Home Brewing = Saving Money?

[HibsMax]

When I started home brewing it wasn't even an attempt to get into the hobby. I just happened to be in a wine store in Sandwich, MA and I saw some Brooklyn kits and picked one up..."for the hell of it". I brewed it but I needed something that the kit didn't have (Star San) so I went to my LHBS to get some. When I got in there I felt a kid in a candy store (or a drunk in a brewery may be more accurate) and bought a "proper" kit. Ever since then I've been hemorrhaging money. LOL. That has settled down now though as I have pretty much all I want for now. I'm not going AG any time soon, sticking with extracts and that's just fine by me.

I didn't get into this to save money but I was under the impression that I would anyway. That's not been the case. My costs will level out as time goes on but right now I've spent way more $$$$ than if I just bought my beer from the store. But where's the fun in that!

I think that one area you can make money is when you make bigger beers (because these require more time to condition and I *think* you probably pay breweries for that time, whereas it costs me very little to leave a case or two of beer sit in a closet for a few months).

There are lots of ways you can save money (baking your own bread rather than buying it) but from my experience, it's the process that gives me the most joy, not the savings.

 

[sweetcell]

money-saving has to be your goal if you want it to happen - and it simply isn't most homebrewer's goal. most brewers focus on quality, variety, the experience, the comraderie, the entertainment, impressing others, impressing themselves... none of these are very compatible with saving money.

in the long run i just might end up saving money by distributing my setup costs over many batches... or i might not. either way i'm not holding my breath to find out. and frankly, i know what/fear what the answer will be.

 

[yancydc]

Well, what are ya brewing?

 

[onipar]

I find that one "expense" homebrewers rarely take into consideration (mainly because this is a hobby, and none of us see it as "work") is our time. As they say, time is money, and the amount of time it takes us to brew a batch of beer should certainly be a consideration when adding up the cost. That's part of the dichotomy though (doing it to save money/doing it for the love).

Personally, even with brewing partial mash and extract brews, I feel I've saved money (if I don't consider time as an expense, or the fact that I never drank very much before brewing).

I bought one case of DFH 60 Minute IPA the other day, and it cost $42. Meanwhile I just brewed two cases of a Speckled Heifer which cost $25 ($12.50 a case) at Northern Brewer.

My equipment expenditures have been very low so far, adding up to about no more than $250 (though that will go up!) I don't try to save money, and in the long run (when considering I used to drink no more than 4 cases a beer A YEAR, and the time it takes to brew) I probably don't. But it certainly seems cheaper than buying cases of craft beer, as long as you don't think about it too long.

 

[jbaysurfer]

I'm with Tytanium on this one. Don't go into brewing convincing yourself you'll save money. You're just lying to yourself, and to SWMBO. Neither practice is going to make life easier.

BTW, nobody who spends 1k/month in bars is going to stop all that crap cold turkey and apply all that money to brewing beer. Get real. People buy girls drinks in the bar to get laid. It's not like all those half drunk college girls are going to stop by your garage brewery on the way home for the bars. That's not beer cost, that's girl cost, and that will cost you more money in the long run then any brewery. Guaranteed.

 

[HibsMax]

I find that one "expense" homebrewers rarely take into consideration (mainly because this is a hobby, and none of us see it as "work") is our time. As they say, time is money, and the amount of time it takes us to brew a batch of beer should certainly be a consideration when adding up the cost. That's part of the dichotomy though (doing it to save money/doing it for the love).

Personally, even with brewing partial mash and extract brews, I feel I've saved money (if I don't consider time as an expense, or the fact that I never drank very much before brewing).

I bought one case of DFH 60 Minute IPA the other day, and it cost $42. Meanwhile I just brewed two cases of a Speckled Heifer which cost $25 ($12.50 a case) at Northern Brewer.

My equipment expenditures have been very low so far, adding up to about no more than $250 (though that will go up!) I don't try to save money, and in the long run (when considering I used to drink no more than 4 cases a beer A YEAR, and the time it takes to brew) I probably don't. But it certainly seems cheaper than buying cases of craft beer, as long as you don't think about it too long.

+1

I don't know how much of a difference it makes to the cost of beer but I know how much of a difference it makes when doing car repairs, plumbing, etc. I am sure it depends on the industry and region but 75 to 100 bucks an hour is not absurd when talking about hourly rates. If you invest 4 hours into a batch of beer you could, in theory, say you have just saved 400 bucks (I am simplifying this greatly because I am not considering electricity, gas, etc.).

 

[adamjackson]

I'm with Tytanium on this one. Don't go into brewing convincing yourself you'll save money. You're just lying to yourself, and to SWMBO. Neither practice is going to make life easier.

