I drink a lot....is it cheaper to brew?

[bracconiere]

special flavor of American hops

lol

 

[bracconiere]

paying to play the one down the street.

i've seen some projector golf simulators...projectors are pretty cheap now...

 

[marc1]

i've seen some projector golf simulators...projectors are pretty cheap now...

Yeah but the projector beer drinking simulators have a long way to go yet

 

[Velnerj]

I think it's possible to save money homebrewing but most of us end up not caring in the end. Either we're too embarrassed to calculate how much money we've sunk into our brewing systems or we are doing it for other reasons...

Cheapest route would be brew in a bag (BIAB) worth looking into if you want to dip your toe in and are trying to keep the finances limited.

 

[hamachi]

How long before you produced a "thump your chest, "I made that" beer?

At my very first batch using an extract kit. After 3 weeks of fermentation, I popped the lid off the fermenter, took a look and took a whiff and said, "Wow! It's beer!"

That was last August. Forty batches later, and after moving to all-grain MIAB, my beers have gotten better. But there's nothing like the wonder of that very first batch.

It was batch #7, an all-grain Belgian Golden Strong Ale, before I said, "Hey, this is really good!"

 

[Nate R]

Asking if brewing is cheaper than buying commercial beer is like asking if building my own golf course is cheaper than paying to play the one down the street.
Sure, you'll save money eventually if you golf A LOT!
but the cheaper option is actually not to golf at all.
upgrade-itis is a real thing.

What do they say? The first round of golf costs the owner/builder $20 million? The second round costs under a $1.00??

But... i will say this.
There are some solid all in one systems that include chillers, pumps, etc. So for $250 to $500 one can buy pretty much all the hot side equipment needed

 

[Dgallo]

What do they say? The first round of golf costs the owner/builder $20 million? The second round costs under a $1.00??

But... i will say this.
There are some solid all in one systems that include chillers, pumps, etc. So for $250 to $500 one can buy pretty much all the hot side equipment needed

Ageeed. My whole setup is less than $600 including my kegging equipment. Last trip to treehouse I got 5 cases.... same cost as my equipment. So it’s totally dependent on what you’re drinking.

 

[MaxStout]

One could go really low-dough and buy used gear on Craigslist. I see lots of posts, selling the basics for around $50-$100, and that may include IC, good sized kettle, etc. Pick up a paint-strainer bag for BIAB, then brew SMaSH with the cheapest 2-row you can get, use high-alpha hops bought by the pound, reuse yeast, etc.

If all you're shooting for is making cheap swill, you can beat the cost of commercial beer by a long shot and still make something quaffable.

 

[Bad Bubba]

That is a loaded question. The simple answer is yes. You can probably buy most of the equipment used on Craigslist for under $100. If you develop your process you can definitely make very good beer with simple equipment and save money over store bought beer.

But the sky is the limit on equipment - I have over $3000 in my Biab system and a guy in my homebrew club has over $8 K in his 3 vessel system. Another guy in my club build a beer barn in his back yard and I have no idea how much that cost. We definitely are not saving money but none of us regret it.

It is a matter of how deep you are going to dive.

 

[ITV]

Speaking for myself I brew beer for the love of craft beer and drinking with friends/fellow homebrewers. I think of it more as a hobby instead of how inexpensive can I brew a batch of beer. I don't have any worries about finishing a 5 gallon keg since I end up giving about 1/2 of it away to friends/co-workers and sharring with neighbors and fellow homebrewers.

I would bet that others on Homebrewtalk share my views.

 

[kmarkstevens]

I brew because that's the only way I can get good 2-4% ABV beers. Almost all the beer i drink is lower alcohol and in the US that means brew your own.

 

[T Murph]

See that's just it. I go whole hog, both feet, WAO, All In. Damn a bunch of plastic buckets. I envision a DR. Frankenstein's lab of S.S. equipment, valves and hoses, and coils, and beakers of mysterious fluids ,and blinking lights. Creating blissful nectar in various shades of effervescent gold and amber.

Lmao, and so we brew!

