Money on beer

The only time I don't drink homebrew is if I'm out at a bar or if there is something new or seasonal I really want to try. Not really sure how much that saves me though.

 

I was actually surprised how little I spent on homebrewing last year, considering how often I do it. I was actually a little disappointed considering it was the first year I got to write-off those expenses on my taxes as business related.

 

I'd guess about 90% of what I consume at home is homebrew. At an average of maybe $1 per pint, it's more expensive than what I was buying before I started but it's a far cry cheaper than what I would replace it with if I gave it up (my taste changed dramatically when I started brewing and found out what beer should taste like). So I guess homebrewing is a net savings for me (but that's a p*ss poor reason to do it, IMO ).

 

I'm at >90% homebrew, but I don't think I'm saving much. Sometimes I harvest yeast and make some super cheap batches but I'm experimenting too often to do that very much. Small batches so I can brew more often. Lots of gadgets I couldn't live without. Ouch, the money I've spent on those kegs, hops, fancy apple juice...I've also got several hundred bucks worth of honey waiting to be fermented. That shit is not cheap.

So, not saving much but drinking a lot better stuff!

 

Until I started hiring people from around the country and paying them to bring me their local beers I was drinking 90% homebrew. I will disagree with a lot of people here in that after the equipment purchases/build are finished, homebrewing can save you tons of money if you can get bulk ingredients. If you're still buying kits or extract you'll never save a dime.

 

The only reason the wife and I drink any of the commerical stuff is when I get lazy and let us fall behind on the homebrew. Right now we're drinking some Newky Brown, as I did something stupid and ended up with some bruised/separated/fractured ribs a couple of weeks ago. Price wise, my recipes for 5.5 gallons are usually in the $18-$20 range which is about half the price of any decent commercial stuff — tastes better, too in our estimation.

 

I'm probably at 40% homebrew. And yes, craft beer is expensive! I need to up my production. We're working on it.

 

This. I, however, spare no expense when it comes to the hobby. I'm fairly frugal on equipment but ingredients are another story.

 

I drink almost 100% homebrew unless I'm out at a bar or restaurant. However it really doesn't save me money, best case scenario I might break even. Even though the ingredients are relatively inexpensive the equipment is not, plus think I end up drinking more right after I finish a batch. There's something about a fridge with 50+ bottles in it that just makes me want to have another.

 

I think the biggest cost savings comes when you brew the "expensive" kinds of beers, i.e. barley wines, imperial stouts, and sours. If buying grains and hops in bulk and re-using yeast, you can have 2 cases of this stuff for about the same price as 4 or 5 commercial bombers. Of course, this is just factoring the cost of raw ingredients (including water and gas); cost doesn't include all the gadgets purchased along the way.

The only caveat with these beers is the waiting game. We are finally bottling our sour that is delicious, and like I said cost about the same to make as about 4 bombers of comparable-quality sours, but we brewed it about ... 18 months ago.

 

you're right that one can save a ton of money buying grain in bulk compared to someone buying a lb of pre-crushed Crystal 40 at their local store. But my wife laughed at the "equipment purchases/build are finished" part. She's been waiting for that day for a long time.

cheers--
--Michael

 

OP - most with new babies say they can't find the time to homebrew.

I am at the point I don't care about saving money, it is my hobby and I spend what I want on it.

 

I have a 9 month old and a two year old. I've brewed 8 or 9 batches over the last year (extract). It's cost me sleep on every brew night, but it's been worth it. I don't know where I'd find the time to do all grain right now. I definitely want to take that step. But not until my kids are a little older, and I can get some effing sleep.

 

If I let my wife build me a big brewhouse in the back yard my "equipment" costs per batch will skyrocket. I'll have to build a single tiered brew platform to go with it, anew on demand water heater, etc. But then she'd have the garage again.

 

I'd estimate around 50% homebrew consumption

 

When your wife is done building you a brew house, can she build me one? ;-)