Homebrew can save you lots of money

Brewer's Friend 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Bobby_M said:
Since the point is being missed (again due to hobby bias), answer the question about why you don't walk to work. (and if you do actually walk to work or work from home, commenting as such is *****y).

If you work say 10 miles away from home, you could walk it and save gas, potential accidents, moving violations, and even get more healthy and reduce health related cost in the future. What's the downside? You have to dedicate time and energy that are worth a lot more to you than the money than that which can be saved.

Opportunity cost doesn't only apply when that alternative time spent is earning actual wages.

Again, why can't you guys put yourself in the shoes of someone who doesn't enjoy brewing? It's a simple exercise. All you have to do is ask yourself why you don't do some other laborious activity that you already pay someone else for?

Another example, I'm sure there are some people on here that pay a landscaper to cut the grass. Why don't you cut it yourself?

This is a build vs. buy equation.
Click to expand...

just because your time is valuable to you and you could be doing other things than walking to work still doesn't mean someone else is willing to pay you for your time. it rests on the opportunity to make money during the time your are brewing.
 
Bobby, please point out a clear instance where someone stated that time didn't mean anything because they enjoy homebrewing. I believe I have been VERY VERY clear that I am not coming from that point of view. So if you are referring to me, and still feel that way, I'd like to put forth that you are missing a point, not me.
 
Since I'm taking vacation from work to go to NHC, I should include those hours at my hourly rate in my homebrewing costs for this year :eek: :drunk:
 
I can see Bobby's point that there is an opportunity cost to the time spent brewing, however I think that insisting that the cost is monetary is wrong. I understand wanting to be able to factor the time in, but putting a monetary cost on it is like trying to measure a board with a hammer, you're using the wrong instrument.
 
Airborneguy said:
Bobby, please point out a clear instance where someone stated that time didn't mean anything because they enjoy homebrewing. I believe I have been VERY VERY clear that I am not coming from that point of view. So if you are referring to me, and still feel that way, I'd like to put forth that you are missing a point, not me.
Click to expand...

I'm referring in general to how people react to threads/OPs asking the question about whether or not homebrewing saves money. The answer is clearly, YES, it saves money if and only if you enjoy brewing as a hobby.

The problem is, the people that ask the question have no clue if they will enjoy the hobby and neither does the person answering the question. They just assume it will be just as much fun for them as it is for us.

Specifically addressing what I think your point is (that time is worth something but exactly how much...)

I actually do think it is easy to quantify the cost of the time/effort spent brewing. I think I brought this up in a similar thread (but it's hard to keep track since they come up so often). Try this and let me know what you think:

The actual cost of your labor to brew a batch of beer for yourself is approximately the amount of money that you would accept to NOT do your very next favorite leisure activity when you already had plans to do it. Sure it's hypothetical but it's better than ignoring it as if that 6 hours had no monetary value.

The other way to look at it is how much money would you need to be paid to brew a batch for a complete stranger (assuming it was legal to do so)? Let's say your pipeline is completely full and you've done all the brewing for your own personal benefit. Would you brew a batch for tangible costs for someone off the street? If not, why not?


Aside from all that, a very direct question I'd like people to answer:
Do you believe that if someone outside of the homebrewing community asks if it's cheaper to brew your own beer than to buy the equivalent from a store that it's intellectually honest to assume they will enjoy the hobby as much as you and therefore ignore labor cost?

All I'm saying is that I don't think it is. I'd probably suggest that it's a great hobby so if you enjoy it, you can ignore how much time has to be invested. On a pure materials cost basis, it's cheaper. To skip the caveat of the perceived value of the hobby is the issue I'm arguing against.
 
I am with Bobby on this one. I think that people would be naive to ignore the opportunity cost of time spent brewing. Everything has an opportunity cost even our leisure time.

I don't mean to bash anyone but it appears that Bobby is the only person on this thread who understands basic economics.
 
Mrclasen said:
I don't mean to bash anyone but it appears that Bobby is the only person on this thread who understands basic economics.
Click to expand...

