budget brewing

[WoodHokie4]

So, I'm sure many of us out there in HBTland are feeling the pinch from the holidays. So, share your best brew on a budget recipe and overall cost. Doesn't have to be beer, just anything you managed to successfully ferment while pinhig your pennies!

 

[Cyclman]

Apfelwein. 5G apple juice, 2 lb sugar, dry yeast. Maybe $23 total, it was awesome 3 months later.

 

[MaxStout]

If you're doing AG, a SMaSH recipe can turn out good beer at low cost. Just some base malt, an ounce or two hops, and dry yeast.

My last SMaSH was comprised of 8lbs. Maris Otter, 2oz. Cascade, 1 packet US-05. Total cost was under $20 for a 5 gallon batch.

 

[Clonefan94]

The last beer I brewed probably cost me about $15 in reality, but it didn't seem like anything since I buy so much in bulk lately that every couple brews, I do one to just get rid of stuff I have on hand.

Buy in bulk, wash yeast, and it seems like brewing for free sometimes.

 

[skitter]

Extract at 3.99 a lb, $13 for a 2.5g batch, cheapest yet

Sent from my SPH-L300 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[WoodHokie4]

I just read a blog post where they suggested using the juice of several lemons and a cup of sugar in a gallon of water and letting it ferment with bread yeast. Reminds me of some of the crazy antics I did in my college days.

 

[Jim_Holmes]

or if you want a kit Ritebrew has several for under $20.00, im fermenting a scottish ale rigt now that was $16.99 came out to $23.00 with shipping. Im sure other companies have recipes with similar prices. Im on a budget just getting into brewing and ive looked at a lot of different kits that shipped are under $30.00

 

[Malric]

I brewed an IIPA a few days ago. OG 1.091. Bulk bought the base grain and most of the hops. Total cost was around $23.

18.5LB 2 Row
1.25LB Melanoidin
.5oz Simcoe 60min
.5oz Warrior 60min
1oz Centennial 30min
1.5oz Cascade 15min
1oz Centennial 30min
1oz Centennial 2min
1.5oz Cascade Dry hop
Wyeast 1056

Most of my 5% beer run about $16-17 if I'm buying fresh yeast. Washing knocking the price down to around $10 per batch.

 

[jrgtr42]

Simple pale ale. 10Lbs pale (2-row) malt, .5lb crystal 20, 2/3 oz Cascade hops at 60, 15 and 5.
WLP001.

 

[WoodHokie4]

For these great deals on recipes, are you all buying in bulk or is there somewhere you're finding great deals like this?

 

[Malric]

I bulk buy grain a few times a year in a group buy. The hops are bought by the pound online. Adjunct grain and yeast are bought through the LHBS. There is cost to the initial equipment, but it can be payed off quickly if you're aware of your costs.

 

[Pappers_]

For these great deals on recipes, are you all buying in bulk or is there somewhere you're finding great deals like this?

Yes. I buy base malts (pale ale malt, wheat, Munich) in 55 lb bags. I also buy a few caramel malts in bulk and split them with friends. Hops I buy in quantity, too, depending on the variety of hop and how much I'll be using it.

 

[jonmohno]

I would say my wines I have in all my fermenters. Reason being only just because I stopped brewing beer for the summer ( its too warm to brew-without much temp control) to kind of bulk age some wine while still keeping my fermenters full and an excuse to save money this winter by not brewing so much. That may change when I get around to racking and bottleing some of the wines, Ill have to brew a batch here and there because Ill have empty fermenters . I know its not a batch I brewd cheap but Im looking at the big picture and what I spend month to year. But this is how Im budget brewing right now by abstinance-also I have quite a bit of batches aging in my basement. I bet Skeeter pee is one of the cheapest things to make or some cheap wine though. Other than knocking down a beehive for honey and using bread yeast to make some mead. Bulk group all grain buying would be the way to go if you have the means to do so.

 

[Toga]

To brew on the cheap it is a must to buy bulk grain, bulk hops, and use washed or dry yeast. I brew a tasty highly hopped pale for roughly $12 including the cost of propane. See below. I buy my base malt and hops in bulk and purchase specialty grains as needed along with the occasional specialty yeast at the LHBS.

11lbs 2 row
1lb carapils
.75lbs crystal 60

0.5oz Cascade FWH
1oz perle @60min
0.5oz Cascade @20min
0.5oz centennial @ 15min
0.5oz centennial @10min
1oz centennial @ 5min
1oz Cascade @2min

Washed us-05

 

[adiochiro3]

I make 3 gallon BIAB batches of the Newcastle clone I found here on HBT; I brewed the first one for about $12 and then realized we drink that one pretty fast. So I bought everything for a second batch and dumped it on the first yeast cake (about $8). So ~6 gallons for +/- $20.

Thinking it on through to the end-game cost:

bottle full of beer $0.33
+ caps each about $0.02
+ maybe for the sanitizer $0.02
per bottle price <$0.40​

Of course, I have gone crazy and made big beers with extract that cost a whopping $0.90 each to produce!

 

[skitter]

That's the bad thing about me not having the space to do AG, it's costing me $0.50-$0.60 a bottle... $14 for me to do a 2.5g batch which fills 24-26 bottles depending on how close to the mark I was

 

[Yooper]

Cream Ale.

The instant rice and cornmeal came from the Dollar Store. The two-row was $40 for 55 pounds. Many of the hops are saved from larger packages, but I do grow my own. Yeast is always saved and reused.

This particularly batch was $17.48 for 10 gallons.

