My new goal- $10.00 to make 5 gallons

[captainkirk83]

Um... it's not?

I respectfully suggest that for most of us here, "making better beer" is precisely the point.

A wittier person than I once wrote, "homebrewing to save money on beer is like buying a boat to save money on fish."

The goal of the op is to make a decent beer as cheaply as possible. I've never made or tasted a beer with grits but I bet it is much better than a case of Keystone, which sounds like the alternative.

 

[captainkirk83]

I'd say your cheapest (and still flavorful) beer will be a Berliner Weiße.

You only need 1.038 OG (55% 2-row, 40% wheat malt, 5% table sugar - Plus ~1/2 lb uncrushed grain for souring your mash).

Mash (2-row and wheat) at 156F for 60 minutes, let it cool down to ~100F, add the grain (that contains the "beer-spoiling" Lactobacillus bugs) and keep at "Body temperature" for ~2 days. A beer cooler is great for this.
It will stink (keep it in the garage or outside!) but tastes much better than it smells.

Sample the flavor regularly until it will reach the sourness of your choice. After 2 days it will be sour enough. Now it's time for a mini boil (15 mins to kill the Lacto and give a tiny bit of bitterness to the beer). Add the sugar (~8oz for 5 gallon batch) 2/3 Oz 5% AA hops or whatever will give you about 5-6 IBUs of mini-bitterness.

Pitch an S-04 or S-05 or similar yeast at ~70F and ferment as normal light ale.

Can you get cheaper than that? Probably not!

Holy Crap! That sounds interesting but I don't know if i'm brave enough to try it.

 

[okiedog]

If you have natural gas to your home you might be able to convert from propane to natural gas. I don't know how much that would involve, ie: running a new gas line, changing orifices on burner etc., but natural gas is usually much cheaper than propane. Natural gas hookups to built in outdoor barbecues are not uncommon. Of course, there is the initial cost to consider. I hear you on the money being tight and 10 bucks for a 5 gallon batch sounds great to me.

 

[Varmintman]

Not every one has the same REASONS to brew beer. Some folks try and perfect the system of beer making with many thousands of dollars in automation and such. Some folks like to experiment with different styles and such. All of the above is just fine and dandy

Myself and many others I think here just enjoy drinking a nice session beer that we have made. I have never brewed a beer over 4.5% and I never will because I do not like them. I do not brew beer for other folks and yet I heard one comment "why don't you save your money until you can brew a beer you like" Well maybe Bobbi does not want to save her money until she can afford to brew a beer you think she would like. Maybe she just wants to brew a inexpensive house beer to drink daily.

I think it is great that many people enjoy many different types and reasons to brew. But come on folks we are all brewers here and just because we have different reasons to brew does not mean that the brewing is any different.

 

[Squeek]

Not possible.

Even when doing a bulk grain buy(35ish a sack of 2 row), using minimal hops bought in bulk, minimal specialty grains and adjuncts, and yeast washing, slanting ect....the cost of DME for starters, propane(this is a big one), water(if you dont filter), star san, cleaners, caps, ect will put you over that limit quickly. Thats not even considering amortizing equipment costs.

Just brewed 12 gallons of 4% abv beer for $18 dollars including nat gas caps cleaners the whole 9. VERY possible. I pay .35 a lb for 2 row .41 a lb for specialty. Yeast cost me $1 dollar per 10 gallon batch, on average I use 4oz hops at .87 per oz. Thats $12 dollars for ingredients or $1 per gallon. My brewhouse however is 85% efficient so that helps.

 

[WesleyS]

Not every one has the same REASONS to brew beer. Some folks try and perfect the system of beer making with many thousands of dollars in automation and such. Some folks like to experiment with different styles and such. All of the above is just fine and dandy

Myself and many others I think here just enjoy drinking a nice session beer that we have made. I have never brewed a beer over 4.5% and I never will because I do not like them. I do not brew beer for other folks and yet I heard one comment "why don't you save your money until you can brew a beer you like" Well maybe Bobbi does not want to save her money until she can afford to brew a beer you think she would like. Maybe she just wants to brew a inexpensive house beer to drink daily.

I think it is great that many people enjoy many different types and reasons to brew. But come on folks we are all brewers here and just because we have different reasons to brew does not mean that the brewing is any different.

+1. Well said.

