Start up homebrewing cost

[beekeeperman]

I see it is starting to add up.
supplies and 2 extract kits plus a small mead kit pushing
about $250 + so far.
The 10 gals of beer from the 2 extract kits will probably be worth 1/2 that
if they turn out good quality.
I see there is no end to the possibilities when it comes to equipment for making better beer.
When did you say good enough ?

 

[srice]

Just before you die

 

[Saboral]

Never, I'm up to over 2,500+ in equipment not even talking about the cost of expendibles. Everytime I think I've hit a good plateau I read a book or an article and I'm building something else to improve my beer even if the difference is negligable. So far I've built:

- Two Kegerators
- One Fermentation Chamber (Need a second just for Lagers)
- A single tier gas brew stand with PID temperature control and all SS camlock fittings
- Four Keggles (in my defense one was given to a fellow brewer as a wedding present)

Long story short, it never stops once you get hooked.

 

[mbbransc]

I still have pretty limited equipment but I've probably spent $500 together with my brew partner. We've spent more than that in ingredients (bulk buying pays huge dividends though).

New equipment doesn't necessarily make better beer. It may make a process easier or it may mess everything up. I've been working with water adjustments on our past few batches and the beer has suffered. Tomorrow we are brewing two batches with NO water adjustments just to prove to ourselves that we can still make good beer. Then we'll make single adjustments on succeeding batches so we don't have to guess what works and what doesn't.

 

[progmac]

I have (at least temporarily) said good enough with my 8 gallon kettle, 5 gallon sparge pot, 10 gallon mash tun, and silicon hoses. I just about pulled the trigger on a recirculation-based setup six months ago. I decided my brew days are already pretty smooth without glaring equipment issues, so why learn a whole new system?

If I had more disposable income, maybe I'd outfit myself with something slicker.

I'm hoping to be able to buy a second freezer in the next twelve months, but it seems like as soon as I save up some money, something unrelated takes it all (furnace repair, medical bill, car repair, preschool payments, etc)

 

[kh54s10]

I spent over $1500 on equipment in the first 2 years. It has slowed some now. But I would like a small freezer and temperature controller to do lagering, more kegs, another co2 tank and regulator, and a bigger freezer so I can keg more different beers, electric motor to stir the wort while cooling, another flask and stirplate so I can make 2 starters at one time. etc. etc. etc.......

 

[unionrdr]

I've probably spent $500-$600 so far,but mainly on things to speed up or streamline the process. I still need a cart for rolling things from the man cave brewery to the kitchen & back. not to mention a fermentation cabinet to maintain temps.

 

[j1n]

I've spent prob around 2.5k so far. At this point i wont need anything else except more kegs and ingredients to make beer. I want to upgrade my entire system eventually. Maybe when i get a bigger house in a few years.

 

[itsratso]

i am actually amazed at how cheap this hobby is. when you consider that you can make beer with only $100 or so of equipment and a setup that costs 5-7 grand is considered extravagant... that's the minimum buy in for a lot of hobbies out there.

 

[bobeer]

I"ve avoided this thought for quite some time now! My setup is pretty miniscule in comparison to most the one's I've seen on here. Seeing that this is a hobby I try limit my out of pocket expenses to as little as possible.
I got all my carboys for free. I have 4- 5 gallon with no spigot, 4- 5 gallon with spigot, 4- 2.5 gallon with spigot
I think I spent about $75 on the thermometer, hydrometer, graduated cylinder, auto siphon, scale, fine mesh strainer, bottling bucket, sanitizing bucket, french spigot.
$65 for my 5.5 gallon pot
$33 for my immersion chiller build
$20 for my mash tun build (got the cooler on sale at Dick's sporting goods and bought it with a gift card I got for my bday. The $20 was for the hardware from Lowes)
and $55 for my kegging setup which is 2 ball lock corny's, a single tap tower (free from a friend), a shank faucet, 5 lb c02 tank, gas line, beer line, etc... (only had to pay for 1 corny. I used xmas gift cards, bday gift cards, got a $300 gift card for switching to verizon fios, and I got $250 for refi'ing my truck with a different bank. lol)
I got my beer fridge from selling my house and having to buy a new stainless steel fridge so I just kept the old one for my kegs, yeast, hops, etc. Went to habitat for humanity and got the new one for $450 so it's like 2 fridges for $450, not bad!
I borrow my burner from my father in law who only uses it 2 times a year, at most, to steam blue crabs so it lives at my house.

Any chance I get to upgrade or add more hardware to make my brew day quicker, easier, or better, I do it. I keep my ear to the ground for promotions for free gift cards and I let everyone know what to get me for xmas, bdays, father's day, anniversary, etc... I'm easy to shop for!
It's taken me about 3 years, and a lot of patience and diy, to acquire all my stuff so far. My draft setup alone took me about 14 months to make happen. I brewed 2.5 biab batches for over a year on my stove top with a borrowed pot and I still made great beer. This hobby is amazing and worth all the waiting, money, time, and learned skills, that are needed to get into it. Beer rules.

