Buying Beer As A Homebrewer

[225]

I think PBR is Coors heavy. If you look PBR up on Wikipedia, it's not a brewery, but a "marketing company".

All I'm saying is, porch beers are better when it's something that almost tastes like water. Almost.

At least its not White Claw. That crap tastes like TV static.

 

[Joe P]

Im just putting this out there. Can Carling Black Label still be purchased? I've read numerous articles that results in the history of Canadian Beer or how Molson / Coors now owns Carling but the question remains, where can I buy Carling. Its an old Lager that i haven't tasted in years. Most every article is vague on purchasing other then its limited in USA. So if need be, I'll go to Canada. Thanks

 

[Elric]

Im just putting this out there. Can Carling Black Label still be purchased? I've read numerous articles that results in the history of Canadian Beer or how Molson / Coors now owns Carling but the question remains, where can I buy Carling. Its an old Lager that i haven't tasted in years. Most every article is vague on purchasing other then its limited in USA. So if need be, I'll go to Canada. Thanks

searching the ontario liquor and beer stores as well as the molson site, I see no reference to carling black label BUT at the beer store of you just search Black Label it comes up as Molson Black Label even though the can art clearly shows Carling. So yes, it is still available up here in Canada.
https://www.thebeerstore.ca/beers/black-labelCheers!

 

[Mr. Vern]

I walked into the neighborhood party store the other day. Owner, "hey I haven't seen you in a while, you want a quarter-barrel of All Day IPA?" I'll sell it for cost @ $95"

Me, "well, I have a couple IPA's in the kegerator right now" as I continue to hand the owner a $100 bill.

$1.32 / Beer, and that brand new shiny keg might just get refilled with homebrew 1-2 times before going back to the beer factory. to be determined.

 

[Joe P]

searching the ontario liquor and beer stores as well as the molson site, I see no reference to carling black label BUT at the beer store of you just search Black Label it comes up as Molson Black Label even though the can art clearly shows Carling. So yes, it is still available up here in Canada.
https://www.thebeerstore.ca/beers/black-labelCheers!

Hey thanks. What part of canada you hail from?

 

[Elric]

Hey thanks. What part of canada you hail from?

Ontario. They brew black label about 40 minutes drive from where I live. If you are planning to try to come up to Ontario to buy it you can use that link I provided to search for which beer stores in the area around where you plan to cross over have it in stock. If they don't, you can call the store directly and see if they can get some in for you.

 

[Steveruch]

As to the cost of home brew, I try to humbly ignore the equipment cost. I don't want to know.

Too many people add the cost of equipment to how much it costs to brew not taking into account that the equipment cost isn't recurring and the $100 kettle cost spread over 100 brews only adds $1 to each brew.

 

[Joe P]

Excellent. Carling was really a top seller here in Pennsylvania years ago. Tastes change i guess as its pretty much ipas and light beers around here anyway. Ill check out the link and if possible maybe it can be shipped to me. Im still going to Canada but if the lager ships, I'm in.

 

[bwible]

Excellent. Carling was really a top seller here in Pennsylvania years ago. Tastes change i guess as its pretty much ipas and light beers around here anyway. Ill check out the link and if possible maybe it can be shipped to me. Im still going to Canada but if the lager ships, I'm in.

I’m in PA. Carling was my dad’s beer when I was growing up in 60s. Pretty much all he bought. I have his tray.

 

[bwible]

Too many people add the cost of equipment to how much it costs to brew not taking into account that the equipment cost isn't recurring and the $100 kettle cost spread over 100 brews only adds $1 to each brew.

$150 Brew Kettle, $60 wort chiller, $35 carboys, $50 kegs, $700 kegerator - doesn’t take long to add up.

 

[Deadalus]

Too many people add the cost of equipment to how much it costs to brew not taking into account that the equipment cost isn't recurring and the $100 kettle cost spread over 100 brews only adds $1 to each brew.

Come on we're among friends here, we know how much the kettle really costs not what we tell our significant others. And the mash tun, HLT, pump, panel, etc. It's an up front cost for equipment too, needs to include interest. But hey it eventually ought to work out.

 

[bwible]

Same for me. Keezer out of beer I go to the local Liquor Store and order a keg of a favorite beer. Usually New Holland Brewing Dragon's Milk. (OK, the Keezer doesn't have to be empty) I also have a subscription to Tavour and get a great selection of craft beers (Dark & Intense) monthly.

