homebrewing costs

[Bulls Beers]

****, some of the beers I buy can cost as much as 16 bucks a six pack. I can make a great beer that is very similar, for $25 a 5 gallon batch and that's not buying in bulk.

 

[desertw0lf]

Arguing that home-brewing saves you money is like arguing that hand-loading for firearms saves you money. You hand-load for precision, quality ammunition. Same thing goes for beer. If I wanted cheap I would keep drinking PBR.

 

[HexKrak]

My house beer costs me < $20 per batch if I re-use yeast, and that's without buying anything in bulk. I did the math, and if put off buying kegging equipment until next year I'll have made up the costs and be saving a ton.

That said, I don't brew beer for a cheap drink, I do it to express myself in one of those few creative things that I'm good at.

 

[Slipgate]

All good reasons but I'll add another, often overlooked but very important one: because we can.

A right not exercised will be a right lost. The same as gun rights have been slowly eroded and now is coming back in bits and pieces. Excerise your right! When the tax man cometh, thumb your nose at him since YOU brewed it! Maryland has just put another 10% sin tax on store bought beer. If I never buy another store bought beer it will be too soon.

Stay thirsty my friends!

 

[C-Rider]

arguing that home-brewing saves you money is like arguing that hand-loading for firearms saves you money. You hand-load for precision, quality ammunition. Same thing goes for beer. If i wanted cheap i would keep drinking pbr.

+1

 

[osagedr]

I don't brew to save money, but a 24 is nearly $50 up here in Soviet Canuckistan. I made a simple bitter this weekend that cost me...let's see...$10 for grain, $4 for hops, and $2.50 for yeast (fourth use of a Wyeast). Add in a few brewing salts, equipment costs, etc...maybe $25 for the batch.

1/4 the cost of buying, give or take.

 

[DrJerryrigger]

Yeah, I'm a cheapskate, I do it to save money, even if it's very little with a high buy in.
I know time is money, but my time is worth about $0.15/hr if it's something I enjoy doing.

But I'd also have to agree about the hand loading analogy. That's another hobby I'd like to get into... to save money... and to do it better than the factories can.

 

[bottlebomber]

I need to start doing hand loading... it hurts my heart to leave 5 pounds of brass in the dirt at the shooting range.

 

[Sokrateez]

Feh, to those that say homebrewing isn't cheaper: come to Ontario! $40 for a 24 of crappy macro beer, and $50+ for micro! And that's if you can find the micro you want at your local beer store or liquor store, we drown in a sea of crappy beer up here

I for one, got into this game so I could have cheap, drinkable beer!

 

[dutchcanuck]

Sokrateez,

I hear you! When a case of twenty-four of Southern Tier's 2XIPA would in theory cost over $70 at the LCBO that's when I decided that I needed to devote serious time to homebrewing.

 

[sean6247]

I started brewing to aviod the taxes associated with beer/alcohol. In California, the excise taxes on these items are pretty steep. By brewing my own beer I aviod paying those taxes. I would gladly pay more (and with all the equipment, fuel, evergy to run kegorators and fermentors, ingredients, sanitizers,and my time... I probably do) to brew my beer than to purchase commercial products just to aviod the tax.

 

[DrJerryrigger]

I started brewing to aviod the taxes associated with beer/alcohol. In California, the excise taxes on these items are pretty steep. By brewing my own beer I aviod paying those taxes. I would gladly pay more (and with all the equipment, fuel, evergy to run kegorators and fermentors, ingredients, sanitizers,and my time... I probably do) to brew my beer than to purchase commercial products just to aviod the tax.

Yeah, stick it to the man!:rockin:

 

[beerloaf]

I brew for the same reason why I built my own deck, intalled a new patio door, work on my car, fix my own pc, the list goes on. I enjoy it and I take pride and satisfaction in knowing that I made something for myself and others to enjoy. Is it cheap? No certainly not with the equipment costs, and time involved. As I told SWMBO, it's still way cheaper than crack or going to the brothel.

beerloaf

 

[bottlebomber]

I dunno, there doesn't seem to be any shortage of crack lately...

 

[huge1s]

I have actually done the math and keep track of it in a spreadsheet. Everyone's situation is different... but I am making the same quality beer (or better) for half the cost. And that is with buying kits and fresh yeast. I will have my equipment paid for in 3-4 batches. I should say that I already had a turkey fryer and an old cooler for a mash tun, so I am not counting those equipment costs.

I also don't put a dollar amount on my brew time. Maybe it is different for some of you... but if I didn't brew, I would do something else that I get enjoyment out of. I am not missing out on additional pay because I am brewing beer.

 

[Bumbler]

I don't brew because it's cheaper, or because it's a creative artsy process. I brew because it irritates the neighbor. It irritates 'em that I spend so much time in the back yard. She won't come out if me or my wife is outside. On the rare occasion she does, she says, "what are you doing - brewing beer." That's why I brew, sticking it to the neighbor.

 

[BierKoning]

The best (most accurate) way for me to break it down is the cost of what I drink by ounce.

An average 6-pack of craft beer in SoCal costs me about $10. Sometimes less, sometimes more, but $10 after tax/CRV is a good average. This equals:

6bottles*12oz = 72oz = $0.138/oz

I also frequently buy 22oz bombers of beer that I can't find in a 6-pack. A good average for a bomber is $5 after tax/CRV. This equals:

1bottle*22oz = 22oz = $0.227/oz

Additionally, I'm not one to shy away from buying the 750ml Belgian, and these are considerably more expensive. A good average is $10/bottle. This equals:

1bottle*25.36oz = 25.36oz = $0.394/oz

A weighted average to compensate for the type of beer that I drink most often would be weighted pretty consistently at 65/25/10. This equals:

((.138*.65)+(.227*.25)+(.394*.1))/3 = $0.185/oz

So, IF I purchased a 5gal batch at my normal average price of purchasing craft beer, I would be spending:

128oz/gal * 5gal = 640oz*$0.185/oz = $118.4/batch !!!!!!!!!!!!