Well you inadvertently bashed me as I was the one who originally asked the question about the value of time. :p Now I am going to go sulk.
 
I get 4-5 5G batches before I need to refill my propane tank and it is $14/fill in Denver. Perhaps it is cheaper because our Governor is not using our money to fly to LL games:p
 
I look at it this way.

You tell a friend how much a batch of beer costs you. "Wow!!!" he says, "Only $5/case? Then it's no big deal if I drink as much of your beer as I want, right? I'll reimburse you if necessary."

"You're already drinking my beer."

"Yeah, but I didn't realize how cheap it was. I'm coming over every night from now on to get hammered!"

"Oh come on, that's a bit overboard..."

"It's just $5 a case, right? So what's the big deal? I'll give you $5 a night if you want... it's cheaper than a drink at the bar."

"Well, yeah, it's $5 in ingredients, but..."

And that "but" is the real cost of making homebrew.
 
I don't know why this topic is such a hot button for me. It really doesn't matter. The next time someone asks how much homebrewing costs I'm just going to scowl and grunt under my breath.
 
Pappers_ said:
Lately, I've not been replying to 'cost of honebrewing' threads, in part because I don't want to be misconstrued or seen as denigrating brewers who take a different approach.

But here goes. For me, brewing is a very low cost craft. I haven't bought a piece of equipment in over two years. I have no latent engineering tendencies, so am not into the equipment at all. My brewing style tends towards the simple and 'handmade' approach, nothing is automated. I buy Ingredients in bulk, so even though I use organic ingredients, my ingredient costs average $15 per 5.5 gallon batch.

It is possible to enjoy this hobby and make great tasting beer at a very modest cost.
Click to expand...

Yup, $15-$18 a 5 gal batch and I couldnt buy 1 case of bush for that.
 
Bobby_M said:
I don't know why this topic is such a hot button for me. It really doesn't matter. The next time someone asks how much homebrewing costs I'm just going to scowl and grunt under my breath.
Click to expand...

See below?

Clann said:
Yup, $15-$18 a 5 gal batch and I couldnt buy 1 case of bush for that.
Click to expand...

Okay, but that's not comparing apples to apples.

You are only including your ingredient costs. For you to buy a case of Busch, you're paying for marketing, canning, shipping, etc...

To compare apples to apples, compare only the cost of ingredients to make a case of Busch - and then scale it to the quantities that AB buys ingredients....

That would be closer to an apples to apples comparison.



Did I cover it Bobby? :D
 
I don't consider my time a cost because I enjoy brewing, its a hobby I do in my free time, its not a job (well it was a couple years ago when I worked at a brewery but I enjoyed that too and got cases of free beer so I didn't need to buy any).

Also equipment cost can be a factor but I bought most of my equipment years ago, its basic but it works just fine and personally I don't have any desire to upgrade it anytime soon except for maybe a couple extra carboys and maybe a larger brew pot eventually so I can start doing 10gal batches.

I guess the propane cost and sanitizer is legitimate it costs about $7 to fill up the tank and I get about 10 or 12 brews out of it and I use iodine because its cheaper than star-san and it works just fine and a $16 bottle of iodine will last me about 20 brews so I guess I could add $1-$2 to the total cost and it still comes out to under $2 a 6-pack which is about 1/4 the cost of commercial brew.

I'd say that unless you are constantly upgrading your equipment it will save you money in the long run. After the initial equipment investment (which can be pretty reasonable with a combination of craigslist and DIY projects) if you buy ingredients in bulk the savings can be pretty significant.
 
AZ_IPA said:
See below?



Okay, but that's not comparing apples to apples.

You are only including your ingredient costs. For you to buy a case of Busch, you're paying for marketing, canning, shipping, etc...

To compare apples to apples, compare only the cost of ingredients to make a case of Busch - and then scale it to the quantities that AB buys ingredients....

That would be closer to an apples to apples comparison.



