saving money with brewing

[DenverUSMC]

It's a hobby, so I will spend a few bucks on it, I don't think I'm saving any money but it has been years since I last calculated. When I compare brewing with my weekly golf habit, it is my cheapest hobby . I enjoy both so the expense is a nonissue for me.

 

[woozy]

If you're beer turns out costing you .80 cents per bottle, you should go in to business, and teach me your secrets.

I said .80 cents *on the dollar* and... oh, I get it... 8/10 of a cent or $0.008 ... okay, ha-ha. Considering that is one of my pet peeves I'm surprised I made that error. But still, I didn't say I was making beer for .80 *dollars* a bottle; I said I was making beer for about 80% what beer costs at my grocery store.

Your goal should be to produce tasty beer that you enjoy drinking.

Nonsense! Your goal should be having fun. And any-one who disagrees with me is wrong and ignorant and evil and wasting his and everyone else's time. (Fisticuffs at dawn, M.F., fisticuffs at dawn. I demand satisfaction.)

===
Yes, you can save money brewing beer but you can also waste money brewing beer. Someone once said about sailing that you can simulate the experience by standing in a shower in your clothes and tearing up fifty-dollar bills. I think every hobby likes to joke about itself like that but it applies pretty weakly to brewing. Brewing *is* relatively cheap (as far as hobbies go).


But taking the whole experience to do a cost comparison is really futile. Basically the *best* way to save money on beer is to stop drinking.

 

[unionrdr]

Yup,everything works if ya let it. You're limited only by your imagination & $.

 

[woozy]

When I compare brewing with my weekly golf habit, it is my cheapest hobby .

How much money would do you suppose it would cost to have a professional place balls in holes? My wife has been nagging me that we have a bunch of holes that need balls put in them and I've been promising her I'll get to them but I don't really like golf so maybe I'll spend a little extra to get some-one else to do it for me.

 

[Varmintman]

 (Fisticuffs at dawn, M.F., fisticuffs at dawn. I demand satisfaction.)

As the challenged I reserve the right to weapons and I choose hot air balloons and blunderbusses. Yup that is right I watched the move the amazing men and their flying machines last night :cross:

On a serious note though brewing and bottling time for me is my time. I put the headphones on and just enjoy doing it. Kind of therapeutic in a way for me and I guess I must need a lot of therapy judging by the size of my pipeline

 

[Hopper77]

The best quote I ever read on the topic of brewing to save money went something like this:

"Home brewing to save money on beer is like buying a boat to save money on fish."

If you sole goal is to save money, then you can do it, but you won't have great beer. Just buy canned extract kits on sale, boil it on your stove, and bottle-carb. You'll have dirt-cheap beer with less than $100 investment in equipment.

For a little more investment ($500-ish?) you can move to a BIAB setup and do small-batch brewing or partial-mash full boils.

Or you can spend $2,000 on a complete all-grain setup with kegging. You'll make great beer, but you won't live long enough to recoup what you spent in beer savings (unless you drink a lot more beer). In this case, you'd do it because it's a fun, rewarding hobby, rather than to save money.

I don't know where you live but if that's what it costs to do all grain there ill be sure to steer clear. I built my 3 tier from scrap lumber for the price of the screws. My 3 kegs were $50 each. My fridge was $50. I bought everything over a period of two years. Now I have 30 gallons of different beers on hand at any given time that rival major breweries. All grain is way cheaper than extract. When I started BIAB I had to buy a propane burner a stock pot and a paint strainer bag. Under $150 to start BIAB.

If you're paying that much then you have serious problems

 

[Bleedsblue]

The boat thing is pretty funny. I have had a boat(bust out another thousand). Total money pits

However Craft beers are going up. My area it is 10 12 bucks a 6 and some of the stuff like stone is 12 for a 4 pack. So I can see it as a bit of a savings.

 

[m_stodd]

I said .80 cents *on the dollar* and... oh, I get it... 8/10 of a cent or $0.008 ... okay, ha-ha. Considering that is one of my pet peeves I'm surprised I made that error. But still, I didn't say I was making beer for .80 *dollars* a bottle; I said I was making beer for about 80% what beer costs at my grocery store.

