Forty Bucks for five gallons of ingredients?

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pnj

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I'm not brewing anything special and I realize the cost of everything ('specially hops) has increased over the years but does $40.00 or so sound a bit high?

6 lbs. Pale Malt Syrup
1 lbs Organic Two-Row Pale Malt
1/2 lbs 60L Crystal Grain
1/4 lbs Dextrin Grain
2 oz. Cascade Hops
2 oz. Sterling Hops
Safale Us-05 Dry Yeast

This is from my local shop.
 
That's about what I pay for recipe kits from Austin Homebrew, which have similar amounts of ingredients, so it sounds good to me.

-Joe
 
Well that's one of the issues with extract, it's more expensive than buying grain...But 40 bucks is about right..

Think about it this way... 5 gallons @ 40 bucks is 2 cases (and possibly) 1 more sixer of beer...

The average price of a sixer of a beer that I like, such as Bell's 2 hearted ale is about 10 bucks/sixer..... some other beers I like can range as high a 17.00/sixer...

So to get 5 gallons worth of Bells two hearted it would be 10.00 x 9 sixers or 90.00.....

So 40.00 bucks is STILL a bargain...
 
Is there a non organic option there for your 2 row? i know on websites it's a bit more expensive than the normal stuff.
Compare their prices to online prices at AHS, Northernbrewer, ect.


FWIW, I just paid 52 for ingredients plus shipping for 5G of an AllGrain Fat Tire clone.
Granted I put the recipe together grain by grain fro yoop's recipe and I will have some of each specialty grain left over because you can only order in 1lb increments.
 
IF
3 lbs of DME is 11.00
1 oz hops are 2.99
THEN
You're at 22+12= 34 right there.
6 bucks for the grains and other, sounds about right.

you can get your hop bill down to <$2 per oz by ordering by the pound.
Sub in a pound of sugar for a pound of LME can save a bit. (if you have to)
Is this a kit?
Seems like getting your crystal and what-not by the pound would be cheaper. Course then you have to makeup your own recipes to clear out your stock.

Look into "Brew in a bag" for going to All-grain savings.
 
I also get about $34 plus tax using online prices. Add shipping costs to that, and you're sitting right around 40. I'd go with your local shop in that case.

It's difficult to significantly cut costs as an extract brewer. You can buy hops in bulk (about 4-5 varieties allow you to brew most beer styles out there), you can try partial mashing, or you could buy DME in bulk. Re-using yeast or going with dry whenever that's an option is another good idea.
 
The majority of the cost is wrapped up in the extract. Simply put: the more manufactured an ingredient is, the greater the cost.
 
What do your hops cost per ounce? If it is close to some online places that accounts for ~$16 of your recipe. If you cut that back it will help or buy from a wholesaler with hop availability getting better.

If you know other brewers in your area you could buy a bulk order of hops and split the cost+shipping.
 
I'm not brewing anything special and I realize the cost of everything ('specially hops) has increased over the years but does $40.00 or so sound a bit high?

6 lbs. Pale Malt Syrup
1 lbs Organic Two-Row Pale Malt
1/2 lbs 60L Crystal Grain
1/4 lbs Dextrin Grain
2 oz. Cascade Hops
2 oz. Sterling Hops
Safale Us-05 Dry Yeast

This is from my local shop.

1. Buy a 55# bag of pale DME. Split it into 2 5-gallon buckets with tight-fitting lids for long-term storage.
2. Buy hops that you're going to use often in bulk from hopsdirect.com or freshops.com
3. Culture and save any liquid yeasts that you're going to use more than once. This works for dry, too, but doesn't save quite as much money.
 
Well that's one of the issues with extract, it's more expensive than buying grain...But 40 bucks is about right..

Think about it this way... 5 gallons @ 40 bucks is 2 cases (and possibly) 1 more sixer of beer...

The average price of a sixer of a beer that I like, such as Bell's 2 hearted ale is about 10 bucks/sixer..... some other beers I like can range as high a 17.00/sixer...

So to get 5 gallons worth of Bells two hearted it would be 10.00 x 9 sixers or 90.00.....

So 40.00 bucks is STILL a bargain...