It would take me a l-o-n-g time to go through a keg of Dragon’s Milk. Not really an every day drinker. I just had a keg of homebrew bourbon barrel RIS on tap for about a year and a half and I was so happy when it finally kicked… Never again.

 

[Joe P]

I’m in PA. Carling was my dad’s beer when I was growing up in 60s. Pretty much all he bought.

Same here. I was really to young to enjoy the fullness of beer or Lager. All I remember is the Brews were almost always a German name. Schmidts, Shlitz, Yeuingling ect. I just found a pkace in Northampton Pa that sells it. I'll have to give them a look. Not even sure where Northampton is. Im guessing North.

 

[bwible]

Same here. I was really to young to enjoy the fullness of beer or Lager. All I remember is the Brews were almost always a German name. Schmidts, Shlitz, Yeuingling ect. I just found a pkace in Northampton Pa that sells it. I'll have to give them a look. Not even sure where Northampton is. Im guessing North.

The Schmidts brewery at 2nd and Girard was probably less than 2 miles from where we lived. My other relatives drank that and Ortliebs and they would bring it to our house around Christmas time sometimes.

 

[bwible]

And then there’s the question: When you came of age and were finally able to buy beer “legally” - what was the beer you found that you really liked?

For me, it was St. Pauli Girl. Something about it at the time, it was so different. Me and my friends bought that all the time in our 20’s. This was before Sierra Nevada was even a thing.

 

[Joe P]

The Schmidts brewery at 2nd and Girard was probably less than 2 miles from where we lived. My other relatives drank that and Ortliebs and they would bring it to our house around Christmas time

 

[Joe P]

Reading is very near where i live.(don't go there) Back in the day we had 3 Brewerys in that little town. All the old timers drank Reading Premium or Sunshine Beer. Some streets had a bar on every corner. Thats uh 4 bars a corner at times for blocks at a time. Pabst, Carling, Piels came out of that setting. Also all the brewerys closed so they had to drink something.

 

[grampamark]

$150 Brew Kettle, $60 wort chiller, $35 carboys, $50 kegs, $700 kegerator - doesn’t take long to add up.

TL;DR I save money by homebrewing and I, once in a while, spend a little of the savings on beer. But not very often.

If one can’t save money by homebrewing then one, or both, of two things are the problem. Either (1. Building a brewery is a more important part of the hobby than actually making beer is, or, (2. They aren’t brewing enough.

I’ve been brewing for 11 years and for 5 of those years have been brewing 6-8 times a year in a second location with a second (admittedly very ghetto quality) system. At our farm I have a basic, 3-vessel setup with a 10 gallon Igoo MLT, an 8 gallon HLT and a 10 gallon BK. My heat source is a repurposed 2 burner propane camp stove we received as an Xmas gift about 20 years ago. Using that saved a significant part of the startup cost. I also have a dedicated ferm fridge (total cost: free-ninety-nine for the fridge, $35 for an Inkbird) and a 3 tap kegerator (free ninety-nine for the fridge, about $400 for the necessary draft hardware) and 8 kegs (average cost $30 each). Rounding up I’m all in for, maybe, $1200-1300.

At the city house I brew on a BIAB setup, the cost of which would be a rounding error in the cost of many of the systems which members here have put together. I use an 8 gallon turkey fryer which cost, net, $20 (it was on sale for $45 and I had a $25 rewards card from the sporting goods store), 3 five gallon buckets, an IC and the usual assortment of small tools and equipment. I might have $200 in the whole thing.

So, rounding up, I might have $1500-1600 in two breweries. In 11 years I’ve brewed the equivalent of approximately 375 cases of 12 oz bottles. The styles I brew cost, in this part of the world, $8-10 a 6 pack. Average that out to $35 a case and I’ve brewed about $13K worth of beer with less than $2K worth of equipment. Add the cost of ingredients, at an (inflated) average of $25 per batch for 170 batches, and I’ve saved $7K (the ingredient cost is inflated because I’m being conservative and applying the same cost to the smaller batches that I average for 5 gal batches).

So, yeah, it’s possible to save quite a bit by homebrewing. But it has to be about the beer rather than the gear to do so.

 

[bwible]

TL;DR I save money by homebrewing and I, once in a while, spend a little of the savings on beer. But not very often.

If one can’t save money by homebrewing then one, or both, of two things are the problem. Either (1. Building a brewery is a more important part of the hobby than actually making beer is, or, (2. They aren’t brewing enough.

