Homebrew and money

[VatorMan]

Hahahahahahaha

Im getting paid right now at work to type this

:rockin::rockin: But it IS a Sunday. So I'll a couple for you.

 

[BrianTheBrewer]

:rockin::rockin: But it IS a Sunday. So I'll a couple for you.

Ya im out at 7pm, so I will be having a couple when I get home.

 

[goodbyebluesky82]

Now back to beer. Many of us consider homebrew better than commercial stuff, so its not an apples to apples comparison. Lets make it one. Say you could brew your favorite commercial beer for $0.50 a bottle. Or you could buy it from the store for $1.50 a bottle. And lets just say it takes you 5 hours to make 50 bottles. Thats one hour for 10 bottles. Each bottle you brew saves you $1, so its $10/hr for your labor. Many people would choose to brew their own under these condition, but many would also rather go golfing or skiing in their spare time and just shell out the money for the beer. I know this is a simplified example, but it illustrates my point.

Alright, thats my two cents (actually closer to $5 of my time). I hope this helps some of you.

I get no tangible goods from skiing or golfing, and they COST me money! But if I was going to drink good beer anyway, then by staying home and brewing I am saving money compared to using my time to go pursue other hobbies. I look at HB'ing on a small scale as a hobby I can actually afford and justify.

I see all the arguments about the time factor but.... I'd much rather be at home brewing while listening to music, drinking a beer, watching t.v. over my shoulder than working extra hours at work to pay for premium beer at the store.

 

[Jumbo82]

I get no tangible goods from skiing or golfing, and they COST me money! But if I was going to drink good beer anyway, then by staying home and brewing I am saving money compared to using my time to go pursue other hobbies. I look at HB'ing on a small scale as a hobby I can actually afford and justify.

I see all the arguments about the time factor but.... I'd much rather be at home brewing while listening to music, drinking a beer, watching t.v. over my shoulder than working extra hours at work to pay for premium beer at the store.

I agree with you completely. I'd much rather brew beer than do just about anything else (especially working). I brew for the enjoyment of the hobby. My post was just pointing out that if someone views brewing as work, then they might as well just get a job instead. Brew for the love of the hobby, not to save a few bucks!

 

[BrianTheBrewer]

Well my original post was true, yes I do want to save money by brewing but I have not yet and I do believe now that we have spent alot on everything we need to do it with I will soon save some money even if its a few bucks. I just love brewing. I love beer. I love sharing it with friends. Thats the main reason I do this. I would like to save some mone though if I could. I hate going to the store all the time spending $45 on like 4-5 beers. Now thats only in one day/night. That $45 I could have made a big batch of some great brew and that batch would have lasted me like 2-3 weeks.

 

[Homercidal]

Well, homebrewing is just one of many hobbies for me. Fact is, I *could* consider time is money if I wanted to, but the cost is going to be different for each person.

Consider the person who loves to golf. Assuming it take 2.5 hours to golf 9 holes, and costs $20, then a round of 18 takes 5 hours and costs $40. So, that Saturday you could play a round of golf, or make beer. Fair comparison.

Consider the person who likes to fly. I have no idea what flying costs, because it is way too expensive for me to even think about. Let's say that a person flies for one hour on a Saturday, and it costs them $200 (again, just guessing). Let's say they spent 5 hours flying now, then it would cost $1000. Right? Wow, making beer sure seems to be a bargain now!

Well, now let's say that tis person really loves to sleep. He takes a 2 hour nap and it costs him... Well, it doesn't cost him, but multiply that by 2.25 and you get the cost for 5 hours of his enjoyment.

 

[Homercidal]

Also, the cost comparison, time=money not factored in, can vary depending on what kind of beer you like. You can hardly make beer like the cheapest stuff out there, so you would have to compare your costs with the price of a comparable beer.

Let's say you like Bell's Two Hearted IPA. Let's say that a six-pack costs $9. Now, 48 bottles would cost $72. You could honestly make a decent clone (or maybe even something better) for half that price. Or maybe like 2/3 the price, depends.

Again, you must factor in the cost of equipment, but that can vary depending on how much you enjoy brewing. Someone who's really into it might want all the fancy stuff, but you can also go cheap and spend very little.

