Do you spend too much on this hobby?

[Kmcogar]

I recently decided I wanted to go the all electric route in brewing. In the this world, it can be reasonable. But, there is also a more expensive route. I honestly found some systems ridiculous. I would like to know the home brewer that pays $3000 for their homebrew set up. It blows my mind. Then I saw the set up for $45,000.... That took the cake. http://www.hammacher.com/Product/12...urce=Affiliate&utm_medium=CPA&utm_campaign=CJ. This was..... Insane in my book. I love making my own beer and I make great beer. I am able to make really good beer...and my set up is cheap... It goes with my cheap personality. I've got first place in a couple competition and my set up cost me no more than $300.

Anyhow, I would like to challenge someone to a brew off, your expensive set up vs my cheap one. We can validate systems and brews. Let's use the same recipe and compare.

FYI, this is a drunk ramble. Please don't get offended. If you spent $3000 on your system, I'm sure your brew day easier than mine. But I would like see if it makes an enormous difference in homebrew

 

[rupert130]

I am also cheap. I do BIAB to save on time and equipment. I did splurge a little on a good chiller from JaDeD Brewing (~$150), but reducing chilling time to 3.5 minutes for a 5 gallon batch makes it worth it. I'd say I am in the same ballpark of around $300 total for my setup. Although, I'd like to start kegging, which will be at least $200 all said and done.

 

[madscientist451]

Some people pay $100 or $200 for a restaurant meal. How about superbowl tickets that cost thousands when you can watch it on TV. There are lots of cars on the road that are worth more than my house and the 17 acres that it sits on. A friend of mine is a banjo player, he spends $2500+ on each banjo, already has two and is getting another one......you could go on and on about blowing money when you don't have to.
But to each his own, if some want to have expensive brew rigs, and it makes them happy, then good for them, life's too short, might as well spend money while you can and enjoy life.

 

[Billy-Klubb]

jewelry, computers, cars, dogs, televisions, car stereo systems, cell phones, house entertainment systems, perfumes, clothes, scotch, wine, coffee, food, tobacco, and those oh-so-hard-to-find beers a lot of us drool for the chance to be graced with a sample. I'm happy with my cooler set-up for brewing, but I have to admit: a fancy big set-up would be nice sometimes. I could have gotten a cheaper conical than I did, but I went with the 14 gallon heated/cooled from MB. and to me, it was worth every penny. if I had a completely disposable income, I could see myself with a fully automated recipe/brewing system. want to brew a porter? pull up a file and the system weighs the grains, hops, etc. in fact, there is your new challenge, HBT. a fully automated brew house that can brew pretty much any style of beer from your smart phone. tell it what style you want and it just goes to work.

 

[milldoggy]

I spent a lot making my Kal clone. I was going from extract to all grain and I wanted to build my system once. I read way to many post of people rebuilding equipment. In the end, buying/building what you want the first time is cheaper than constantly upgrading.

The side benefit of building and electric brewery, learning new talents. I do all my own electrical and plumbing work because of what I learned building my system.

Last thing, cost != quality. Some of the best homebrews I have had where made on a turkey cooker and a Walmart cooler.

 

[Braufessor]

(no offense taken by the way)

I bought a MoreBeer 3 tier set up 16-17 years ago.... at that time it was around $1500 (including shipping). It is BY FAR the best money I ever spent in my life...... Down to about $2/week of investment at this point. When we built our house 15 years ago, my wife gave me the go-ahead to put a "brew room" in the basement. Nothing as awesome as some setups I have seen - but a dedicated space. I have a nice bar area, etc. Again, not top of the line on anything - but obviously way beyond what is necessary in all aspects.

Does it let me brew better beer than someone with a basic set up? No. But, that is not why I spent the money I spent on brewing - I do it because I love brewing. I probably brew 60 batches of beer a year. I love the convenience, ease of use, the dedicated space, etc. In that regard - I think it can make you a better brewer - not because of the gleam of equipment - but, because it can make it easier to brew more often. I started like everyone else - a pile of equipment in the corner of the basement that is a PITA to pull out, clean off, set up, tear down, put away.... .everytime you want to brew. Having the setup I have now allows me to brew on a whim, with no set up what-so-ever. So, I brew a lot more. Brewing more is what makes some one a better brewer.

I have had great beer brewed on all kinds of systems. Hell, I have had horrible commercial beer - so, it is obvious that the system does not = good beer.

As far as the money - like others have started to point out - everyone spends money on something. I am 46 and am driving the second vehicle of my life..... I will still be driving it for another 5-10 years. There are people who by a new car every few years and always have a car payment - I chose not to do that. I don't golf. I don't own a boat, or a camper. I don't collect guns. I don't go on expensive vacations...... Not that there is anything wrong with that either.

Everyone should "waste" money on something that they enjoy doing. I enjoy brewing beer.

 

[Rhumbline]

It isn't just about the finished product for most people.

Some folks spend $1,600 on a grill, some buy a $25 Weber, either one will cook you a steak. It's a personal decision whether the value added to the experience justifies the pricier one.

If you're fortunate enough to have the means, enjoy the benefits.

 

[watermelon83]

Let's see... roof over our heads, plenty of food, daughter into pageants and dance, son almost ready to test for his blackbelt, both in private school.... nope I spend very little on making beer.

