How much have you spent on equipment?

[archiefl98]

Had my extract equipment given to me as gifts. (bottling bucket, autosiphon, plastic paddle, 5-gallon stock pot, 2x-wing and 1x-bench capper, 6.5 gal bucket and 6 gallon carboy, hydrometer, floating thermometer, 2 airlocks, 1 bung, bottle brush, carboy brush -- and an immersion chiller from my sister for my birthday back when copper was still cheap)

A few years later, bought some additional stuff, maybe about $50 invested in a 6.5gal carboy, some grain bags, some bottle caps, carboy dryer etc.

Stopped brewing for about 4 years.

Last year SWMBO asks when I can teach her to make beer. We do an extract kit and I remembered why I loved brewing so much. So I decided to go all grain.

First, need 4 new airlocks: $5
Some bungs and whatnot: $10
1 5-gallon cooler: Christmas present
1 turkey fryer with 32qt pot: free

So far, doing great at keeping the cost down! So then....

1 10-gallon cooler: $40 @ home depot
hardware for both to become MLT: $50
3 hydrometers from breaking them one after another: $18
three true brew thermometers because I was having temp issues: $18
A thermapen, since the thermometers all sucked: $120
A barley crusher since I didn't like the LHBS crush: $120
Broke a plastic paddle, need a stainless spoon: $8
Bent the stainless spoon, need a grout mixer: $18
2 more bucket fermenters: $30
Hundreds of bottles for all this beer: $40

Wow, I have a lot of crap, need a way to store it:
2 wire-rack shelves from Lowes: $100
1 plastic table from BJs: $40

Then I'll start "saving" money by freezing some yeasties:
Homemade Stir plate: $40
Flasks for stir plate: $40
Assorted Stir bars: $10
Vials for freezing yeast: $12

This bottling thing sucks, so I'm gonna keg:
5-lb CO2 tank with regulator: Free
hydro testing on CO2 tank: $17
10 corny kegs: $200
O-rings for kegs: $30
10-lb CO2 tank because I "need" two tanks: $78
Regulator for 2nd CO2 tank: $50
QDs and tubing to run four kegs: $100
Oops, found some leaky poppets: $40
Mini fridge for one keg: $30

Wanna make some apfelwein, don't wanna use my beer fermenters:
2 Homer buckets: $6
2 more airlocks: $4
2 grommets for airlocks: $1.02

Need more tubing, all this old stuff sucks: $30

Starsan, propane, electricity, natural gas, beer ingredients, paper towels, water usage, want a keezer, want more propane burners, want some pumps, want some keggles, want want want....


From what I count that makes it $1,305 for just equipment in the past 8 months. I could have bought 8 bottles of Johnnie Walker Blue label for that... wow, first time I laid this all out.

 

[ArcaneXor]

Probably around $800 by now... But I just spent $280 on kegging equipment during the past three weeks. Before that, it was mostly sub-$50 items like Better Bottles, bench capper, stirplate, ribcage chiller, bottle tree, refractometer, etc.

 

[Optimal]

I haven't brewed my first batch yet, and it's already starting to add up.

2x15gal kegs = $80
2x 25L Carboys = $40
Cooler for MTL = $40 + parts ($40)
Mill (40$ so far! another 20-30 and shes done (DIY))
Chiller = $60

2.2L Subaru Engine $400 (I know not beer related btu I foud it while searching Kijiji for beer stuff)

 

[Ragutis]

Kegerator: $276
Fridge—free
Six corny kegs—$40
Three shanks with four faucets and a three-way Co2 splitter for $50
One shank—free
Four Perlick faucets —$86
Two tap handles—$20
10-pound Co2 tank for $20
Five pound Co2 tank—free
Two tap handles—free
Misc. hardware and hoses—$60

Mashing/Boiling/Fermenting:$505
Three propane burners—free
Two 20 pound propane tanks—$50
Two keggles with welding—$160
Five Sanke kegs for fermentors — $100
Three ten-gallon coolers for my mash tuns and HLTs—free
Two five gallon coolers for HLTs—$45
Misc. hardware—$150

Bottling:$107
48 old Grolsch bottles—free
100's of brown 12 oz bottles—free
Vinator—$25
Capper—$32
Misc. caps and hardware—$50

Total—$888

I've probably forgotten something but that's pretty close.