I am confused by this math.... one 23 liter kit is about 5 cases of beer (23000 ml / 371ml per bottle / 12 bottles = 5.16

a case of ****ty beer up here is $24 * 5.16 is almost $130CAN, uhg.

i just spent over $130USD at AHB for ingredients to make an extract/steep hobgoblin clone... but i bought extra of everything and for a few bucks more have enough for 2 x 23 liter batches. nevermind the fact that the hobgoblin in the store is closer to $24 for 6 ! I consider this a DEAL if it turns out delicious :)



P.s. I think I may try my luck this spring at planting a 2 varieties of hoppy plants in mah yard. they will grow like mad in my area...
 
I am confused by this math.... one 23 liter kit is about 5 cases of beer (23000 ml / 371ml per bottle / 12 bottles = 5.16

a case of ****ty beer up here is $24 * 5.16 is almost $130CAN, uhg.

i just spent over $130USD at AHB for ingredients to make an extract/steep hobgoblin clone... but i bought extra of everything and for a few bucks more have enough for 2 x 23 liter batches. nevermind the fact that the hobgoblin in the store is closer to $24 for 6 ! I consider this a DEAL if it turns out delicious :)

A case is 48 bottles, 12 bottles is a twelve pack. Beer in Canadia is too expensive.
 
I am confused by this math.... one 23 liter kit is about 5 cases of beer (23000 ml / 371ml per bottle / 12 bottles = 5.16

a case of ****ty beer up here is $24 * 5.16 is almost $130CAN, uhg.

i just spent over $130USD at AHB for ingredients to make an extract/steep hobgoblin clone... but i bought extra of everything and for a few bucks more have enough for 2 x 23 liter batches. nevermind the fact that the hobgoblin in the store is closer to $24 for 6 ! I consider this a DEAL if it turns out delicious :)

As they say,
24 cans in a case
24 hours in a day
Coincidence? I think not!

A 12-pack is just a 12-pack.
 
Ah! I see... the term Case up here is 12 usually... we call 24 cans a "flat"

I get in trouble down here all the time for that, Kronin... I'm a Newfie living in the US and some of the terms I use totally make people laugh down here. LOL.

We also call a 24 pack of bottles a "two-four".
 
I am confused by this math.... one 23 liter kit is about 5 cases of beer (23000 ml / 371ml per bottle / 12 bottles = 5.16

a case of ****ty beer up here is $24 * 5.16 is almost $130CAN, uhg.

i just spent over $130USD at AHB for ingredients to make an extract/steep hobgoblin clone... but i bought extra of everything and for a few bucks more have enough for 2 x 23 liter batches. nevermind the fact that the hobgoblin in the store is closer to $24 for 6 ! I consider this a DEAL if it turns out delicious :)

ummm now im confused... 23 liters, even with no turb lost is not 5 considering that cases are measured by 24 bottles 12oz per case (but i see your specified 12 percase but still im a bit confused)... so lets put it into bottles.... 64 bottles... So lets say one is really sloppy (or cautious or for some reason) loses about a gallon to turb, so that final bottle count is 54 .... So you've got 54 bottls of beers, at 40 dallors.... thats .75$ a bottle, thats much cheaper then a cheap beer which charges 7-8 dallors a sixer (thats 8.10 to be exact)... Where i live a 12 pack of Bud or Miller will cost you about 11$plus deposit(11.99 exact). A good beer, one that you dont hate your self for drinking is bought in 12 packs for around 15$ pluse deposit (16.39 exact)... leaveing you with a price of... 0.99$ for cheap, and 1.36$ for better beer...

I recently started doing a combination of mini-mash and AG, using the extra grain left over from the AG (you always have a little left) and buy with the AG; hops, an extra yeast packet, and some DME... This makes 40$ worth of stuff do 2 batches... This method is simple enough, i use the method shown by Deathbrewer for his easy stove top mini-mashing and AG. The time taken is only slightly longer and it doubles your beer output and you fun. With this method everything evens out. suddenly 108 bottles of beer (two differnt types so varity is now possiable) the price becomes .37 cents per bottle... a sixer is suddenly 2.22$ and you've not only reduced the price of your much better quality beer, over that of the much less quality of bud or miller, but you've also increased the quanity and varity as well...