 

[geoffey]

I would venture to say that most folks who drop a lot of money into their homebrew system don't believe it means they make better beer than someone who spent $100 on a kit. They think it will help them make better or more consistent beers than they would be able to other wise, which MIGHT lead to better beers than others, but it's more about what is better for them and what makes the hobby more enjoyable for them.

 

[unionrdr]

Looking at my May/June issue of BYO, I looked at the add for the Grainfather electric brewer. That'd be nice, since I could set it on my bottling table across the corner of the room from the fermenter /storage stand. No more hauling things back & forth, save for cleaning. Instead, I had to settle for a wood-topped cart that matches my chromed wire shelf to roll it all to the kitchen & back. No more being tied to having one of my son hauling the heavy brew kettle to the brewery for me. So spending less can solve problems too. Besides finally finding out the garden hose cleans my buckets slick as a hound's tooth in no time flat! So I'll save on water & PBW soaking. I picked up a lot of gadgets to make brew or bottling day quicker/easier, so that's money well spent. But being retired means a tight budget, so even ordering grains, hops, etc can be expensive when ordering enough for two batches at once. But at least I'm making things a easy as my budget will allow & still get good beers. And that's really what it's all about, in the end.

 

[day_trippr]

[...]FYI, this is a drunk ramble.[...]

LOL! I got to the beginning of the "challenge" thing and immediately thought "this guy is stoopid drunk"...

Cheers!

 

[kman6234]

I've got a little more than $6k invested in my setup (Brutus 10, morebeer heated / cooled conical, kegs/ kegerator ect) and its worth every penny to me. I accumulated all this over a couple years so it wasn't that big of an investment up front. Now equipment-wise I'm set and really just buy ingredients. Brewing definitely isn't the most expensive hobby someone can get into.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

The brewer is more important than the brew rig.

I've got a very nice brew rig. I don't even know how much money I've put into the hobby at this point, but I know it's in the thousands. I wouldn't trade my brew rig for the money back and going to my old keggle system.

But that said, I could make beer just as delicious on that old system, and I did, before I upgraded to the new one.

 

[NadoHawk]

Absolutely, but it's what I enjoy doing. I could easily have spent the same amount on an excellent gaming rig (not even the top-of-the line ones).

How many people spend the same money on a small sailing boat or the best sports equipment?

It's a hobby and it will cost us, but life is too short not to spend money on what makes us happy.

That being said, I don't need the best rig either. I just need to make beer and enjoy the taste. At some point, it's the rig that ends up brewing the beer more or less and not the brewery.

 

[WrkdbfGuy]

I've always tended to go a bit overboard with my hobbies. When I was younger I used to play recreational basketball at least 4 times a week. Played Bball well into my 50s. Used to play golf every weekend for something like 25 years. Bought a really old guitar a few years ago (though it was a very good deal it was still a fair amount of $). And when I started running, I quickly progressed to running 8 marathons including New York and Boston.

So it's not a bit surprising that I would go a little over the top with home brewing - my latest hobby. I'll likely be kegging with a kegerator soon. This is sorta silly given I'm the only beer drinker in the house - and we live in the middle of bloody nowhere, so parties are very rare. But I'm trying to be smart about it. I only do extracts and have no desire to go all grain at my advanced retired age.

You only live once. So go ahead. Just be fair with others around you.

Bill

 

[hifidelity]

I'm a musician and live by the saying "It's the archer not the arrow."

That said- I'm single. I have a good job and no debt. I tend to spend a little more on my hobbies than most.

 

[passedpawn]

I would like to know the home brewer that pays $3000 for their homebrew set up. It blows my mind.

I don't care what other people do, spend, etc. I don't understand that. From Desiderata:

"If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself."​

 

[Sailingeric]

I have $60 on buckets, $50 in a wort chiller, $200 in a chest freezer, $150 at most in misc items, I have more money in my RC Jeep. It is hobby, you got to spend a little to have done fun.

 

[Billy-Klubb]

I don't care what other people do, spend, etc. I don't understand that. From Desiderata:

"If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself."​

blam! a hard slice of truth!

 

[unionrdr]

Like we used to say when I was racing, " there's always somebody faster than you". Although, in GTP, I did make'em try really hard. Or like Fangio once said in a newspaper interview, " A true champion must always strive to be the best". That's why he was the first 5-time world driving champion, which took Schumaker 45 years to equal.

 

[Cyclman]

Why would you live in Honolulu then, housing in Oklahoma City is way more affordable.

I think the pushback to your statement is that not everything in life is quantitative, some things in life are qualitative.

 

[Brettomomyces]

My brew setup is about $5,000 if you included everything...and I honestly don't think I would have gone that far with it except that I sold $3k (after fleabay's piece) worth of Magic the Gathering cards I had kicking in a milk crate in my closet and was able to shuffle old very old hobby into my current one. After that it was picking up things here and there when I could afford it like a good pH meter, bottle filler, extra fridge, etc.

It makes me pretty happy so that's good enough for me. I can also step mash like a mofo :fro:

 

[dkevinb]

I've spent an awful lot more on my guitars and music gear over the years than I'll ever spend on brewing equipment. I enjoy both hobbies, but brewing saves me money and when I'm done I have beer.

BTW, I have a cheap brewing rig: kettle, propane burner, BIAB bag, a couple of fermenter buckets, and a bottling bucket.

 

[unionrdr]

Me too. I still have a stack of guitars, as does my wife, & my Fender Rock Pro 1000 half-stack. I ain't played for nobody in years...Spent way more on them than brewing stuff.