What silly things frugal brewers do!

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Medic_Dave

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While transferring my beer to the secondary fermenter today, I noticed a few silly things that I do just to save a few pennies.

For example, I sanitize all of my equipment with an iodine solution in a one quart spray bottle. I’ve been using the same bottle of iodine for the past 6 batches of beer.

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I did a lot of math to calculate the amount needed to create a 25ppm Io solution.

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I use an infant’s Tylenol syringe to measure the iodine.

Also in the topic of frugality, I re-use the electrical tape that secures the temperature probe and fermwrap heater. Don’t ask me why I go to such silly measures to save a few pennies.

IMG_1025.JPG


I’d love to hear what everyone else does to save a few pennies while brewing.

Dave
 
One way to lessen your use of sanitizer would be to stop doing a secondary. It is usually unnecessary and will save you some sanitizing solution.

I do the same with Starsan but it is much easier to measure out. 1 ounce to 5 gallons of water or 1/5 ounce to a gallon.

I used to use a velcro strap for holding the insulation over the probe. I now have a thermowell.

* buy ingredients in bulk
* get a mill and mill your own grains
* progress to all grain - it is cheaper than using extracts
* re use yeast
* DIY -build what you can.
 
i can post my classic series of malting photos....

100_0347.JPG


soak in the tub...

100_0470.JPG


dry the sprouts...

100_0498.JPG


kiln in oven for 12 hours at 150f....

100_0466.JPG



deculm with box fans, and passing back and forth between storage totes...

knocks the price of twelve pack down from ~$2.50, to ~$.92
 
Brewing beer in of itself could be seen as a way to save money. (assuming that you don't go nuts with buying gear)

Buy bulk everything, re-use yeast, make larger batches.
 
i've destroyed my kitchen stove, so that i can brew on NG, in stead of propane! another ~5 off the price of a 10 gal batch!
 
I am the EXACT opposite of you guys and get borderline uncomfortable reading this thread, lol!
I make 5 gallons of startsan everytime i brew (keep it in the left side of my two bin sink) and dump it when done brewing
New yeast everytime AND i don't do starters so i just buy more yeast.
I buy my grain from lhbs so no bulk.
 
NewJersey said:
I am the EXACT opposite of you guys and get borderline uncomfortable reading this thread, lol!
I make 5 gallons of startsan everytime i brew (keep it in the left side of my two bin sink) and dump it when done brewing
New yeast everytime AND i don't do starters so i just buy more yeast.
I buy my grain from lhbs so no bulk.
Click to expand...

LOL! normally 'you people' rule these threads! but the day is young!

edit: and i'll post the inevitable pruno pic right now
 
NewJersey said:
I am the EXACT opposite of you guys and get borderline uncomfortable reading this thread, lol!
I make 5 gallons of startsan everytime i brew (keep it in the left side of my two bin sink) and dump it when done brewing
New yeast everytime AND i don't do starters so i just buy more yeast.
I buy my grain from lhbs so no bulk.
Click to expand...

Why waste all that Starsan. 1) You can re use it 2) get a spray bottle and use less than one gallon a batch. My 16 ounce bottle lasted 7 1/2 years. My present 32 ounce bottle should last until 2033.

Why pay 9 - 18 dollars extra for yeast when about $3 DME will make the starter.

If you buy in bulk you can save a lot of money thus be able to afford to brew more beer. Besides, having grain on hand means I can brew today, instead of creating a recipe, making a trip to the LHBS or ordering then waiting to brew. What if the LHBS is closed?
 
PTDC0008_01.JPG
I've been brewing for 7 years and my fermentation temp control continues to be a swamp cooler filled with water. Ice bottles when I need to cool things down, An aquarium heater when I need to warm things up. You do need to keep tabs on the temp of the water bath a couple times daily and adjust accordingly. And I brew per the season- Altbiers and Kolsches are done in the Fall, lagers are all done in December and lagered in a water bath out in my garage until February- March.
 
JimRausch said:
View attachment 606899 I've been brewing for 7 years and my fermentation temp control continues to be a swamp cooler filled with water. Ice bottles when I need to cool things down, An aquarium heater when I need to warm things up. You do need to keep tabs on the temp of the water bath a couple times daily and adjust accordingly. And I brew per the season- Altbiers and Kolsches are done in the Fall, lagers are all done in December and lagered in a water bath out in my garage until February- March.
Click to expand...

