What's your cost of a 5 gallon batch?

[BreezyBrew]

It depends on what I am making. You can make a great Bavarian hefe for about $20. Definitely the stronger and more hops can cost a lot more money, especially if I am making a super hoppy IPA it can cost $50. Washing yeast is a huge money saver.

 

[PaintedRat]

The gluten free stout I just bought for, is looking about $40 with farmed yeast. It's ballpark with a comparable glutenous extract brew.

 

[stu4stew]

Look into the kits from Austin Homebrew Store. They have z great brewing on a budget series (ipa, pale ale, stout, kolsch, and brown) all at around 25$ w/o yeast.
I have built up a yeast library so yeast I'd free for me. But I have found that these kits make great beer and you can use as cheap bases.

Ex. I added some dry hopping to the kolsch to make z great summertime beer. Recently added 1.5 lb of oats to the stout to make my Xmas oatmeal stout

But check out Austin homebrew

 

[NivekD]

Ya know...I have no idea what it costs to brew my own beer, and frankly my dear, I don't give a damn. I brew what I like and have fun doin' it! BTW...support your LHBS.

 

[Jupapabear]

Look into the kits from Austin Homebrew Store. They have z great brewing on a budget series (ipa, pale ale, stout, kolsch, and brown) all at around 25$ w/o yeast.
I have built up a yeast library so yeast I'd free for me. But I have found that these kits make great beer and you can use as cheap bases.

Ex. I added some dry hopping to the kolsch to make z great summertime beer. Recently added 1.5 lb of oats to the stout to make my Xmas oatmeal stout

But check out Austin homebrew

They have free shipping on kits too. I'll be brewing their fireman#4 clone on Sunday.

 

[agrazela]

All extract / steeping grains, 5 gal batches, including bottle caps, sanitizers, etc. are costing me anywhere from $30 to $60, depending on ABV and amount of hops. Typical IPA running me $45-50 or so.

(I do work in a food/pharma lab though, so salts, finings, DI water, dextrose, nutrients, etc. luckily cost me nothing)

If I start buying 3-4 batchs' worth at a time, I might save a few bucks, but it doesn't really seem like there's that much bulk savings to be had with bulk extract buying. I could see saving a few bucks buying bulk hops.

Planning to start BIAB partial mash, which should shave about $5-$10 per batch. Dunno when I'll get around to all grain.

Also I should start harvesting yeasts, which would shave another $4-$8.

But heck, even an expensive $60 batch is two cases of some kick-ass, tailored-to-my-tastes brew that I ain't likely to find at less than $7.50 a sixer retail.

 

[PastorofMuppets]

an expensive batch for me is 30 bucks
typically more like 20 ish.

lets see about 50 normal 12 oz beers
$.40-$.50 cents each ish and its really good custom made brew. umm yes please.

 

[ArkotRamathorn]

I usually can be around 30 bucks for a 5 gallon batch, less if I'm making a lighter beer, a little more if I am going above 5 gallons. I should've slapped my dad for making me do a all extract kit for a beer, since he wanted me to brew a honey weiss for him (seriously its almost 70 cents a bottle for a kit, when I could do it at like 40 cents a bottle if he had just let me do all grain).

If I am making a fruit beer or something, if I can at all possible I try and locate a wild source for whatever fruit it is. I picked a little less than a 1lb of mulberries in the summer, froze them, then mashed them up and had a mulberry wheat (which is fantastic, and the little bits of mulberry skins make it feel all rustic and organic:fro: ). The berries were free and if I had purchased them (god knows where) I bet it'd be expensive. Got 5 lbs of blueberries recently, not free, but SWMBO has extended family that owns the far the pick your own blue berry bushes were on. I can't imagine paying for those big cans of fruit puree.

Farmers markets will drastically cut costs on weird things, or give you a really delicious locally sourced product, I try and get all my honey from the farmers market and the people will cut you a deal usually is you're going to purchase a bulk amount.

 

[jflongo]

For me it's the type of beer. Varies depending on how much grain and hops. Also, whether or not I bought a 50lb of 2 Row on sale, etc. This is all for All Grain.

If I buy in bulk for grains and hops, these prices would even be lower.

Centennial Blonde Ale 6 Gallon Recipe ~ $18
Black IPA 6 Gallon Recipe ~ $32
Choc Oatmeal Stout 6 Gallon Recipe ~ $42

 

[Surly]

All grain with the power of bulk purchasing through your local home brew club.

I just brewed a 15.50 gallon American Amber for $53.55. That includes $13.50 for LP gas and $9.45 for the water I must purchase.

By washing yeast and buying hops and malt through my club my beer is costing less & less to produce.

 

[tankmech]

Today I paid $37, for a extract kit at my lhbs. It is a jack pine savage ipa. Hoping to brew it this weekend.

 

[kjfarwell]

So the verdict is go all grain and buy bulk. I am sure I can find a list of recipes to find some common base malts but how long will the grain store? I was thinking of getting either buckets with lids...is there a better storage method? Buying in bulk...so do most base grains come in 50 lb bags? I'm just trying to get a better understanding of all grain. I'm wanting to ditch the partial mash I also have been doing the BIAB with partial mash kits and plan on doing that for the all grain as well due to space issues. Same with hops....how long will they last in the freezer? Thanks!

 

[Arrheinous]

Even without buying in bulk or crushing my own grains I can buy the stuff for most any 5 gallon batch for $25 to $35 since I started reusing yeast.

Maybe partial mashing (BIAB with grains and add extract to ratio as desired) could cut costs down.

AG is a lot cheaper from consumables standpoint. Now if we factor capital expenditures into the equation...

 

[jflongo]

So the verdict is go all grain and buy bulk. I am sure I can find a list of recipes to find some common base malts but how long will the grain store? I was thinking of getting either buckets with lids...is there a better storage method? Buying in bulk...so do most base grains come in 50 lb bags? I'm just trying to get a better understanding of all grain. I'm wanting to ditch the partial mash I also have been doing the BIAB with partial mash kits and plan on doing that for the all grain as well due to space issues. Same with hops....how long will they last in the freezer? Thanks!

You could go to Lowes or HD, pick up their Food Grade buckets and Lids which are cheap, and store grains in those. Should last quite awhile unmilled. For me, I just rolled the bag up as I use it, and store it in a plastic tub with a lid. Hops should last pretty long in the freezer if you vacuum seal them, or put them in freezer bags, and push all of the air out.

 

[Hello]

My most recent batch cost me $51.55 because I had vanilla beans, vanilla extract, & cinnamon sticks on hand. Definitely not as cheap as all grain. My LME cost me $28 alone.

 

[Beer-lord]

A great many of my IPA's, with a good supply of hops, cost me $25-$30. I buy my grains and hops in bulk and wash my yeast and brew 6 gallons.
Compared to bombers I like and pay $7.99 for, it's a steal!

 

[johngaltsmotor]

Do you want to know what the ingredients cost or what I spend on a typical trip to the LBHS? Those are far different ;-)
I use mostly homegrown hops so my house IIPA is about $28 for 6 gallons. I consider the propane part of the BBQ budget so that doesn't count ;-)

 

[torontosudz]

If you want to save money by brewing move to Canada where the beer in stores is 2x the cost and voila!

 

[NivekD]

If you want to save money by brewing move to Canada where the beer in stores is 2x the cost and voila!

BINGO!...or move to Utah...the cost of good craft brew is outta this world...stupid state owned liquor stores.