 

[poptarts]

DIY everything and you can have a system that works like 5k for under 1k. My brewstand cost me 10$ since its made out of two queen bed frames and some bolts. MLT is a cooler. Drilled all the holes and bought parts for my kettles. ferm chamber is cragislist with stc, HERMS system cost me 50$ DIY. Shiny does not make better beer, that I know for sure.

 

[BadWolfBrewing]

I'd guess I'm around 4.5k since I started, not counting expendables. My brewery is 3 20g stout-tanks vessels, electric control panel (a kal-clone). All tri-clamp which adds up fast. Add to that various fermentation equipment. Also, kegging stuff.

I look at it this way. If I was into boating or snowmobiling or something, that hobby would cost WAY more, and I would be able to spend as much time doing it as I am brewing.

Between HBT, brewing, fermentation and kegging tasks, homebrew club meetings, etc, I think I'm getting a lot of bang for this buck.

Also, I'm in a DINK (dual-income, no kids) situation. That helps. I hear youngsters are expensive.

 

[Hello]

You are totally going to get a variety of answers which is great because what that means is that you can invest a lot or a little into this great hobby and come out with great beer. I see the "bling" setups and think about how bad I want one but I am producing what appears to be real decent beer on a setup that isn't super shiny and crazy awesome.

The initial investment for me was via a groupon deal where it gave me a "basic" beginner's kit with a kit recipe for $35. Upon entering the home-brew shop I asked what was not in the kit that would make life easier. I immediately went from the basic to the deluxe kit spending a total of $85, including my initial $35.

I made a batch and had to buy a turkey fryer which I got off craigslist for $25, I sold it for $15 at a yard sale recently. I could have stopped there but then I figured out that having one of those stainless dial thermometers would be useful opposed to the stick thermometer that came with my kit. Everything for a while was simply to make my life easier, including a bench capper when I struggled with some of the bottles using a wing capper (which I keep on hand and use for the occasional bottle I fill from a keg).

Then the obsession kicked in and what I bought was to scale up to the occasional 10 gallon batch. From there it was the 10 gallon batches and all grain. Once I saw how heavy things were I needed or wanted a pump to move my wort. Before that it was cooling my wort because doing full boils in a 17" diameter pot meant no more kitchen sink ice baths and my bathtubs are up a flight of stairs.

So the point is you buy to streamline your process but then there is a point where you want to do something else and you buy to either improve your beer (fermentation control & chilling), dispense it in bulk (keg), and/or automate a process (moving wort with pumps instead of lifting). This hobby can cost as much or as little as you want it to and that will not change but it is what makes it great. Unlike other hobbies where it is sometimes critical to have great gear (photography comes to mind for me).

As for my ability to buy stuff, it is a budget. I have to scale back on something to do something else. For me it is a give and take but what I give is one luxury item over another. I do consider brewing to be a luxury for me which means I brew and try to scale back on purchasing commercial beer. That's part of the give and take.

 

[LivingstoneFarm]

It's cheaper than golf!


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[uatuba]

I spent $300 on my brew kettle alone. Add in the $80 burner, $100 mash tun, $300 freezer, $100 for controllers and a stir plate, $200 dual keg setup that I don't even use (I prefer bottling), $200 plate chiller, $80 immersion chiller, and I'm already up to $1400. That's not counting fermenters, carboys, tubing, hoses, water filters, flasks, thermometers, oxygenation setup...and my system isn't nearly as complex as some of them on here. I also have an upright freezer that I converted into a beer cooler, but I got the freezer for free and only had to pay for the controller.

It's very easy to get into a lot of money with it...but despite what some say, you WILL save money. If I were even able to get DFH 90-minute where I live, I would spend about $60 a month on it if I were to drink the same amount as I do when I make it (which tastes exactly the same). That adds up, too.


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[freisste]

It is true that under certain circumstances you CAN make beer for less than you can buy it. So in theory, you are "making" money (in a "penny saved is a penny earned" way).

However, in general you don't get into this hobby to save money.

I once said (not to take credit...while it was my own original thought, I can't imagine I was the first to say it) homebrewing to save money on beer is like buying a boat to save money on fish. Possible, but I doubt it is common.

But compare it to another hobby:
I like to golf. I have spent much less on beer than golf (both in setup - pots and burners vs clubs - as well as consumables - grains, yeast and hops vs balls, tees, and green fees).

...And at the end of the day I need my homebrewing hobby to calm my frustration from my golf hobby!

 

[Heavywalker]

This is a cheap hobby compared to most, and all the ingredients are free because I would be drinking the beer anyways.

I got maybe $500 dollars in the the hobby with equipment which makes this my least expensive hobby. I have over $60K into my hunting hobby and that is just equipment not counting cost of hunts each year...

And don't even get me started on when I used to own a boat.

 

[ChelisHubby]

If you have a hobby it will cost you money. You can make this expensive or cheap it is your call. Both ways will make beer and most of it will be pretty dern good!

 

[Epimetheus]

If you have to ask...

 

[StrangeBrew78]

Good to read through. I'm just looking into starting to brew at home. I built my keezer from a 5.5cu ft kenmore freezer I had in the garage. I've always wanted a kegorator so I've spent a bit of coin getting it set up to hold three kegs. But other than that I haven't started acquiring equipment to brew though. I imagine I'll go the DIY method and build as much as I can. My step dad will build my brew stand. Just need to decide how I want it built.