I think the answer here is that you "Can" save money making your own beer, depending on the style of beer, and your personal methods, but I think that a good portion of our members spend significant amounts of money in their equipment, and also buying good commercial beer, now that their palates have been opened.

 

[iamjonsharp]

Saying that the time you spend brewing has to equate to some arbitrary amount of money really makes no amount of sense practically, especially if you enjoy brewing and want to make the time to brew on a regular basis.

You can always give yourself some arbitrary rate per hour to help you decide whether it is worth your time to brew a batch rather than buy beer, but spending more of your time doing something in order to save money has always been standard practice, ie, make dinner instead of go out for dinner, redo the kitchen yourself rather than pay someone to do it, etc.

If you have 70 bucks, but spend 40 bucks to make a batch a beer (includes water/electric/propane/ingredients/equipment/etc) that would normally cost you 70 bucks, you still have 30 bucks in your pocket regardless of whether you spent 1 hour or 8 hours brewing, and whether you arbitrarily declare you brew beer for $8 an hour or $20 an hour.

 

[Bobby_M]

Factoring your time is absolutely necessary if the question is literally "is brewing your own beer cheaper than buying it?".

Maybe that is NEVER the question.

If the person asking DOES or MIGHT enjoy the process and find value in it, then the cost of time is significantly reduced, maybe even to zero.

Again, I revert back to saying that it's extremely hard for a brewing hobbyist to imagine NOT liking the process. For someone who doesn't... it could be like any other mundane chore that you hate doing. If you break the process down it's really just a whole lot of lifting and cleaning.

 

[EdWort]

I can brew my beer for less than 13 cents per 12 oz. glass due to bulk buying of ingredients. That's just the hard costs of ingredients.

Now when I add in the expense of fuel, time, fuel spent to get the fuel, BrewHaus materials, time spent so far building the brewhaus, equipment, electricity.....

I guess I'm somewhere between 13 cents and 25 dollars a glass now.

I really don't care and don't want to know.

I enjoy the process and the results. It's a great hobby that is rewarding in many ways.

 

[sirsloop]

Whats your thoughts on this matter...?

The way I figure it...if I needed money that bad that I needed to save $10-20 bucks on a batch of beer, I probably shouldn't be drinking any at all. Not saying anything bad about anyone else or judging anyone... just what I think about it. I like brewing crazy beer that I can't go and get at the corner store....

 

[billtzk]

Brewing is a hobby and I have a blast doing it, so I don't factor in my time or my capital expenditures. Hey, my Brutus 10 stand and my Blichmann 14.5 conical, not to mention my keezer and 20 kegs, are really assets, not liabilities. Even that $1500 worth of welding equipment I bought to build my stand is really just another hobby expense, so I don't factor it into my cost of brewing.

I buy my base malts in bulk and I actually do save quite a lot of money by brewing my own when compared to the cost of the commercial brews I like, even though cost savings was not my intent. I continue to buy commercial brews I like anyway.

 

[stormtracker]

I definitely brew to save money. I know some here say they break even. That may be because of the beer they drink.

I have been pretty set on Belgians for the last few years. I dont see me abandoning my tastes anytime soon.

Anyways. A 8 or 9% Belgian bottle is usually sold in 750 ml and range from 6.99 to 13.99 and even more.

I can brew a 750 ml Trippel or Quad for about $2 a bottle.

So with my business plan it works great.

 

[Saccharomyces]

I have been pretty set on Belgians for the last few years. I dont see me abandoning my tastes anytime soon.

Not the main reason I brew, but I'm obsessed with Belgians too, if it helps.

 

[Pelikan]

Factoring your time is absolutely necessary if the question is literally "is brewing your own beer cheaper than buying it?".

Maybe that is NEVER the question.

If the person asking DOES or MIGHT enjoy the process and find value in it, then the cost of time is significantly reduced, maybe even to zero.

Again, I revert back to saying that it's extremely hard for a brewing hobbyist to imagine NOT liking the process. For someone who doesn't... it could be like any other mundane chore that you hate doing. If you break the process down it's really just a whole lot of lifting and cleaning.

I really can't imagine anyone into this hobby that doesn't like all facets of it, including (and especially) brew day. If someone is dragging-ass through the whole process, I'd tell them to just go out and buy beer.