 

[Soulshine2]

I like beer. Mainly amber lagers and wheat beers....yeah I'm a "Boomer" with a palate ruined by 30 years of Miller Lite. I am intrigued by the brewing hobby but am not convinced that I can drink 5 gallons of 3-4 different beers before it goes bad. A friend is gifting me a kegerator. Not sure how many taps. I thought I would start by seeing how long it takes me to drink a couple kegs. Current favorites. Yeunglng Trditional Lager, Michelob Amberbock, Tucher Helles Lager, and Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier. I don't care for sucking on grapefruit or pine needles.....So the whole IPA craze is beyond me. Change my mind. I am willing to drink one of almost anything.

i was you about 6 years ago. only i didnt drink miller , or bud, i was into the green bottles ...my beer palate was pretty narrow. every now and then id try a pick-a-6 and try different beers outside my comfort zone and you know what. i found i liked more than i thought i would. now sweetwater 420 extra pale is one of my daily go-to's . i started brewing extract kits then a buddy of mine gave me my first brewing kit which i mean to brew All Grain . changed my whole life and hobby situation. ive brewed a few maerzens(Oktoberfests), brown , kolsch, red ale, old ale, brewed 5 hefs last one with weihenstephaner yeast. an organic tangelo pale ale, ive done pretty well making my own recipes and brewed a nice blackberry kettle sour using berries out of the back yard and fence line, home grown crystal hops and locally sourced wheat. i just brewed a "monk" beer last week , going outside my normal brewing abv of 5s and 6s to what should be a 7.6%. my own recipe. I have brewed some duds, not often , theyre still good for marinating meats or they might just need more time. so if you ever do , dont pour them out . Ive never kegged , i bottle . i dont have the space or want to fuss with tanks , hoses , gauges etc. bottles suit me just fine and im able to keep almost 6 to 8 beers on hand .
go to a nice multiple pull beer house ,craft pub and step outside your taste zone and order a flight of some of the other beers, darks, mild ipas sours, etc...take more than one taste of each , because the first taste doesnt count. you may surprise yourself by what you find you like. be open minded.

 

[ChiknNutz]

I make double IPAs hopped at 4lbs per barrel for less las $1.25 for a 16oz pour. This would cost me $18-$28 depending on the brewery if I bought it. Home brewing is far cheaper than buying beer

$18-$28 for a commercially produced pint of beer?! Surely I've missed something here or your cost of living is astronomical.

 

[Transamguy77]

There has been a lot of good info in this thread, the short of it is yes it CAN be cheaper.

I started over 10 years ago with a simple setup I bought used on Craigslist and a 5 gallon pot from my grocery store for like $100 bucks. I did extract and about a year later moved to all grain with a turkey fryer and paint strainer bag.

Are you a handy person? Do you like DIY? If so you can save yourself a ton of money making things yourself. I built my 3 tier rig, ferm chamber and in process now of version 2.0, motorized and installed my grain mill in a cabinet and built other things in the brewery. I have about $3000 invested in my setup and for 6-7 years I spent $0 on equipment and only money on supplies, and buying in bulk, 50 lb sacks of grain, hops by the pound and reusing yeast whenever possible.

There are ways to keep the costs down so you can make this hobby as cheap or expensive as you want.

 

[applescrap]

I think applejack is cider that has been freeze-distilled. Apfelwein is just cider fermented with extra sugar.

I've made several batches of Apfelwein. Lately, I've been leaving out the sugar and fermenting straight cider, which still yields ~6% ABV.

Check out my two recipes, daddys juice and daddys orchard! They are worth a shot. Use 4g of your straight cider and back mix with the most expensive pomegranate juice you can find at ratio of 4g to 1g pomegranate or organic black cherry juice.

 

[Dgallo]

$18-$28 for a commercially produced pint of beer?! Surely I've missed something here or your cost of living is astronomical.

Sorry I mixed up on my wording $18-28 a 4 pack not a pint. I can make a 4 pack of a double ipa hopped to 4 lbs/bbl for $5

 

[applescrap]

To op,

It's like a ball of string, how long do you want it. There are 93 ways up this mountain and most of them work.

To the rest, wth is going on here, most of these you can brew cheap comments would have been lambasted when I first joined. You would have been insulted every which way but loose. You just want to get drunk, you have no taste buds, and you dont care what it tastes like.

I am pleased to see such a great shift in thinking like I always say the emptiness inside the vessel is what gives it value. Quick brewing, cheap brewing has always been my thing, and I have voraciously commented on both. But time gets older and so do we, and things we think we know can change.

Dont kid yourself, nice gear is nice, it makes great brew and provides pride in ownership. Also everyone has their own schtick and for some making that big Frankenstein lab brings them happiness, gets them out of bed every day to face their job, gives their life purpose and meaning. I cant spit on that because a 10 dollar pot boils water too. Just something to keep in mind in case anyone wants to be as stupid as I have been. Mastery is mastery and a real master needs different tools for different reasons and some of those tools cost.