BTW, nobody who spends 1k/month in bars is going to stop all that crap cold turkey and apply all that money to brewing beer. Get real. People buy girls drinks in the bar to get laid. It's not like all those half drunk college girls are going to stop by your garage brewery on the way home for the bars. That's not beer cost, that's girl cost, and that will cost you more money in the long run then any brewery. Guaranteed.

Haha. Yes, so very true. I have a solution to that "bar expense". I'm 25 with three long term relationships each lasting 2-5 years with no "bar expenses" between. Stability is truly a cost savings..and my GF loves beer more than I do so my garage brewery already has a customer

 

[bniesen]

I started to do it as a hobby and a way to save money. I like the fact that I can make really good beer, the style I want when I want it, for about half of what it costs at the supermarket. I made upgrades to my systems as I wanted to make my brew day easier and smoother but still being a fun experience. My set-up is pretty simple compared to a lot on this forum, but it works for me and I'm happy with what I got.
I guess to make things short, tinkering with the gadgets, tweaking the set-up, coming up with recipes; all these is what makes it a hobby for me. The actual brewing, fermenting, bottling, consumption; these are what I think are part of the cost savings.

 

[Jayhem]

Those of you who have a wife or other form of SWMBO living with you...if she likes your beer the cost savings might have just increased. Buying her fruity drinks or wine when you go out for dinner adds up and so do trips to the liquor store to buy Patron!

 

[grssmnperez]

I have already noticed the savings and i have only been brewing for 3 months or so.

 

[jcdouglas]

Initially I went into it thinking about saving money, but I don't feel that way anymore. I brew beer because I enjoy my creations. Plus, it's a nice bonus when your friends keep coming back for more.

 

[BBL_Brewer]

It's all a matter of how you look at it. I used to drink SN on a regular basis and the cheapest I can buy that around here is $14 per 12 pack on sale at the grocery store. I can brew a 5 gal batch for that same price (or a little less) and that includes every little consumable that I use from ingredients, sanitizer, even the electricity I use to run my keggerator and hops freezer. Of course I stretch out my yeast considerably, buy grain in bulk and grow my own hops. Even with my batch costs so low though, it will take about 7-8 years to reach the break even point on my equipment vs buying busch from the store. And I put my rig together ridiculously cheap. If I compare that with drinking 2-3 SNPA's per day, I will break even on my equipment in 3-4 years. So for me, I believe it will save me money in the long run and I enjoy the hobby. Win Win. I agree with the above though, most homebrewers probably won't end up saving any money unless they make it a goal to do so.

 

[adamjackson]

One quick question...let's not think about BMC or even SN or New Belgium beers. What about sours, wilds and fruit beers?

Let's say you were able to do a great sour beer...barrel age a 1,2 and 3 year beer and bottle those 50 gallons and you'd have a load of bottles of a gueuze clone.

A) what are equipment costs?
B) Time costs?
C) those compared to buying $15-$20 bottles from Belgium in a box + shipping?

If you're doing any BA beers, I would assume home brewing is more affordable if you do it error free which is probably impossible on your first few tries. I'm a few years from anything like that but just curious. Sours can get expensive.

-----

Price of a Blushing Monk clone home brew?

 

[bob1852]

I'm disappointed Bobby_M hasn't posted in this thread yet.

 

[BrewinHooligan]

I have a very limited budget and therefore have very basic and cheap equipment. I still make very good beer and am saving money based on the quantity I consume even over the PBR I used to drink before I got a taste for craft beer. If I had the budget to get the kegging equipment and 3 tier stand I want, I would no longer be saving money. Either way, I would find a way to spend money and time on a hobby, this one just rewards me with sweet sweet beer!!

 

[progmac]

the market around here prices craft brew at $9 for a sixer. that's $54 for two cases. most of my partial mash brews are $30-$35, so that is a significant savings.

 

[static]

I view it the same way that i do my motorcycle. If you're going to save money you have to commit. The once a month ride down to the local tavern for hot taco Tuesday just wont cut it. I do it for the love of riding, and i commute everyday year round so in the end i save money. The love of riding comes first.

Brewing beer is the same. I do it for the love of a good beer. Maybe eventually i will save some money.

 

[david00001]

I just finished purchasing $300 in lab equipment for yeast slants (so I can save $6 on yeast)! Its like how my wife saves money by buying all those shoes because they were on "sale".

 

[TyTanium]

I just finished purchasing $300 in lab equipment for yeast slants (so I can save $6 on yeast)! Its like how my wife saves money by buying all those shoes because they were on "sale".

Now it's a sunk cost and no longer relevant to decision making On the margin, you're saving money.

