is brewing beer worth my time?

[Bobby_M]

In summary, the question of whether it's worth it cannot be answered by someone other than yourself. This is especially true when you're asking people who are spending time TALKING about brewing when they are not brewing. Bias? No way!!

 

[amberbrooks]

etc. not to mention the increase (at least for me) in buying craft beer for research...

Haha +1

 

[Kate00]

I agree with everything that's been said about the experience, creativity, etc. Hobbies cost money. Think about how much an amateur golfer spends on gear and green fees to never earn a dime from golf. If cost is the only benefit, why do anything?

But, to focus purely on cost: My all-grain setup cost me about $250 to put together. Its really simple, no tiers or anything, and I'm making great beer with it. I made a batch of IPA that is at the level of stuff i buy for $10/ 6 pack. The batch cost $35 w/ tax for ingredients, call it $40 with sanitizer and all. to buy two cases would cost about $88. There is $48 in savings. I made a tripel that ended up similar to a tripel I like that is $8 per bomber. My batch cost $70 with tax, sanitizer and all (candy sugar was stupid expensive, making my own from now on) to buy the yield i got in bombers, about 27 bombers would cost $237.

There is about $215 in savings right there. Count a few other batches ive done, and Im ahead of the game. Im sure I'll eventually buy more gear, but for now, i cant. In addition to the experience, its cool to be able to replicate beer I wouldnt be able to afford to enjoy too often otherwise.

Like Bobby M said though, its a question you have to answer for yourself.

 

[bk0]

You will never, ever be able to reach the economies of scale of a huge macro brewery. Never. When you include the cost of your own time as well as fixed equipment costs and variable ingredient costs, your own brews will ALWAYS come out more expensive than a cheap mass market lager ($2.99/6-pack of Big Flats). Its math--no room for debate.

However, for those who don't like that type of beer, homebrewing allows us to create a product that isn't available commercially. Or if it is, it doesn't have that same advantage of scale that BMC does so it may be possible for us to do it at a competitive cost.

 

[LandoLincoln]

If I ever feel like I'm getting close to breaking even on my costs, then that means it's time for an equipment upgrade.

 

[spearko520]

i am making my wife read this, since i am not an economist and this is a pretty concise breakdown of the homebrewing financial model that i'm sure she will understand. Now if someone can come up with a way to justify the $8000 that (according to her) i've spent on duchesse (alone) over the past ten years- i won't have to keep telling her she's out of her f-ing mind and to stop counting nickles and do the laundry.

 

[AmandaK]

First and foremost: brewing is an enjoyable hobby that I really love. I enter in comps, judge, get to brew strange things and basically do what I want.

That being said, I think it's a good idea to track my costs. Sure, I could just say, "I don't really want to know" and spend WAY too much on it, but at some point you have to control the costs before they get out of hand. (e.g. when you spent over $1800 in homebrew related crap in the first quarter of the year)

Here's my current cost per sixer per batch. This includes equipment cost, ingredient cost, sanitizers, tubing, bottles, kegging, etc, etc. The only thing not included is my time.

#40 Maibock: $11.97
#41 Centennial IPA: $10.65
#42 Black IPA: $11.09
#43 Spotted Cow: $9.84
#44 Patersbier: $9.58

Put the spreadsheet together with a little kick from another member here. VERY helpful.

 

[TravisT]

yeah i guess it was a dumb topic to bring up. The only reason I even took the time to try to figure out the math is i always get asked about the cost from co-workers/family/friends. I think its safe to say that 99% of the people brewing beer enjoy doing it. I am a bit of a cheap a$$ and try my best to save money every chance i can, guess that was what i was trying to say. FYI I buy cheap toilet paper and will never throw away underwear!!!

 

[Yooper]

I guess everyone's all grain set up is different but $1,500 sounds like a lot of money for an all grain set up. Not factoring in the cost of propane my all grain set up was about $600 for the brew kettle, propane burner, mash tun and sparge arm. I could make it even cheaper if I did it all DIY but I'm lazy.