 

[Xpertskir]

Just brewed 12 gallons of 4% abv beer for $18 dollars including nat gas caps cleaners the whole 9. VERY possible. I pay .35 a lb for 2 row .41 a lb for specialty. Yeast cost me $1 dollar per 10 gallon batch, on average I use 4oz hops at .87 per oz. Thats $12 dollars for ingredients or $1 per gallon. My brewhouse however is 85% efficient so that helps.

He said in the OP that he uses propane....

Beyond that your ingredient costs are ludicrous Want to explain how you get base malt for .35...and even better specialty for .41?

And while you are at it, how did you get enouch yeast cells for a 10 gallon batch for 1 dollar?

 

[Andrikos]

Holy Crap! That sounds interesting but I don't know if i'm brave enough to try it.

There's nothing much to it, really.
Other than the smell (I'd say concentrated stale bread, fermented chick pea smell) it's a pleasant experience...

It's THE best Summer beer in my opinion, so I always make a bunch in the winter so it'll be ready for the warmer months.
It's acidic, refreshing and highly carbonated.
Just like soda, but healthier!

 

[Varmintman]

There's nothing much to it, really.
Other than the smell (I'd say concentrated stale bread, fermented chick pea smell) it's a pleasant experience...

It's THE best Summer beer in my opinion, so I always make a bunch in the winter so it'll be ready for the warmer months.
It's acidic, refreshing and highly carbonated.
Just like soda, but healthier!

My LHBS made some once but used second runnings for his. I will have to say it was really good. It was under 2% but really good

 

[Koffie]

First: I'm from the Netherlands, so costs are way different overhere.
I assume (as others allready did) we are only talking about ingredients, not labor, water, gas and electricty.

The most cheapest beer, offcourse, would be a simple pilsener. You only need one type of grain (the most cheapest of all: pilsener malt) and one or two kind of hops.
Limiting down the variety of ingredients brings down the total cost of the beer.
Offcorse you should harvest any yeast from a source other than buying smackpacks, but I assume you have some yeast in the house or in in some bottle-fermented beer.

It also helps to buy the grain and hops in bulk. Overhere the general amounts for malt are 1 kg, 5 kg and 25 kg. When I buy a 25 kg bag of pilsenere malt, I pay 1,1 EUR per kg. If I buy one bag of 1 Kg of the same malt, I pay 2,95 EUR.
Same thing for Saaz hops: i I buy 1 kg Saaz hops I pay 36,75 EUR, when I buy the same Saaz hop in 100 gram it will cost me 5,85 EUR.

Last but not least about getting yeast: try to harvest from commercial beer, your own beer, trade some yeast-slurry with brewmates. I you really must buy yeast, use dry yeast.

Good luck with your plans

 

[TopherM]

I made my first hard cider in 2010 for $12.00 with Great Value (Wal-Mart brand) apple juice concentrates. Turned out great.

I've since upped the quality by using White House apple juice, but still come in around $16.00 for 5 gallons, including a packet of Nottingham or S-05.

I buy most of my beer grain and hops in bulk, but don't reuse yeast, and routinely come in right around $18-22 for most 5 gallon batches.

 

[Yooper]

For a good quality beer that's very drinkable, buying grain and hops in bulk and reusing yeast is the way to save money.

I can make 10 gallons of cream ale for $16! Propane isn't that expensive, especially if you use just enough to make the beer. A sack of base grain is $35 for 50 pounds.

Recipe for cream ale (5 gallon version):

7 lbs 8.0 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 4 75.0 %
1 lbs Corn, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 5 10.0 %
8.0 oz Biscuit Malt (23.0 SRM) Grain 6 5.0 %
8.0 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 7 5.0 %
8.0 oz Wheat Malt, Pale (2.0 SRM) Grain 8 5.0 %

0.75 oz Cluster [7.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 9 19.5 IBUs (or any bittering hop to get 19 IBUs)
0.50 oz Saaz [3.50 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 11 2.0 IBUs (or hallertauer, homegrown, or any other noble hop variety)
0.50 oz Saaz [3.50 %] - Aroma Steep 5.0 min Hop 12 0.0 IBUs (Or hallertauer, homegrown, or any other noble hop variety

Clean well-attenuating ale yeast (nottingham, S05, WLP001, Wyeast 1056, whatever you have)

I use homegrown hops for this, but it's really great with the saaz, if you have some leftover from a Bohemian pilsner recipe!

Flaked rice (like Minute Rice) is great to sub for the flaked corn, if you have a pound of Minute Rice left over.

 

[eyebrau]

SMaSH ordinary bitter, subbing bulk 2-row for M.O., single 60 min (bulk) hop addition, reused/harvested yeast.