This never quite worked out for me. I always ferment inside so the space is heated in the winter and cooled in the summer so I have to cool all year round. I did it in a swamp cooler for a while but it got to be such a nuisance that I made a fermentation chamber with a minifridge stuck in the end of an insulated wood box with doors. I then wanted to do ales and lagers at the same time so I bought a chest freezer. Now in Florida I tried the swamp cooler once. A/C wasn't on and had to ice it every couple of hours. Not feasible unless you stay home for a few days and don't sleep.
 
kh54s10 said:
This never quite worked out for me. I always ferment inside so the space is heated in the winter and cooled in the summer so I have to cool all year round. I did it in a swamp cooler for a while but it got to be such a nuisance that I made a fermentation chamber with a minifridge stuck in the end of an insulated wood box with doors. I then wanted to do ales and lagers at the same time so I bought a chest freezer. Now in Florida I tried the swamp cooler once. A/C wasn't on and had to ice it every couple of hours. Not feasible unless you stay home for a few days and don't sleep.
Click to expand...
Ahhh, one of the few advantages of living in Maine- we have definitive seasons.
 
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papz said:
(assuming that you don't go nuts with buying gear)

Buy bulk everything, re-use yeast, make larger batches.
Click to expand...
Whoops. I’m past the point of any positive ROI due to the gear portion. However, I’ve changed my goals to make “great beer”. Getting diminishing returns at this point but having a great time.
 
I do a few things that save money - some things I could save more.
My LHBS has a program called, 'virtual sack' where you pay for a sack of grain, and when you come in, they note it down in the log book, subtracting from what you have. Plusses are: cheaper than buying by the pound, don't have to worry about freshness, don't have to worry about storage, don't have to invest in a mill - they have it there. So when I get my grains, I just have to pay for the specialty ones, a few pounds of that max; and that's only when I brew stouts. Pale ales and IPA are minimal extras. Minus is that I have to plan ahead, I can't brew spur of the moment (not that I can anyways, when factoring in yeast starters and such.)
I harvest yeast and reuse when possible - I have a few vials in my fridge. I do starters with them a day or 2 earlier than I would with fresh yeast, so just in case it doesn't work, I still have time to get new. I also keep a couple sachets of dry on hand for emergencies.
I make star-san in 5 gallon batches, I keep it in a spare keg. I get half a dozen or more batches out of each, plus I fill into a spray bottle for most things.
save bottles from commercial beer - I bottle into bombers, and have some that I've used for almost every batch I;ve made, I think. I don't bother taking off the labels, so I know which ones I';ve used.
I've gone for an induction burner rather than my propane burner. I still have the propane one, I use it for other things and may brew with it again in the future. I do need to work on ventilation on my brew area, and hang some plastic sheeting over the insulation up there.
 
bracconiere said:
i was going to ask if it had to be silly things only....
Click to expand...

Define "silly." Is that like picking up pennies in front of a steamroller? :)

I like efficiency. Sometimes that's time efficiency, sometimes ingredient efficiency, sometimes fiscal efficiency.

I hate waste, but there's a point where avoiding waste becomes time-costly--and thus the efficiency of conservation of ingredients or materials conflicts with the efficiency of doing things as time-efficiently as possible.

So what is "silly" probably has to do with what one's goals are, and which goals are more important at which point. Everyone has their own goals, and nobody is wrong for having them, whatever they are.

********

When I started brewing I was much more concerned with fiscal efficiency, i.e., saving money; as my goals changed, fiscal efficiency became less important and the quality of the beer became more important. Also, time efficiency started overriding fiscal efficiency; that's one reason I bought a Jaded Hydra chiller, which changed a 15-minute-plus chilling time to 4 minutes.

Sometimes I go backwards in efficiency, in favor of the beer. I'm doing LODO techniques, and a copper Jaded Hydra isn't what I need to keep copper out of the wort. So I now have a stainless counterflow chiller, which is not anywhere near as fast. The trade is time for no copper. <sigh>

Fifteen years ago, with kids still at home, fiscal efficiency would have trumped all; now that I'm an empty-nester, that's less a focus.
 
And so it begins, i was surprised a thread about being frugal on a homebrewing forum lasted THIS long! lol :cask:

and as for the OP...I try and reuse my duct tape for the heating mat i got stuck to the side of my fermenter, but it doesn't work...what's your secret! you know a roll of duct tape ain't cheap!

edit: damn, right after posting that i got the idea to buy some velcro tape! THANKS! (another one bites the dust!)
 
bracconiere said:
And so it begins, i was surprised a thread about being frugal on a homebrewing forum lasted THIS long! lol :cask:

and as for the OP...I try and reuse my duct tape for the heating mat i got stuck to the side of my fermenter, but it doesn't work...what's your secret! you know a roll of duct tape ain't cheap!

edit: damn, right after posting that i got the idea to buy some velcro tape! THANKS! (another one bites the dust!)
Click to expand...