Ha! You haven't seen my latest rig. My first set up was about $100- a big cooler and a turkey fryer. This (fifth? sixth?) generation is an all-electric single tier HERMS with a brand new tippy dump!

You can spend $100 or $5000, and make excellent beer.

And like Bobby_M said, we're talking about brewing when we're not brewing so it is more than just a way to pass the time.

For some, no, brewing isn't worth it. Not when a cheap beer is $10 a thirty pack. For some, brewing is a hobby that provides enjoyment and satisfaction. And that makes it worth it.

 

[bk0]

Unless you're doing some pretty sophisticated calculations involving equipment depreciation, that will only be a rough estimate. If course labor cost is also very significant.

 

[AmandaK]

Unless you're doing some pretty sophisticated calculations involving equipment depreciation, that will only be a rough estimate.

I'm not planning on selling any of my equipment (most old stuff gets donated to newer brewers), so I consider it a sunk cost.

 

[rhamilton]

Considering I got my 1650w fryer free from SWMBO's family and a propane burner from my family, I've spent practically nothing on heat sources. I paid for insulation on the fryer and I paid $50 for a backup propane tank.

$75 For heating (backup propane and insulation)
$100 for 3x 6 gal fermenters, $60 for 3x 5 gal secondaries.
Bottles were all free. Bench capper was $20 used.

So that is basically everything needed to get started.

Consumables:

$17 for 640 caps. Each batch is ~50 bottles = $1.32 to cap 5 gallons
I won't count corn sugar for priming since it's so cheap.
Star San is $8 -- I think that lasts 16 batches for me so I'll say $0.50 to sanitize.

Centennial Blonde all-grain is $22 per batch. Plus $1.82 in consumables. Guesstimate I burn 1/4 tank per batch so thats a generous $5 in propane.

So for under $30 you can get 50 bottles of nice blonde homebrew. Commercially that would be over $1 / bottle, even if BMC. So you save over $20 per batch vs commercial.

It cost $255 for basic gear (cheaper if you get used). Break even in ~12 batches if you save $20 per 5 gallons vs BMC commercial.

Now if you go on and drop $1k on equipment, yea -- it's gonna be longer to get a ROI. But if you keep it simple with a BIAB single-kettle setup and not get all fancy -- you can brew on the cheap. The problem is most people get into the hobby and start buying expensive equipment to go along with everything and costs start to skyrocket.

 

[Greenbasterd]

you can save money. especially if you live in Canada or some other country with ridiculous taxes.. im not trying to be cheap either.. i buy whatever i need to make the job easier. i've just recently acquired everything i need to allggrain. and my bank account says im saving money! so now i have lots of beer tons of toys and i'm saving money. so are my friends and family lol.. best hobby i ever started

 

[geckler]

I'm in Ontario Canada, our alcohol distribution is controlled and monopolized here... 28$ for a 24 is the lowest legal limit to sell... most discount brands are selling for 28-30 for 24 beers... coorse and budweiser are around 35-36$ for 24 beers... and craft beer is usually found between 40 and 50$ for a 24 IF YOU CAN FIND IT in the beer store (rarely) And if you have to buy craft beer at the liquor store it's 12-16$ for 6 pack (only size they come)... so UP TO 60$ for 24 craft beers.... i can make a batch of Edwort's Haus Pale for about 20$ if i drive to buy my ingredients and pay no shipping, that's 2 1/2 cases for 20$ compared to paying over 100$ for the same amount of equal quality product.... If you do the math, i'll drink 2-3 cases a month... saving maybe 80$ a month.. doesn't take long to recoop 1500$ 18-20 months?

I'm in Manitoba so a 24 of domestic costs around 40$ I can make 5 gallons for much less than that and I've definitely noticed the savings on my bank account since I took a break from buying new gear

 

[rico567]

Do I save money by brewing beer? Yeah, but it's not a breathtaking savings. I found the whole -process- intriguing, and still do. And I end up with the beer I want, not that the brewmaster at XXX brewery wants.