Did I cover it Bobby? :D
Click to expand...

Well thats not really apples to apples either.

I dont have to pay for marketing etc. I just have to buy my ingredients and make my beer then drink it. so I can either pay for all that marketing, canning, shipping or I can make 2 cases of beer that you will pay $9 a six pack for that I will enjoy or I can pay $18 for a case of beer that will do the job.

So if you are not saving money there is something wrong
 
I don't really agree with the idea that from an economics standpoint you have to include your time as a cost. First of all that argument seems to be based on the idea that you could be working more hours at your job instead but not everyone's job would give them more hours if they asked for it . Therefore the time spent brewing is not necessarily time that could be spent getting paid at your job so spending your time brewing isn't really a cost if you wouldn't be earning money during that time anyway. Time is not always money earned also, some people actually pay money to spend their time on vacation volunteering in foreign countries, they actually pay more to work on their vacation than someone who just goes to some place to relax. Anyway I feel that if you would do it for free (and us homebrewers do exactly that because we don't get paid to brew our own) then you can't really consider your time as a cost.
 
My Mom just made two cherry pies from cherries I picked yesterday from her two Bing cherry trees. We opened one just now, fresh out of the oven. Mmmmm the house sure smells good, think I'll have a slice....
 
emjay said:
I look at it this way.

You tell a friend how much a batch of beer costs you. "Wow!!!" he says, "Only $5/case? Then it's no big deal if I drink as much of your beer as I want, right? I'll reimburse you if necessary."

"You're already drinking my beer."

"Yeah, but I didn't realize how cheap it was. I'm coming over every night from now on to get hammered!"

"Oh come on, that's a bit overboard..."

"It's just $5 a case, right? So what's the big deal? I'll give you $5 a night if you want... it's cheaper than a drink at the bar."

"Well, yeah, it's $5 in ingredients, but..."

And that "but" is the real cost of making homebrew.
Click to expand...

Well done. If people don't understand that, it's time to give up.
 
Time to chime in.

The big disconnect is, as some have pointed out, the point of view. Bobby is coming from a purely academic point of view from the science/art of economics. In economics, everything has a cost. It has to. So in that respect, Bobby is 100% right: to get a true economic measure of this debate, you must include labor.

Where he and I (and many that have posted) diverge is that the vast majority of people in this world don't care one bit about true economic costs: they care about accounting costs. When one asks the question "how much does X cost" what they are really asking is "how many physical pennies will I have to remove from my pocket in order to receive that widget?" Thus when 95% of the population asks what costs more, they are truly inquiring about the physical pennies of one vs the other.

Most people primarily process in accounting costs. So to respond with an economics response to an accounting question isn't really doing justice to the inquiry.

Neither side is wrong with what they're saying. But one has a more practical application. (that's why there are more accountants than economists)

So Bobby, to directly answer your question to the group; I do think it's appropriate to ignore the labor when your neighbor asks about the costs associated with homebrewing. Mainly because he's most likely asking about dollars and cents.
 
remilard said:
Well done. If people don't understand that, it's time to give up.
Click to expand...

There is no "but" in my response. Under no circumstance would I ever consent to exchange goods or currency for homebrew as it is illegal and I would never break the law (disclaimer done). However, hypothetically if a friend of mine was to offer to pay the material costs and nothing but, I would absolutely do it. I made it to drink. I would normally share with anybody. Somebody offers to pay for what I would normally give damn right I'll accept. I'll brew more.

The exception to the given example, however is the "coming over and getting wasted every night.". I would have a huge problem with that. But it has nothing to do with $. Getting blitzed every night at my house would make my wife very angry. When she angry, she no give up da booty. No booty makes ME very angry. Plus aside from that, it's just rude to take and take like that. Has nothing to do with time or money I've invested. It's just common manners.
 
I was going to go back and quote everything then respond, but it's pointless. Crimie pretty well summed it up anyway.