Just giving you a hard time. If that's one of your pet peeves, google search 'cents vs dollars verizon'. Disclaimer: you might die of rage or laughter

 

[jrstacey]

i bought a Coopers brewing kit for $100. it came with any Coopers canned extract i wanted. just brewing that i broke even vs. buying store bought beer. 24 bottles of Coors light in Canada is about $40.

Taxes on beer just went up $1.95/12 so a 24 in Manitoba is now almost $47

Doing all grain I can brew 50 L of pale ale for about $60 including the propane for the boil.

 

[amandabab]

it depends how you engage in the hobby and extremes.

are you trying to save money on $19.95 30 packs of natural light or $4-$5 singles?

do you start a hobby going wild buying the best possible stuff and use it twice a year?

do you slowly dig into a hobby over time upgrading (buying premade or building) and spend a lot of time doing it?

are you the guy that enjoys doing everything with nothing. "I has a bucket"
every hobby has them all.

blingy brewing equipment is cheaper than higher end RC toys, not even counting the stuff that flies.

 

[kombat]

I don't know where you live but if that's what it costs to do all grain there ill be sure to steer clear. If you're paying that much then you have serious problems

I don't think my estimate was that unreasonable. I've never actually sat down and added up my own expenses before, but here goes:

• $100 - Used refrigerator (for cold-crashing, storing yeast/hops/bottled beer)
• $100 - Used chest freezer (fermentation chamber for lagers, or holds kegs for serving)
• $200 - 15 gallon stainless boil kettle with ball valve and thermometer
• $75 - Turkey fryer set w/ burner and 7 gallon pot (HLT)
• $75 - Bayou Classic burner when I got sick of the stupid safety timer on the turkey fryer burner
• $25 - Spare propane tank
• $200 - 5 reconditioned ball lock Corny kegs
• $150 - 10 pound CO2 tank, filled, w/ regulator (for carbonating)
• $100 - 5 pound CO2 tank, filled, w/ regulator (for serving)
• $50 - Various hoses, beverage lines, picnic taps, gas manifolds, ball-lock quick-disconnects, etc
• $20 - Spare poppets, O-rings, keg lube, gas/liquid posts, pick-up tube scrub brush
• $25 - PBW, StarSan
• $50 - 48-quart Coleman cooler
• $40 - 2 stainless Bazooka screens (one for mash tun, one for boil kettle)
• $20 - Brass barb, ball-lock valve, brass coupler, washers, and rubber O-rings for completing fittings in cooler mash tun
• $100 - Hop screen (the cylindrical custom stainless steel ones from Chad at Arbor Fabricating that everybody uses)
• $25 - Good, digital thermometer
• $10 - Good, stainless mash stirring spoon
• $20 - BrewHauler strap (essential for lifting lagers into and out of the chest freezer fermentation chamber)
• $30 - EvaDry dehumidifier (necessary to control humidity in freezer)
• $50 - Temperature controller (to use freezer as fermentation chamber)
• $100 - Cabinet and organizational compartments to store and organize everything
• $125 - DudaDiesel 30-plate chiller
• $100 - Quick-disconnect fittings (4) to connect hoses to plate chiller
• $50 - T-joint, fittings, and thermometer to monitor wort temperature at chiller output port
• $125 - 5 glass carboys
• $50 - Basic pump for moving wort during chilling
• $20 - Fizz-X for aerating wort
• $200 - A dozen food-grade plastic pails with Gamma Seal lids for storing bulk grain (with shipping and taxes)
• $125 - Foodsaver vacuum sealer with extra rolls, for sealing bulk hops
• $40 - StirStarter stir plate, with power supply and keeper magnet
• $10 - Stir bar (with taxes and shipping)
• $20 - 2000 mL borosilicate flask (for yeast starters)
• $10 - Kitchen scale (for weighing grains)
• $15 - Fine digital scale (for weighing hops)
• $100 - Lab vials, syringes, extra flasks and beakers, alcohol lamp with wick and fuel, nichrome wire loop, Agar powder, vinyl tape, autoclavable rack, for yeast harvesting/culturing
• $10 - Autosiphon
• $10 - Bottle tree
• $20 - Vinator bottle rinser/sanitizer
• $100 - BarleyCrusher grain mill

That's $2,695.

