Brewing on a budget

[HopFart]

So I brewed my first batch and admit I am an addict now. All I wanna do is make another beer and can't wait to taste my first one but I can't cough up 50+ dollars every week to make a new beer. Is there a way to brew good beer from extract in gallon batches to brew more and experiment with different styles. They only offer gallon kits for all grain and I'm scared to try all grain. Any suggestions.

Also what has been the cheapest way of getting bottles for you?

 

[firerat]

So I brewed my first batch and admit I am an addict now. All I wanna do is make another beer and can't wait to taste my first one but I can't cough up 50+ dollars every week to make a new beer. Is there a way to brew good beer from extract in gallon batches to brew more and experiment with different styles. They only offer gallon kits for all grain and I'm scared to try all grain. Any suggestions.

Just search for extract recipe and scale them down as needed.

I know most recipes work just fine this way.

Also what has been the cheapest way of getting bottles for you?

If you buy beer, it comes with free bottles!! Woohoo!! Just don't get twist offs. That's my favorite way. Not the cheapest though.

Ask friends to stash empties for you.

Or, ask around local bars and restaurants. A lot of them throw empties in a separate can. You may get luck and get to pick through some.

 

[shanecb]

Woah $50+ a batch seems pretty high. Can you break down what you're paying for what?

Best source for bottles is beer you/your friends drink. Just rinse them and save them.

 

[brewprint]

I wrote an article that was published today that will help you purchase cheaper kits.

If you're trying to save money after just starting that may not happen.

LME is $2 per pound at my local homebrew shop. 6 pounds is $12. 1 pound of crushed specialty grain is $2.50. Dry yeast is $2. 1 oz of hops is $2. Right there is a light kit for less than $20.

Check out the Hop Shack for cheap kits.

http://www.hopsshack.com/store/extract ale.html

Also Wind River Brewing for their kit of the month.

Shipping is where the pricing gets sketchy.

 

[DGibb]

1. Until you have enough gear to support a pipeline, you don't have to worry about brewing on a weekly basis. I don't know that I could drink that quickly anyway...

2. Yes, you can brew small 1 gallon batches, but I enjoy 5 gallon batches (I just started kegging recently).

3. Make a batch of cider from Treetop/Indian Summer/any store brand apple juice with only ascorbic acid as preservative. It's usually about $15-$20 to do 5 gallons of that. Just bear in mind you won't have carbonated cider when bottling unless you do stovetop pasteurization (I've done it successfully, but I have also seen other reports of trouble).

4. I can go to my local bottle shop where they know me and forage for bottles that have been returned for deposit (Michigan - $0.10/bottle) if I'm desperate, but you have a lot of work to clean, de-label, and sanitize those. I find my favorite way is to buy beer that isn't a screw top and reuse those. Why buy empties when you can get them full of beer? Also check Craigslist for bottles, they come up pretty frequently.

Welcome to the hobby! There are a ton of great recipes on this site, and tons of knowledge. I am working on getting a 3-tap kegerator set up that will have two beers and either cider, mead, or other at all times (wife doesn't drink beer). Check out the Extra Hard Lemonade thread for a superior version of a certain hard lemonade. I am going to make some this weekend in anticipation of the spring.

 

[billl]

Congrats!

Now relax and slow down a bit.

You can certainly brew 1 gallon batches, but it isn't really cheaper per bottle or anything. It's mostly good for test batches and experimenting and variety. You can take any 5 gallon recipe and divide everything by 5 to get a 1 gallon recipe. You'll probably want a scale though. It's hard to estimate 0.20 oz hops etc. and you'll have to properly store the leftovers from each pack. You'll also need more fermenter - 5 1 gallon batches vs 1 5 gallon batch to get the same amount of beer.

You shouldn't be afraid of all grain. It's really not hard. I'd brew a few extract batches first just to get the general process down. After that, it's cheaper to buy grain than extract. You can also buy hops in bulk, but you need a way to reseal them. If you want to get extra frugal, there are lots of threads on how you can reuse yeast.

The cheapest way of getting bottles is to just reuse the ones you normally would recycle. It usually isn't hard to get family and friends to save them if you offer a couple full ones in return for the empties.

 

[Eh_Modern_Drunkard]

Don't be scared of all grain! It really isn't as rough as it may seem.
It'll definitely help you save a bit compared to $50 a week. I buy a $36 (50lb) bag of base malt every month, and generally any of your specialty malts will be pennies (comparatively). Batch I'm doing Saturday is gonna cost me $15 (including yeast).

Bottles on the other hand...
Best to just ask an alcoholic friend of yours to save them for you. Don't bother saving twist tops though. If you have a pub where you're a regular, you could ask them to save some for you. Some will, some won't :/

So my suggestion would be, go all-grain! Also perhaps invest in some 1liter swing-top bottles. 24 of those and you'll be set for 5gal batches.