I’ve been brewing for 11 years and for 5 of those years have been brewing 6-8 times a year in a second location with a second (admittedly very ghetto quality) system. At our farm I have a basic, 3-vessel setup with a 10 gallon Igoo MLT, an 8 gallon HLT and a 10 gallon BK. My heat source is a repurposed 2 burner propane camp stove we received as an Xmas gift about 20 years ago. Using that saved a significant part of the startup cost. I also have a dedicated ferm fridge (total cost: free-ninety-nine for the fridge, $35 for an Inkbird) and a 3 tap kegerator (free ninety-nine for the fridge, about $400 for the necessary draft hardware) and 8 kegs (average cost $30 each). Rounding up I’m all in for, maybe, $1200-1300.

At the city house I brew on a BIAB setup, the cost of which would be a rounding error in the cost of many of the systems which members here have put together. I use an 8 gallon turkey fryer which cost, net, $20 (it was on sale for $45 and I had a $25 rewards card from the sporting goods store), 3 five gallon buckets, an IC and the usual assortment of small tools and equipment. I might have $200 in the whole thing.

So, rounding up, I might have $1500-1600 in two breweries. In 11 years I’ve brewed the equivalent of approximately 375 cases of 12 oz bottles. The styles I brew cost, in this part of the world, $8-10 a 6 pack. Average that out to $35 a case and I’ve brewed about $13K worth of beer with less than $2K worth of equipment. Add the cost of ingredients, at an (inflated) average of $25 per batch for 170 batches, and I’ve saved $7K (the ingredient cost is inflated because I’m being conservative and applying the same cost to the smaller batches that I average for 5 gal batches).

So, yeah, it’s possible to save quite a bit by homebrewing. But it has to be about the beer rather than the gear to do so.

I never looked at it as saving money. I didn’t start brewing with the intention of saving money. To me its a hobby like any other hobby. And possibly a useful life skill. Just happens that this hobby has a useful output. Guys have all different hobbies, whether they be cars, guns, painting, woodworking, etc. Everybody spends money on their hobby and that should be expected. It is nice when you get something out of it. If you’re not getting anything out of it, then you’re in the wrong hobby.

 

[matt_m]

Drinking only my own beer makes about as much sense to me as picking one commercial brewery and not drinking anyone else's beer. I rarely even order 2 of the same beer when we go out.

 

[balrog]

Yup. It is A Hobby.

 

[grampamark]

I suppose I should make it clear that I didn’t start homebrewing to save money. That was an unintended consequence.

Maybe I should call my brewery “Bob Ross Brewing” because I had a happy accident.

 

[bwible]

I suppose I should make it clear that I didn’t start homebrewing to save money. That was an unintended consequence.

Maybe I should call my brewery “Bob Ross Brewing” because I had a happy accident.

But you did well, and thats all that matters.

 

[balrog]

I have fun, which is all that matters.
People like my beer too.

Except this one guy, one time.

You'll never find the body parts.

 

[bracconiere]

average of $25 per batch for 170 batches

you could shave another $4k off that drinking bill, if you started growing and malting your own wheat! lol

 

[Rish]

Im just putting this out there. Can Carling Black Label still be purchased? I've read numerous articles that results in the history of Canadian Beer or how Molson / Coors now owns Carling but the question remains, where can I buy Carling. Its an old Lager that i haven't tasted in years. Most every article is vague on purchasing other then its limited in USA. So if need be, I'll go to Canada. Thanks

That is the only commercial beer I've ever had that I opened the can and couldn't finish.

 

[Knightshade]

Just adding onto my previous response here..

The last time I actually took the time to figure out how much I was spending on a hobby, it made me cringe. Then I added up the amount of time I took off of work and spent away from my family and…not only did I not step up a level, I stopped about 6 months later.

So, I’m very much of the mindset that this is a hobby, that I’m not going to obsess over and I’m not going to think about $ spent on equipment, time, regular hourly rate, etc.

And..man..I can’t make this beer. And I wouldn’t want gallons of it. And the amount of labor involved to make such a masterpiece…nope.

 

[JohnSand]

This hobby isn't expensive, try sailing.
Like the OP, I rarely buy commercial beer. Wife and I go out once a week, if only to a brewery, so I get my fill of craft beer. I do buy some to bring to parties and occasionally to try something I don't have on tap.

