How much is invested/How much per month?

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.

LongDog

Active Member
Joined
May 14, 2013
Messages
26
Reaction score
1
Okay, so I'm a busy guy, with a growing family. I've been brewing with a cousin for almost 6 months. So far, we've done 3 batches, each one better than the last. I am hooked on the hobby and want to start doing all grain and want to begin upgrading equipment.

My SWMBO asked me, "how much is this costing us? How much per batch? How much per month?" So, I ask everyone, how much has the hobby cost you ? And how much do you spend on it each month?
 
These are based on what I can get at my LHBS, but may be slightly different for you.

Basic equipment kit - $80 (reusable)
Turkey fryer w/7.5 gallon kettle - $60 (reusable)
Bottles - ~$15 for 24-bottle case, free if you've been saving from commercial (reusable)
Extract kit - $40 (new one each brew)

There are two things I would change from the above list though:

1.) Auto-Siphon: it'll save so much time and frustration!
2.) Purchase the kettle and burner separately, and look for a kettle that is AT LEAST 10 gallons. That way when you're ready to move to all-grain you'll already have an appropriately sized kettle.

If you wanted to start doing all-grain, and you had a 10 gallon kettle, you could start doing Brew-In-A-Bag for the cost of an extra large grain bag.

Once you get your equipment settled away, you only need your ingredients. My typical all-grain batches run me about $25-$30 for most of my beers, but it will vary depending on grains, hops, and yeast used. Extract brews will cost a little more, but they're more convenient and will shorten your brew day - very important for a father of young ones!
 
Oh, and some stores have different tiers of equipment kits, so there maybe one for a little more money that would include an auto-siphon and/or a glass or plastic carboy.
 
That is the great thing about this hobby. You can spend as much as you like or spend very little and still have great beer. My first batch of beer cost me 70 bucks with the grain but I was using a lot of stuff I had around the house like a cooler and such.

I guess to date I have around 400 in equipment and spend perhaps 30 bucks a month on grain. That gives me 12 gallons a month.
 
That is the great thing about this hobby. You can spend as much as you like or spend very little and still have great beer. My first batch of beer cost me 70 bucks with the grain but I was using a lot of stuff I had around the house like a cooler and such.

I guess to date I have around 400 in equipment and spend perhaps 30 bucks a month on grain. That gives me 12 gallons a month.

True! I've been lucky: I got all my glass carboys, kegs, and CO2 tank free from my grandparents (former HBS owners) and fellow homebrewers looking to downsize. I got my first burner/kettle from my parents, but I've upgraded it since. My above estimates are based on my experiences working at the LHBS of what brand new brewers can expect to spend if they have absolutely no equipment.
 
Somebody made a good point. You can spend as much or as little as you want. There are a lot of ways to cut corners as far as spending goes. Go DIY instead of buying retail ie. mash tuns, brew stands, fermentation chambers, etc. You can also buy bulk grain and reuse yeast, saving a considerable amount. Personally, I spend however much I can afford as it's a very strong passion of mine and a professional aspiration. Whatever the case, you can still brew great beer on a budget! Good luck with your future brews, and keeping your expenditures below the notice of your SWMBO:mug:
 
I've only done half a dozen extract batches. But I'm under $100 in equipment. Today I might do an all grain biab. But I had an old canning cooker in the basement, and I make 2 gallon batches, so it takes less space and money.
 
Your not exactly going to rake in the savings with this hobby. Sure, you can brew on the cheap once you have all the equipment. But you'll always want more.
 
I honestly havent kept track. Since I do not spend outside my means and do it for enjoyment it does not really matter. Lets see what I can tally up from memory.

