Budget Beers

Yuengling.

 

Sweetwater 420 12 pack cans

 

My ingredients tend to be about $80.00 for a 5 gallon batch (not counting water). That works out to about fifty cents for a 12 ounce serving. Glad our costs are in line with each other!

Of course, there is the initial cost of equipment to factor in and the failed/flawed batches from time to time. I've only ever lost one batch completely, but several have either not turned out as well as I had hoped (due to experimenting with recipes) or have aged poorly.

 

I get a marginal batch from time to time but overall the savings and beer are great. The more you brew the more you will save. Last year I brewed and co brewed 87 cases of mostly Belgian beer. A conservative commercial cost for that much and type of beer is $10,440. It cost me/us $1044.00

 

It's hard to argue with Lagunitas being one of the best beer values (quality/cost), but I didn't see anyone mention New Glarus... $8/6pk for all their great year round and seasonal offerings, $9.50 for 750mL tarts and 4pks of Thumbprint brews.

 

Everyone always says that about Stoopid but it's no less than $5.49 around me. Still a deal imo!

 

In PA, Victory & Tröegs...its a buck or so cheaper then other quality stuff.

 

I assume you mean a 10 gallon batch. A 5 gallon batch gets about 50 beers and 80 bucks would be on the high side. If you are making big beers that sounds about right for 10 G. Buying hops in bulk , getting grain at a cheaper store, and reusing yeast I run about 25 for a 6 to 7 % IPA. My biggest problem with saving money is that I tend to give a lot of beer away. I enjoy brewing to the point of not being able to consume it all myself. My kids and friends are happy though.

 

Here in my neck of the woods the best value beers would probably have to be any of the Oskar Blues core lineup; Dales, Lil Yella Pils, or Old Chub. I can get a 12 pack for $13.99 and there all solid beers. But at the end of the day the best value definitely comes from home brewing. I buy all of my ingredients in bulk and I can brew a 5 gallon batch of solid IPA for roughly $20-$25.

 

Nope. We're talking ABV between 6% and 8% for a five gallon batch. Stuff costs a lot out here and I always buy new yeast because I never make the same style twice. I also don't brew often enough to buy things in the kind of bulk that generates good discounts.

 

My local Weis used to carry Killian's Irish Stout for $8.29/6. It's not a bad beer, esp. for the price. They stopped carrying it. I wonder if it's still being brewed. Weis also sells Guinness Extra Stout in the 22 oz bottle for $2.99; cheaper than sitting in a bar. Weis also carries beers from Susquehanna Brewing (SBC) and they are all under $10/6 as well. The Hopfive IPA and Pils Noir aren't too bad.

 

I'd love to know why this is as well. I regularly see Lagunitas 6-packs around the $11-13 mark here in Indiana, but you can almost get a 12-pack of Sierra Nevada or New Belgium for that.

 

SN, New Belgium, Deschutes, are always reasonable here. If I'm feeling really cheap Shiner is the ticket.

 

Alright, BAers, here’s a challenge for you: I’m leaving my current job in a matter of days for a new position with a different company. However, due to a lapse in paychecks, my beer budget is going to be pretty skimpy for the next couple of weeks – about $10 to $15 per week. With that in mind, I’m wondering which six-pack beers I should try/revisit? They can be craft beer classics, your personal fridge staples, or beers you feel are often overlooked. Thanks for the tips.

 

If you prefer being drunk for a whole week on a budget that low it sounds like you'll need some Evil Eye

 

Interesting take. Not quite what I was going for though.

Cards on the table, I could probably swing about $20 per week, but I thought I'd play it safe.

 

Just come over and raid my fridge. I have far too many IPA's in there

 

$20 per week? Get a 12 pack of Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest or Torpedo and a bomber of Stone Smoked Porter. That would suit me just nicely for a week.

 

I was at the grocery store last night scanning for "budget" six packs, but I couldn't figure out if the variety packs that were less than 20 were a better deal. More variety is worth the lil extra money to me. The one from Stone, New Belgium and Sierra Nevada all looked good

 

You forgot "...from the top 5 breweries in the top 5 states if you could only drink one lawnmower beer in a can from the best beer city on a desert island for your wedding..."

But then, I probably missed a few qualifiers.