The reason its hard to save money homebrewing

[Wakadaka]

There are always threads on here about whether or not you can save money homebrewing. I used to be on the side that said there definitely was. I mean 2 cases for 20-30 bucks? thats a lot better than 10 dollars a 6er.

I thought that I was probably getting close to making back money on all of my equipment investments, and was going to start saving money. I started thinking about what I am going to need and want soon, and started pricing out how to build an IC and my next 3 batches.

But when I went to rack my last batch to a secondary I realized it was infected. (or at least i am pretty sure, something is definitely wrong with it). So now I am out 2 cases of beer, a primary fermenter (it was in a plastic bucket), and potentially some tubing and an auto-siphon, because that might be where the infection came from.

So not a big deal originally, about 20 dollars for the beer, another 15 maybe for the bucket. Then I find out my hydrometer is out of calibration as well.

So on top of the prices for my next batch of ingredients, I will also need about 15 bucks for a bucket and another 10 for a new hydrometer. And that would be with brewing a batch and just hoping its not my tubing thats infected. And some more yeast, because I had planned on the cake that the infected batch is sitting on to last me for about 5 more batches.

I know that none of those are huge expenses, but for a currently unemployed student, its putting a damper on my budget.

So to make it short, I think its going to be a long time before I am truly saving money brewing it instead of buying my own. I guess its cheaper than the new mountain bike I want to buy though.

 

[Beezy]

I have spent a lot so far but its well worth it. I dont do it just to save money tbh. I mean its a hobby to. Some other hobbys are a straight up money pit. That said, once you get to doing 10 gal batches, bulk grain and hops, reusing yeast etc you can make some really good cheap beer.

 

[MazdaMatt]

I read these threads constantly and as a resident of Ontario the answer is always simple - homebrew is cheaper. Period. A 24 of coors light cost me 38 dollars last weekend. The idea of buying 24 guiness makes me think about my mortgage payments. There are 300ml bottles of craft brew for 4.00 (Innis & Gunn as well as Dragon Stout for examples).

 

[Wakadaka]

Yea my way of justifying it as saving money is only in comparison to other hobbies I would be spending money on. its a whole lot cheaper than other things, and you get a product you would otherwise have to buy.

My real point is that even once I started thinking I was going to save money something happens and I am more or less back to square one.

 

[MazdaMatt]

Also - buy gear that won't wear out like better bottles and buy gear used. In the end you have just as much gear as ever and you can sell it for what you paid.

 

[Wakadaka]

I read these threads constantly and as a resident of Ontario the answer is always simple - homebrew is cheaper. Period. A 24 of coors light cost me 38 dollars last weekend. The idea of buying 24 guiness makes me think about my mortgage payments. There are 300ml bottles of craft brew for 4.00 (Innis & Gunn as well as Dragon Stout for examples).

whats the cost of a batch of homebrew for you? I'm on a tight budget right now, and on a per batch basis I would be saving money, but having to buy new equipment, and wanting to upgrade some things, saving money just seems a lot further away. And plus by that time who knows what else I will have had to replace.

 

[Wakadaka]

Yeah I have been considering going with glass for my new primary, but to be honest I would rather just buy a new primary if I need one instead of risking a glass death trap. My cats love hanging out around my feet whenever I am carrying something and don't see them, so its not worth the risk. And I was thinking about looking for a primary on craig's list, but I don't know if I would trust that it would ever be clean enough. I don't know if bacteria really harbor in scratches, but it seems reasonable enough to be concerned.

 

[Beezy]

I read these threads constantly and as a resident of Ontario the answer is always simple - homebrew is cheaper. Period. A 24 of coors light cost me 38 dollars last weekend. The idea of buying 24 guiness makes me think about my mortgage payments. There are 300ml bottles of craft brew for 4.00 (Innis & Gunn as well as Dragon Stout for examples).

Holy crappolla. Coors is like 15 bucks here. 35/40 will get you a case of really good stuff here. I have spent like 50 bucks a batch for my first too. Not saving a ton but thats extract. Extract is taxed.

 

[Boru]

Holy crappolla. Coors is like 15 bucks here. 35/40 will get you a case of really good stuff here. I have spent like 50 bucks a batch for my first too. Not saving a ton but thats extract. Extract is taxed.