You ased is 40$ sounds high... well to me it does... but im a cheap bastard, but for what you bought it sounds right on track

Cheers
 
That's about the price I'd expect. It's also the reason (one of anyway) that I am going AG and buying in bulk. Now that is not a terribly complicated recipe, but it's got a few parts. If you buy bulk DME and simplify the recipe, you can save money. But brewing AG is the big winner for savings.

I remember several times going to the LHBS and walking out $80 or more lighter and only buying a few extra items. It's just more expensive than I thought to brew extract.

Now I'm watching my expenses and trying to save money in any way and I'd say that my costs will likely be 1/2 of what they were when I did extract. (depending on the recipe)
 
It all depends on the Recipe as said before.

I have 2 that I like from the LHBS... right at $30 for a 5gal batch, then my M&J came in well over $50 for a batch yeast incl.

So it all comes down to what you like to drink and how much you are willing to pay.

If you can't brew it yourself with a clone that is to your liking... are you going to pay the "PUB Price".... to get it?

My local Micro brew charges 24 and change for One Pitcher! I think I brew better beer at home for that price!
 
There are two reasons that brews get expensive:

#1 Extract... well, it is much more expensive than buying grain.

#2 Hops... buying hops at any HBS, online or otherwise, is like burning money. Go to HopsDirect or Freshops and get them there for $2 or less/ounce.

My average price for my brews is $25... from Blondes, to APAs to IPAs to Spiced Holiday Ales etc. That includes everything, even shipping costs. That is almost half of your $40.

I brew all grain though, and I buy hops from hop farms, because they cost 1/2 as much as anywhere else.
 
So to get 5 gallons worth of Bells two hearted it would be 10.00 x 9 sixers or 90.00.....

So 40.00 bucks is STILL a bargain...

I believe you're forgetting economies of scale. I can buy a 1/6 barrel keg (~5 gallons) of good beer for much less than $90. Locally, I can buy a 1/6 barrel keg of St Arnold's Amber for $55 which is just $15 more than the cost of the extract kit. :eek:

Granted, I spend $20 - $25 per batch (including electricity, water, sanitizer, etc.) but I would be very tempted to buy a 1/6th barrel if my brewing costs per batch approached $50...
 
I believe you're forgetting economies of scale. I can buy a 1/6 barrel keg (~5 gallons) of good beer for much less than $90. Locally, I can buy a 1/6 barrel keg of St Arnold's Amber for $55 which is just $15 more than the cost of the extract kit. :eek:

Granted, I spend $20 - $25 per batch (including electricity, water, sanitizer, etc.) but I would be very tempted to buy a 1/6th barrel if my brewing costs per batch approached $50...

Lets not forget that this is a hobby we have. It is not solely a way to pay less for beer. We brew our own because we like to(most of us). Yes, it helps that we can do it for cheaper, but c'mon, tell me one of you out there can honestly say you hate homebrewing and only do it to save money!!!
 
Lets not forget that this is a hobby we have. It is not solely a way to pay less for beer. We brew our own because we like to(most of us). Yes, it helps that we can do it for cheaper, but c'mon, tell me one of you out there can honestly say you hate homebrewing and only do it to save money!!!

+1 to this....I'm in it for the hobby, not to save money...Hell I spend more on geegaws and widgets to use in the brewery, and buy even MORE commercial beer than before I started brewing.


I was only saying that 40 bucks is not unreasonable to spend for 54 bottles of beer that is similar (and sometimes better) in taste and quality to what I pay 10-17 dollars a six pack for....

I don't have any clue lamarguy meant about economics of scale....I was just saying that 40-50 dollars for an extract recipe is about the going rate....
 
... Where i live a 12 pack of Bud or Miller will cost you about 11$plus deposit(11.99 exact).

this proves to me that, assuming one cares about the savings (because I know it is fun to brew and probably would in any case) it is WIN for Canadians because you do NOT by 12 miller here for only $11 ... maybe double that. :(
 
I don't have any clue lamarguy meant about economics of scale....I was just saying that 40-50 dollars for an extract recipe is about the going rate....