That's not including the cost of any ingredients or any of the books I've bought, nor the beer bottles, or other miscellaneous items, like paper towel, the notebooks I use to take notes, the propane, water, and electricity used during all this, or the copper coil immersion chiller I bought before I upgraded to the plate chiller.

 

[eric19312]

Nicely done combat...I'm gonna do that exercise soon. How many gallons have you brewed with this equipment? KOMBAT... Sorry dam auto correct...

 

[kombat]

How many gallons have you brewed with this equipment?

I'm doing my 21st brew tomorrow, so... 100 gallons, give or take. Since Sept/12.

 

[Hopper77]

I don't think my estimate was that unreasonable. I've never actually sat down and added up my own expenses before, but here goes:


[*]$100 - Used refrigerator (for cold-crashing, storing yeast/hops/bottled beer)
[*]$100 - Used chest freezer (fermentation chamber for lagers, or holds kegs for serving)
[*]$200 - 15 gallon stainless boil kettle with ball valve and thermometer
[*]$75 - Turkey fryer set w/ burner and 7 gallon pot (HLT)
[*]$75 - Bayou Classic burner when I got sick of the stupid safety timer on the turkey fryer burner
[*]$25 - Spare propane tank
[*]$200 - 5 reconditioned ball lock Corny kegs
[*]$150 - 10 pound CO2 tank, filled, w/ regulator (for carbonating)
[*]$100 - 5 pound CO2 tank, filled, w/ regulator (for serving)
[*]$50 - Various hoses, beverage lines, picnic taps, gas manifolds, ball-lock quick-disconnects, etc
[*]$20 - Spare poppets, O-rings, keg lube, gas/liquid posts, pick-up tube scrub brush
[*]$25 - PBW, StarSan
[*]$50 - 48-quart Coleman cooler
[*]$40 - 2 stainless Bazooka screens (one for mash tun, one for boil kettle)
[*]$20 - Brass barb, ball-lock valve, brass coupler, washers, and rubber O-rings for completing fittings in cooler mash tun
[*]$100 - Hop screen (the cylindrical custom stainless steel ones from Chad at Arbor Fabricating that everybody uses)
[*]$25 - Good, digital thermometer
[*]$10 - Good, stainless mash stirring spoon
[*]$20 - BrewHauler strap (essential for lifting lagers into and out of the chest freezer fermentation chamber)
[*]$30 - EvaDry dehumidifier (necessary to control humidity in freezer)
[*]$50 - Temperature controller (to use freezer as fermentation chamber)
[*]$100 - Cabinet and organizational compartments to store and organize everything
[*]$125 - DudaDiesel 30-plate chiller
[*]$100 - Quick-disconnect fittings (4) to connect hoses to plate chiller
[*]$50 - T-joint, fittings, and thermometer to monitor wort temperature at chiller output port
[*]$125 - 5 glass carboys
[*]$50 - Basic pump for moving wort during chilling
[*]$20 - Fizz-X for aerating wort
[*]$200 - A dozen food-grade plastic pails with Gamma Seal lids for storing bulk grain (with shipping and taxes)
[*]$125 - Foodsaver vacuum sealer with extra rolls, for sealing bulk hops
[*]$40 - StirStarter stir plate, with power supply and keeper magnet
[*]$10 - Stir bar (with taxes and shipping)
[*]$20 - 2000 mL borosilicate flask (for yeast starters)
[*]$10 - Kitchen scale (for weighing grains)
[*]$15 - Fine digital scale (for weighing hops)
[*]$100 - Lab vials, syringes, extra flasks and beakers, alcohol lamp with wick and fuel, nichrome wire loop, Agar powder, vinyl tape, autoclavable rack, for yeast harvesting/culturing
[*]$10 - Autosiphon
[*]$10 - Bottle tree
[*]$20 - Vinator bottle rinser/sanitizer
[*]$100 - BarleyCrusher grain mill


That's $2,695.