Starter kit with ingredient kit and bottles - $120 years ago, still use most if not all of it.
2 replacement thermometers - ~$15 (I break these like other people break hydrometers)
4 extra fermenter buckets and airlocks - <$20 apiece.
Homemade IC ~$40
3 Tap keezer ~$200
7 Kegs ~$50 apiece
Burner ~$60
15 gal Brew Kettle ~ $40
Homemade 10 Gal MLT ~ $50
Monster Mill 2 2.0 ~$170 (current price)
7 cu foot Ferment chamber ~$150


Alll in all I would say ~ $1300 on equipment total and I have been brewing for 2.5 years or so, which makes equipment cost over time at around $520/year or $44/month. Haven't bought much equipment recently. I do not see the need to invest more in equipment any time soon. Maybe port my BK, maybe get a pump but not necessary. I buy 2-row by the 55 lb sack for ~$1/lb so I save some money there. Batches cost from ~$30 for 10 gallons of Co3C to $40 for my biggest 5 Gallon batch.

Cost per month of ingredients depends on how much and how often I brew. I am probably saving money per batch, as I used to buy daily beers at ~$1/bottle and it costs less than that per bottle of home brew, but I do drink better beer more consistently now. If I were buying equivalent beers I would be spending way over.

It is hard to exactly say what cost/savings really are. Although it is possible to save money by homebrewing, especially at first it actually will cost you more until you get yourself where you are happy with your setup. Then again I do not brew to save money, I do it for the cathartic effect of brewing, and the bonus of a finished product that I enjoy when all is said and done. Compared to my other hobbies, this is a cheap one (I am building a LeMons race car with a friend, enjoy go-karting (not your average beach ones with bumpers), and then there is my motorcycle, as well as whatever else that costs too much that I feel like doing).

Hope this helps.
 
Okay, so I'm a busy guy, with a growing family. I've been brewing with a cousin for almost 6 months. So far, we've done 3 batches, each one better than the last. I am hooked on the hobby and want to start doing all grain and want to begin upgrading equipment.

My SWMBO asked me, "how much is this costing us? How much per batch? How much per month?" So, I ask everyone, how much has the hobby cost you ? And how much do you spend on it each month?

It will be best to set up a budget for brewing. You cannot predict exactly what you will spend each month especially when you start buying bulk and equipment. Then you'll have a lot of cost up front but the actual brew day will cost you very little. Best thing you can do is be honest with SWMBO. Beersmith has a nice feature with the inventory that gives you an exact number what the batch cost you. Good luck!
 
I try not to keep track:) But, I am sure I have spent well over 10K on equipment in the past 17-18 years if I ever sat down and added it up (which I won't:). I brew a lot - 50 batches a year probably. So, I am sure I easily spend another $1k-$2k a year on ingredients and various other things that I may or may not need. But, I very rarely buy beer anymore, so I probably also save close to $1k a year not buying beer/alcohol.

And . . . .it is my hobby. . . . . really the ONLY hobby I spend much money on. I hunt, fish, etc. - But I don't spend much doing those. We don't spend a lot of money going out. I don't golf, or work on cars, or go boating (other than kayaking), etc..... So, it gives me countless hours of entertainment, enjoyment, relaxation and satisfaction - worth something for sure.

All hobbies cost money. If it is something you love doing, it really is not all that expensive compared to most hobbies. And, even with the amount I spend (which is more than most probably) it is still relatively cheap compared to golfing or plenty of other pastimes folks have.

The key is that whatever money it does cost, ultimately it has to fit within your overall budget or it will cause problems. However, I am not in the crowd that believes in "brewing to save money." It is part of my "entertainment" budget.
 
I decided before I started that it would be at least a break-even. By resisting the temptation to buy lots of cool stuff, the total cost (equipment plus ingredients) for the 80+ batches I have made is well under what the same beer would have cost at the grocery store. My total equipment cost has been about $150, and ingredients run $25 - $30 per batch for extract beer in today's dollars. Also, I haven't fished much since I started brewing - saved a ton of money there.
 
It's one of those things that you could break down, but I wouldn't bother.

Do you count the electricity you use? How about the water cost?

Ingredients are cheap. It's about $35 for a sack of two-row, and I spend about $80 a year on yeast (by reusing). I buy hops by the pound. I also grow 8 varieties of hops.

So a batch of cream ale, 11 gallons, that I made last week cost me a tad under $20. That's cheap per bottle.