He is saying that since, generally, you may choose to buy 5 gallons of beer at a time you ought to compare to the price of 5 gallons of commercial beer purchased in a 5 gallon container rather than the price of 5 gallons of commercial beer bought in 12 ounce containers.
 
Lets not forget that this is a hobby we have. It is not solely a way to pay less for beer.

I had a feeling someone was going to say that...Unfortunately, this thread is NOT about the merits of brewing your own beer, it is a question of cost (per the OP).

Cost is important to a lot of people. So, please stay on topic. ;)

I don't have any clue lamarguy meant about economics of scale....I was just saying that 40-50 dollars for an extract recipe is about the going rate....

I'm saying you're comparing apples and oranges. It's not a fair comparison to take the price of a commercially sold six pack and scale up the volume without adjusting the price.

So, my point is - the $90 cost is not realistic. I merely provided a more realistic cost estimate for 5 gallons of "good" commercial beer. :eek:
 
I had a feeling someone was going to say that...Unfortunately, this thread is NOT about the merits of brewing your own beer, it is a question of cost (per the OP).

Cost is important to a lot of people. So, please stay on topic. ;)



I'm saying you're comparing apples and oranges. It's not a fair comparison to take the price of a commercially sold six pack and scale up the volume without adjusting the price.

So, my point is - the $90 cost is not realistic. I merely provided a more realistic cost estimate for 5 gallons of "good" commercial beer. :eek:



I don't agree..because I DON'T BUY 5 GALLON BARRELS, or half barrels or anything other than bottles of beer and usually in 12 ounce 6 packs.....To me buying a 5 gallon barrel or anything other than beers in glass bottles in an unrealistic notion....for me, it may be different for you....

But buying and paying the cost of 9 6 packs of beer over the course of the time I would be drinking mine Is realistic to me...

and when I brew I bottle my beer, usually in 12 ounce bottles...so again, I end up with 9, 6 packs....So once again, 9 6-packs of a beer that I pay between 10 and 17 dollars for...a 40-50 dollar recipe that provides the same amount is still a bargain...(of course it still would be cheeper if it were all grain....my AG brews cost me less than 20 bucks)

But back to the OP's original question...

6 lbs. Pale Malt Syrup
1 lbs Organic Two-Row Pale Malt
1/2 lbs 60L Crystal Grain
1/4 lbs Dextrin Grain
2 oz. Cascade Hops
2 oz. Sterling Hops
Safale Us-05 Dry Yeast

Walking into my LHBS, would indeed cost around 40 dollars...
 
I don't agree..because I DON'T BUY 5 GALLON BARRELS

But, you brew 5 gallon batches. :)

I get your point about the end product packaging being different (bottles vs. keg), so we'll just agree to disagree about the cost comparison. :cool:
 
I just spent $75 on a five gallon batch of extract IIPA, and loved every minute of brewing it:confused: I had a couple of co-workers over on our lay-off Friday(auto industry). We drank, smelled hops, and drank some more. I have more fun on brew/share day than on bottle opening day. The best way to beat the cost is to stop using extract, grow your own hops, wash yeast, filter your tap water, boil over an open wood fire, ferment in your basement, don't use heat to sanitize bottles, etc., etc.

This was by far my most expensive brew day. My extract hefe costs around $25 all the way up to the $75 one. The wife bought $27 worth of out-of-season blueberries over the winter to make a wheat. I've stopped brewing based on cost alone because the satisfaction I get from the hobby is worth much more than the economics. I actually like going to the local market with SWMBO now because I get so many ideas of beers I should try.:mug:
 
Well, I guess that's about the price I'd pay for that list of ingrediants.

I will definity check out freshhops.com or one of the other places. I live in an apt. so buying in bulk isn't going to be an option because of physical space.

Meh, it is a hobby and I don't mind spending money on things I love, so it's not a real big deal..
 
Yep that's probably the mindset you should have, really if your looking to save more you could go all-grain and since your in an apartment I would suggest looking at the all-grain in a bag threads. I can make my house pale ale for a little less that $20 but if I was doing extract I'm sure it would be up close to what your experiencing.
 
I'm not brewing anything special and I realize the cost of everything ('specially hops) has increased over the years but does $40.00 or so sound a bit high?