 

[bwible]

This hobby isn't expensive, try sailing.
Like the OP, I rarely buy commercial beer. Wife and I go out once a week, if only to a brewery, so I get my fill of craft beer. I do buy some to bring to parties and occasionally to try something I don't have on tap.

I’d heard boat stands for break out another thousand

 

[Joe P]

I’m in PA. Carling was my dad’s beer when I was growing up in 60s. Pretty much all he bought. I have his tray.

View attachment 764368

 

[Joe P]

Carling had some very colorful and unique beer merchandise. I guess all the brewerys offered some kind of advertising. Around the Reading Pa area (again, dont go there) the Old Reading merchandise brings major cash for collectors.

 

[Joe P]

And then there’s the question: When you came of age and were finally able to buy beer “legally” - what was the beer you found that you really liked?

For me, it was St. Pauli Girl. Something about it at the time, it was so different. Me and my friends bought that all the time in our 20’s. This was before Sierra Nevada was even a thing.

Yeuingling Lager got me into the whole beer world. I still drink it 40+ yrs later

 

[jcfontario]

I’m in PA. Carling was my dad’s beer when I was growing up in 60s. Pretty much all he bought. I have his tray.

View attachment 764368

And who could forget their classic "Hey Mabel" commercials

 

[Joe P]

Oh wow I forgot about Mabel. Gimmicks & phrases.
Tonight, let it be Lowenbrau
Shaeffer is the beer when your having more then one
It's Miller Time
Come to think of it, i'll have a Heineken
And of course The KING of beers, Budweiser
They all used them and today its sort of a forgotten pitch. Could be the massive amount of home brewers or the ipa craze. Whatever the reason the industry is still going strong.

 

[bwible]

Oh wow I forgot about Mabel. Gimmicks & phrases.
Tonight, let it be Lowenbrau
Shaeffer is the beer when your having more then one
It's Miller Time
Come to think of it, i'll have a Heineken
And of course The KING of beers, Budweiser
They all used them and today its sort of a forgotten pitch. Could be the massive amount of home brewers or the ipa craze. Whatever the reason the industry is still going strong.

How many can you get?

1. The beer that made Milwaukee famous
2. Its the water
3. Tastes great, less filling
4. It doesn’t get any better than this
5. The king of beers
6. The one beer to have when you’re having more than one
7. Head for the mountains
8. If you’ve got the time, we’ve got the beer
9. Make a ring. And then another ring and then another ring. Then you’ve got 3 rings.
10. Australian for beer

 

[Elric]

I’d heard boat stands for break out another thousand

This is 1000% accurate.

 

[Joe P]

How many can you get?

1. The beer that made Milwaukee famous
2. Its the water
3. Tastes great, less filling
4. It doesn’t get any better than this
5. The king of beers
6. The one beer to have when you’re having more than one
7. Head for the mountains
8. If you’ve got the time, we’ve got the beer
9. Make a ring. And then another ring and then another ring. Then you’ve got 3 rings.
10. Australian for beer

#9 have a Ballantine. The rings had words on them. Purity, Body & Flavor. I never tasted a Ballantine. I got the other ones except #3 Its the water.

 

[grampamark]

“The brew that grew with the great northwest”-Schmidt
“From the land of sky blue waters”-Hamm’s
“Mountain fresh”-Rainer
“Give yourself a Lucky break”-Lucky Lager
”Perfection in brewing”-Great Falls Select (pretty obscure; Select may not have had distro outside of MT)
”The national beer of Texas”-Lone Star

 

[bwible]

#9 have a Ballantine. The rings had words on them. Purity, Body & Flavor. I never tasted a Ballantine. I got the other ones except #3 Its the water.

“It’s the water” is Olympia. West coasters probably knew that one. It hasn’t been around for awhile, either.

 

[grampamark]

“It’s the water” is Olympia. West coasters probably knew that one. It hasn’t been around for awhile, either.

It’s still around, along with Rainer, Hamm’s, Schlitz and a few others. The trademarks are owned by Pabst; the beer is contract brewed by Miller.

Olympia was my beer of choice in the early 70s. At that time Coors wasn’t distro’d in MT and only the old guys drank Bud or Miller. The most popular brews were all from Washington; Oly, Lucky Lager and Rainer. Schmidt, brewed in MN, was popular with the college crowd (99 cent 6 packs of 16s). This was about 10 years before the Light Beer Era began.