 

[LTownLiquorPig]

Cheapest 24 I can but at the NSLC is 42 bucks. Even Cooper's kits and LME and an ounce or 2 of fresh hops blow that out of the water. I made a 2.5 gallon all grain ESB for 11 dollars on my stove. $11 for a 24 of beer sounds good to me. The $ saved will go towards a bigger pot and bigger biab batches, eventually. If you're Canadian, you can make good beer, including equipment costs, a lot cheaper than you can buy it.

 

[divrguy]

I think the burning question of the day is why and how people spend 50 bucks for a batch when they can make great beer for 10 bucks

Of course I like to make a dime think it is a dollar whenever I can

I make $50 batches and $10 batches and believe me .... They ain't even close to each other...lol

 

[captainkirk83]

Each beer has its time and place and everyones taste is different. I love micro/homebrew but sometimes I just want a high life.

Just because I enjoy steak ddoesnt mean I can't enjoy a hot bowl of ramen noodles.

 

[Psych]

Not possible.

Even when doing a bulk grain buy(35ish a sack of 2 row), using minimal hops bought in bulk, minimal specialty grains and adjuncts, and yeast washing, slanting ect....the cost of DME for starters, propane(this is a big one), water(if you dont filter), star san, cleaners, caps, ect will put you over that limit quickly. Thats not even considering amortizing equipment costs.

Incorrect.

Ingredients-wise, once amortizing yeast reuses over 5 batches (so .50 per batch), base grain at .40c/lb (so $3.60 for 9lbs) and maybe a buck fifty for a specialty grain lb, then light hops, 2oz's at $1.50 each. That's what, $8.60.

No cost for DME because who needs a starter when re-using yeast? No one. Starsan when bought in the 32oz size lasts...forever! So cents on that one per batch, no cost for any other cleaners.

I use electricity which costs maaaaybe a buck for a brew, maybe. Water is essentially free from the tap. So, $9.60?

So under $10 including the electricity costs for a beer around 5%, 5 gallons or maybe a bit more final volume.

Keg it, spend cents worth of CO2 to carb and done.

Equipment cost is another ball of wax, of course.

 

[Varmintman]

I make $50 batches and $10 batches and believe me .... They ain't even close to each other...lol

Yup you are right. I have had some downright terrible 50 dollar batches and some outstanding 10 dollar batches. If more money cured everything then I would agree with you but come on we are talking a house beer here or I guess the better term is a session beer.

 

[Jayhem]

J I pay .35 a lb for 2 row .41 a lb for specialty.

How is this possible? Do you buy it directly from the malt producers?! I've never found specialty for under $.85/lb even in bulk group buys.

 

[Varmintman]

Another nice beer that I do that is inexpensive is a brown beer but it comes in around 15 bucks for 6 gallons

8 pd 2 row
1 pd crystal 60
4 oz chocolate malt (420 srm)
1.5 oz black barley (500 srm)

153 degree mash

1 oz kent goldings 60 min
.25 liberty 15 min
.25 williamette 10 min
.25 liberty

I use a coopers yeast harvested and it is a right tasty beer:rockin:

 

[passedpawn]

I think I've perfected the cheapest beer.

No DME, No cooling water, no propane, free yeast, no bottles/caps.

I did it while I was on a german pilsner kick, which only uses pilsner malt and saaz.

Saaz is fairly cheap. A 5% pilsner doesn't use much. Buy it by the pound from HopsDirect.

I get German grain by the bag from a local nanobrewery. Fairly cheap, but not as cheap as you guys in the PNW.

Save yeast trub. Forget starters, just save a bunch of it from the last yeast cake in sterile jars. No DME.

Brew with electricity. It's about $1.50 to brew an 11g batch.

Use the pool and a submersible pump to chill the wort. No water / ice.

Keg.

 

[PhelanKA7]

If you count the cost of buying my grains and hops in bulk I can make a mean Maris Otter and x hop SMaSH beer for around $8 @ 5 gallon batches. However my SMaSH's tend to be 1 gallon experiments and not 5 gallons.

 

[BierMuncher]

Keep it simple. Use high alpha hops in small amounts for bittering. No flavor/aroma additions. Buy in bulk.

7.5# Domestic 2-row $6.50
1.0# Generic Cane (Table) sugar $.70
.5# Carapils $.95

1/2 ounce Magnum hops at 60 minutes $.40 (Based on Hops Direct current pricing.)