I use electrical tape, not duct tape. It works great for at least a few times. I don’t know if I use a certain brand or anything. I just grab whatever is on top of the tape pile.
 
Medic_Dave said:
I use electrical tape, not duct tape. It works great for at least a few times. I don’t know if I use a certain brand or anything. I just grab whatever is on top of the tape pile.
Click to expand...

i don't know if your to credit, but i think for me the velcro tape will be great for years to come in the winter! :mug:
 
kh54s10 said:
Why waste all that Starsan. 1) You can re use it 2) get a spray bottle and use less than one gallon a batch. My 16 ounce bottle lasted 7 1/2 years. My present 32 ounce bottle should last until 2033.

Why pay 9 - 18 dollars extra for yeast when about $3 DME will make the starter.

If you buy in bulk you can save a lot of money thus be able to afford to brew more beer. Besides, having grain on hand means I can brew today, instead of creating a recipe, making a trip to the LHBS or ordering then waiting to brew. What if the LHBS is closed?
Click to expand...
convienence
i just dunk things in star san. my hands, cony lids, spoon, everything. so easy.
 
mongoose33 said:
Define "silly." Is that like picking up pennies in front of a steamroller? :)

I like efficiency. Sometimes that's time efficiency, sometimes ingredient efficiency, sometimes fiscal efficiency.

I hate waste, but there's a point where avoiding waste becomes time-costly--and thus the efficiency of conservation of ingredients or materials conflicts with the efficiency of doing things as time-efficiently as possible.

So what is "silly" probably has to do with what one's goals are, and which goals are more important at which point. Everyone has their own goals, and nobody is wrong for having them, whatever they are.

********

When I started brewing I was much more concerned with fiscal efficiency, i.e., saving money; as my goals changed, fiscal efficiency became less important and the quality of the beer became more important. Also, time efficiency started overriding fiscal efficiency; that's one reason I bought a Jaded Hydra chiller, which changed a 15-minute-plus chilling time to 4 minutes.

Sometimes I go backwards in efficiency, in favor of the beer. I'm doing LODO techniques, and a copper Jaded Hydra isn't what I need to keep copper out of the wort. So I now have a stainless counterflow chiller, which is not anywhere near as fast. The trade is time for no copper. <sigh>

Fifteen years ago, with kids still at home, fiscal efficiency would have trumped all; now that I'm an empty-nester, that's less a focus.
Click to expand...
WHY don't they have a SS hydra??????
 
Suggest a better title. How about where to you NOT waste money to save for more important items.

I brew ALOT of beers/meads/hard lemonades and go through 2.5gal of Starsans in about 2 months. Used modifed Home Depot buckets for 3.5gal batches. Ice bath for many beers. Speaking of, I collect/store ice. Reuse yeast at least 3x if feasable. I don't think it's silly just don't waste dollars on unnecessary things. 3 SS vessels...pfff! I use aluminum pots. They heat and cool faster.

Did buy a chest freezer recently for my other purchase a Fermentasaurous. But well worth the purchases so far.
 
I just bought another Brew Bucket and the mfr recommends passivating by using Starsan, at 1oz per gallon. Five times the normal mixed strength. I used 7 oz. of Starsan concentrate for the 30 minute process and there was no way was I going to throw that out. I poured it into an old 6.5 gal bucket fermenter and popped the lid on. When I need to make some Starsan, I'll just mix a gallon of this "5X Starsan" with 4 gallons water and I'll have a bucket of it for brew day.

I put away the bottle of Starsan concentrate, as I won't be mixing up any more for a long time. ;)
 
bracconiere said:
i can post my classic series of malting photos....

soak in the tub...

dry the sprouts...

kiln in oven for 12 hours at 150f....

deculm with box fans, and passing back and forth between storage totes...

knocks the price of twelve pack down from ~$2.50, to ~$.92
Click to expand...

Pardon me if someone already asked and I missed it, but does your amount of .92 include your energy? Electric, gas whatever?
 
Hoppy2bmerry said:
Pardon me if someone already asked and I missed it, but does your amount of .92 include your energy? Electric, gas whatever?
Click to expand...

yes, i think...it's 12.99 for a 50 lb sack of barley..so .259 a pound it takes 23 lbs for 20 lbs of malt, and i include the kWh of elec to run the box fan to dry, and figure some odd amount of NG to kiln in the oven for a grand total of ~29 cents a pound malt....20lbs for a 8% 10gal batch, with gluco at 5 cents a gram...

edit: and i boil it on NG too so, practically free to me...only the price of a dirty stove top...

SEndorf said:
I buy beer glasses at the dollar store.....:cool:

View attachment 606980
Click to expand...

lol, i got my last beer glass at the 'salvation' army....!
 
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