That's not including the cost of any ingredients or any of the books I've bought, nor the beer bottles, or other miscellaneous items, like paper towel, the notebooks I use to take notes, the propane, water, and electricity used during all this, or the copper coil immersion chiller I bought before I upgraded to the plate chiller.

Yeah but he doesn't need all on that to start brewing all grain. I don't think anyone actually needs all of that. My ice water baths work fine and save money on water. I don't have or need a bottle tree. I aerate my wort by dumping it into the fermenter so no stone or pump needed. I built my grain mill for $12. I wash yeast without stir plates and bars and what not. No need for plate chiller. Don't need a temp controller because my garage is my fermentation chamber. No need for a dehumidifier. I only need one fridge. I've never bought a brewing book. Everything I've learned came from google and YouTube.


Their is no way all of that is necessary to do BIAB or all grain. I know because I make amazing beer without all of that, and to tell somebody that they need to spend the money on all of that to make good beer is outrageous. The beer I make is equal to beer that sells for $12 a 6-pack. I recently cloned a beer from a brewery in Pullman,WA. I liked it so much I was going to buy a corny keg fill of it until I was told the price was over $100. After 3 batches I have the recipe perfect and it only costs me $17 in grains and hops. It will be even cheaper when I start buying in bulk.

But to each their own. If you don't mind spending all that to make beer I don't have a problem with it. But when you tell other people they need that stuff to make a batch of beer and their is no other way to do it then it becomes a problem. If I was just starting out and read this thread I don't think I would want to brew beer if that's what I thought it costs. I don't think too many people would.

 

[freisste]

So 2.70/beer. Not that bad.

I'm a way worse golfer than brewer, and over the last two years I have golfed maybe 40 times per year. Each round cost maybe $25, so I'm looking at $2000 over two years with nothing to show for it. I also had to buy clubs, balls, tees, clothes, etc.

 

[kombat]

Yeah but he doesn't need all on that to start brewing all grain.

Of course not, I didn't mean to imply he did. He asked about the cost of brewing your own, and I was merely trying to illustrate that it's a broad spectrum. The answer is pretty much, "how much do you WANT to spend?"

I outlined my own expenses as an example of how far you CAN take it. I didn't mean to suggest that you HAVE to spend that much on it. In fact, in my original post, I listed $2,000 as the rough cost of the fully-outfitted, kegging, all-grain setup, but upon reviewing my own numbers, it seems I was easily able to get to almost $3,000 without even realizing it.

I've never bought a brewing book. Everything I've learned came from google and YouTube.

And... *cough* *cough* HBT?

But when you tell other people they need that stuff to make a batch of beer and their is no other way to do it then it becomes a problem.

OK, well I KNOW I never said THAT.

If I was just starting out and read this thread I don't think I would want to brew beer if that's what I thought it costs. I don't think too many people would.

Again, like I said, while you can certainly brew fine beer spending far less, I do believe a lot of people underestimate how quickly all those "little things" add up, the stuff like StarSan and PBW, thermometers, scales, hydrometers, airlocks, tubing, books, sponges/scrubbie pads, racking canes, autosiphons, bottle caps and a capper, propane, water, electricity... I think a lot of that stuff gets conveniently omitted when estimating the cost of brewing to a newcomer. Granted, most of that stuff is pretty cheap, but it does all add up to at least $50 or so, and when you're claiming you can start brewing for $100 ("A pot, a bag, and a pail!"), it represents a significant underestimation, percentage-wise.

 

[slcdawg]

I haven't read the whole thread, so am just addressing the OP's question. You don't have to spend a lot of money to get started and yes you can save money on beer - at least thats what I tell myself.

Start small and if you like the hobby, add items. I bought a Turkey Fryer on CL for $40, a beer starter kit (bucket, airlock, hydrometer, thermometer, cleaner, sanatizer) for $50. So under a hundred to get started. Later, I bought a BIAB bag ($20) build an immersion chiller ($60) and a few other things - but you don't need those to start to start. You can easily start the hobby for <$100 to see if you like it.

