I guess im just not a dedicated enough alcoholic to try to do this as a cost reduction technique... I know people who have though, and by using all grain brewing they have made beer very inexpensively. Personally I would never even occur to me to try and crunch what a 22 is costing me compared to a similar bottle of Hop Stoopid @$3.99. When i make a lasagna at home it costs me almost $40 in ingredients compared to Stouffers for $10. I personally think you can brew beers that you could never realistically get your hands on at any price. THAT'S the appeal to me. I haven't ever seen a three year old bottle of smoked scotch ale fortified with Talisker whisky available at any price. But I do admire how this thread has developed, I think its an excellent subject.
malweth said:I'd love to see that lasagna recipe!
Through a friend, I have an expensive Mac & Cheese recipe (which uses smoked Gouda). While homemade M&C is always going to be more expensive than the box, at least there's cheese in it. If I were to make Lobster Mac w/ shaved truffles, I bet I could begin to approach (or even surpass) $40.
There's something to be said for quality of ingredients. On the other hand, poor quality, mass-produced foods will probably be what kills me in the end. A focus on "real" food costs a lot of money. And, while growing your own hops can save money, growing your own vegetables is not as easy to do (and can cost as much up front as making your own beer with less ROI).
you can make any beer with any type of flavors you could ever imagine.
logan3825 said:Immersion chiller? Probably not necessary but I bought one anyway. Like it better than ice. Saved money unless I would go through the hassle of making my own ice.
BigB said:I haven't read all of the posts to see if someone scared him off, but hasn't anybody noticed that the OP hasn't been on for 2 weeks?
I don't think its really a question of scaring him off... if you'll notice, he has made a total of 3 posts on this forum, and he clearly doesn't make beer so its understandable that he doesn't show up here often. When he gets back im sure he'll be impressed with all the play his post got...
I don't have an IC, I make my own ice. I bought cheep plastic containers and fill them with water and put them in the freezer the night before brew day.
Yes, I realize that he only made three posts. But usually if someone was actually serious about something, they would at least check things out more than for 2 days. I am just surprised that people continue to answer his question when he clearly doesn't care what the answers are. If I had to guess, he got all the information he needed in the first 10 posts.
estoppel said:I have $550 into my AG equipment (Barley Crusher, Cooler MLT, 75ft Immersion Chiller, Keggle, Propane Burner, 8 carboys, thermometers/brew gadgets) and $450 into my kegging system (6 cornies, picnic tap kegerator, 20lb CO2 tank, Regulator).
A 5G batch costs me about about $31.50 for 55 Bottles (depending in the grain bill and Hop Bill)
55 Bottles of craft beer at my Liquor Board Store @$14.00/6 pack would cost me about $128.30.
So I save a little cash but have to brew a lot to recoup my equipment costs and never really get there because I keep buying new stuff. Although my set-up is decent, I am going to buy a a cooling tower for my kegerator and build a fermentation chamber in the next few months.
14 bucks a six pack?? Who brews it, God?
Wait...youre not suggesting that we are merely posting to 'hear' each other post, are you? That NEVER happens here
There is no way I would have bought as much as I brew...that would make me some kind of a alcoholic.But what other hobby leaves you with something that you would have otherwise bought anyway?
There is no way I would have bought as much as I brew...that would make me some kind of a alcoholic.
Mike_D said:I'm new here and I am considering brewing my own beer. I normally drink Bud Light... Alright no criticism or comments on how it taste like piss and what not haha. I grew up drinking the stuff and am just used to it. To each his own. But if I brewed my own beer I would definitely try a bunch of new kinds.
A 24 case (cans) of Bud Light here costs around $22 after taxes and all. For my first brew I'm going to try THIS recipe. I was wondering, not counting the cost of equipment, how much the supplies would cost? Basically how much money would I be saving?
Also I'm 100% new to brewing and had another question. I seen you can get some starter kits and what not. Do you guys recommend getting one of those, buying everything separately, or creating homemade items? Any sales I should know of? I'm looking for a good cheap way to do this.
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