Huh, I didn't know extract was taxed! No wonder my AG batches are significantly cheaper. I figured grain was cheaper just because of the extra work involved.

 

[AustinBrewDawg]

I have developed an algorithm which demonstrates that my monetary beer expenditure is constant. As I've gotten into homebrewing, the cost per beer has decreased dramatically, but consumption has increased by the same percentage.

 

[DD2000GT]

I am a homebrewer for over 20 years and brew all grain now (that is the absolute cheapest way to go). I have a home-made igloo mash tun and bought a cheap aluminum 10 gallon boil kettle for $20. Used propane cajun cooker as well. Ingredients cost me around $15-$20 a batch depending on what I get (usually the lower end of that range) and kick in another buck or two for propane. I use local tap water as well.

So, for about $20 total I am brewing 5 gallons of beer. Some batches are awesome and better than I can buy, but most are just "good" compared to expensive quality craft beer I like to drink. Since I never buy $20/case Coors or the like anyway, most of my beer purchases are in the $7/ 6 pack range. So, $20 for 5 gallons of good homebrew or ~$50 for two cases of expensive craft brew - definately a money saver for me.

 

[Beezy]

Huh, I didn't know extract was taxed! No wonder my AG batches are significantly cheaper. I figured grain was cheaper just because of the extra work involved.

I don't mean literally. I mean it's expensive. Almost 5 bucks a pound. My last beer was over 30 dollars just for the DME. Going to get a 55 pounder if I dont go AG soon.

 

[unionrdr]

The kind of craft beer we like is 7.99-10.99 per 6'r around here. So,for about the price of a case,I can brew up 6 gallons in my cooper's 30L fermenter,5-5.5 in my wife's ale pale. I've spent as little as about $28 on a 6G batch,depending on sales,specials,& whatnot.

 

[IrregularPulse]

The reason it's hard to save money on homebrewing.


HBT


And all the frigging projects everyone else builds making the idea of building yourself seem normal instead of excessive

 

[Monster Mash]

I didn't get into home brewing to save money, I did it because 17 years ago there wasn't very many good beers available.

Now I buy everything in bulk and brew large batches, the upfront cost is high but each batch is cheap. A 30 gallon batch of an English mild costs me $30. You can't beat $0.75 per 6 pack!!

 

[bechard]

I read these threads constantly and as a resident of Ontario the answer is always simple - homebrew is cheaper. Period. A 24 of coors light cost me 38 dollars last weekend. The idea of buying 24 guiness makes me think about my mortgage payments. There are 300ml bottles of craft brew for 4.00 (Innis & Gunn as well as Dragon Stout for examples).

+1 to this. LCBO and Beer Store prices suck, unless its a $6 Chimay Red.

 

[unionrdr]

Idk,I think about all I need & don't have is a 1/2" wine thief,or an auto syphon to get that last 6 bottles or so out from under my cooper's micro fermenter spigot.
Otherwise,it's just buying ingredients,caps every other batch,& PBW. Maybe I should buy more than 8oz at a time...

 

[Wakadaka]

haha figured this would divulge into people saying how much money they save. I'm just saying that right when I thought I would be saving money, I am out about 50 bucks in wasted ingredient and new equipment.

 

[BryceL]

I haven't been brewing long enough to break even I don't think. But, that's not why I got into it anyway, so it's not a big deal to me. I don't think I will ever break even because with a keg of homebrew in my fridge, I'm sure I drink way more beer than I would if I didn't have my own. I pretty much at least have a glass everyday now. Before I started brewing I usually left it for the weekends.

 

[Ringmaster]

I honestly wouldn't be drinking this much beer if i didn't make it. So no it's not a money saver for me. But i really enjoy making beer, i like the smell and i like the process. Plus the best beer i've ever had was a batch that i made, so that's why i continue to brew. Because i can't find beer this good elsewhere. Given it doesn't all turn out like that, but it's nice when it does.

Oh and i wouldn't trip about the equipment. you should be adding the total cost of the equipment with all of your batches, and then divide by how many batches you've made. Now if you intend to continuing brewing, there will be a point where the beer your making will be cheaper then buying beer, you just have to brew more

 

[onipar]

I honestly wouldn't be drinking this much beer if i didn't make it.

