My buddy wants to get started!

...but he thinks all the links I sent him seem too expensive! I sent him Austin, Midwest and Northern.

Is there anywhere else I can point him?

Like I said, he wants to get into it, and once he does he'll soon realize that they're not!

But in the meantime...?

In the meantime let him brew on your setup! Equipment-wise you can start with a smaller kettle for partial boils and ferment in buckets.

What about a 1-gal starter kit from NB or brooklyn? They are pretty reasonably priced. If he gets hooked the equipment is still useful later for test batches, yeast starters, etc.

I agree.. I gallon setups from brooklyn is a nice deal.

If he's worrying about the startup cost now, maybe he's not cutout for the hobby. it won't get any cheaper.

Once you pony up for a 5 gallon beginner kit and important add ons (botting wand, auto siphon etc), it will pay for itself over time, assuming you drink the same amount of beers that you would have.

Minus equipment, my per bottle cost is about $.60 for 5gal Partial Mash recipes, if I bought 6 packs of craft brews it would be twice that.

Plenty of people get swept away by the "idea" of homebrewing, spend a fair amount of cash on starter kits and then stuff them in a closet after a couple of batches. And some of those folks put their stuff on craigslist for vultures like you and me to scoop up. Also, I think it was Austin (can't remember, might have been Midwest) but I used to fairly regularly receive groupon (or groupon-esque) offers for discount (50 percent off) starter kits, so that might be something else to look for.

In the meantime, if your bud still wants to brew I'd just invite him over. Tell him you guys can brew stuff together but he has to buy the grains/hops/etc. Then split the beer 50-50.

BigCypress said:

Plenty of people get swept away by the "idea" of homebrewing, spend a fair amount of cash on starter kits and then stuff them in a closet after a couple of batches. And some of those folks put their stuff on craigslist for vultures like you and me to scoop up. Also, I think it was Austin (can't remember, might have been Midwest) but I used to fairly regularly receive groupon (or groupon-esque) offers for discount (50 percent off) starter kits, so that might be something else to look for.

In the meantime, if your bud still wants to brew I'd just invite him over. Tell him you guys can brew stuff together but he has to buy the grains/hops/etc. Then split the beer 50-50.

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This.

I think homebrewing can be inexpensive (compared to buying similar commercial craft beer), but everyone has their own idea of what's expensive. When I was younger it was hard for me to justify the cost of some of the conveniences I bought later on.

Why not just brew together for a couple of batches, taking turns brewing each other's beers. The cost of a plastic primary bucket and bottles is pretty low. The basics will get him by until he can swing the $100-150 for a complete kit. (And he can get a better idea if this is something he will want to do more of, or just once in a while.)

I started first off by going to my LHBS that brews for you, and you simply go in and bottle. I didn't have a lot of work to do but what I did do (such as collect and clean bottles) proved to be useful once I got my own set up, and it gave me a sense of whether it would be a pain in the rear, or whether it would be fun. I liked it. I also got to fine tune a few recipes (merely by describing falvors to the LHBS brewers) and drink somewhat cheaper but better beer.

Then I got thinking that it would be even more fun if I got the equipment and did it myself... and somehow I had it in my head too that it would be cheaper. As much as it is fun, I was definitely telling myself that a big fat lie by saying it would be cheaper.

My equipment has cost roughly $900 (CDN), and my first two batches were a write-off. The price of Canadian gear and ingredients is partly to blame, but there's probably no doubt about it that the only way you save money is if you make a lot of good beer for a long time. Still, I'm happy.

The above poster's suggestion to let your friend try brewing on your equipment is a good idea.

I've already mentioned this to him (brewing on my stuff); He's all over that idea! Now he's trying to fine tune the recipe he wants me to "tutor" him on!

He gets experience, I get beer, its a win-win!

First have him become a Supporting Member on here. Most beneficial $25 he'll spend

I bought my beginner kit at Midwest, through Livingsocial for $76. It came with an extract kit, plus $25 off another kit. So pretty decent to get me hooked.

I should prob be tarred and feathered for saying this but Mr Beer kits are always an option if he's really cash strapped. Aren't they like 50 bucks for the basic kit or something?

Otherwise have him try a home brew store. My buddy up in Sterling, Michigan just got into it recently. I had sent him links from NB and Austin and he thought they were expensive. Got a real good kit at a LHBS that beat all the others online. Maybe he can check his area for one and see what they have to offer.

I even know of a LHBS in my area that lets u rent their equipment for a nominal fee, store the beer there while it ferments and conditions and then just take the beer when its all done and bottled. Might be worth it for him to look into that until he can piece together his very own setup.

Cheapest way to get started homebrewing for your buddy:

Use your kettle / brew day equipment

Get 2 5 gallon buckets from a bakery (or bigger if you can find them)
Drill out a hole for airlock in one lid, spigot in the other and buy a 1/4" ball valve on eBay (less than $3)

I have put together a 10 gallon AG brew setup for myself to brew with buddies. We put together fermenting / bottling equipment for less than $20 each using saved bottles.

Next best option is to check Craigslist. I frequently pick up beginners kits there - depending on the condition and extras I usually offer $20-$40 and I'll just give them to someone else when an opportunity arises.

Best of luck!

Have him start with small batches of 1-2 gallons. With the small batches like that there is very little equipment needed and he can 'upgrade' to a bigger kit when he decides to or gets more money or is ready.

Mr Beer is a good start too.

Though there is a lot to be said for brewing together. (Have him) Buy an extra bucket fermenter, brew on your equipment and get him a little learnin'. Tax him a 6er per batch or something. If like many of us you want him to become an airlock sniffer, get an undrilled lid for tranport and have him pitch the yeast at his place.

Tell your buddy to give up drinking because it's obviously too expensive for him.

MoreBeer has good prices too. If you spend over $59 they give free shipping on most items.
The idea to have him brew with you until he can afford his own stuff is a great idea.

I second the notion of the one gallon kits from Northern. Get a food grade five gallon bucket for fermenting and use the wife's SS stock pot for brewing. Go to your local dive bar and ask for some bottles. If he likes the process after that, then like others have said, go on Craigslist and find a kit for under a hundred bucks.

I'm one of the dummies. Mr beer got me hooked. All he needs to do is read posts here. Then either use your equipment or buy a Mr. Beer. Next thing you know he'll be buying a starter kit. Just from my experience have him get the deluxe beer kit. Wish I had a carboy for secondary fermentation

If your buddy is strapped for cash that's one thing, but if he's looking at price per beer, tell him to look into all grain. Price per beer just went down since you can mash it yourself.

Good luck to him,

As far as I'm concerned, cost savings is not a good reason to brew beer. Even with doing all-grain and buying grain in bulk, you're looking at a lot of work for every dollar saved. My time is worth more than that if I'm not enjoying what I'm doing.

I get most of my stuff from amazon. My wife got me a 5 gallon starter kit for about $80. Usually amazon has the cheapest price, except Craigslist.