Economical Brewing

[beersk]

This.

I chill with an IC, and know I use a lot. I bought one of those garden hose water flow meters on Amazon. Last brew took 26 gallons to chill to 63F. And our tap water is very cold--water pipes are buried deep here. Imagine the amount needed in, say, southern California, where the ground water isn't so cold and it's much more expensive and scarce.

Quantifying that made me think I need to capture that chiller water. I do that in summer when I brew in the garage. I pour it on trees and shrubs. And I keep the first few gallons for cleanup as it's plenty hot.

But in winter I brew indoors and let most of the water go down the drain. I could always save it for the washing machine.

I could be less wasteful.

Honestly, I think this is probably more wasteful (to pour it on trees and shrubs that get by just fine without the extra water). Better use for it would be a garden or house plants or outdoor plants/rose bushes. Water down the drain is going back to the waste water management facility to be reused, which is far less wasteful.
Of course the easiest way to save on brewing is to just drink/brew less. Or, because that sounds incredibly limiting - don't brew more than you need to brew. I've done a lot of brewing over the course of my hobby that was either experimental/failures that were drain pours or beers I simply wasn't committed to. It's difficult when you're learning, but once you get to a certain level, finding a process and recipes that you are 100% on in conjunction with being smart about buying ingredients is the best way to brew. And IPAs are right out.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

For the folks with a septic system, like me, water goes back to Mother Earth eventually. Actually almost all water makes it back to the earth, hopefully clean water that is

 

[Langerz]

Nice sentiment, but I wouldn't agree with a blanket statement like that. If it cost $1M a bottle to produce I don't think anyone would say that the enjoyment of drinking it and sharing it far exceeds the cost. Certainly, it would never cost someone $1M per bottle to produce, but it does point out that there is a point of diminishing returns. Where that point is, is subject to the individual, whether it's $0.25, or $25 a bottle. I think that's the point of this thread.

I mean you’ve never had one of my beers…

 

[Danny Wallace]

I like this thread. I just thought I was the cheapest person in the world.

I'm new and trying to learn, so can everyone do the same for cheap equipment (5-gallon BIAB)?

I started out using a stainless pot ($5 from a flea market) with a propane fish cooker ($15 new plus $15 for a propane refill). Using leftover weedeater string (free-ish) to hold up my bags for drainage. My grain bags are paint strainers from the local paint supplier ($2.49 for 5 and I'm reusing them). For my fermenter, a 5-gallon bucket from Lowe's with a plastic spout added for easier bottling ($7.99 for all the components. Also reusable). Had to buy an airlock ($4.99). And of course leftover Coke bottles, jars, and whatever else I could find for bottling. Did I miss anything?

I do have better equipment now but these were fun times.

 

[Langerz]

I like this thread. I just thought I was the cheapest person in the world.

I'm new and trying to learn, so can everyone do the same for cheap equipment (5-gallon BIAB)?

I started out using a stainless pot ($5 from a flea market) with a propane fish cooker ($15 new plus $15 for a propane refill). Using leftover weedeater string (free-ish) to hold up my bags for drainage. My grain bags are paint strainers from the local paint supplier ($2.49 for 5 and I'm reusing them). For my fermenter, a 5-gallon bucket from Lowe's with a plastic spout added for easier bottling ($7.99 for all the components. Also reusable). Had to buy an airlock ($4.99). And of course leftover Coke bottles, jars, and whatever else I could find for bottling. Did I miss anything?

I do have better equipment now but these were fun times.

Used weed eater string for the natural grassy notes

 

[Danny Wallace]

Used weed eater string for the natural grassy notes

Oh. So you've done the same.

 

[Agent]

I'm currently squandering my winter down-time on brewing-related endeavors.

I picked up a 50lb sack of wheat from the feed mill and malted half of it. Then as a feasibility demonstration, I brewed up a batch of starter wort for canning with the wheat malt.

So for a chunk of my time during these dark days of winter and $1.65 worth of wheat, I've got 14 quarts of starter wort ready to roll.