So, I’m a noob, who got a 1 gallon homebrew kit for Xmas. I got 6 bottles out of my first kit, White House Honey Porter (I broke my first bottle when capping it!) and 8 bottles out of my second, Sierra Madre Pale Ale.
I then upgraded to a 5 gallon operation, but only got a 4 gallon yield on my first brew… I know, I’m a noob.
My question is when does it become cost-efficient to become a home brewer? Will I spend less per bottle when I start all-grain brewing? I realize that I may never get my costs down to that of Budweiser, but will I ever be able to brew a decent homebrew for less than an equivalent 6 or 12-pack will cost me in the store?
I’ve been buying grain by the sack and hops by the pound lately. My last four batches have been <$5.00 per 6 pack for all consumable costs, including the ancillary things like C02, propane, sanitizer, etc. Not too bad.
Given the investment I’ve made in durable equipment (stainless kettle, pump, plate chiller, stainless fittings, freezer for hops, freezer for kegerator conversion, 6 faucets, 10 kegs, etc.), I doubt I’ll ever break even. But that’s a risk I’m willing to take. This is a hobby. For me, this is mainly about enjoying the process.
My spring/summer/fall hobby is saltwater fishing. Surfcasting, boat, shellfishing etc. If I were to factor in my boat, high end rods/reels, and lures I’d find that I could have went to the fish market hundreds of times… I always say, “You can’t put a price tag on a good time!” FWIW
Once you buy all the gear you need, and switch to all grain, things get much cheaper. Buying in bulk and re-using yeast obviously helps even further. Really though, if you’re getting in to this thinking you’ll save money, you’re doing it wrong.
So true. Luckily, I’m not sure my wife understood this at the beginning. However, the point was hammered home 8 years ago when I bought a Brew Magic RIMS system. heh.
If you’re wife or friends ask, it’s very cost effective!!
Whether it really is or not is a tough call. What do you factor into the costs? Equipment costs are high (relatively), but there is also resale value in most of it, so does that get factored in? Ingredient costs are fairly simple to figure. But then there is water costs, propane or electricity, do you factor in your time?
My overall take on it is this: If you pretty much stick with your same equipment and don’t spend lots of money on new stuff, then the overall costs will be comparable to buying most crafts beers. You’ll never make beer as cheap as Bud!
For lots of us, the costs aren’t really why we do it, though. It’s a hobby. Hobbies cost money.
To help keep costs down, I rarely buy beer. I brew enough to keep my taps flowing, so that helps. I know guys who spend a couple hundred a month or more on good craft beers. So does that make it cost effective, just drinking my own?
I’ve had my current AG setup for 8yrs now, so I don’t factor the equipment cost in nowadays.
My wife is German, so much of my beers are. Getting fresh german beer on tap or brewing hard to find import styles (ei lower gravity hard to export beers) is definitely worth it and cheaper than buying.
One of her favorites is Reissdorf kolsch, coming in at $4 a bottle at the store. And that’s gambling on freshness.
Yup, compare to the good stuff, look at the longer term, and pace your gear purchases to your expanding knowledge, and you should be able to beat the cost even in your first years.
When I started, I calculated how much I would spend over the next year on quality beer, and take that amount to figure out how much I could buy in consumables and gear. It worked out well except for one thing - I neglected to consider how much more I would be drinking with kegs in my basement!
So truth be told, I probably do spend more on beer each year than I used to - only because I’m drinking much more than ever. But I am also spending less out too, because paying five bucks for a pint and being disappointed is just not fun.
It’s nice not hauling bottles out of the store anymore too. It’s hard to factor in the price of quality in taste and lifestyle afterall. My friends love to get my gifts…
I buy sacks of domestic grain at around $1/lb. I can make 5gal of beer with 10lb of grain. A few dollars for hops and with reusing yeast a few generations, I can easily brew a batch for $16. Thats for two cases of beer, so $4 a sixer. Thats cheaper than Bud. If I use 10% sugar and go easy on hops I can brew for $3 a sixer.
[quote=“tom sawyer”]I can easily brew a batch for $16. Thats for two cases of beer, so $4 a sixer.[/quote]Actually Lennie you’re at @ 2 bucks a sixer.