Therefore, as long as I'm spending LESS than $118.4 on ingredients for a 5gal batch, I'm saving money!

TO JUSTIFY TO SWMBO:

At my present rate of drinking an average of 40beers/mo. and if I purchased every single ounce, this equals:

40beers*12oz = 480oz * $0.185/oz = $88.80/mo on purchased beer

So, If I brew a batch, say even an expensive IIPA batch, at $50, this equals:

$50/640oz = $0.078/oz and then 480oz*$0.078/oz = $37.5/month

BUT HONEY, I'M ACTUALLY SAVING US $88.8-$37.5= $51.3/MONTH!!!!

 

[phidelt1499]

Brewing is a relatively cheap hobby. Plus you get beer at the end

Compare brewing to golfing, restoring old cars, motorcycles, hunting, etc... it's actually a very reasonable hobby in terms of cost.

My two brothers-in-law have literally spent thousands on hunting stuff. I built my electric PID controlled brew system and my kegerator for what they spend per year on camo, guns, tags, etc... They get venison. I get beer

 

[lou2row]

I fish:
Boat $9,000; replacing equipment $700/year; more tackle than ten men can carry @$10,000 over twenty years. I catch and release bass, so get fish only when walleye fishing a couple times a year.

Cigars: I have a couple thousand at $2 to $10 each

Gardening: Shoot a few hundred every spring around the house and koi ponds

This hobby has an end product. And my wife drinks and enjoys robust beers like I do, so she sees a plus to doing it. I had a gambling problem and started making my own lures to keep me out of the clubs. I didn't save money doing it, unless you figured the $10,000 a year I was losing playing the machines.

 

[Clann]

B.O.A.T
Bust
Out
Another
Thousand

 

[rexbanner]

I fish:
Boat $9,000; replacing equipment $700/year; more tackle than ten men can carry @$10,000 over twenty years. I catch and release bass, so get fish only when walleye fishing a couple times a year.

Cigars: I have a couple thousand at $2 to $10 each

Gardening: Shoot a few hundred every spring around the house and koi ponds

I envy you.

I've seen quite a few of these threads. You have to purposely chose to operate at a loss if you're not saving any money. I'm not criticizing people who do, I would myself if I had the cash.

I do 5 gallon batches, and the only possible pieces of equipment I could use that could help me produce better beer are a stir plate and refractometer, neither which are necessary. I have every other goody that could possibly make you better beer or make brewing easier.

I have over 12 gallons of Belgian strong ales sitting around. That would retail for nearly 600 dollars. It cost me a hundred bucks to make them.

 

[Skarekrough]

Fact of the matter is that I get to make beer to suit my own tastes and likes. That sort of customization is near priceless.

 

[Backporchbrewery]

I live in Mississippi. Sometimes the ONLY way to get good beer here is to make it yourself.

 

[user 73497]

I don't believe it's cheaper... accounting for equipment costs I'm around $3/12oz after 18 batches (of course, I keep buying toys and could recoup some should I sell them... but I just want more!) with ingredients well under 40¢ for all but the biggest beers. Considering that I give away at least 2/3 of my homebrew my cost is closer to $9/12oz serving consumed. It's fun learning, experimenting, sharing, consuming but financially I'm only marginally ahead of hitting local craft bars during happy hour.

Now if I could legally sell my beer......

Werbi

 

[Airborneguy]

I've seen quite a few of these threads. You have to purposely chose to operate at a loss if you're not saving any money.

Agree 100%.

I love these threads because I love reading the wacky justifications the economists of our community come up with to justify how this is not a money-saving hobby. They whip out crazy theories that basically have you factoring in a portion of your mortgage and kid's college tuition into a pint.

Your time as a nobody-joe-citizen is only money if you are gaining or losing money with that time. Give up hours at work to brew? That's costing you money. Give up time sitting on your couch to brew? That's not costing you one single red cent no matter who your economics professor was in college.

A secondary benefit to this hobby for me is that I 100%, positively absolutely save money. I re-use yeast because I believe it works faster and better after a few iterations, I buy all my grains in bulk-buys and I've managed to get crazy deals on all of my kegging equipment and fridges/freezers. In return, I drink or giveaway the equivalent of $100's of dollars of beer a month. Sounds like a great investment to me

 

[bottlebomber]

In return, I drink or giveaway the equivalent of $100's of dollars of beer a month. Sounds like a great investment to me

Hopefully none of it while on duty

 

[Airborneguy]

I'd save even more money if I did Wouldn't have to buy coffee.

 

[MisterGreen]

Definitly an art! You can have so many different tasting beers even in the same style, and that's what makes it so fun! And you must buy BULK to have an $8 batch, I've never brewed a batch for less than $35

Really? I've seen a lot of kits in the low 20s on AHS.

 

[Pogopunx82]

I brew for dirt cheap.

 

[Jsamp]

Honestly I got into brewing to save money. I got into just to make big beers. A typical 4 pack of good big beer is around $3/beer give or take. I can brew the same style/ABV for around $1. My mentality has changed. Its an addiction now. Its a fun hobby. I like to cook and this hobby is the same. With cooking its rewarding eating a good meal. Good beer is no different. Not including equipment it is cheaper. I can brew a 5% abv beer for under $15. There is no place that I can buy 5 gallons of good beer for $15.