Bobby, your rule view is totally understandable. I do, contrary to what some seem to think here, have the brain power to fully agree with it, but disagree at the same time. Kant had some great philosophical points to make, but his whole theory was stuck with one problem: it required the main question to be answered with an 'always'. I do not agree with your point because I believe for it to be true, it has to be true always, in every cost-value situation. See my point?

If I'm going to factor time into the cost of something, then I have to do that always for the value to be consistent, otherwise, I have to quantify different times: is my night time worth more? Morning? Leisure? Work?

I used the running in circles example not to belittle you, but to emphasize a point. Unless one is paid for moving in a set pattern (can't use breathing because you can do that while brewing), then doing a different activity during leisure time does not have a quantifiable cost because one does not lose anying while performing it.

I guess this is a true agree to disagree moment, which was always my intention. The subtle implication that a certain side of this argument is less informed than the other was unnecesary.
 
remilard said:
Well done. If people don't understand that, it's time to give up.
Click to expand...

I'll go further than cirimie and say that the example was flawed. To quantify a savings, the beer has to be compared to something. I started out by saying that I believe when compared to a similar beer, home brew is cheaper. Ie, I can produce a RIS for less coin than an RIS would cost me at retail value. Emjays example only speaks to actual costs involved and then has the producer being offered the actual cost. It does not answer to the value that the beer has for emjay relative to what he would spend commercially. What if his friend offered less than cost? He now losses money, but relative to nothing because the reason for the value his friend offered is not being compared to any similarly priced item but rather the cost expended to produce his version.
 
Airborneguy said:
I'll go further than cirimie and say that the example was flawed. To quantify a savings, the beer has to be compared to something. I started out by saying that I believe when compared to a similar beer, home brew is cheaper. Ie, I can produce a RIS for less coin than an RIS would cost me at retail value. Emjays example only speaks to actual costs involved and then has the producer being offered the actual cost. It does not answer to the value that the beer has for emjay relative to what he would spend commercially. What if his friend offered less than cost? He now losses money, but relative to nothing because the reason for the value his friend offered is not being compared to any similarly priced item but rather the cost expended to produce his version.
Click to expand...

My example wasn't meant to be a comparison, it was simply demonstrating that we value the cost of beer as being more than simply the cost of ingredients. If you acknowledge that, and the cost is still cheaper than an equivalent brew, then fine... you're saving money. I'm not even attempting to argue against that. My example was a bit underdeveloped and assumed people would make the logical connections for themselves, but I didn't want to write a post as long as this one

As for trying to pick apart the technicalities... gnore the fact that it's illegal. And to say that you're sharing it for free already anyways, I made a point to mention in that conversation that the person is already sharing (I think we all do). I'm talking about going beyond simply "sharing"... what if the friend was drinking 95 or even 100 percent of every batch, and could do so without being drunk and obnoxious.
Basically... what if you put in the labor, only to not be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor? Sure, I enjoy brewing too, a lot in fact, but I wouldn't be brewing if I wasn't also able to enjoy the beer I spent a long time to make, even if I was compensated for the ingredients, and I'm sure it's the same for nearly everyone. And yet, why? If the act of brewing ALONE was enjoyable enough to justify the labor being put into it, as people are suggesting, it wouldn't matter whether or not we EVER eventually get to drink what we made - the simple act of brewing would be enough reward in itself. And yet I can guarantee that very few people would be here if for some reason we never actually got to drink what we produce.

I'm aware it's an extreme example, but the point remains. Unless you can honestly say that even if, for some reason, you were no longer able to drink your own beer, that you'd still be brewing regularly, then you are indeed placing additional value in your labor, with the compensation being the beer you end up with.

And, how much value you place in your time spent brewing is actually easy to figure out if you can be honest with yourself... in such a scenario, what kind of benefits would you need to receive.- monetary or otherwise - in order to continue brewing anyways?
 
I think this whole I brew a batch for $5 crap is just another example of people needing to measure penis size by proxy online because we can't just whip em out.