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[beekeeperman]

So far the brewing hobby is cheaper than beekeeping.
Got 1k invested in beekeeping the 1st year with a $200 return in honey surplus.
Neither hobby so far is any where near as bad as owning a boat, snowmobile or 4 wheeler like others have mentioned.
I figured brewing would be a good new hobby because i like drinking and got sick of having to mess with the returnables .
The sky is the limit or brew on the cheap is an option too i guess, like it.

 

[ShineOn]

Like others have said can go cheap or whole hog heaven.

My brew stand is milk crates that I zip tie together on brew day, MLT and HLT are converted Menards coolers I got for $15 each BEFORE a $6 rebate, Brew kettle and burner are a turkey kit, I have a water dispenser in the house that we get 4 gal water carboys for (no deposit no return) I have a bunch of #10 stoppers and those are my ferm vessles (I don't even clean them after fermenting in them, just empty and toss in the recycle bin ) All tolled, I have about $150 wrapped up in equip

 

[MindenMan]

I may win the award for the less expensive brew setup, or maybe not. My wife bought me a starter kit for home brewing a couple of Christmases ago, and I don't remember what she paid. If I were to just go buy pieces, and knowing that 5 gallons of beer really can't be brewed in five gallon buckets, I would purchase two 6.5 gallon buckets w/lids and spigots, a cheap 5 gallon pot from Wal World or Tar-g, and a brew in bag to start. If you are willing to brew less than 5 gallon batches, you can save quite a bit. four 5 gallon buckets w/lids, free or 1 dollar a piece, two spigots, 5 dollars, two airlocks and grommets, maybe 7 dollars, a hydrometer w/cylinder 7 or 8 dollars, I don't know the current cost of BIAB bags, 10 dollars as a guess. If you choose to go AG, some sort of a lauter/sparge tun will be needed, I built a Zapap tun for 5 dollars, ( of which I still use) and a burner of some sort. My original 22qt pot fit on my old stove, but not on our new one, so I got a turkey fryer setup new for $20.00, or a used one from CList.
A 20.00 pot, or a used fryer w/pot, still 20.00, 4, 5 gallon buckets of which two are used for your Zapap tun, I forgot a floating thermometer $8.00 or so. If you are patient, a $20.00 pot/burner, plus 4,-5 gallon buckets three w/ spigots $9.00, a $8.00 thermometer, a $8-9 hydro w/cylinder, Because I am sure I missed something, lets call it $40.00. Granted it will not be streamlined, but it can be done pretty cheap if you are willing be patient.

 

[MarathonMurse]

Free buckets from the grocery store, $3 airlock & grommet, $12 for hydrometer and thermometer, $4 for a spigot, $5 for paint strainer bags, $3 in tubing, $14 capper, $3 caps.

I'd say I'm in at about $40 plus ingredients, and I've certainly said "good enough." I have no desire to have a 3-tier outdoor propane burner setup with a 55 gallon cylindrical fermentor with real-time temperature and gravity readings sent to my phone. I relish in simplicity.

 

[TimmyWit]

It depends on your priorities. I say "Invest in you"!

Here is how I rank my brewing priorities:

1. Make great beer
2. Have fun
3. Budget

For example, I don't need a pump or a keezer but if I can purchase something that makes the process easier or more enjoyable, it is worth it to me.

Go ahead, invest in you. You deserve it!

 

[oakbarn]

Definition of a Boat: A hole in the water you pour money into.

Definition of an Airplane: A hole in the air that you pour money into.

Definition of an Snowmobile: A hole in the snow that you pour money into.

Definition of an Homebrew: A hole in your face that you pour beer into.

I am probably over 10K and counting, but we have grown and changed.

 

[agrazela]

Wow, if I could afford to spend $10k on homebrewing equipment, I'd probably just buy beer!

 

[uatuba]

Wow, if I could afford to spend $10k on homebrewing equipment, I'd probably just buy beer!

Again...$100 per month in buying good beer over 8 years and you break even. I'm not old and I've been doing it 11 years. It's an enjoyable hobby to me, so even if I couldn't make high quality beer for less than what I would buy it already made, it'd be worth it.


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[agrazela]

OK let me put it this way, if I spent $10k on homebrewing equipment, I wouldn't have enough leftover for a divorce lawyer. :cross:

 

[WSB-MBC]

I've spend probably 300 bucks give or take just on equipment and most of it based on reading various topics and posts here.
2 years in now and I probably use maybe half of that stuff.
Sitting in my garage currently and MIA are 2 cornys, 2 glass carboys, a tap line, a wire carboy brush and an old refrigerator. I've found for me that the most simplistic of methods is the most efficient from a time/effort standpoint.
Now, I simply use 2 pots, a strainer, 2 buckets and some Grolsch flip-tops

 

[ong]

51 batches in, and around $300 in brewing equipment and $400 in kegging. Assuming my time is free, though, I'm coming out ahead vs. commercial beer. Plus I have a lot of people who now owe me favors!


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