This is my situation too. In the past, if I purchased more than three cases of beer a *year* that was a lot. Usually over the summer I'd pick up a case for my mini fridge and drink a beer or two while I work. This is mostly in the summer. Winter, for whatever reason, I craved beer less.

Now, just *waiting* for my first batch to condition I've purchased and drank more beer than I normally would in a year.

So no, I didn't get into it to save money, because if I wanted to really save money I'd probably have continued buying a case or two a year.

What I do like is that this hobby--as someone else mentioned--produces a product that I can consume and enjoy. I liken it to cooking my own dinner rather than eating out. It's not necessarily cheaper, nor is it necessarily better, but it's sometimes fresher and something I enjoy to do.

 

[unionrdr]

That's about the size of it. Also why I bought my wife a fermenter. 11 gallons of brew at a time,two different styles. Now I need another hobby to take my mind off drinking beer every day. Maybe if I could get the roof on my lil tuner fixed...naaah,I'd probably be taking cold cases to meets. Dang,I gotta cut back...but it tastes so goood!

 

[LVBen]

Are you absolutely certain that your batch is infected? Beer can be very deceptive!!!

You could calibrate your hydrometer and not have to buy a new one. Just put it in water and mark the NEW 1.000 line (or note it) and subtract the difference from your future measurements. Moreover, you don't have to have a hydrometer! I've skipped hydrometer measurements several times without any problems.

 

[jbsg02]

I also look at it as a hobby rather than a way of saving money on beer. Think about golf as a hobby, a new driver can cost $300, a round of golf on the weekends is usually atleast $50 and up. (And after that you still have to pay $4 for a coors light at the course) As hobbies go, I think it's a fairly inexpensive one.

 

[cfonnes]

Do I spend a lot of money on equipment / ingredients? Yes!

Does it save me money because it keeps me home and out of trouble? Yes!

 

[unionrdr]

I didn't think of it that way. Another bonus!! cha ching!:rockin:

 

[Mikethepoolguy]

I also look at it as a hobby rather than a way of saving money on beer. Think about golf as a hobby, a new driver can cost $300, a round of golf on the weekends is usually atleast $50 and up. (And after that you still have to pay $4 for a coors light at the course) As hobbies go, I think it's a fairly inexpensive one.

Ha! I realized 18 months ago that I suck at golf, always have, always will. I sold my clubs and brought brew equipment. Now I have my first ribbon and a hobby that I love. But if you want to save money you have to spend money: Go AG, buy grain and hops in bulk ,make yeast starters and do yeast washing.

 

[eastoak]

There are always threads on here about whether or not you can save money homebrewing. I used to be on the side that said there definitely was. I mean 2 cases for 20-30 bucks? thats a lot better than 10 dollars a 6er.

I thought that I was probably getting close to making back money on all of my equipment investments, and was going to start saving money. I started thinking about what I am going to need and want soon, and started pricing out how to build an IC and my next 3 batches
But when I went to rack my last batch to a secondary I realized it was infected. (or at least i am pretty sure, something is definitely wrong with it). So now I am out 2 cases of beer, a primary fermenter (it was in a plastic bucket), and potentially some tubing and an auto-siphon, because that might be where the infection came from.

So not a big deal originally, about 20 dollars for the beer, another 15 maybe for the bucket. Then I find out my hydrometer is out of calibration as well.

So on top of the prices for my next batch of ingredients, I will also need about 15 bucks for a bucket and another 10 for a new hydrometer. And that would be with brewing a batch and just hoping its not my tubing thats infected. And some more yeast, because I had planned on the cake that the infected batch is sitting on to last me for about 5 more batches.

I know that none of those are huge expenses, but for a currently unemployed student, its putting a damper on my budget.

So to make it short, I think its going to be a long time before I am truly saving money brewing it instead of buying my own. I guess its cheaper than the new mountain bike I want to buy though.

Why can't you just sanitize all of your equipment? Scrub it and soak it in star san or whatever you use for 24 hrs.

 

[hough77]

Why can't you just sanitize all of your equipment? Scrub it and soak it in star san or whatever you use for 24 hrs.

^I was wondering the same thing.^

 

[JohnTheBrewist]

^^+2^^ First, you're not even sure that the batch was infected (likely not), but even if it was, proper sanitation will fix this. There's no need to go buy a new bucket, siphon etc.