As far as I'm concerned, if I'm breaking even then it's worth it for me (because the sheer enjoyment of creating recipes, brewing them, etc, makes it so). The type of beer I drink is $30-$150 a case. Even the most expensive, exotic brews I do cost maybe $50 tops per five gallon batch. I couldn't even imagine doing a 5 gallon batch that costs $150 -- unless it was a truffle beer or something along those lines, and even then that's for over two cases equivalent.

Regarding the equipment -- grain mills, hops grow setups, carboys, etc etc etc -- most or all of that stuff will last a lifetime. Spread that cost out over decades and it really amounts to nothing if you brew on a regular basis. And too, a lot of the stuff like mills, etc, can be resold at a small loss -- or no loss at all if you're savvy.

But really, if you need to sit down and rationalize every dime you're spending on this hobby -- or any hobby at all -- you should probably cut your losses. Most hobbies entail an outlay of money that you won't recover. The fact that brewing has even the possibility of saving money is a huge advantage.

 

[BrianTheBrewer]

Look, when I posted this thread awhile back I did not really think through what I was trying to say. Bobby M is right and so is everyone else that says you will not save money homebrewing. I mean ya you can try, and you might if you go all cheap on everything you use to brew. Im just happy brewing. I watch what I spend, but im not in this to save money anymore. Its for the love of brewing.

 

[Neunelfer]

Buy used when you can. Go slow in the hobby, try to make what you can and search CL daily for deals on cheap items. Most of all, enjoy the equipment you currently have and enjoy making the beer you do make. Don't constantly worry about the next greatest thing or try to rush to being a brewmaster, just enjoy what you can do.

 

[Pelikan]

I wasn't trying to be a jerk or anything, and indeed I didn't read the beginning, or even the majority of this thread. I was just responding to some of the latter comments.

That said, if you're spending $30-$150 a case on brew, then I honestly believe one can save money brewing their own. As I mentioned, a lot of the more expensive equipment is an investment -- one that can be recovered if necessary at some point down the road (through resale). If you spread that cost out over years and years of brewing, it amounts to a hill of beans...at that point you're only looking at what you spend per batch, which for me is generally between $20 and $50 per five-ish gallons.

So the way I see it, at worst I'm breaking even.

 

[buckrogers71]

I have thought of this. I dont brew now. Had a friend that used to and would kick in a few bucks for supplies, but it was time consuming. I am truly facinated by the entire process, thus I have a great respect for those whom brew.

With that being said, I do not have the time 2 kids w/ sports year round, the $$ it costs to get started (the right way), and the thought of failing and not making what I want. I find it easier to purchase the brew that I want when I want it.

I can talk about beer intelgently and appreciate fine beer, but I cannot brew. Maybe later in life w/out coaching my kids and finding 4-5 hrs to get in round of golf.

Hope that makes sense

 

[toasted]

Wow, this is beer horror movies. I'm a noob and I ran out of brain cells trying to memorize all the scary things he does.

Check out his "meaning of life series".
http://www.youtube.com/v/waG8_c1DWfc&hl

Whats wrong with what Craig does?

I just started home brewing and I don't know much.

 

[Cheeto]

The way I figure it...if I needed money that bad that I needed to save $10-20 bucks on a batch of beer, I probably shouldn't be drinking any at all. Not saying anything bad about anyone else or judging anyone... just what I think about it. I like brewing crazy beer that I can't go and get at the corner store....

+100000000

 

[Shonuff]

Brewing is so much better than drinking it.

 

[MoRoToRiUm]

Brewing is so much better than drinking it.

I enjoy them both immensely- I just brewed Saturday and Sunday, and combined the two, even better!

Now I need to order more ingredients- Long Christmas vacation and nothing to brew What else should I order, I mean if I'm going to order might as well add to my equipment

 

[Pelikan]

I enjoy them both immensely- I just brewed Saturday and Sunday, and combined the two, even better!

Now I need to order more ingredients- Long Christmas vacation and nothing to brew What else should I order, I mean if I'm going to order might as well add to my equipment

Let's see...

...oxygenation system, grain mill, stir-plate, the list goes on.