 

[JOHN51277]

I am still workin on it, but probably about 2k so far. I NEED about 5K more!

 

[uechikid]

I forgot about my beer refrigerator.
Fridge,faucets, shanks, drip tray with back splash, regulator and tubing.
WOW!!! $720 for the beer fridge. I have almost as much invested in the beer fridge as I do in the brewing equipment.

 

[remilard]

A lot, time holds me back more than money.

 

[KYB]

I forgot about my beer refrigerator.
Fridge,faucets, shanks, drip tray with back splash, regulator and tubing.
WOW!!! $720 for the beer fridge. I have almost as much invested in the beer fridge as I do in the brewing equipment.

Haha, I have WAY more invested in my keggerator than my equipment.

Equipment: ~$250, well, $350 counting corny kegs.

Keggerator: ~$900 (4 perlicks, 2 stout faucets, nitro tank and reg, etc)

 

[uechikid]

Haha, I have WAY more invested in my keggerator than my equipment.

Equipment: ~$250, well, $350 counting corny kegs.

Keggerator: ~$900 (4 perlicks, 2 stout faucets, nitro tank and reg, etc)

I would have counted my tanks but I picked those up along time ago in my scuba diving days and I can't even remember what I paid for them. Something like $25 a peace.

 

[ReverseMonk]

I am in the middle of a rebuild, which is a compact two-tier, all direct-fired electric, 10 gallon system (three 15.5 keggles). This build is estimated at about $1100 - $1200.

I hope to have it finished by the beginning of the summer (fingers crossed).

 

[brewnickbrew]

Just this year alone I'm already up to $3500. -All Stainless Steel Brutus Build, Fermentation chamber, conicals yet to be paid for.
I hope do be done with buying brew stuff for a while. -Is that even possible?

 

[Kplum]

How much.. hmm.. I started in brewing for about $300..
But you always want the extras.. We are greedy bastidages..

Well let's just say that you cannot put a price on sanity.. Brewing Beer keeps me sane.. I get so focused on what I am brewing and my process.. I do not think about anything else for about 4 hours.. Its a great escape..

 

[pipapat]

with my c02 system and kegerator, euro faucet, boil pots, ect im 2800 in.
never mind the fact i really would love a brutus 10 set up.




my girl friend stopped asking.
Though my cigar and pipe habit she isnt happy about.
For the other 2 past time that go hand and hand for brew day im like 5k in.

 

[Sawdustguy]

A lot more than I care to admit publically. Let's just say it's more than $100 and less than $100,000.

 

[ronjer]

Sawdustguy....I love the signature quote.

I'm in about 750.00 and I don't need anything else. I do plan many upgrades however, as I am using homemade stuff mostly. It works great everytime, so the is by no means any rush.

 

[Rick500]

I haven't kept track, but I do know it's been worth every penny.

 

[ReeseAllen]

Probably around $1,500 since I started last summer (AG). I bought a ton of stuff I didn't need, though. I could have kept it under $1,000 if I had known exactly what I needed, and more like $500 if I didn't keep getting the itch to upgrade.

 

[tipicreeper]

Really.
You might as well ask my wife how many I have slept with.
Both reponses will get equal results.

 

[Special Hops]

I am guessing somewhere around a thousand. But it just a guess as I have been doing this on and off for 10 years now and I did not keep records.

 

[samc]

Much more than I want to think about. Would love to get rid of it all and start over. Would be much more efficient now with my purchasing.

 

[KAMMEE]

I'm not sure if reading this makes me envious or nervous about my future. I think I have all of $200 into the hobby... but I haven't started with the capital intensive part (i.e. kegging) yet.