In terms of savings, a 5 gal batch of beer yields about 55 12oz beers, or just over 9 six packs. For craft beer, at $10 a sixer you're looking at about $90. A 1/6 barrel (5 gallons) would cost you about $50-60 in Colorado so there is substantial savings if you buy kegs. Kits, depending on beer style can range for $25-50. If you start cleaning/harvesting yeast you can knock $7 off a batch . So, you can save a little more brewing it yourself.

Comparing 9 six packs of fat tire ($90) to 1 kit ($26), you've almost paid for the cost of the initial equipment with one batch!

That being said, it is a LOT of work. It takes time. Is your time worth it for the money you save? Sometimes I ask this question to myself when I am really sick of cleaning stuff - but when the final product is ready its all worthwhile. If you enjoy the hobby then its worth it for you.

My 0.02...

 

[rklinck]

Yeah but he doesn't need all on that to start brewing all grain. I don't think anyone actually needs all of that.

You are absolutely right, but many of us end up buying a lot of stuff that we don't NEED. This thread has set out that you can do it rather cheaply but that it is not unreasonable to expect that you will end up buying lots of stuff.

For example, here are my expenses for equipment to date (I am not including consumables or replacements for things I have broke and I am certainly forgetting some things):

Starter Kit (including bottles) -- $125
3 Extra Buckets (w/ lids and airlocks) -- $51
7.5 gallon SS brew kettle -- $67
Plastic Spoon -- $ 4
Carboy (w/bung and airlock) -- $45
Hydrometer Test Jar -- $5
Strainer -- $15
Beersmith -- $28
Funnel -- $9
Thermometer -- $18
Muslin Bag -- $5
Flask w/ stopper -- $21
Grain Mill -- $125
Cooler Mash Tun & HLT (converted myself) -- $150
Bigger Mash Tun -- $75
Autosiphon -- $13

Initial Keg Set Up -- $568
2 new kegs
5# CO2
Double Regulator (so that I can have multiple pressures)
All tubing, including picnic taps
3 Reconditioned Kegs -- $180
CO2 Splitter -- $47
CO2 Tubing/connects -- $27
Liquid Tubing/connects -- $42
Counter-pressure Filler -- $60
Used kegorator & parts to convert to 3 tap system -- $500

So, I've spent about $750 in brewing equipment and $1400 on kegging equipment. Could I have gotten a lot of this stuff cheaper? Of course. Do I have a lot of stuff that I don't use? Not really. And I have received a lot of things as gifts, including: a turkey fryer, a wort chiller, and an extra corny keg. I also happened to get a spare fridge for free and I use that to cold crash, cold condition my extra kegs, and store my yeast and hops.

I am finally at the point that there are not really any toys that I really want (I could use a refractometer, but don't care enough to buy one), and I have not spent much on new equipment in a couple of months.

At some point in the not too distant future, I plan to build a temperature controlled fermenting chamber to make lagers (my basement is a nice 60-62 year round so I have avoided it by brewing nothing but ales). That will run me at least a few hundred dollars.

I also did not include the books that I bought. While you might prefer to do your research online, I prefer to read up on things. I have multiple books on homebrewing and have ended up buying multiple books about beer more generally since I started.

SO, this hobby can get very expensive, very fast.

 

[stevehardt]

This seems to be discussed on here on a regular basis. And the arguments always seem to be the same. If you are careful with equipment costs and don't factor in your own time to brew, you certainly can save some money brewing. My belief though is saving money should not be your goal. Your goal should be to produce tasty beer that you enjoy drinking. (at least in the US, seems Canada is quite a bit more expensive for beer) Don't get me wrong. I understand the idea of saving money by brewing, it's one fo the reasons I started brewing myself. But, when it's all said and done, if cheap beer is your only goal, there are plenty of store-bought options that are cheaper than you'll ever be able to make. I just think if you get caught up too much on price and saving a buck, you are kind of closing yourself off to the world of experimentation and to me, that's where the fun in this hobby is at.

I agree with this....I brew all grain, and bought and/or made all my equipment as cheaply as possible, and as others have said, try to avoid the bling. I also try to buy grain as cheaply as possible.