 

[bucfan1234]

One gallon all grain is actually pretty easy, and they cost me about $8 per batch at my LHBS.

I use a large cooking pot, Ice bath, a 2 gallon plastic bucket you can get for free at any grocery store bakery (cake icing buckets), $5 glass jug for secondary and a 12er of leftover bottles.

Made the best batch of brew I have ever made this way, an Espresso Stout.

 

[brewprint]

One gallon all grain is actually pretty easy, and they cost me about $8 per batch at my LHBS.

I use a large cooking pot, Ice bath, a 2 gallon plastic bucket you can get for free at any grocery store bakery (cake icing buckets), $5 glass jug for secondary and a 12er of leftover bottles.

Made the best batch of brew I have ever made this way, an Espresso Stout.

That seems a little high especially when you can make 5 times that for twice that cost.

 

[adamdillabo]

Can we agree that cost depends on quality and quantity of ingredients and not on size of the batch. A 1 gallon double ipa will cost more per gallon than a 4% hopped once 5 gallon all grain.

My LHBS has a list of kits and they get you on a lot of small things.

Bucket for extract
Grain bag
Liquid yeast.

Dry yeast is at least half the cost. Get a reusable bag for grains. I picked up some paint strainer bags for brew in a bag. Think it was $3 for 2 bags. And you can reuse them.

I did a 2.5 gallon BIAB and it was pretty cheap and I had fun trying it out. I have not tasted it yet but it smelled great. Next time you do a kit with steeping grains pretend it's a mash and try to keep the temp at 150 for 30 mins. It's good practice and after a few tries you may be ready for s partial mash and save you a few bucks.

 

[HopFart]

This was my first post and already so many helpful replies, Thankyou guys,

I paid 50 dollars for a clone to do lagunitas IPA, messed it up pretty bad I think, I forgot to take the pot of the burner when adding the liquid extract and had a couple burn spots. Just hoping it doesn't taste like burnt garabage. Also bumped into the table holding my hydrometer and shattered it. So that's one reason I wanna make another batch to fix all the things I did wrong the first time.

Since I burnt the malt a little bit should I dry hop it to mabe make the taste and aroma better or just count my losses?

 

[BrewDude808]

Bro check northern brewer they have pretty good deals on extract kits. You should consider all grain. Bring the cost down to about 20-30 depending on style.

 

[HopFart]

Just really nervous about all grain haven't found a good tutorial that shows the process clearly, wish I could see someone do it in person.

Btw here was the recipe did I get ripped off or is 50 about what u would pay for these ingredients
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1426195537.663404.jpg

 

[HopFart]

He didn't give me the Irish moss not sure what that was for or if that will make a difference

 

[kh54s10]

He didn't give me the Irish moss not sure what that was for or if that will make a difference

Not really, Irish moss is added to the boil in the last 10 minutes to coagulate proteins (I think) anyway things that will make the beer cloudy. The stuff ends up in the trub at the bottom of the fermenter. If you wait long enough the beer will clear.

Look at YouTube for videos on BIAB. Brew in a bag. It is simple and if you buy grain and hops in bulk you can save a lot of $$.

I brew all grain and my recipes cost less than half of most kits.

Ditto to bottles from commercial beers. Ask all your friends to save you some, soon you will have to ask them to stop!

 

[zippyclown]

This was my first post and already so many helpful replies, Thankyou guys,

I paid 50 dollars for a clone to do lagunitas IPA, messed it up pretty bad I think, I forgot to take the pot of the burner when adding the liquid extract and had a couple burn spots. Just hoping it doesn't taste like burnt garabage. Also bumped into the table holding my hydrometer and shattered it. So that's one reason I wanna make another batch to fix all the things I did wrong the first time.

Since I burnt the malt a little bit should I dry hop it to mabe make the taste and aroma better or just count my losses?

So first off I completely understand the excitement, but you should try your beer and see what you think first. It's sorta like saying, "I just made my first meatloaf. It's in the oven and now I plan to make a meatloaf every week!"

I would say forget about cost right now. Buy new bottles or re-use. Whatever. Just make this first beer the best beer possible given your current skill level. Then, take a step back and evaluate next steps.

Once again I do believe I have given the absolute best advice possible. Damn, I'm good.

zc

 

[chickypad]

Just really nervous about all grain haven't found a good tutorial that shows the process clearly, wish I could see someone do it in person.

Small batch all grain is super easy with BIAB (brew in a bag) technique. This sticky walks you through a partial mash, but basically if you just do the first part with the mash then don't add extract or top off water it is the same as a small all grain batch. I do BIAB with my 2.5-3 gal batches, though I put the pot in a preaheated oven to hold the temp for the mash. If you don't have a second pot you can dunk sparge in a bucket, the water doesn't need to be super hot (or if you pot is big enough relative to your batch size you can do a full volume mash with no sparge - even easier). My last batch came out to under $8, and my last IPA about $14 (this is buying grain in bulk, hops in 4-8 oz increments, and saving and harvesting yeast) - not bad for about over a case of beer yield. It's so much harder to get the price down with extract that I think you should consider it.