Join a real club, everyone knows who the brewers are, and nobody is going to walk up to a good brewer and brag about their efficiency or how they only buy one package of yeast a year.
 
Probably covered a couple times here, but I'll echo it.

No way can the common homebrewer approach a cost/benefit point by making their own beer when compared to commercial breweries.

You can do the math by simply adding the cost of the ingredients but that's only a fraction of the true cost - AND you may only get close in this respect.

You also have to consider:

Utilities (probably use 10 times the water to make a batch of beer, gas/electric)

Overhead (you use other equipment, right? Stove, fridge, chillers, thermometers - all that has a depreciable cost)

Labor (you could be working and making money, not doing so is an inherent cost to whatever else you're doing when you're not making money)

Add everything else - shipping fees, gas and car for when you drive back and forth to the supply store, your house (unless you brew in a parking lot)...

Just looking at the list of true costs, I'd say it might be closer to 5 or 10 times cheaper to just buy the stuff.
 
remilard said:
I think this whole I brew a batch for $5 crap is just another example of people needing to measure penis size by proxy online because we can't just whip em out.

Join a real club, everyone knows who the brewers are, and nobody is going to walk up to a good brewer and brag about their efficiency or how they only buy one package of yeast a year.
Click to expand...

I'm bowing out, because this was never meant to become personal. Even if I did 100% save money, and you 100% didn't, I don't think any of my posts or anyone else's implied superiority.

I know that I would spend far more money on beer if I didn't brew my own, and that's enough, when coupled with my reasoning, to justify the statement that I am saving money (in my opinion, for my situation, with no contempt for anyone else's viewpoint).

Even my wife believes it, and in the end, that is all that matters anyway.
:mug:
 
Sweetchuck said:
You also have to consider:

Utilities (probably use 10 times the water to make a batch of beer, gas/electric)
Click to expand...

Water bill $26 month. If your math is right and I use 10 times the water on brew day, I spend about $4 on water. I use no electricity and based on a $16 propane tank that I get 5 batches from. TOTAL this category- $7


[quote="Sweetchuck]Overhead (you use other equipment, right? Stove, fridge, chillers, thermometers - all that has a depreciable cost)[/quote]

Only thing here that applies is my dedicated thermometer. Cost me $5 2 years ago. How much depreciation is that assigned? $.10?


[quote="Sweetchuck]Labor (you could be working and making money, not doing so is an inherent cost to whatever else you're doing when you're not making money)[/quote]

False pretense. This is a dollars and sense argument. ie when comparing prices, it's an accounting discussion - not an economic one. In accounting, not everything has a value. Theoretical labor value doesn't apply.

[quote="Sweetchuck]Add everything else - shipping fees, gas and car for when you drive back and forth to the supply store, your house (unless you brew in a parking lot)...[/quote]

My camry gets 26 mpg. Homebrew store is 10 miles away and typically I get 2 batches worth every trip. So, 90% of one gallon roundtrip at 3.75 gallon. Call it 3.70 per trip or 1.85 per batch. REALLY? A house cost? Don't think so. I'd have my house if I never brewed again

[quote="Sweetchuck]ust looking at the list of true costs, I'd say it might be closer to 5 or 10 times cheaper to just buy the stuff.[/quote]

So my total for these extras is 8.95 per batch (more than I would have thought, by the way: great excercise!). My typical batch materials run me roughly $23. With these extras, my total comes to $32. 8 6-packs of craft will always run me at least $60. So, in the worst case (no bulk grains or re-using yeast) I'm saving at least $28 on the same volume of craft brew. Hardly an increase.

Even if you want to add the cost of equipment in, I'd still say you're way ahead in terms of straight up dollars and sense.
 
Sweetchuck said:
Just looking at the list of true costs, I'd say it might be closer to 5 or 10 times cheaper to just buy the stuff.
Click to expand...
Nah, because you completely left out what I'd be doing with that time if I wasn't brewing. 6-7 hours out of the house drinking $4 pints adds up fast. Then there's the damned stripper who expects at least a dollar a song...