I got into brewing to save money, but even modest equipment could calculate in, and will take time to recoup. My time is worth money and I invested some in that. I can brew quick, that matters to me.

Back to op, For you, your needs and most at this point is a no brainer. A grainfather
They are small, work well, and are all in one. Their are other brands well under 500 at this point. If I were starting again that is what I would get in 220v version. Best of luck

 

[odie]

i can brew a $8 10 gallon batch of 8% ABV....so it can be as cheap as you want it to be....

as far as your taste, beauty of DIY, make what you like!

and as far as your alcoholism, my 10 gallon 8% batches last me about 8-10 days.....so once again

8 bucks? Must be a lot of table sugar in that batch. I'm guessing you would need about 25ish pounds of grain for that...

 

[applescrap]

Sorry I mixed up on my wording $18-28 a 4 pack not a pint. I can make a 4 pack of a double ipa hopped to 4 lbs/bbl for $5

Hops in terms of barrels? Wow, are you brewing barrels of neipa! Btw closer to 5 lbs and beyond per barrel is much more accurate for this style, imo. If not 6 lbs per barrel. I think I would be fairly pissed buying an 18 dollar four pack that was hopped at 4lb per barrel. That said when it scales up maybe you need less, I doubt it though. Just my 2c.

 

[Biggz1313]

If you just add up the cost of water, grains, hops and yeast and divide that by the number of gallons brewed, the answer is yes.

If, however, you include time and equipment costs (including the fact that you will inevitably graduate from plastic buckets to temperature controlled, glycol chiller cooled, stainless steel conical fermenters with tri-clamp butterfly valves, etc., etc., etc. ) the answer is HELL NO!

But it is still worth it? Yes!!!!!

Man, reading this just hurts sooooooo good, lol.

 

[applescrap]

i've seen some projector golf simulators...projectors are pretty cheap now...

If you are talking about my golf simulator, you are looking at 3 to 4k best case scenario with new being closer to 7k. But yeah projectors are so cheap, would have one in every room but wife disapproves.

 

[Dgallo]

Hops in terms of barrels? Wow, are you brewing barrels of neipa! Btw closer to 5 lbs and beyond per barrel is much more accurate for this style, imo. If not 6 lbs per barrel. I think I would be fairly pissed buying an 18 dollar four pack that was hopped at 4 per barrel. That said when it scales up maybe you need less, I doubt it though. Just my 2c.

I’m quite well versed and experienced brewing this style. Using 12 oz hits right at the 4.5 lb/bbl mark. Very rarely should you need 5lb/bbl. breweries marketing above that are using advance hopped products because using straight t90 would have diminished returns once you cross that barrier

 

[applescrap]

8 bucks? Must be a lot of table sugar in that batch. I'm guessing you would need about 25ish pounds of grain for that...

He sprouts his own chicken feed. Mad props for that! Enzymes to increase fermentable proteins and some sugar, dont let his joyful presence fool you, he is super clever at getting by less expensively.

 

[odie]

What do they say? The first round of golf costs the owner/builder $20 million? The second round costs under a $1.00??

yep...my first omelet cost me over a thousand...the next one was free...

 

[odie]

He sprouts his own chicken feed. Mad props for that! Enzymes to increase fermentable proteins and some sugar, dont let his joyful presence fool you, he is super clever at getting by less expensively.

chicken beer??? hmm...I have chickens and lots of feed...feed is cheap...

seriously though...been thinking about using deer corn to try making whiskey...

 

[applescrap]

chicken beer??? hmm...I have chickens and lots of feed...feed is cheap...

seriously though...been thinking about using deer corn to try making whiskey...

Yes, he sprouts feed. Bet it would work.

 

[applescrap]

I’m quite well versed and experienced brewing this style. Using 12 oz hits right at the 4.5 lb/bbl mark. Very rarely should you need 5lb/bbl. breweries marketing above that are using advance hopped products because using straight t90 would have diminished returns once you cross that barrier

So well versed that you changed this post from 4 to 4.5, yeah I know you did that because I was already responding to you and decided to let it go, glad you fixed that.

Do you brew in bbls? Pretty cool if you do. I havent brewed as much lately but the next thing I think will be keg hops.

 

[NickTheGreat]

I like the OP, he seems like a good dude. But I can tell you he won't save money by brewing beer.
I mean, most of us don't, and we're okay with it.

If I was looking for most bang for my buck I'd just buy everclear. Most drunk/dollar.

 

[applescrap]

An inexpensive way to start could be small batch on stove.
A cool way to save money is grow hops. I hope to do that some day.