6 lbs. Pale Malt Syrup
1 lbs Organic Two-Row Pale Malt
1/2 lbs 60L Crystal Grain
1/4 lbs Dextrin Grain
2 oz. Cascade Hops
2 oz. Sterling Hops
Safale Us-05 Dry Yeast

This is from my local shop.

Lol... you think thats a lot?

Guess how much THIS (5gal) brew cost...

Amount Item Type % or IBU
16.00 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 55.17 %
1.00 lb Aromatic Malt (26.0 SRM) Grain 3.45 %
1.50 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] (Dry Hop 10 days)
1.50 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (120 min) Hops 61.1 IBU
1.50 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] (120 min) Hops 39.9 IBU
2.00 oz Summit [18.00 %] (120 min) Hops 112.8 IBU
1.50 oz Warrior [15.00 %] (120 min) Hops 70.5 IBU
1.50 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (Dry Hop 10 days) Hops -
2.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (Dry Hop 10 days) Hops -
Servomyces Yeast Nutrient (Boil 5.0min)
1.00 items Servomyces Yeast Nutrient (Primary 7.0days)
12.00 lb Corn Sugar (Dextrose) (0.0 SRM) Sugar 41.38 %
1 Pkgs Super High Gravity Ale (White Labs#WLP099) [Starter 18927 ml] Yeast-Ale
2 Pkgs SafAle American Ale (DCL Yeast #S-05) Yeast-Ale

That's not even considering the 5 gallon 1.040 starter beer I made for the WLP099 yeast...
 
$40 seems like the average i guess, but at a shop here (dan's homebrew in vancouver) this receipe seems pretty cheap. Gotta buy the yeast and honey seperate but I don't see too many kits including yeast as well.

Honey Pale Ale O.G. - 1.050 .................. $22.50
7 lb pale malt extract
1 lb or so honey
8 oz honey malt
4 oz carapils malt
1 oz Willamette: 75% boil, 25% finish
1 oz Cascade: 75% boil, 25% finish

Another thing is that we do 23 litre batches here in Canada as opposed to 19 litre batches down there.
Case in Canada = 12 beers
In BC it's about $20-23 per case (12), depending on brand, when I go to WA state, the same case is $11. That's taxes for you.
I'm heading down to that shop tomorrow to do my first extract/grain brew, these cooper's kits aren't cutting it anymore, need a bit more challenge.
 
1. Buy a 55# bag of pale DME. Split it into 2 5-gallon buckets with tight-fitting lids for long-term storage.
2. Buy hops that you're going to use often in bulk from hopsdirect.com or freshops.com
3. Culture and save any liquid yeasts that you're going to use more than once. This works for dry, too, but doesn't save quite as much money.

This. +1

One cost saver is to give up pre-packaged kits - there's a premium charge in having the ingredients already prepared for you. Learn the recipes - there are plenty here in the forums. Just like prepared meals in the frozen food section of your grocery store vs buying ingredients and cooking a meal - the prepared stuff is more expensive per unit and you gain more control if you cook yourself.

You can make bulk purchases work out for you if you *plan* ahead. Decide on some basic styles or "families of beer" you want to make. Search the recipe forums here. You can make a pretty wide variety of beers with 2-3 styles of hops, DME and 3-5 specialty grains on hand.

When I first started, I was all over the place - trying different recipes, but eventually I settled on a handful of beers that I *like* to drink on a regular basis. That's pretty much all I brew now.

Order hop pellets by the pound and make room in your freezer. I love hopsdirect.com - good quality and they always pack a little extra in their deliveries.

Talk to your LHBS and ask what kind of bulk pricing you can get. If he isn't willing to work with you, then go online. It's important that you give him a chance though (I'm a pro-small-business-and-entrepreneurs kinda guy). I don't have a LHBS in my town anymore.

If you do purchase online, try to consolidate as many items as possible into a single order to reduce shipping costs.

Going all-grain *will* reduce your cost per unit, once you get past the equipment investment and the learning curve. I, however, am in a holding pattern and still on extract - I'm familiar with it and I like the simplicity.
 
I dunno. I do this hobby for enjoyment, not to save money over beer I could purchase in a store. I take a little pride over what I brew at home. There's not much pride in running down to the beer distributor to buy your brew.
 
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