Anything that keeps me home during my free time is probably saving me money.
 
cimirie said:
Water bill $26 month. If your math is right and I use 10 times the water on brew day, I spend about $4 on water. I use no electricity and based on a $16 propane tank that I get 5 batches from. TOTAL this category- $7
Click to expand...

Add the cost of the tank, the pot you're boiling in, the spoons you're stirring with, the scales you're measuring with, the hydrometer, grinder, bottles, kegs, tap system - it all adds up.

False pretense. This is a dollars and sense argument. ie when comparing prices, it's an accounting discussion - not an economic one. In accounting, not everything has a value. Theoretical labor value doesn't apply.
Click to expand...

You have no understanding of fundamental economics then. Can't help you much in this aspect until you develop one.

My camry gets 26 mpg. Homebrew store is 10 miles away and typically I get 2 batches worth every trip. So, 90% of one gallon roundtrip at 3.75 gallon. Call it 3.70 per trip or 1.85 per batch. REALLY? A house cost? Don't think so. I'd have my house if I never brewed again
Click to expand...

You're Camry costs what, maybe $25k? I hope you insure that vehicle, add that cost also and it's what - over $5k/year? What's that break down per batch?

Yeah, of course you have to pro-rate that between your personal use and brewing use, but it's a cost.

So my total for these extras is 8.95 per batch (more than I would have thought, by the way: great excercise!). My typical batch materials run me roughly $23. With these extras, my total comes to $32. 8 6-packs of craft will always run me at least $60. So, in the worst case (no bulk grains or re-using yeast) I'm saving at least $28 on the same volume of craft brew. Hardly an increase.

Even if you want to add the cost of equipment in, I'd still say you're way ahead in terms of straight up dollars and sense.
Click to expand...

Honestly, if you understood true economic overhead allocation you might understand. I don't think you do. I skimmed through that list of costs. If I bothered to take the time to really break them down - in true cost fashion - like the total cost of your house and your car don't apply, but part of them do - it might make more sense to you.

Or maybe it wouldn't.

Fact is, commercial breweries track and understand these costs, which is why that - if you buy a case of say Sam Adams for $25, you're paying for ALL of that cost - all of the overhead, all of the labor (you can discount your own labor as much as you want but it's still a cost), all of the pots, tuns, ingredients, buildings, shipping, supply chain, insurance... it's all in there or they wouldn't be able to calculate a true profit.

Doing it yourself is no different, only the true costs are hidden in the respect that you don't notice them.
 
cimirie said:
False pretense. This is a dollars and sense argument. ie when comparing prices, it's an accounting discussion - not an economic one. In accounting, not everything has a value. Theoretical labor value doesn't apply.
Click to expand...

There is a reason most accountants spend their lives in rooms without windows.

You have 6 hours of leisure time and want a cheap source of beer. Do you:

1. Brew your own 5 gallon keg of beer for $15?
2. Go mow a few lawns, buy a 5 gallon keg of beer, and have money left over? Many brewpubs will sell you a 1/6 barrel for about $40. Most homebrewers I know that are heavily cost conscious aren't approaching brewpub quality on a consistent basis, but let's ignore that for now and assume we are closer to brewpub quality than malt liquor quality.

You may say number 1 because you enjoy making the beer. But in this case it is still more expensive than the commercial beer, it is just that you are willing to pay the higher price in exchange for the utility the beer provides and the utility the leisure provides (vs beer alone) and that's fine. That is how hobbies work.

There are a lot of poor people in the US who drink, yet somehow homebrewing is overwhelmingly a middle class hobby. If it saves money, why is it too expensive for some people?

Think about this in terms of food. It is well known that fast food and convenience food are more common in poor areas. You can make a naive argument that the organic arugula you grew in your garden is cheaper than a Big Mac, but you can only have that organic arugula salad because you can afford the time to grow and eat it (or shop and eat it, whatever). The poor people are working overtime, multiple jobs, riding the bus for hours, aren't hiring out childcare and house cleaning, etc. Leisure time is very, very expensive (though social welfare distorts this a bit).