 

[pm5k00]

It is all relative to each individual, and I can't stand when people make blanket statements like "homebreing is more expensive than buying commercial beer" because it just isn't true for everyone. If you constantly buy new equipment or don't buy anything in bulk, then maybe it cost more, but it's not a definite.

Just for grins here is my breakdown on equipment cost....

Starter equipment kit was $80, turkey fryer w/ 7 gallon pot was $50, new filled propane tank $45, DIY mash tun (I got my cooler for free from a coors light promotion, but lets say i payed $30 for it) $50... so $225 for my initial equipment. I fermented with the swamp cooler technique at first so no additional cost there.

I could of stopped there and made good beer, I did however eventually get a kegging setup 3 kegs plus lines and co2 tank that was about $280, plus two used deep freezers at a total cost of $200, 2 external thermostats 1 @ $45 and 1 @ $65, 2 additional PET carboys at $24 each, and additional accessories and chemicals at about $100.

So thats $963 so far spent, I buy hops in bulk and reuse yeast to save money, would save more if i bought grain in bulk, but then i would need a mill. A batch runs between $15 (4% American Blonde) to $28 (9% Imperial IPA), more if i need fresh yeast.
So if an average batch runs 21.50 X 24 Batches a year thats $516. I have been brewing for a year and a half roughly so thats 36 batches @ $774.

A tank of propane is $17 with 4 refills so far so an extra $68, water is almost nothing but lets say 50 cents a batch so another $18.

co2 at 5 refills at $12 each is another $60

963 + 774 + 68 + 18 + 60 = 1883 .... 1883 / 36 batches is $52.31 per batch or (52.31/8) $6.54 per six pack.

most beer I purchase in the store is $7.99-9.99 a six pack so I am doing pretty good.

 

[AngerManagement]

Brewing's fun as heck, that's my excuse. I love the smell of the wort, especially after the hops are added. I love the whole process of brewing, it's just a good time to create my own beer.

 

[BBL_Brewer]

If you are serious about the hobby, there are ways to cut costs and brew good beer cheaper than you can buy it. I can brew for cheaper than I can buy Busch. However, even if you get your costs down, a fancy system will likely take many years to break even on. After you figure out costs, then you have to decide how much time you want to invest. IMO, time is the greatest cost associated with brewing. For anyone that's in it for the long run, I recomend sizing your system so that you can comfortably satisfy your consumption rate while minimizing time invested. You'll spend a rediculous amount of time trying to keep a good pipeline going doing 5 gal batches. It takes me ~6 hours to do a 5 gal batch, I can crank out 30 gal in 12. That's some serious time savings.

 

[ArtVandelay]

Without a doubt I can say that my homebrewing is very cost effective for my friends who drink it.

 

[BrewinHooligan]

I have not been brewing very long and have just converted to all grain. I brew on my gas stove inside, I converted a cooler I had laying around and it cost roughly $15 to do so, I picked up my brew kettle for $20, and paid about $16 for my Ale Pail with airlock, and use a swamp cooler to control my temps. Most beers cost me about $0.40/bottle for ingredients for 5%abv brews. So I am definitely saving money by brewing since my time isn't worth much and I would much rather spend my time brewing than other things. Sure a big rig would be nice to have, but I can make really good beer with what I have so I would rather take that money and spend on more ingredients.

 

[thetragichero]

my friends and coworkers find me edgy and creative for brewing my own beer
plus i've got a ton of different styles to suit whatever fancies me!

 

[D_Ranged_Eskimo]

It has been said in here a number of times, but it's a hobby. It's not meant to save you money, only eat it up.

That being said, if you enjoy it and enjoy the end product, continue on, but drop the idea of trying to turn the home hobby into a cost effective way of living. It's going to take a long time to hit the BE point.

I'll be brewing for 10 years or so before I even imagine hitting the BE point. On the other hand, with all of the improvements I've made to my setup, each batch has gotten cheaper on a variable level through buying bulk grain as well as hops by the pound, and reusing yeast.