I also like expensive craft beers, so I try to make beers that normally I couldn't afford (good stouts, IPAs, etc.). I probably save a bit more than the brewer that tries to clone BMCs.

Not sure I will ever recoup the costs and come out saving money, but I have had a lot less fun with more expensive hobbies.

 

[amandabab]

this hobby tops out too.

lots of people brew 5 gallons so 3 vessel 10gallon SS bling, UPS drops it off, no DIY, plug it in or hook up gas, this is kind of where it tops out.

electric brewing $4550 +300shiping
gas tower of power $4850 +300shipping

try restoring a classic car for that.

 

[rklinck]

this hobby tops out too.

lots of people brew 5 gallons so 3 vessel 10gallon SS bling, UPS drops it off, no DIY, plug it in or hook up gas, this is kind of where it tops out.

electric brewing $4550 +300shiping
gas tower of power $4850 +300shipping

try restoring a classic car for that.

Love this, but I am not sure it's entirely true. Once you get the tower of power, you will want multiple Blichman conical fermenters. . .

I also have a '68 Mustang that I will eventually do a full restoration on. If I could only do the restoration of that for $5K, I would be in heaven.

 

[amie]

I think you *can* save money by brewing your own, but that's not really why most of us are here, so the costs start to escalate as we constantly strive to make better beers with more streamlined equipment.

But if I just wanted to make decent, cheap beer, I could definitely "make my money back" within 10 batches or so. (Keep in mind, I'm Canadian so the savings are higher than in other locales.)

For example, my Not-So-Local LHBS sells bulk extract kits, good for 10x5gal brews. At that price, the savings would be ~$60 per batch over the retail cost of crappy beer in these parts. If one kept to a very simple brew system, the savings could add up pretty quickly.

 

[JDGator]

Taxes on beer just went up $1.95/12 so a 24 in Manitoba is now almost $47

Doing all grain I can brew 50 L of pale ale for about $60 including the propane for the boil.

Geez that sucks. Its been 6 months since i have bought beer. I know that Quebec is has much cheaper beer. About 15-20 dollars cheaper. Pretty crazy since i live 50kms away from Quebec!!

 

[hillybilly]

I have $283 dollars (I keep recipes) in beer making equipment $100 inital kit $50 for a wine making kit with three carboys and a fermentation bucket auto siphon and win thief and another hygrometer and airlocks and stoppers (craigslist) $50 buckets for turkey fryer and burner $25 for refractmeter $58 misc another wine theif 1 gallon jugs paint strainer bags air locks rubber stoppers and I make good beer even found people who don't brew who gav me better bottles etc and coworkers give me bottles yes you can make good beer cheaply

 

[Kmcogar]

Look up donosborn on YouTube. He gives you a cheap way to brew all grain. I follow his lead and bought my gear on craigslist. I don't have the most professional set up (by far) but I've won a competition that had my beer brewed at a full scale level in a real brewery. You can def make quality beer for less and save money. Just wait for the right deal on Craigslist and do some haggling.

 

[billpaustin]

It is fairly simple calculation. I can brew good beer for about 1/2 price, since I drink German wheat beers and those are expensive. Let's say I spend $200 on brewing equipment. I need to drink $400 worth of beer (storebought), to break even.

So it completely depends on your rate of beer consumption

 

[BigFloyd]

I didn't get into this fun and interesting hobby thinking that I was going to save money. And I so far haven't.

 

[eric19312]

I just hit my lowest price on a batch...

5 gallons Berliner Weiss. $8.96 for the batch.

I just looked at total wine's website and only found one berliner for sale there...$5 for the 16 oz bottle. Looks like my batch will yield 37 bottles so that would be $185 retail...

 

[unionrdr]

I'll be doing a 5G batch of that Berliner Wheat PM next weekend for big brew day.

 

[NeedsMoreHops]

Haven't seen a lot of mention about the "cost" of your time. I spend about 10 hours over several weeks to produce a 5 gal batch (brewing, cleaning, dryhopping, bottling). If I took a part time job for 1 saturday a month to pay for my drinking habit of 2-3 craft (or homebrewed) beers a day, that would "save" me more money than homebrewing.

But that's not why we're into it, right?