Observing the real world will tell you what is truly cheap (fast food and bottom shelf liquor) and what is truly expensive (home cooked food and home made beer).
 
Oh and I think these days the federal government considers the cost of driving a mile about 50 cents. This is obviously an hour and excludes the value of that time. If you enjoy driving and don't consider the time to have a cost, god bless you.
 
Sweetchuck said:
You have no understanding of fundamental economics then. Can't help you much in this aspect until you develop one.

You're Camry costs what, maybe $25k? I hope you insure that vehicle, add that cost also and it's what - over $5k/year? What's that break down per batch?
Click to expand...
You kinda made yourself look at little foolish here... I was following your side of the discussion but this is a little rediculous. What if you went out for a drink and had 3 and got pulled over and got a DUI? What if that happened? Would the 10 grand in fines suddenly boost your price per pint to $50? I mean if you were at home drinking homebrew it wouldn't have happened... could you just assume this will eventually happen and if you stay home to drink just take this figure off the top of your brewing overhead? How much more convoluted can this discussion get?
 
It is funny to read threads like this because folks try to incorporate the "million dollar apple tree"...If you do not know of these stories, it has something to do with a US Military vehicle hitting and destroying an apple tree, in a foreign country. Then the owner claim ridiculous claims of how that apple tree was the family income and they were going to plant an orchard from that tree and sell the apples and then the wood so the estimate to repay the damages is $1,000,000...

The one thing that I think a LOT of people do not grasp is you can make this hobby as expensive or as cheap as you want. If you choose to "blow your cash" on the latest greatest thing, please do not come around telling me how poor you are and how you are not saving money.

The bottom line is this for me...I brew decent beer, that I like and can get me plowed if I so choose and this is 100% legal to do so. I feel "not so bad" the next day because my beer is closer to a living organism than a chemical. I can go buy some decent beer but almost all of it is closer to a chemical than anything living and will leave me "hung over". I get to do something that not only makes myself happy but most of my friends and family too.

I also can cause "desired side effects" by controlling the ingredients I use. Like adding local honey to the wife's batches so her allergies are not so bad...or making a caffeinated breakfast stout so I can get the benefit of my mourning coffee with my stout when I am camping or on special occasions.

and this folks is the "mother load" of brain twisters...I am trying to reuse all of my "spent" ingredients in some way and I should be all set to be doing these things before winter...Like turning the grains into a spent grain flour to use for baking or molding some into some suet for bird feeders. Reusing the hops for: pillows, sheet sprays, massage oils, soaps and candles. For yeast: completing my "yeast bank" and using any unloved yeast as a "yeast nutrient" by drying it and adding it to my boils in small quantities. So how does one begin to factor in the "brewing as a lifestyle" for proof that I am saving money doing all this? is it possible?

I will admit that I will probably never be "incredibly wealthy" or become so by brewing beer but I can say that I can look around and see many others much worse off than I am...
 
Zamial said:
I will admit that I will probably never be "incredibly wealthy" or become so by brewing beer but I can say that I can look around and see many others much worse off than I am...
Click to expand...

A penny saved is a penny earned, so you should be able to become incredibly wealthy by brewing beer. Just brew more of it.
 

Similar threads

F
i dont brew to style
2
Replies
52
Views
3K
Danny Wallace
Danny Wallace
HB_ATL73
Economical Brewing
2 3
Replies
96
Views
4K
Agent
Agent
R
Saving yeast
2 3
Replies
108
Views
5K
Miraculix
Miraculix
Lollim96
Looking for beer recipes which I can use mostly Amber Malt extract in? Got lots to use up!
Replies
20
Views
1K
BrewnWKopperKat
BrewnWKopperKat
S
How to save 20gal of oversweet IPA
Replies
21
Views
1K
Beerstein
Beerstein

Latest posts

Back
Top