In the end, if your only factor for continuing on is an idea of saving a buck or two, you are doing it wrong.

 

[Varmintman]

Man I wonder where you guys get your grain because the most I have ever spent on a batch was 24 bucks including yeast. My least expensive was 9.73. Note I did not say cheapest because it is a great beer.

Do I save money on beer. Heck yes I do. My time is just that my time and if I choose to spend a half day brewing beer then it is a half day well spent if it is doing something I like.

Brewing beer for me is like baking. Right now I am making bread for beer and cigar night tonight. Could I buy a loaf of bread easier and simpler. Yes I could but then I would not get the handful of crystal 60 malt I threw in. Same with beer. I can buy beer but then I have to settle for what other people think I will like.

I bottled 6 gallons or 60 beers this morning. 14 bucks in money but 6 or more hours time. I say I made out like a bandit

 

[TyTanium]

Two words: Sunk cost

Don't try to cost-justify your equipment. Usually ends poorly. Statements such as "Save money by <insert hobby>!" are marketing statements and nothing else.

Think in terms of marginal cost. Then you at least have a chance at breaking even. And if you include opportunity costs of money you woulda spent on other hobbies, now you're getting somewhere.

And don't count your own time. If you include labor costs it's not a hobby, IMO.

Think in terms of utility and not cost. I get more "units of enjoyment" by brewing than the opportunity cost of the $ spent on brewing. Therefore I brew.

 

[Rhuarc]

For me brewing beer is a relaxing experience. yes, once I have the equipment I can make beer for fairly cheap, but this is a hobby that I enjoy doing and enjoy putting money and more importantly my time into.

 

[MR2Aaron]

If I don't count the cost of my equipment, I think brewing my own beer actually does end up being cheaper than buying the sort of beer I like to drink.

I make 3 gallon batches, which works out to approximately 30 bottles' worth. The usual cost for this is approximately $25, as I recall. If the beer I like to drink costs $9 to $10 for 6 bottles, then 30 bottles' worth is $45 to $50, meaning a savings of ~$20.

That said, it doesn't include the cost of fuel for the range, or my time, so it probably ends up being a wash, but the important thing is that I end up with two months' worth of beer that I like better than store bought.

 

[Rhuarc]

but the important thing is that I end up with two months' worth of beer that I like better than store bought.

lol, this might last me a week maybe 2 at the most!!

 

[ktm250]

Two words: Sunk cost

Don't try to cost-justify your equipment. Usually ends poorly. Statements such as "Save money by <insert hobby>!" are marketing statements and nothing else.

Think in terms of marginal cost. Then you at least have a chance at breaking even. And if you include opportunity costs of money you woulda spent on other hobbies, now you're getting somewhere.

And don't count your own time. If you include labor costs it's not a hobby, IMO.

Think in terms of utility and not cost. I get more "units of enjoyment" by brewing than the opportunity cost of the $ spent on brewing. Therefore I brew.

This^^
I was thinking opportunity costs, margin and utility the whole thread. It really is more complicated than just dollars and cents.

 

[Genjin]

I don't even think about the cost. I just enjoy brewing beer. I like to cook and brewing is just an extension of that. I like formulating recipes and tweaking them to get beer that I like to drink. There is something very satisfying about drinking a brew that you made from a recipe that you made up.

I brew a lot of Belgians so I guess that if I figured it out I am probably saving money, since they are usually pretty expensive to but, but either way I don't really care about that.

Brew for fun and satisfaction.

Cheers to brewing for fun! Its a hobby and the simple fact that I get some return on investment is a huge win. All that camping/hiking/skiing gear doesn't save me any money or get me more beer!

 

[NickTheGreat]

I'm a n00b to this, but I told SWMBO that homebrewing is going to be the cheapest hobby I'll take on. Otherwise I'd be looking at Corvettes, Motorcycles, Airplanes, or Boats.

I made sure to make the point that starting homebrewing didn't rule out those hobbies.