Even if you had, say $600 in kegs and equipment and amortized that out over 5 years, brewing 2 batches a month only adds $5 per batch, still under $4 a sixer.
Exactly right, home brewing can be a huge money pit and sometimes a even greater pain in the a… but it’s something that I, personally am passionate about and I love devoting half a day to a day of brewing up a craft that I can be proud of. Added with all the positive comments from friends and family it makes the effort worth while, just don’t give too much of your beer away.
Lets not forget to figure in your time… 3-6 hours at say, some sort of minimum wage ($7.25- $7.50/hr). That boosts the price per six pack substantially, and when you figure in ingredients, and equipment it’s probably more cost effective and easier to just go buy beer and just chill out. My point is don’t get too caught with cost effectiveness, it’s just home brew
[quote=“Glug Master”][quote=“tom sawyer”]I can easily brew a batch for $16. Thats for two cases of beer, so $4 a sixer.[/quote]Actually Lennie you’re at @ 2 bucks a sixer.
Even if you had, say $600 in kegs and equipment and amortized that out over 5 years, brewing 2 batches a month only adds $5 per batch, still under $4 a sixer.[/quote]
Obviously math isn’t my strong suit.
[quote=“Rashasha”]So, I’m a noob, who got a 1 gallon homebrew kit for Xmas. I got 6 bottles out of my first kit, White House Honey Porter (I broke my first bottle when capping it!) and 8 bottles out of my second, Sierra Madre Pale Ale.
I then upgraded to a 5 gallon operation, but only got a 4 gallon yield on my first brew… I know, I’m a noob.
My question is when does it become cost-efficient to become a home brewer? Will I spend less per bottle when I start all-grain brewing? I realize that I may never get my costs down to that of Budweiser, but will I ever be able to brew a decent homebrew for less than an equivalent 6 or 12-pack will cost me in the store?
If not, oh well… I’ll keep brewing! [/quote]
It’s a hobby. Do it for the fun. Yes, you can minimize your costs with advanced techniques and larger quantity ingredient purchases but even with that if you charge yourself minimum wage for the time put into brewing your cost per glass is still going to be well over the price of buying commercial beer. Perceived cost per drink should be way down on the list of why you should brew. Brewing is fun, rewarding, interesting and delicious. I think those are better reasons. :cheers:
If you count your time, homebrewing will never be cost efficient. But we (mainly) do it as a hobby, so time usually isn’t a concern I’ve been brewing for 15 years, using the same inexpensive equipment. I buy grain in bulk at a very good price, I have a freezer stuffed with hops I buy by the pound, and I reuse yeast. Even with all that, I don’t know if it’s cost efficient for me or not. But that’s because as a hobby, I don’t bother to track the expense.
+1 on all the “it’s a hobby” comments. I enjoy the craft, brewing and sharing with friends. Its a ton of fun introducing someone else to the hobby and watching their surprise when they learn, “yeah, I can make beer, too.” I don’t think you can put a price on that.
a lot of the software packages, like Beer Tools Pro, which I use, allow you to enter ingredient costs. It will automatically calculate your cost per pint (or 12oz) if you take the time to enter in all costs.
I know its a hobby and you shouldn’t measure how much you spend, but in a weird nerdy way, thats part of the fun of it for me. Today I am brewing 6 gallons of classic american pilsner (a style which you can’t usually buy btw), and it cost me $20 for the grains @ my LHBS. If I factor in hops, its another $4 or so since I buy in bulk usually. 3rd generation of yeast @ $5 for the initial purchase, figure another $1.50.
Equipment (which can be minimal, Denny is the shining example of this) as a sunk-cost, I have over 2 cases of awesome beer for $25. If you want to be a stickler though, I have a blichmann floor burner with legs ($190), a Johnson controller ($100), and a chest freezer ($100 on craigs list), along with another few hundred worth of fermenters, kettles, refractometer and other gear (most of which you don’t need), but if you figure $500 over 50 brews, that only takes the cost of this batch to $35. Chest freezer, temp controller are critical though. And my blichmann makes my brewdays MUCH shorter.
Thanks for the feedback, guys! I really only asked out of curiosity and I wasn’t even factoring in the equipment costs (which I really don’t care about because I figure thats part of the hobby).