Harvested Yeast slurry $.57 (assumes an initial dry yeast packet at $3.99 harvested up to seven times)

$9.12 for a 1.042 simple blonde ale.

 

[PhelanKA7]

Keep it simple. Use high alpha hops in small amounts for bittering. No flavor/aroma additions. Buy in bulk.

7.5# Domestic 2-row $6.50
1.0# Generic Cane (Table) sugar $.70
.5# Carapils $.95

1/2 ounce Magnum hops at 60 minutes $.40 (Based on Hops Direct current pricing.)

Harvested Yeast slurry $.57 (assumes an initial dry yeast packet at $3.99 harvested up to seven times)

$9.12 for a 1.042 simple blonde ale.

The moral of the thread is "buy in bulk".

Here's how I look at it personally:

If you like hoppy pale ales invest in 50lbs bag of 2 row and some vacuum sealed 1lbs bags of Cascade hops.

If you like Belgian style ales invest in a 50lbs bag of Pilsner malt and some vacuum sealed 1lbs bags of Saaz hops.

Yeast can be harvested from a multitude of sources and their cost should be minimal.

The learning process of brewing costs the most money but once you figure out what you like and what your family/friends like you can buy in bulk and stick to a paradigm.

 

[BobbiLynn]

I really appreciate all the help and support!! Yes, I just want to perfect a nice, drinkable session beer. Have a couple, get back to work. Nothing fancy. Something cheap I can brew over and over. Just because you spent $50.00 on it doesn't mean it's good beer. Thanks so much for all the tips, recipes, etc!!!!

 

[bkl63]

If you are spending $50.00 on a 5 gallon batch you are obviously not buying in Bulk. Looking through my last year since buying in bulk about $35.00/5 gallon was my most expensive batch. Have to love Beersmith.

 

[Cider123]

Fuel costs? Well, there is wood. I mean if your really crazy about it. Around here we have wells, so water for brewing and cooling is free. You could also chop up a few cords and fire up your kettle outside with wood. Maintaining mash temps might be difficult. I don't know where you are, but we got lots of trees here and someone with perseverance and elbow grease could get all the free fuel you want.

Just having fun with this.
BTW, I was making that skeeter pee stuff for around 10 bucks per 6 gallons. But that stuff will rock your world if you're not careful. One day I got carried away with that "sissy stuff" and ended up passed out in the backyard. No thanks, give me a few mellow beers.

How about an imperial stout for under 10 bucks? There's a challenge.

 

[BobbiLynn]

Fuel costs? Well, there is wood. I mean if your really crazy about it. Around here we have wells, so water for brewing and cooling is free. You could also chop up a few cords and fire up your kettle outside with wood. Maintaining mash temps might be difficult. I don't know where you are, but we got lots of trees here and someone with perseverance and elbow grease could get all the free fuel you want.

Just having fun with this.
BTW, I was making that skeeter pee stuff for around 10 bucks per 6 gallons. But that stuff will rock your world if you're not careful. One day I got carried away with that "sissy stuff" and ended up passed out in the backyard. No thanks, give me a few mellow beers.

How about an imperial stout for under 10 bucks? There's a challenge.

I actually have brewed extract kits on my wood burning stove. A couple guys from my local shop watched me do it one time and they were impressed. I don't see why I couldn't kick it up a notch, brew all grain on a good hot stove. Temps vary across the stove top, so just move it around to keep temps. Yes, I like this idea...

 

[SpottedDogBrewing]

For sure I think u could do it. If u buy bulk u should be able to accomplish a $10 brew! -propane and - your own time.
Cream of Three Crops recipe on HBT you may be able to do for $10~

Good luck. Don't let people say cheap is cheap, I've had some cheap priced beer come out very good!

Bargain shopping is Never Bad

 

[Mojzis]

BobbiLynn,

you could always roast you own malts too. Its easy and i've done quite successfully. You can even make some awesome tasting caramel which goes great in an amber ale or a Belgian if you like those. There's a recipe from KingBrian (https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f66/caramel-amber-ale-167880/) which is darn good and cheap even with the elevated hop bill.

http://barleypopmaker.info/2009/12/08/home-roasting-your-malts/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/20-lb-sugar-jar-yeast-nutrient-114837/

It doesn't get cheaper then home roasting with a 55lb/35$ bag of 2-row. A 10$ batch will become easy as pie. I think the only styles that may be out of reach with home toasting are the black malts because of the bitterness without the proper equipment.