 

[bob1852]

the market around here prices craft brew at $9 for a sixer. that's $54 for two cases. most of my partial mash brews are $30-$35, so that is a significant savings.

Actually, 2 cases at $9/sixer is $72, not $54.

And, are you including all of your costs for your partial mash brews, or just the ingredients?

 

[homebrewhaha]

It's not like all those half drunk college girls are going to stop by your garage brewery on the way home for the bars.

They aren't?? Hmm...maybe if I put up posters?

 

[coypoo]

I keep track of every dollar I spend whether it's ingredients, equipment, or other random stuff. The last 2 years I have averaged about $0.99/bottle. That's including BWs, RIS, tripels, etc. So I think I do save money doing it.

And it's super f'ing cool to brew your own beer

 

[wan2ride]

I just found an interesting blog about this subject yesterday on one of my LHBSs website.

http://blog.bullcityhomebrew.com/?p=324

Now obviously most of us do this for the joy of it, but it's nice to have some data to give SWMBO when the complaining about cost starts. Of course if you start really going to town on equipment, home bar, conicals, anything Blichman, you might have to go pro to recoup that initial investment. Not that that's a bad thing either.

 

[TyTanium]

I keep track of every dollar I spend whether it's ingredients, equipment, or other random stuff. The last 2 years I have averaged about $0.99/bottle. That's including BWs, RIS, tripels, etc. So I think I do save money doing it.

But what about quantity?

$0.99 avg cost of homebrew x # of bottles brewed = Total Spend
$1.50 avg cost commercial x # of bottles consumed had you not started brewing = Total Spend

Therefore, if your consumption increased by more than 50%, you're not saving money. And that's assuming you've not purchased any commercial beer.

Not trying to be a jerk about it, just showing that if you truly want to compare marginal costs, you also have to include change in consumption.

 

[sweetcell]

another complication in the economic calculation, at least for me, is that since i've started brewing i am drinking more beer. i am also happier

It's not like all those half drunk college girls are going to stop by your garage brewery on the way home for the bars.

you're doing it wrong.

 

[Greenbasterd]

any Canadian will tell you its saves them money.. But in Merica you guys get such cheap booze already its more of a hobby thing.. i didn't get into to save money, but i do save money.
now i have an extra all-fridge, 8 carboys, 8 buckets, 3 kegs, perlick stainless steel faucet, 5 gal mash tun, 32 litre brew pot, and all bottling/capping/corking equip i need and i'm still saving money.. basically i can get me,friends, and family drunk and still have money for my other hobbies.
I just got my friend into brewing, hes paid off his initial investment of about 100$ including the extract he used on his first batch..

 

[Birdskull]

Any beer over 4,7% ABV is so effing expensive in Norway, it's hard not to save money in the long run.. We're talking 8-10 dollars for a bottle of Brooklyn Lager (5,2%?).. Even a Sam Adams Boston Lager (4,7%) is 6 dollars here. The way I see it, I'm making an investment when I'm buying kettles, fermentation buckets, spending hours reading online, etc.

 

[rjsnau]

But what about quantity?

$0.99 avg cost of homebrew x # of bottles brewed = Total Spend
$1.50 avg cost commercial x # of bottles consumed had you not started brewing = Total Spend

Therefore, if your consumption increased by more than 50%, you're not saving money. And that's assuming you've not purchased any commercial beer.

Not trying to be a jerk about it, just showing that if you truly want to compare marginal costs, you also have to include change in consumption.

You also have to consider your opportunity cost. If you are brewing strictly for cost savings then you could also do something else to earn money and buy the beer. So how many hours have you spent brewing times the hourly rate you could get working overtime or doing a second job. OR you could take the money spent total and divide by the number of hours spent to see how much you are basically earning per hour. My guess is it would be around 3rd world wages.

Anything you do to lower the cost is going to add to the amount of time you have to account for. Allgrain = more time, yeast washing and propagating = more time, grown hops = more time.

So brewing strictly for cost savings is not worth it. It is a side benefit at best. You have to enjoy it on some level.

 

[TyTanium]

You also have to consider your opportunity cost....

So brewing strictly for cost savings is not worth it. It is a side benefit at best. You have to enjoy it on some level.

Bingo.

 

[brewit2it]

In general you won't save money even ignoring the value of your time. If you calculate in the value of your time then HBing is much more expensive than buying beer. It is true that as you get into AG brewing in the long run you can make pretty cheap beer, but most spend so much on equipment and ingredients up to that point that it will take a mighty long time for most HB'ers to break even. And most don't even factor in the cost of energy and water costs which when factored in skews the equation even more in favor of buying beer being cheaper.