Maybe the most intimidating thing about all grain brewing is the water. If you don't want to learn about that yet and you can get find a cheap source of RO water at a local supermarket or something you can use that and the instructions in the water primer.

 

[russell58]

Here is a link to DeathBrewer's instructions on doing a partial mash. I found it very helpful when I wanted to move away from extract brewing. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/easy-partial-mash-brewing-pics-75231/

Hope the link helps.

Cheers

 

[HopFart]

Thankyou again guys

 

[botigol]

LME is $2 per pound at my local homebrew shop. 6 pounds is $12. 1 pound of crushed specialty grain is $2.50. Dry yeast is $2. 1 oz of hops is $2. Right there is a light kit for less than $20.

Your local prices do not seem typical of many areas of the country; this is based on my experience and prices that I've seen listed by others.

$40-$50 for an extract-based clone kit sounds about right.

 

[brewprint]

Your local prices do not seem typical of many areas of the country; this is based on my experience and prices that I've seen listed by others.

$40-$50 for an extract-based clone kit sounds about right.

Yep I can't deny that. The lhbs sells it out of a big tub.

The link I posted from the hops shack has some really great prices on kits. Also windriver brewing has good prices. $21 on kits of the month. No obligation to keep it. I used a lot of their kits.

 

[HmeBrwed]

Dude I brewed my first 2 batches with extract(Mr.beer) and immediately knew there had to be more to brewing than boiling water and syrup.. I mean no disrespect to the extract brewers out there but as Far as brewing on a budget goes all grain is the way to go not to mention beer tastes better and you have the most rewarding feeling after going through the whole scientific breakdown of brewing. I found a site online where I got cheap priced Hopps by the pound and stocked up on several variety of them, did the same with yeast and now when I brew a 5 gallon batch all I buy is the grain at most 18.00$ specialty beers 24$ but seriously try a 1 gallon batch of all grain. You'll soon notice the rewards.... #Cheers

 

[RM-MN]

So I brewed my first batch and admit I am an addict now. All I wanna do is make another beer and can't wait to taste my first one but I can't cough up 50+ dollars every week to make a new beer. Is there a way to brew good beer from extract in gallon batches to brew more and experiment with different styles. They only offer gallon kits for all grain and I'm scared to try all grain. Any suggestions.

Also what has been the cheapest way of getting bottles for you?

I have a suggestion. Get over it. I was afraid to do all grain what with having to build a mash tun and a manifold, worrying about stuck sparges, etc. Then I tried a small batch with Brew in a Bag and it was so simple I couldn't believe that I had stalled so long. If you have a 5 gallon pot and can get milled grains, all you need to get is a paint strainer bag and a good thermometer.

 

[pablosbrewing]

Just really nervous about all grain haven't found a good tutorial that shows the process clearly, wish I could see someone do it in person.

Someone has posted a youTube video for almost everything hombrew related, so you can get an idea of what's involved.

Here is just one on small batch stove top BIAB:



Here is a calculator to help determine strike water temp:

http://biabcalculator.com/

 

[brewprint]

... not to mention beer tastes better

Some may agree with you here but I can guarantee that many of my batches of extract have been better than all grain. Maybe not all but there's really not that much of a difference.

All grain is also not much cheaper when I get LME for $2/LB. I did my first 2 biab yesterday. The grains aren't much cheaper.

 

[Ivypunx]

All grain. It cost more getting the equiptment but you save in the long run. Buying ingredients in bulk helps. I can knock out good recipes for $20-$30 no problem

 

[podz]

reuse your yeast to save a lot of money

 

[Aonghus]

So I brewed my first batch and admit I am an addict now. All I wanna do is make another beer and can't wait to taste my first one but I can't cough up 50+ dollars every week to make a new beer. Is there a way to brew good beer from extract in gallon batches to brew more and experiment with different styles. They only offer gallon kits for all grain and I'm scared to try all grain. Any suggestions.

Also what has been the cheapest way of getting bottles for you?

Don't fear using grain, you can do it. Check out BIAB, it really works well. Save your bottles from sixers or 2x4s (no twist offs), re-use your yeast. Buy hops by the LB. That will keep costs down. If you buy 55Lb bags at a time you can really save on the grain. Grind it at your LHBS and avoid the use of the specialty malts, beyond a few (if you feel the need), such as crystal 40. Extract is convenient, but you will pay more. Also one gallon batches are mostly used to dial in a recipe or experiment, you can do the same with a five gallon batch ( you just get to drink more ).