But, I didn't count the costs of the water, the electricity, the wonderful all-electric HERMS with pumps, the refractometer, the pH meter, the freezer to store the hops, the bins to store the grain, the cost of my brewing software, etc.

It's a hobby. If I had to count the cost of bottle caps, co2 for the kegs, the electricity, etc, there is no way I'd be saving over buying beer. The good thing is that my beer is better than most you can buy, and I love doing it.

Edited to say- I have no idea how much I've spent over the years. At first it wasn't all that much, doing stovetop AG brewing. But then I realized that I love the hobby and my body just can't do all that hauling/lifting so I got a few convenience items like a pump. And I want to brew indoors, so I went all-electric. It's certainly not necessary, as you can make great beer with a turkey fryer and a bucket. But it's a lot more enjoyable for me, and it's worth it. I could guess that I've spent +/- $3500 and probably be within $1000 or so.
 
I don't do anything too involved, my brews so far are extract kits that I've been happy with.

Equipment total $180, ingredient kit is anywhere from $40-$90 for a five gallon batch. Bottles and caps $30 for a batch. Electricity less than 50 cents. Water from the tap, negligible. Starsan etc, negligible.

I figure without the bottles it's $5-$12 per six pack. But that's for beers that are much better than what I'd be able to buy, and I get to try out some stuff that I'd just never get exposed to otherwise.
 
Thanks for all f the responses! It helped a lot. Though, I am way off on batch prices right now. We last brewed the Brew Your Own extract recipe to clone Ruination by Stone. That cost us $60 for the ingredients.

And to top it off, the siphon stopped transferring beer at just over 4 gallons. The batch size was 5.5 gallons and the yeast cake was pretty big, but we felt we should haw been able to get much closer to 5 in the bottling bucket. But that's probably a question for another thread.
 
Since there is always the posibilty that I could "fall asleep" while logged into hbt, an SWMBO may see this screen, I'd have to say I spend next to nothing on this hobby.
 
It's kind of a open ended question. Some brew one gallon at a time and others by the BBL. I brew on a 3 keggle system, 11 gallons at a time. I've spent under 5K on stuff. I spend less than a 1K per year on ingredients. The 11 gallons of IPA at 8%ABV cost about 35$ For less than the cost of one case of beer, I get 4 cases. As long as you don't count the 5K in stuff. I wasted lots money buying brewing equipment I grew out of. What kind of brewing do you want to do? Then we could tell you the cheapest way to do it.
 
I'm a brewer in Norway and our prices at LHBS is more expensive than anywhere else. I keep a good track of how much I spend(including everything, fridge for kegerator etc. etc) and how many liters I brew so I can at any time calculate the price of my brewing. I spend a lot on brewing, but buying beer at the store (up to 4.7% ABV) or at a government liquor store (no limit) is generally more expensive.

To illustrate, buying a Sierra Nevada Pale ale at a liquor store is 7,50 USD, at a bar it's 12-14 USD. A simple BMC pilsner is usually 9.65 USD (for 0.4 liters of beer) at a bar.

I've brewed since January, 11 batches, a total volume of 126.34 liters and I've spent 1642 USD with a price of 13 USD per liter of beer. Is that expensive? Yes. Cheaper compared to bying beer at the store? Yes. Do I want to spend more money on this fabulous hobby? Yes. What do I regret? Nothing.

On a side note, I've made some big investments in the first couple of months since I had to get everything, and the litre price is only going one way, and that is down. (Exept for my kegerator build, that is a huge cost waiting to happen)
 
But yeah, a great tip is to be open to your SWMBO, I do and the worst reaction I get is "You've spent THAT much!? Oh well.." and there's nothing more to that.
 
LongDog said:
Thanks for all f the responses! It helped a lot. Though, I am way off on batch prices right now. We last brewed the Brew Your Own extract recipe to clone Ruination by Stone. That cost us $60 for the ingredients.

And to top it off, the siphon stopped transferring beer at just over 4 gallons. The batch size was 5.5 gallons and the yeast cake was pretty big, but we felt we should haw been able to get much closer to 5 in the bottling bucket. But that's probably a question for another thread.

Auto-siphon!
 
Back
Top