for their systems.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

The thing is, having a "first class setup" doesn't brew any better beer.

True to an extent. Having a first class set-up won't offer any revelations on flavor balance or grist composition but, it can ensure precision in mash temperature maintenance. And THAT does make for better beer.

I can hold my mash within 2 degrees of target for as long as the electricity flows.

 

[mordantly]

you DON'T have to spend alot of money... but most, like myself by ONLY stainless and glass for anything that touches the wort (aside from the ale pail primary). i have spent over $2.5K..... the kegs/regs/carboys dirt-cheap used, so i can only imagine if i bought that stuff "new" another $2K easy. all i need now is a keezer (~$300) and a grain mill (~$125). so in 5-10 years, my real costs will be only the ingredients.

 

[weirdboy]

True to an extent. Having a first class set-up won't offer any revelations on flavor balance or grist composition but, it can ensure precision in mash temperature maintenance. And THAT does make for better beer.

I can hold my mash within 2 degrees of target for as long as the electricity flows.

Don't need RIMS to do that. My el cheapo cooler batch MLT holds the same temperature range for as long as I've ever mashed, which is 90 minutes. And one could always do BIAB on the stovetop and adjust temperature by controlling the flame underneath. That costs as much as a couple of mesh bags.

but most, like myself by ONLY stainless and glass for anything that touches the wort

Who is this "most" you are referring to? You use glass and stainless tubing when you rack?

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Don't need RIMS to do that. My el cheapo cooler batch MLT holds the same temperature range for as long as I've ever mashed, which is 90 minutes.

Okay. I doubt it, but okay. I doubt it only because I too started with coolers and never had one that could hold a mash within 2 degrees for 90 minutes. Much less hold that kind of accuracy throughout the entire mash volume.

 

[Synovia]

Okay. I doubt it, but okay. I doubt it only because I too started with coolers and never had one that could hold a mash within 2 degrees for 90 minutes. Much less hold that kind of accuracy throughout the entire mash volume.

Mine does. Maybe they make coolers better today. Who knows.

but most, like myself by ONLY stainless and glass for anything that touches the wort

I would guarantee you that MOST DON't only have stainless and glass. Most have plenty of plastic in their setups, and plenty of us have aluminum.

While true, most of the people on here take pride in all aspects of brewing and beer production, including constructing nice looking, efficient equipment. To each his own, but I'm always looking for new ways to improve my setup. There's no need to be a pessimist about what people are willing to do for their systems.

I'm not being a pessimist about what people want to do with their systems. Like I said, theres no NEED for it, but you're welcome to spend whatever you want. Its a hobby. Just don't think that your 60qt stainless pot makes any better beer than the 60qt aluminum one the guy down the street has. It doesn't.

 

[northernlad]

Thats ridiculous.


Theres no reason you NEED to spend a lot of money to go all grain. NONE. If you want to, great, but theres no NEED.

Burner: $40
Pot: $25
Mash Tun: $40.
Grain Mill: $20 Corona


Thats it. $125.

I just did Bee Cave Kolsh for about $7 last week.

Burner:$60 and only because I didn't want to keep using my BIL's
Pot: $0 used 40qt from work
Cooler mash tun, no mods: $0 Already had one
Mill: $0 LBHS does it

 

[Corkster]

Did this thread recently devolve into "my gear is better than your gear...because I said so!"?

Main points:
1: You don't have to spend lots of money to brew great beer.
2: Having a more advanced set-up, however, can help you brew great beer consistently.


That's all.