8 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)
6 lbs Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM)
2 lbs Rice, Flaked (1.0 SRM)
1 lbs Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM)
1 lbs Corn, Flaked (1.3 SRM)
3.0 oz Acid Malt (3.0 SRM) (for pH adjustment)
2.00 oz Tettnang [3.75 %] - Boil 60.0 min
1.00 oz Tettnang [3.75 %] - Boil 15.0 min
California Lager (Wyeast Labs #2112)

 

[msa8967]

Cream Ale.

The instant rice and cornmeal came from the Dollar Store. The two-row was $40 for 55 pounds. Many of the hops are saved from larger packages, but I do grow my own. Yeast is always saved and reused.

This particularly batch was $17.48 for 10 gallons.

8 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)
6 lbs Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM)
2 lbs Rice, Flaked (1.0 SRM)
1 lbs Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM)
1 lbs Corn, Flaked (1.3 SRM)
3.0 oz Acid Malt (3.0 SRM) (for pH adjustment)
2.00 oz Tettnang [3.75 %] - Boil 60.0 min
1.00 oz Tettnang [3.75 %] - Boil 15.0 min
California Lager (Wyeast Labs #2112)

Did you have to make a cereal mash for the corn meal and instant rice? What fermentation temperature and fermenation time (days) did you use for the Wyeast 2112 yeast to keep this a cream ale instead of a lager?

 

[WoodHokie4]

Wow...these price/batch numbers are a lot lower than when I brew. I don't have the equipment to do AG yet, but it looks like bulk-buy grains are the way to go.

Any tips for brewing on the cheap for partial-mash brews?

 

[msa8967]

Wow...these price/batch numbers are a lot lower than when I brew. I don't have the equipment to do AG yet, but it looks like bulk-buy grains are the way to go.

Any tips for brewing on the cheap for partial-mash brews?

What size pot do you have for making your extract batches? This info might help answer your question better.

 

[Zamial]

I bet Skeeter pee is one of the cheapest things to make.

QFT

Wines will be the cheapest to brew due to the simplicity of the recipes and cheap yeast.

 

[Yooper]

Did you have to make a cereal mash for the corn meal and instant rice? What fermentation temperature and fermenation time (days) did you use for the Wyeast 2112 yeast to keep this a cream ale instead of a lager?

I didn't have to, but for that batch I did do a cereal mash. I fermented at 62degrees, because that's the temperature in my laundry room in the spring. Wyeast 2112 is really good up to about 65 degrees.

 

[EarlyAmateurZymurgist]

Pre-Pro Pils

5.5 Gallons

8lbs 2-Row
2lbs Corn Grits (home ground)
1/2 oz Galena
1/2 oz Liberty

Brewtek CL-660 North German Ale

$7.00

 

[WoodHokie4]

What size pot do you have for making your extract batches? This info might help answer your question better.

I'm not sure of the exact volume, but I estimate it's about a 3-gallon size. I'll typically dilute the wort up to 5 gallons as I try to cool it post-boil. I know I need to get a bigger pot, but I'm working with what I've got handy.

 

[SPR-GRN]

I don't even now how much it costs me to do a SMaSH anymore.. I got a bag of 2-row for cheap from a group buy and a pound of free hops from a member on here for helping him out with a brew, that plus I wash yeast.

10 lbs 2-row
1/2 oz belma at 60min
1/2 oz belma at 15min
"house yeast" (US-05 based, second gen)

cheap; the only thing I can almost quantify is Apfelwein -
6 gallons of 100% Apple juice
2.5lbs sugar
Red Star Montrachet yeast

it costs me roughly 20-25 depending on the price of juice for a 6 gallon batch; I keg 5gal and bottle whats left (typically wine bottles, my F.I.L likes it flat).

2-buck chuck wine - I picked up some welches grape juice concentrate when it was on sale - 2x per gallon, some pectic and nutrient, and montrachet - pretty cheap, a little more involved than apfelwein but it's cheap.

"Jail's not so bad. You can make sangria in the terlet. Course, it's shank or be shanked." - Scruffy the Janitor

 

[msa8967]

Pre-Pro Pils

5.5 Gallons

8lbs 2-Row
2lbs Corn Grits (home ground)
1/2 oz Galena
1/2 oz Liberty

Brewtek CL-660 North German Ale

$7.00

Could one brew this with lbs of pilsen malt instead of 8 lbs 2-row ?

 

[WoodHokie4]

I don't even now how much it costs me to do a SMaSH anymore.. I got a bag of 2-row for cheap from a group buy and a pound of free hops from a member on here for helping him out with a brew, that plus I wash yeast.

10 lbs 2-row
1/2 oz belma at 60min
1/2 oz belma at 15min
"house yeast" (US-05 based, second gen)

cheap; the only thing I can almost quantify is Apfelwein -
6 gallons of 100% Apple juice
2.5lbs sugar
Red Star Montrachet yeast

it costs me roughly 20-25 depending on the price of juice for a 6 gallon batch; I keg 5gal and bottle whats left (typically wine bottles, my F.I.L likes it flat).

2-buck chuck wine - I picked up some welches grape juice concentrate when it was on sale - 2x per gallon, some pectic and nutrient, and montrachet - pretty cheap, a little more involved than apfelwein but it's cheap.

"Jail's not so bad. You can make sangria in the terlet. Course, it's shank or be shanked." - Scruffy the Janitor

I've thought about the juice concentrates myself. Seems like you could get your pectin and some nutrients from adding apples into the batch.

Scruffy is the man!